Wicked Wings

28

This one has the covers thrown back, along with clothes hanging over the back of the desk chair, and a red guitar tucked in the corner. This must be Marcus’s room. I catch a glimpse of a photo on his desk with Marcus, Archangel Raphael, and a ton of other guys who look similar to them, but I leave the room. I have no idea when Marcus will be back and I need to hurry. As much as I’d like to go through all of his things—in the name of finding my brother, of course—I don’t have time.

The other bedroom is completely the opposite. The bed is made, and everything is tidy, like it hasn’t been touched in months. The sheets are a dark hunter green, Jonah’s favorite color, and on the nightstand there’s a picture of him and Grace by the lake. I touch his pillow, where I can almost see him lying in bed while reading one of the horror novels he loved so much. I run my hand along the desk, disturbing a light coating of dust, and imagine Jonah sitting here doing his work. I palm the worn baseball sitting in the corner and picture him throwing it in the air. My heart squeezes, my chest tightens, and I close my eyes as worry for my brother takes over.

I shake it off and go through his desk, but all I find are flyers for a pizza place in Angel Peak, some pens and pencils, and a few dusty paper clips. Nothing exciting. I was hoping to find a laptop or his smartphone, but I’m sure someone else got to them first.

Next I open his closet door. His clothes are hanging inside, and I rifle through them. I spot his baseball uniform and another pang of longing hits my chest. I check the rest of the closet, and I’m about to give up when I find a garbage bag on the floor in the back. the closet, and I’m about to give up when I find a garbage bag on the floor in the back. Inside is a long gold robe and a matching mask, exactly like the one I got, except for the color.

I don’t know what it means, but it’s the only lead I have. Now I definitely have to attend that meeting—or whatever it is—this weekend.

I hear the front door open and shove the robe back in the bag and in the closet. Going invisible again, I stay still as I hear Marcus’s footsteps move through the dorm. He pauses at the doorway to Jonah’s room, and I realize I left the door open. He frowns, turns on the light, and then stares at the bed. I hold my breath as the seconds tick by, and I think for sure my cover is blown. I can’t help but stare at the grief on Marcus’s face, but I see something else in his eyes too—guilt maybe? Or am I imagining that because I just want to see it there?

He closes the door, and as soon as he’s gone I can breathe again. I wait until he moves into his own room, and then I quietly sneak out onto the balcony and escape. That was close.

And now I’m one step closer to finding out what happened to Jonah.

Chapter Eighteen

Olivia

M

y second day of classes go about as well as the first. This time in Combat Training we’re not paired up at least, so Tanwen doesn’t get to beat me up today. Instead, we go through some basic stretching and martial arts poses to help us build our balance and practice getting in different positions. It’s a nice break after yesterday’s beat down, and since I’ve been doing yoga for years, I’m actually not too bad at this. Araceli and Darel make googly eyes at each other during the entire class, while Callan stands in the corner with his arms crossed, shooting daggers at me with his eyes as I stretch, emphasizing my assets to drive him a bit mad.

In Flight, we practice taking off by jumping from a ledge on to a soft padded area in the gym. I make a show like I’m still learning and fall a few times, and the mean girl posse nudges each other and laughs every time. You’d think grown-ass women would be above this stuff, but I guess some things never change.

In Demon Studies, I’m forced to sit behind Marcus again, and he gives me another of his charming smiles that no doubt makes most girls melt. If he keeps it up, it might work on me too, but for now I’m holding strong. That might change depending on how hungry I get.

Professor Raziel walks in wearing a white suit with a bowtie with green polka dots. “Hello class! Today we’re going to discuss one type of demon, the Fallen. This is probably the demon you’ve heard the most about, so it seems fitting to start here since there are many misconceptions about them, and about their leader, Lucifer. What can you tell me about the King of Hell?”

“He was once an angel,” Marcus pipes up. “All the Fallen were.”

Raziel nods. “Yes, and what you might not know is that Lucifer was actually an Archangel. What else?”

“He left and went to Hell,” Blake says.

“That’s right, he did, although many people debate the exact reason why. Some say it was because he wanted more power. Some say it was because he disagreed with the way the Archangels were running things. Some say he saw an opportunity and took it. Maybe all of these things are true. Who knows? What we do know is that he left Heaven, the land of light, for Hell, the realm of darkness. There were already many different types of demons living there, but they were all separate tribes who sometimes fought against each other. When Lucifer became the King of Hell, he united these different groups and turned them into one organized Legion under his rule. Many angels followed him, mainly those who were also disillusioned with the Archangels, and others who were simply loyal to him. These angels all changed as they adjusted to Hell, and they started to feed on darkness and control it, much like we do with light. They became the Fallen, and their Deadly Sin is pride.”