Wicked Wings

27

“We’ll see about that. I’m going to use the light of truth upon you now, which should reveal more about you to me.”

He holds his hands close together and a glowing white light appears between his palms. He lets it get bigger and bigger until it’s almost the size of his torso, and then he releases it toward me. I cringe as the light surrounds me and feel a little tingle, but nothing else happens. His scowl deepens and I know the necklace is working.

“Do you see anything?” I ask, trying to look and sound innocent.

“No. Very unusual. I should be able to detect something, but with you I get absolutely nothing. It’s almost like there is some type of magic blocking it. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“No. I don’t know a thing about magic.”

He leans forward with determination in his gray eyes. “I’ll try again.”

He continues casting different truth spells on me, but still doesn’t get any of the information he so desperately desires. A sense of satisfaction forms in my chest when I see how much trouble he’s having, and it gives me confidence that I might actually be able to pull this deception off long enough to find Jonah.

“Has anyone tested your blood?” he asks.

I stiffen a little at the thought. Would they be able to detect demon blood in me? Probably. I shoot him a look of confusion to show I’m just a simple-minded human. “No, and I don’t think I’m okay with that.”

“Very well,” he grumbles. He’d obviously love to stick me with all sorts of sharp objects, and maybe even that one in his pants from the way he looks at me sometimes and the little buzz of lust I detect from him. I can’t decide if he wants me, hates me, or just sees me as one big puzzle. Maybe all of the above. I think that’s how I’m going to get to him. If he sees me as some mystery he can solve, then he might be more inclined to open up to me about Jonah. If any of the Princes will know about his disappearance, it’s Bastien.

He steeples his fingers on the table. “There are other ways to tell what Choir you belong to. We’ll go through a list of questions. First of all, have you felt anything when someone has lied to you recently? Like a strong sense of wrongness?”

“No, I haven’t felt anything like that. But maybe no one has lied to me.”

“I doubt that, but let’s try it now. The sky is orange. Anything?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“Hm. I do find it unlikely you are an Ofanim. Perhaps a Malakim? Have you ever touched an injured person or animal, or even a plant that was dying, and had it heal or come back to life?”

The questions continue on for the next hour and I answer in the negative for every single one. When our time is up, he’s more frustrated than ever and no closer to getting any answers. He instructs me to meet him again at the same time and place tomorrow so he can run more tests, ask me more questions, and generally get even more frustrated.

The game is afoot, and I find myself quite liking it. I’ve always enjoyed a good game of deception, and if he can help me find my brother, I’ll do whatever it takes, and I’ll be whoever I need to be…as long as I win.

T

hat night, after finishing dinner in the cafeteria, I tell Araceli I’m turning in early when we head back to our dorm. I wait until I’m sure she’s in her own room, and then I quietly slip out onto the balcony wearing all black, with my hair tied back. I let my black wings unfurl, and carefully float down to the ground without making a sound. I haven’t mastered flight yet, but I can at least land carefully.

My wings disappear, and I pad across the grass quietly, sticking to the darkest parts of the campus. At night, the grounds are pretty empty. Angels prefer daytime, while the night is for demons. My time.

At first, I don’t see anyone outside. This is almost too easy. Then I hear some giggling and some hushed whispers and spot a small beam of light behind a tree. A man and a woman together, doing something that only increases my hunger. The succubus inside me is tempted to go over and feed off of them, but the angel in me sneaks past without them noticing.

When I reach the main hall, I hide in the shadows, watching the light from the bell tower. The Princes are up there, as I hoped they’d be. Every now and then I spot a glimpse of Callan pacing through the tall windows, but I can’t get a better look at what they’re doing without flying up there, and they might see or hear me if I do that. I wait, and wait, and just when I think I might need to return tomorrow night, Marcus walks past the window. That’s all the confirmation I need.

I sneak back to the dorms and go up to the fourth floor. Thanks to Father, I have the gift of invisibility, like every other Ishim. I use it now by bending light around myself to hide from view as I pick the lock on Marcus’s door—something Mother taught me. It takes me a few minutes, and I keep glancing around, worried someone will spot me even with my necklace and my powers, but the hallway is quiet and empty, and finally the lock picks do their job and the door clicks open.

I don’t bother turning on a light as I quietly slip inside. I don’t need it, thanks to my demon vision. The living room area is a lot like the one I share with Araceli, although this one has more personal touches in it, like some pictures on the walls. There’s also a much bigger TV. I don’t spend much time snooping around in here, and instead head for one of the bedrooms.