Sinful Things

28

Olivia sits up a little and looks at me with interest. “What was the arrangement?”

“I’m sure they covered this in Angelic Studies, but as immortal beings, supernaturals do not reproduce easily or often, at least in Heaven, Hell, and Faerie. It could take a hundred years, or even a thousand, for a couple to have a child. But that isn’t the case on Earth.”

“Yes, Kassiel told us about it in class. He said it’s one of the main reasons angels and demons started migrating here.”

I sit up too and fix the pillows behind us as I talk. “Indeed. Angels tried to regulate the migration, to keep us from moving too quickly into this world and revealing our kind to humans, but demons shared none of those concerns. Eventually none of that mattered though, once the Earth Accords were signed. Michael and Lucifer used the Staff of Eternity, and all angels and demons were sent to Earth, with Heaven and Hell being abandoned and sealed off. Once all of our people were here on Earth, they began to procreate a lot more frequently. Our population swelled with new angels for the first time, and the Archangels became worried.”

“Worried?” she asks.

“Worried they would lose power without any heirs of their own. Together the Archangels made a pact to all have at least one child. Raphael, of course, had already had multiple children at that point, but was happy to sire another. My father reluctantly agreed, and chose another Ofanim named Dina, who was a prophet. They had me, and then she gave me up to be raised by Uriel as part of the deal. I’ve only met her a few times.”

Olivia touches her neck reflexively, but she’s not wearing her necklace still. “How awful. I’m sure she misses you.”

“I don’t know if she does.”

She leans back on the pillows, totally comfortable with her nudity. “I always wondered why you Princes were born around the same time. I guess this explains it.”

“Yes. Five male children, all sired from Archangels. Ekariel was the first by a few years. He was Azrael and Jophiel’s son.”

“And Callan’s half-brother,” she adds quietly.

“Yes. He was killed when he was a child, presumably by demons, but there’s no evidence of that. Or that he’s dead, as a matter of fact. Anyway, Marcus and I were born next, followed by Callan and Jonah.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “And then you were next.”

“Except I was an accident.”

“A lucky one,” I say, as I pull her into my arms again. Yes, I could definitely get used to this.

Chapter Twenty

Olivia

W

hen I return to my room, I pull out my laptop and play the video again. As I watch the guys admit they’ve known all along where Jonah is, I mull over the idea of exposing them. Telling the world they knew my brother was going to sneak into Faerie. Revealing they’re all in the Order. It would be the perfect revenge for them exposing me as a succubus.

The problem is…I’m not sure I want to do that anymore.

Callan was the true person behind that betrayal, but this video would incriminate Marcus and Bastien too. More than that, it would reveal my brother was in the Order with them.

Is it worth hurting so many people just to get back at Callan? I’m starting to think the answer is no. I’ll have to find some other way to get revenge on him. He must have other secrets, and I’m good at sneaking around. I’ll find something.

There’s still so much I don’t know too. Like why they let Jonah go to Faerie. That part infuriates me. I know the Order wanted him to get the staff, and my brother was uniquely qualified to find it because of his special ability to change the way he looks, but still, it was risky. What did they think was going to happen? The fae would just hand over the Staff and Jonah would walk out of there with a smile on his face? Even I know better than that.

Pausing the video, I study Marcus's expression and body language, then rewind and watch again, smirking as he throws stuffed animals at Callan. He really was pissed at them for getting him so far into this mess, but I’ve seen them together since then, so he must have forgiven them.

Now that I’ve forgiven Bastien, who did much worse things than Marcus, I should probably forgive Marcus too. I know he’s sorry for what he did, and he’s apologized many times, but somehow his betrayal stings more. He and I grew close last year, and he made me think there might be something real to our relationship—and then I learned he was involved in all their bullying. Even though it was mostly Callan’s plan, Marcus could've stepped up and been the one to put a stop to it, but he didn’t.

A noise outside my room draws my attention to the sliding door that leads to the balcony. I look back at my laptop, trying to ignore it, but then I hear the noise again. It’s like a strange gust of wind, and just when I think it’s stopped, some music starts. Someone’s playing a guitar, and it sounds like it’s right outside my room. Probably one of the other students on their balcony. I listen to the words, about walking through fire or some such, and the voice sounds really familiar. My curiosity piqued, I hop off my bed and head to the balcony. As I open the sliding door, my mouth falls open. Marcus is flying outside, his glorious wings flapping slowly to keep him hovering a short distance from my balcony. There’s a guitar in his hand, and he’s belting out the lyrics to that song by Harry Styles, “Adore You.” It’s incredibly corny, especially when he grins and points at me during the chorus, but he has a sexy voice and I find myself captivated anyway.