Wicked Wings

9

“I doubt that, but I don’t know much about it, sorry. Headmaster Uriel might be able to tell you more.” She stops outside another building, this one with an outdoor patio. “This is the cafeteria. It’s a buffet, so you can turn up whenever you’re hungry and get as much food as you want. You can also get food to go if you want to eat in your room or by the lake.”

“Is it expensive?”

She laughs softly. “No, it’s free for students. Pretty much everything here is.”

My eyes widen. “Wow. That’s really generous of the school.”

“Aerie Industries funds the academy, and they take good care of us. As they should, since most of us work for them when we’re done here.”

My tour with Grace continues, and over the next few minutes she shows me the headmaster’s house, the library, the student store, and then she leads me down a short path toward a four-story stone building. “That’s the dorm. You should have been assigned a suite already, which you’ll share with another First Year student.”

“Dorms, huh? I’ve never stayed in one of those.”

“Did you go to college?”

“Just a local community college for two years.” I shrug. “What about you? Do angels go to college?”

“Some of us do. We grow up in angel communities around the world, but since we don’t get our wings until we’re twenty-one, it gives us time to get a degree first if we want. I went to Stanford, for example. Seraphim Academy is sort of like a graduate school in that sense. Of course, sometimes it still feels like high school.” Her dark eyes catch on a group of women walking past us as she says this. They’re beautiful, even for angels, and they hold their heads high and walk confidently, like they’re used to people leaping out of their way. Every single one of them has an athletic figure and identical straw-colored hair. The one in front has her hair tied back in a perky little ponytail and she meets my eyes and sneers, before they turn as a group and head toward the dorms. The one in the back bumps me hard with her bag before she walks inside.

It’s difficult not to call her out as she passes. “I see what you mean. Who are they?”

“Seraphim Academy’s resident mean girls. They’re all descended from Valkyries and think they’re better than everyone else because of it. That one in the front was Tanwen, their new leader, even though she’s also a First Year.”

“Wait, Valkyries? I thought that was Norse mythology. You’re saying they’re real too?”

“They are. As you’ll see in Angelic History, any sort of winged being in mythology or religion can probably be traced back to us.” She waves a hand dismissively. “Anyway, I suggest staying out of their way as best you can. It’s better if you don’t get their attention.”

“So, avoid the angel royalty and avoid the mean girls. Is there anyone I don’t have to avoid?”

“Everyone else should be fine, I hope. Although we don’t get many half-humans here, so some people might be rude to you about it.”

“Just what I need,” I mumble.

“I don’t think anyone will bother you,” she says with a smile. “If you ever need anything or have any questions, just let me know.”

I give her a genuine smile in return. She’s nice when she didn’t have to be. I appreciate it. “I will. Thanks.”

Grace seems like a kind and caring person, which makes me almost feel bad for deceiving and using her. Almost.

Chapter Six

Olivia

G

race and I split up outside the dorms, and I head inside to check out my new home and meet my new roommate. This building is done in the same white stone and gothic design as the rest of the buildings on campus. There’s a small lobby with an elevator and some vending machines, and a guy sitting behind a temporary desk with a clipboard. His nametag reads Blake, and he’s got ashy blond hair and way too tan skin. Someone has been spending a lot of time in the sun.

“Checking in?” he asks. “Name?”

“Olivia Monroe.”

His lip curls. “Oh, you’re the half-human. Sign in here.”

I sign the line, and he pulls a key from a drawer in the desk. I knew pretending to be part human would make me an outsider, but I had no idea it’d be this bad. It stings a little, even if I’m not actually half-human.

“You’re in room 302 with Araceli.” He snorts. “That’s fitting.”

I grab the key. “What do you mean?”

His lip curl turns into a full-on sneer. “No one wants that pointy-eared freak here either.”

I roll my eyes. That’s enough of that. “I can’t speak for her, but I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well climb off your high horse already.”

He leans back and shrugs, and I pocket my key and stomp off. Looking for Jonah here might be harder than I thought if everyone is a total prick to me. Then again, they’d treat me a lot worse if they knew I was actually part demon. Breeding with a human is forbidden, but breeding with a demon? It’s so taboo, it’s unthinkable.

I peek inside the common room, which has leather couches, heavy wood tables, and chairs with thick arms. There’s a large-screen TV on one end, but it’s turned off. Floor to ceiling windows let in tons of light, and sliding doors lead to an outdoor patio with tables and chairs. A few students are lounging around reading books, using their laptops, or chatting with each other while eating snacks. One of them spots me and nudges her friend, and then the room goes quiet as the entire place stops to stare at me.