Wicked Wings

19

Chapter Twelve

Bastien

I

storm out of the house, my hands balled into fists at my side. It’s just like my father to do this without asking me first, or even telling me his plans. It’s probably another one of his experiments, which you’d think I would be used to after twenty-two years of them, but he always manages to surprise me. The most ridiculous part is that he can probably discern the half-human’s Choir much easier and quicker than I can, but he claims this is a training exercise for me. Another test to see if I am worthy of taking his place someday.

Uriel only had me in the first place because of necessity. When the Archangels saw how quickly other angels were breeding now that we lived on Earth, they worried they would lose power without any children of their own to potentially take their place someday, thus they all made a pact to have at least one child. Archangel Raphael had already had plenty at that point, but he sired Marcus anyway as part of the deal, and two more children since. My father agreed to the plan reluctantly, and chose another Ofanim to ensure that his child would have be of the same Choir. My mother, Dina, was a very well-respected prophet, but she had no love for my father and no desire to raise a child. She did it out of duty, and as part of the deal she gave me up when I was a small child to be raised by Uriel. I’ve only seen her a few times since she left.

Thus the Princes came about—five male children sired from the Archangels. Azrael’s son Ekariel was the first, but he was killed when he was a child, presumably by demons, but no one can confirm that. Marcus and I were born next, followed by Callan and Jonah, who were sired by not one but two Archangels each, which means they face high expectations from the entire angel community. That’s one reason it was even more of a shock when Jonah went missing. Of course, he didn’t actually disappear—a few of us know where he went. But he should have returned by now, and it’s troubling that we haven’t heard from him at all.

I’m thinking about Jonah and our promise to him when I walk into the student store, which is a misnomer since nothing in here costs money. I still need to pick up my books for my second year at Seraphim Academy, and when I step inside it looks like many other students are in the same situation. The student store is filled with books, gym uniforms, and anything else we might need for our classes. It also has some snacks and things for our dorms, such as sheets, towels, and so forth. There are also a few items of clothing, ranging from important things like emergency underwear to sweatshirts with the Seraphim Academy logo on it. Everything in here is provided by the school at no charge, although students are expected to only take what they need. If someone is caught being excessive or greedy, they may have their privileges revoked at the student store and the cafeteria. It works as a good deterrent because no one wants to be that person who isn’t allowed a meal, or who has to use their own money to buy something. The angel community is small and tightknit, and the potential shame keeps people in line.

I head for the textbook section and pick up the one for Human Studies, and when I turn I spot the half-human walking down the aisle while checking a piece of paper. There is no avoiding her.

Olivia stops beside me and grabs the Demon Studies textbook off the shelf. She c***s her head. “Are you following me?”

“Hardly. I have to get books too, just like every other student.”

“Except you’re not just like every other student, are you?”

“What does that mean?”

She gives a little shrug, drawing my eyes to her bare shoulders and her smooth skin. “I’m told you get certain perks like your own private lounge in the bell tower. I’m sure there are other things I don’t even know about too.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice is even colder than usual, but she doesn’t react at all. Any other student in the school would be running for the hills with the look I’m giving her, but she seems immune to intimidation.

“Why don’t you instruct me then? Or is that what you’ll be doing in our sessions?” Her dark eyebrows lift up and her words sound dirty, although that might just be her voice. Everything she says sounds sensual. The woman is dripping s*x appeal, and even though she’s very much not my type, it’s impossible not to notice it.

I scowl at her. “In our sessions I will be studying you to determine what your Choir is. Nothing more. With luck, we will uncover your powers quickly so I can stop wasting my time on you.”

She shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

She turns and moves on to the next shelf to find another book. As she grabs it, I stare at her and try to sense something, anything, about her Choir. Most people’s Choirs are obvious. Her roommate, for example, has an aura that screams in your face that she is a healer, a Malakim. The Valkyries are also obviously warriors, Erelim, and were practically born shooting burning light from their fingertips. But this half-human is a mystery. I can’t read her aura at all, which worries me. I’ve never met anyone like that before. Is it because of her human side? Perhaps she doesn’t have any powers. I’ll need to do some research on other half-humans to better know what to expect.I’m not looking forward to the sessions with Olivia, but it will give me a chance to study her better.