by C. R. Jane
Clarissa somehow found the blood sample that Braxton had swiped from the nurse’s office and ran with it to Elliot.
Now that bastard has called the Council back to take Adeline...my angel.
Tiny hairs on the back of my neck rise, and the terror is tangible in the air around me, so heavy I can taste it in the wake of this horrendous news.
I’m grinding my teeth, and everything falls silent around me as fear of what I’m about to lose sinks through me.
We’re supposed to protect Adeline, but this...That fucking bitch, Clarissa. I’m going to murder her.
First things first though, I move with purpose, racing with incredible speed, not caring who sees me as I head back for Adeline.
We need to get her out of the school now!
Chapter 13
(Alexander)
“If they find out, Adi’s as good as dead,” Dante murmurs at my back in the school hallway.
I turn, my jaw clenches. There’s always been something about Dante that just rubs me the wrong way. He might be my step-brother, but who says family has to get along? Except he basically saved us in that meeting, and he has a point I agree with for a change. In truth, it isn’t Dante I’m furious with, but Clarissa. I want to rip her damn head off.
“You think I don’t know that?” I growl in response. “We need a plan to deal with the Council permanently and keep Adi safe, at any cost. You know what they’ll do to her if they take her?”
His lips pinch tight and he nods, the corded muscles in his neck tensing. “What’s the plan then? We take her away from here? They know who her family is though, and we can’t hide her forever.”
Fury floods my system, mixed with a desperate urgency. Time is ticking. The Council has a whiff of an angel at the school, and they’ll be relentless in uncovering the truth. What just happened back there is just a temporary fix. There’s a reason most of the angels assigned to live on Earth have perished, why so few have taken their places.
But Adi...my chest squeezes...I’ll defy my own kind to protect her. I’ll do whatever it takes.
“I’ll think of something,” I answer.
“We need to tackle Clarissa before the news spreads beyond the Council.” Dante’s seething, his face burning up with anger, and he isn’t controlling it well.
“Blow off some steam, and we’ll talk later when I get everyone together.”
Dante makes a growling sound under his breath and suddenly takes a sharp left and marches away, his shoulders curled forward. I feel that same fear sitting heavily on me too…fear for Adi and losing her.
I push back the rage threatening to swallow me and stride down the hallway to the cafeteria, hoping to find Clarissa. Payback is going to be a bitch for her. Her life will be a living hell for crossing me.
I make my way into the half empty food hall and before I take two steps inside, laughter fills the room.
Adi swings to my thoughts, but she’s not here, the source is a brunette with her friends talking over their meals. Behind her I spot Connor strolling my way, all smug, and my teeth grind together.
“Have you seen, Adi?” he asks upon approach like we’re suddenly friends.
“She isn’t your concern,” I snarl, scanning the room to find no sign of Clarissa.
“Her and I have a past, so she’ll always be my concern.”
My stomach tightens as his words linger on my mind. I stare at the empty tables near the corner where Adi used to sit when she first started Raven Academy. But the more I replay Connor’s words in my mind, the more anger surges through me. He single handedly took down Dixon and I saw him fight that fuckhead… I take a sniff of the air around me, of him and he carries no scent, concealing everything. But I sense a power in the air, rippling over my skin.
I swing my attention to Connor. “What exactly are you?” I hiss the words through clenched teeth.
“Still trying to work it out?” he snorts a laugh.
But I don’t miss the sharpening of his gaze, how he deftly scans the room with a sweep of its entirety in a split second. He isn’t just something I don’t understand, but a warrior, a fighter, an enemy who’s entered the wolf den in sheep’s clothing.
“Good luck with that,” he continues as he steps away.
A blazing fury is roaring through me, and any control I held onto is now slipping.
I reach for the back of his head and snatch the nape of his neck with force, but he pivots on a heel as if expecting my reaction, rips from my grip and crouches low before swinging a leg that slams into the side of my knees. I stumble, feet slipping backward as I’m caught off guard, which isn’t like me.
I release a savage growl.
His face is perfectly in control, all except for the fine lines bracketing the corners of his mouth, deepening with his agitation. He shoves me backward, and he’s on me in seconds, faster than any mere human should move, his fist flying for my face. The surprise of his speed has me reacting slower than I should, and his punch connects with the side of my face, sending a shudder through my skull.
The room around us explodes with cheers from the crowd closing in around us, but I don’t give a fuck.
“I’m giving you one chance to leave Adi alone,” Connor warns me.
I break out laughing at the insolence of this… whatever the fuck he is.
I’ll tear him apart.
My eyes settle on him, feet from me, still as silence, practiced in the hunt.
His eyes darken. “You think I don’t know what you are. I’m not scared, I’m excited to show you what I can do.”
I shoot forward, sick of hearing his mumbling threats when he has no idea who I am.
His eyes widen for a sliver of a heartbeat before we clash, delivering blow after blow. I’ll show him why I’m feared, why he’ll fear me.
We’re rolling on the floor and crash into a table. He shoves me off him, before kicking me in the gut, inches above my groin.
He scrambles to his feet, smirking and knowing too well he’d meant to hit me a bit lower. Bastard plays dirty.
Swiping his mouth, blood streaks his cheek and hand, and I inhale the scent… human. Not possible, not with his strength and speed.
Students are roaring around us when Connor comes at me, his shoulder slamming into my gut with the force of a mountain. My feet slip backward, and I grab the table near me, lifting it over my head and hurl it at him.
He’s a rat, moving so damn fast, diving into a roll, the table missing him by a fraction of an inch. But I rush after him, and we stumble, exchanging punches, and nothing will stop us.
Rage rumbles deep in my chest, noticing the oohs around us have died as everyone stares at me. Students who don’t know what I am or my strength, and fuck this isn’t the place to kick Connor’s ass.
I snatch him by his shirt and hurl him toward the doorway of the cafeteria and out into the hall.
He skids across the ground on his ass until he slams into the lockers. I sprint to him and snatch him by an arm, tossing him farther down the hall like a rag doll, and I dart after him before the students from the cafeteria even emerge to follow us.
He’s grumbling, but the dick is already on his feet, raising his fists, hair and school uniform ruffled.
Who the fuck is this guy?
He throws a punch, but I duck my head and swing around behind him and shove my fists into his back, driving him down another corridor and out of sight of the curious busybodies pouring out of the food hall.
“Is that the only way you know how to fight?” he snarls, while the grin pulling at his lips can only be described as feral.
But at least we are out of view from everyone else. So I attack. We come together in an explosion of fists and growls and fury. I need Connor out of my path and Adi’s life for good.
He battles sly, dodging my blows, swinging low and darting around me.
I charge and snatch him around the neck with my arm, his head tucked against my side, and I squeeze. “I can snap your neck in t
wo seco--”
I holler as the bastard bites down on my side, tearing flesh through my shirt, wriggling free, and I lunge after him, boiling with anger when a shadow rushes into the corridor with us. It takes me a couple of quick moments to clear my head and focus when Connor drives a fist to the side of my head, sending me reeling into a wall.
“You fucking little shit.” I swing around as Finn steps into my line of sight.
“Get out of my way,” I roar.
“It’s Adi,” he says, his voice firm and fearful. I see the fright in his eyes, in the way he’s fidgeting with his hair.
My throat goes dry.
“What’s wrong with Adi?” Connor asks, stealing the exact words I’m about to voice.
“Stay out of it,” I warn, then turn to Finn. “Take me to her.”
We’re running down the hall, Connor’s faint steps close behind, but I don’t have time for him, not if something happened to Adi.
“The Council has just arrived back at the Academy.” Finn’s words fall to a whisper, and I hear the trepidation in his voice.
I clench my fists, fuming that Elliot called them to gather again. Furious that I didn’t see this coming so fast. They aren’t taking any chances if an angel is in question, and I’m running faster, my feet pounding the solid floor, darting around staring students who are like fucking deer in headlights. No wonder humans are so damn easy to kill. Except the pest on my heels it seems.
“This way,” Finn says, and careens left, and I follow him directly to Braxton’s room where we left her.
I burst into the room.
Adeline flinches on my arrival, her tucked wings snapping out, knocking Nyx in the head. Her face blanches as she looks at us pushing into the room while Finn shuts us in.
Connor is by my side, his eyes stretched into discs at seeing Adi’s wings. “You look…you look stunning. Wow, Adi.”
“Stop drooling,” I mumble. “Why did you let him in here?” I growl at Finn, who simply shrugs like he can’t be bothered to fight the matter, but instead approaches Adeline and reaches out to cup her face. He adores her as much as the rest of us do.
“What’s going on?” she asks, glancing from each of us lingering in Braxton’s room, staring at her... “And what in the world happened to you two?”
Only then do I pay attention to Connor’s busted lip, the bruise forming under his eye, his top missing half the buttons. I grin, liking my handy work. He glances over at me with a death glare.
“That’s not important,” I say. “We need to get you to safety. The Council has arrived to take you. Evidently they changed their mind about not believing Clarissa.”
“The Council’s coming to get me? To take me where?”
“Away, baby,” Finn coos. “Away from us, from your parents, from everyone.”
“No,” her voice trembles. She curls in on herself, her wings pulling in tight, surrounding her and Finn in their own little cocoon.
“Where are we going to take her?” Nyx asks.
“Somewhere no one will find her,” I say. “Nyx, grab the blankets to conceal her wings. Connor, you might as well make yourself useful and go track down Braxton and Dante. Bring them here right away.”
To my surprise, he follows my order and heads out quickly.
I approach my angel and run gentle fingers over her white wings. They are so beautiful, whiter than the purest snow, glinting like luminous diamonds. They are made of long silk-like feathers, and I trace one, feeling it tremble under my touch.
“Adi, we need to leave. It’s the only way I can keep you safe.”
Her wings shiver and they slowly part away from around her, revealing her cradled in Finn’s arms, tears falling down her cheeks. Finn looks at me with dread, with worry for her, and I’m breaking on the inside. It tortures me to even think the Council will get their hands on her, feed on her, and eventually kill her. I shake with fury how my mind drowns with those images. But I can’t say those words to Adeline, I can’t terrify her more than she already is.
“I know you’re scared,” I say and gently take her hand until she pulls her head from Finn’s chest and looks up at me. “We’re all scared,” I say. “But you’ve got all of us fighting for you. We’ll fight to the end to protect you. I give you my word. I swear it on my life, on all of our lives.”
Tears rivet down her face, and my heart is shattering right now to see the agony and fear in her eyes. My nerves are in hyperdrive at the dread pounding into me. But I hold it together for my angel.
I pull her against me, wrap my arms around her, and hold her. Let her know that no matter what, she isn’t alone. That for her, we’re ready to go to war.
Chapter 14
(Adeline)
Connor is back with Braxton and Dante in just a few minutes. Braxton doesn’t say anything to us, he heads straight towards his fridge. I’m thinking it’s an odd time to get a drink, but then I see the panic on his face when he opens the door to the fridge and sees its contents.
“Fuck,” he roars, picking up the fridge and throwing it against the wall.
I jump at his anger. I’ve never seen him like this.
“What happened?” snaps Alexander.
“Either Clarissa or someone from the Council has been in here. Adeline’s blood is gone.”
“You didn’t destroy it?” growls Connor. Braxton shoots him a hate-filled look. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I thought we could study it more to understand her genetic makeup better.”
“You’re an idiot,” hisses Connor and Alexander actually looks like he agrees.
“Can you all stop! The blood’s gone. End of story. What do we do next?” I ask sternly, sick of the constant fighting.
“We’ve got to get you out of here. It won’t take long for the Council to test your blood and find the ey’ compound. They’ll be scouring the place for you any minute now,” says Braxton in a somewhat panicked voice.
“I know how we can get her out,” Connor pipes up, and I look at him hopefully.
“He does know the castle even better than I do,” admits Alexander begrudgingly.
“Let’s go. We’ll go out through the tunnels. It’s not far from a car I have hidden,” says Connor
“They’ll be blocking the parking lot,” states Nyx.
“I hid my car somewhere else,” says Connor in a “how stupid do you think I am” kind of tone. I can almost sense the respect building in the room towards Connor right now. He has a lot of explaining to do, but it looks like he’s going to be our savior for the time being.
Nyx opens the door to the hallway, looking both ways before stepping out. Connor starts to lead us down the hall and around the corner, the guys zipping ahead to scope out who’s in the hallway.
“Clarissa’s coming,” says Alexander suddenly, sniffing the air urgently. Apparently, she has a specific smell.
Dante picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. The walls start to zoom past us as they use their special speed. I’m really hoping that angels have something like that and that it kicks in soon.
Connor stops us at an empty wall down in the wing where Mercy and I had once spied on the “non-scholarship kids” fighting. It seems like a lifetime ago. He presses a stone down near his left knee and a passageway appears. I shiver as I see how dark it is inside. I swallow my fear though; I know these men will do anything they can to keep me safe.
We walk in the tunnel that lies beyond the wall. We’re only a few steps in, and Connor has just closed the wall opening when the guys freeze. “They’re down here. They must be tracking us. We’re fucked if they know about this tunnel,” Dante hisses.
“Shhh,” Braxton orders and we all fall silent as we listen. Or they listen...I can’t hear anything through the thick stone wall.
After a few minutes, they must think that whoever it was has kept going because we start jogging down the tunnel. I start to shiver, a mixture of panic and cold hitting me. My wings suddenly start to flap around. “Ouch,”
Alexander hisses as they sock him in the face.
“Sorry,” I whisper as the others snort. At least we can still find some humor in the situation we’ve found ourselves in.
It seems to take forever, but finally we get to another wall. Connor hits something on the wall and an opening appears, right in the middle of the forest. Night has fallen and I almost wish we could stay in the tunnel with how eerie the woods are tonight.
“It’s around here somewhere,” Connor says walking forward. After five minutes of walking, I’m convinced we’re lost.
Suddenly Connor stops and points. “It’s behind that cluster of trees,” he calls out quietly, pointing ahead to what looks like some kind of boulder. The boulder ends up being his car that’s been covered with a camo colored cover to help keep it hidden. Not that he was particularly worried about it being discovered. We’re in a part of the woods that I bet almost no one has been to.
The rest of the guys help him uncover the car. Connor shines his light just beyond the car, showing a grown over path that looks like it used to be some kind of rudimentary road.
“This used to be where they would smuggle in alcohol during Prohibition. Apparently one of the human students back then helped hide whiskey to make money,” Connor explains. “You vamps never paid him any attention,” he continues with a wide smile.
However, the road came to be, it’s been long forgotten. Looking at Connor’s car, it’s only a small sedan. My wings are never going to fit in it.
Braxton must see the worry on my face because he laughs and hands me a flask that he pulls from his pocket. “Drink this. Hopefully we can get your wings to retract. They’ll never fit in the car.”
I nod and guzzle down the whiskey. I cough once again as it burns. I’m never going to get used to the taste. Maybe we should invest in some fruit flavored alcohol.
It takes a minute, but my wings finally retract and we all pile into the car. I’m sitting in Braxton’s lap in the front seat as there’s not enough seats for everyone. “Breathe,” he whispers in my ear. I let out a shaky exhale, nervous that someone is going to stop us at any moment.