Sinful Things

10

The teacher, Eileen, is a red-haired angel with freckles on her nose, and her eyes widen with a hint of fear when she sees me. Great, even a professor is scared of me now.

“Angels and demons both use life force to fuel their powers, and they need to recharge that in different ways,” she explains. “Angels use light, and demons have different ways of doing this depending on their type. The Fallen use darkness, vampires use blood—”

“And succubi use s*x,” a Valkyrie I don’t know says with a smirk.

Eileen’s face turns bright red and she glances at me quickly before looking away. “Um, well, yes. As I was saying, in this class you’ll learn how to best recharge yourselves, and how to use your light magic in ways you might not have thought of before.”

Like my other classes, this one is mostly an overview of what to expect during the year, and I find my attention wandering. My gaze drifts over the lake, watching the breeze make tiny ripples in the water, and then I spot Marcus standing on the other side. Looking directly at me. I’m going to have to face him soon—and I’m so not ready.

Chapter Seven

Marcus

I

'm going to be late to my Human Studies class, but I can't keep myself from stopping to watch Liv in her Light Control class. It’s outside next to the lake, and her dark brown hair shines under the bright sun as she listens to the professor. She’s so beautiful it makes my chest hurt, and I long to go to her and beg her to take me back.

I managed to stay away from her over the winter, even though it was hard. Especially when I found out she continued sleeping with Bastien, even though she’s still pissed at him. I understand why she did it, but they both know she needs to feed on more than one person, and dammit, it should be me helping her, not anyone else.

I’m filled with guilt at the thought. Now that I know she’s Jonah’s sister, I can’t look at her the same way without feeling like I’ve betrayed my best friend somehow. Jonah would kill me if he knew what happened last year, although maybe he’d cut me some slack if he knew I slept with her to keep her safe and healthy. Does that make it okay to sleep with your best friend’s sister? Could he ever forgive me?

Of course, that’s not the only thing I’m going to have to answer for, if we ever find Jonah. In a moment of weakness, when it was clear Jonah wasn’t coming back, I slept with his girlfriend, Grace. It was a monumental mistake and we both regretted it immediately and swore we’d never bring it up again. I’ve avoided Grace ever since then, but I'll have to own up to that with Jonah, and tell him how sorry I am.

I head to my Human Studies class, but I find it hard to concentrate on anything the professor says. Callan is in it too, but I shoot him a cold look and sit on the other side of the room. I haven’t spoken to him or Bastien after they betrayed Liv, and although I miss them, I’m still pissed at them too.

Afterwards, I head back to my dorm to get ready for soccer practice. It’s going to be intense, because the fae always kick Seraphim’s ass at the sport, but I consider skipping it anyway because I just don’t care. Ever since school ended last year, I’ve been feeling…lost.

I step into the elevator to my dorm, the one I still share with Jonah even though he’s been gone more than a year. I hate going back there. It’s too empty, and every time I glance at his door, I’m reminded that he’s gone and probably never coming back.

Olivia steps into the elevator just before the door closes, and she stiffens when she sees me. For a few seconds we’re alone, and I have to say something. I have to try.

“Liv,” I say. “I missed you.”

She doesn’t answer, but just stares at the elevator door. It’s going to open any moment now and she’s going to leave. Before I know what I’m doing, I hit the STOP button and the elevator jerks to a halt.

“I’m sorry,” I continue. “I never meant to hurt you, and everything I did last year was to protect you.”

Her unusual green eyes cut to me sharply. “Trashing my room was protecting me?”

I cringe, but at least she’s talking to me now. “Yes, in our own way, or at least we thought so at the time. It was stupid though, and I should have stopped Callan and Bastien. We should have been honest with you from the beginning.”

“Yes, you should have.”

“But you weren’t honest with us either. You could have told us Jonah was your brother.”

She props her hands on her hips. “I had no reason to trust you. And then I did trust you, and Callan betrayed me anyway.”

“Callan is a d**k, and I haven’t spoken to him in months. I’m pissed at him too, but I had nothing to do with him betraying you. You have to know I’d never do anything to hurt you.” I draw in a deep breath. “I am sorry for what I did though. I’ll say it a hundred times, if necessary, until you believe me. A thousand times. A million.”

She glances away, her shoulders dropping. Maybe I’m finally getting through to her. But then she pushes the STOP button again, and the elevator hits the second floor.

“I believe you’re sorry,” she says, as she walks out. “But I just don’t care.”

The door shuts with a thud after that, and the hollowness inside me feels like a black hole I can’t escape from. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. In fact, before Olivia I slept with a new angel every month, and they all knew it was just a bit of fun and nothing serious. Then Liv came into my life, and nothing was ever the same again.