Wicked Wings

4

Father pinches the bridge of his nose. If anyone saw us together, they would never think we were related. His hair is soft brown, his eyes are bright blue, and his face is smooth and impossibly handsome in a way that makes you want to trust him immediately. He looks thirty, thirty-five max. He’s much, much older. “Why exactly are you doing this?”

I head into the small area that barely qualifies as a kitchen and pour myself some coffee, then heat it in the microwave. It’s a day old, but coffee is coffee, and this addict needs her fix. “I’m going to find Jonah, and I need to attend Seraphim Academy to do that.”

He follows me across the room. “I want to find your brother as much as you do, but this isn’t the way. I’ve already got my best angels looking for him. Let me handle it.”

I turn back and meet his eyes. “And where has that gotten you so far? It’s been three months, Jonah is still missing, and we’re no closer to finding him.”

He crosses his arms and sets his jaw. “What makes you think you can succeed where I have failed?” His tone challenges me, but I do things my own way. What can I say? Stubbornness runs in the family.

“I have a different set of skills. The ones Mother taught me.” A sinful little smile crosses my lips. “You know how persuasive she can be.”

“Don’t remind me.” He sighs, and for a second the weight of an immortal life rests on his shoulders before it’s gone again. “Going to Seraphim Academy is a bad idea. It’s too dangerous for you. Your mother and I have worked hard to keep you hidden from our world for all these years. I know it’s been tough sometimes, but you were safe. Now you’re throwing all of that away.”

I suck down the rest of my coffee and refill my mug before popping it back in the microwave. It’s hot pink and reads, I’m a f*****g angel. Jonah got it for me for my twenty-first birthday, and it makes Father’s eye twitch every time he sees it. “I’ll be fine.”

His eyes narrow. “I’m not sure you understand the implications. There’s no turning back from this. Now that the angels know you exist, you have no choice but to attend Seraphim Academy for all three years. Unless they find out the truth about you, they’ll make sure you attend each term. And if anyone finds out what you really are…” He trails off wearily. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to keep it hidden. As far as they know, I’m half human.” When he still looks concerned and unwavering, I add, “I won’t tell them who my father is either, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, of course not,” he says, although there’s a slight hesitation that I can’t help but catch. I’m his biggest shame, and though he cares for me in his own detached way, I’ll never be the child he wanted. Jonah is, and now he’s gone. He clears his throat and straightens his tie, obviously uncomfortable. “Although it’s probably best if you did keep that information to yourself.”

“You got it.” I give him a mock salute with my mug. “Anything else I should keep in mind?”

“Just be careful.” He rests a hand on my shoulder, and I’m filled with a comforting warmth at his touch. Sunlight streams through the window nearby, hitting his slightly curling hair and framing his silhouette, and in that instant, I can almost see the outline of his silver wings. I’m awash with a wave of his power that feels like basking in the glow of the sun. I can’t help but crave more of it, along with his approval, but then he takes his hand away. “Promise me.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.”

After giving me a long look, he disappears in a flash of light. One second there, the next gone, leaving me feeling like the conversation was only half finished. Teleportation seems like overkill when you can fly too, but that’s one of the perks of being an Archangel—they have powers the rest of us don’t.

I glance around my apartment. I still have a lot to do, but everything is going exactly as planned. I’ve dreamed of attending Seraphim Academy ever since Jonah told me about it, and soon I’ll be there. I just wish he could be there with me too.

Jonah is my half-brother and a year older than me. He should have been starting his second year at Seraphim Academy next week, but he disappeared at the end of last year’s term and no one knows why. Father’s been searching, but he hasn’t found any leads. If there’s something going down at that university, only another student will be able to uncover the truth. That’s why I have to infiltrate the school and find out what happened to Jonah. Luckily, I can be very persuasive. And if I have to, I’ll tear the place down with my bare hands to find my brother.

I just have to make sure no one finds out what I really am. Angels and demons have lived in an uneasy truce ever since the Earth Accords, but my very existence breaks all the rules. If anyone learns my true identity, I won’t just get kicked out of Seraphim Academy—I’ll be killed.

Chapter Three

Olivia

“W

hat’s it like at Seraphim Academy?” I asked, trying not to let my jealousy show. Jonah started at the school a month earlier and wasn’t visiting me as much ever since. I missed him already. I hadn’t seen Mother in two years and Father wasn’t exactly a common visitor those days either. I was pretty sure they both wished I didn’t exist. Jonah was my last connection to the non-human world…and my only real family.