by Riley London
I cursed, as I soon felt the grip of Zachary’s hand close around my throat.
“Zach! What the fuck?!” I asked, through gritted teeth. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Teaching you how to get out of a choke hold.” Zachary smiled. “Apparently, it’s something you haven’t mastered quite yet. Come on. Do your worst.”
“Fuck you!” I groaned, as I tried to move out of his grip. But with each of my flailing steps, his iron grip around my throat only seemed to get tighter.
“Zachary! Let me go!” I hated that my voice squeaked a little.
“Is that what you did when Belphegor had you in his grip? You asked him to let you go?” Zachary made a disapproving noise. “No wonder you almost died tonight. Get it together, Celeste. Think through it.”
“Zachary!” I yelled again, but this time I did as I was told. I thought through the current situation, with Zachary’s hand wrapped around my throat. I decided that I needed to jam my knee into his chest, as soon as fucking possible.
I pulled him toward me, with my hands grabbing onto his forearm, before I did just that. Zachary stumbled into me, and as he fell, I brought my knee up towards his sternum, again and again, until he fell toward the ground.
I took in a huge gulp of air, before I flipped him off with both hands. “Go to Hell.”
“What did I tell you about counting people out?” Zachary growled.
Then he hissed, “Sana eam.”
Right after his prayer, Zachary swept his leg out towards mine, knocking me down so I fell right beside him. I groaned, as I landed hard on my right elbow.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I asked, groaning again. “Sana eam.”
“Ready for another round?” Zachary chuckled from his place beside me. “Or do you need me to give you a minute or two to recover?”
“Nah. I think I’ve got it.” I said, before quickly shifting away from the training room floor. I placed my legs on either side of Zachary’s torso, holding my fists up toward his chest. “I’m going to punch you in the goddamn heart until you beg me to stop. Sound like a good plan to you, Zach?”
“What the fuck? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“You still owe me an opportunity to kick your ass,” I smirked. “And now seems like the perfect time to redeem my prize, since you’re obviously in the mood to start shit with me.”
“If you punch me, even once, I swear to God, Celeste—”
I brought my fist down as hard as I could against Zachary’s chest. He winced in pain, before his hands flew down toward my waist. In an expert move, he flipped me and I was pinned down against the training room floor.
“God! You’re such a fucking brat!” Zachary snarled. “I knew that from the very first moment that I saw you. I’m trying to help you save your fucking life—”
“By lording it over me that I almost died tonight? I know, Zach! I get it!” I barked right back at him. “Does that make you feel better about yourself or something? Kicking a girl when she’s already down—”
My words faded, as I let out an accidental moan.
Shit.
The goddamn electricity.
I shivered as it seemed to spark off Zachary’s skin and swim right through my veins, not stopping until it reached between my thighs.
“Zachary...” I moaned again, squirming underneath him. “You’re touching me.”
“Yeah?” Zachary asked, his breath hot on my face. “Is that a problem? I’m holding you down, because otherwise I’m pretty sure you’ll keep trying to punch me in the chest—”
“I told you. When you touch me...sometimes...” I couldn’t even finish that thought, as another moan spilled right out of me. “Zachary. Please.”
“Please, what?”
“Touch me.”
“I thought I was already touching you?” Confusion and a note of wariness colored Zachary’s tone.
“You know what I mean,” I whispered, as my hips slightly raised away from the ground, grinding against Zachary’s own. “Please.”
“Jesus. Celeste.” Zachary looked at me hard, as he clearly fought for self-control. “Are you sure? Didn’t you say when you get like this you’re not in control?”
“I’m in control. Just. Overwhelmed,” I tried to explain the sensations that rocketed through my body. “Please. I think it gets better after we’ve...” Another moan, and this time the electricity sent shockwaves up and down my clit.
Oh God.
It felt so good that I thought I might die.
“If you’re sure...” Zachary paused, as he looked down at me with desire sparking in his eyes. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Wherever you want,” I replied, wrapping my legs around Zachary’s waist. “Just hurry. I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t—Ah!”
I brought a hand toward my mouth to muffle my screams, as Zachary’s fingers dove down into my panties, and slipped inside of me. He slowly moved a finger back and forth, pushing it in and then sliding it out, like he was testing the waters. He slid another finger inside of me and I groaned at the sensation.
“Zachary...” I called his name, and it came out breathless. “You have no idea how good that feels...”
“Hmm. I think I might have an idea.” Zachary grinned, running his thumb alongside my clit, the pressure combining perfectly with his fingers still pushing their way inside of me.
“Fuck,” was all I managed to say, as I closed my eyes in pure ecstasy. “I’m going to come.”
“Good.” Zachary worked his fingers inside of me, and there was something mischievous in his deep voice. “Because as soon as you come, I’m going to fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to walk straight in the morning.”
Oh God.
Zachary’s plans for me only made me that much wetter, and I felt my thighs quiver as I got closer to the crest of an orgasm. As if he was reading my mind, Zachary sped up his handiwork. His thumb moved in faster circles along my clit, and his fingers reached down deeper and faster, the sensations all building up right below my abdomen.
I shook all over, as the crest turned into a tidal wave, bursting out from my body and I cried out Zachary’s name as it rushed over me.
I barely caught my breath before Zachary was over me and sliding inside of me. His cock was bigger than I’d expected, and it felt like he filled me up nearly to the point of stretching me out. It felt so good though, and each of his thrusts seemed to line up perfectly with my g-spot, causing me to whimper and whine underneath his frame.
“Fuck. You’re so perfect. You’re so fucking perfect,” Zachary groaned, as he kept the same pace going with his hips. “How the fuck are you so perfect, Celeste?”
I couldn’t find any words to respond; my body felt like it was on fire in the best kind of way. Every part of me felt alive, like I could feel every cell in my blood, and all of me cried out for more of Zachary Lancaster.
“Fuck. I’m going to come,” Zachary growled, beside my ear.
“Please. Zach. Please.” I placed my hands on his shoulders, trying to keep myself steady under his thrusts. “Please. Come.”
“Fuck!” Zachary let out an almost primal sound, as his hips stuttered.
As he finished inside of me, I pulled his head down toward my own, kissing him with everything I had left and setting off sparks that set my mouth alight.
“Did you guys know that I was getting graded?” Charlie’s jaw fell open with surprise. “I didn’t even know that I was enrolled here. What the hell?”
The guys and I sat at our usual place in the cafeteria, as students hustled and bustled all around us.
“What’s your standing?” Benjamin asked.
“Last in the class.” Charlie shook his head. “Which makes total sense, since I haven’t been taking any tests or anything. I thought I was just being kept here as some kind of science experiment. No one told me that I had to—”
“Learn?” Zachary suggested, with a smirk.
“Ye
ah! No one told me that I had to learn.” Charlie blew out a heavy breath. “I guess I need to get a textbook or something. Where do you guys get your textbooks? Is there a way I can order one online?”
“I’ll walk with you to the library after lunch,” Benjamin replied. “Don’t worry. We should be able to raise your class standing, by the middle of the semester.”
“Well, let’s not try to make me class valedictorian.” Charlie grimaced. “I just want to not flunk out of whatever program I’m apparently in. F’s look bad on transcripts.”
“You think that the academy is using the normal transcript system?” I asked Charlie, giving him a puzzled look.
“Fine. It doesn’t matter about the transcript. I just don’t like being last in the class,” Charlie admitted. “God, this place is giving me flashbacks to high school. I think I’m gonna break out in hives.”
“Don’t you mean college?” Benjamin looked over at Charlie. “I thought you were a software engineer.”
“I was a software engineer because I was too smart for college.” Charlie shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. “My plan was to develop the next big app and buy an island or something. Maybe adopt a few cats.”
“You can still adopt the cats, once you graduate.” Zachary pointed out. “I don’t think the academy’s going to interrupt too many of your unbridled passions.”
“Was that supposed to be a joke—Hey!” Charlie cut off his own sentence, as he waved at someone across the cafeteria. “Hey! Come sit with us!”
I turned to see who Charlie was talking to, even though I already had a feeling that I knew who it was.
Trinity.
She came to stand beside our table, holding a tray of food in her hands. “Hey, guys! What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Charlie scooted over, making room for her at the table. “Come on. Sit down. Unless you have other plans?”
“I don’t have any other plans.” Trinity accepted Charlie’s offer, sitting down across from me. “Thank you for letting me sit here with you guys. The other angels are nice enough, but I think everyone’s already broken off into their cliques for the rest of the semester.”
“Yeah, coming in as a new person sucks sometimes.” Charlie patted Trinity on the shoulder. “But don’t worry. We’ve got your back. Besides, Celeste and I only got here last year, and we’ve done pretty well for ourselves so far.”
“Oh?” Trinity smiled. “I think I may have heard something about your sudden arrival. Rumors spread pretty quickly, when there are new angels added to the fold.”
“Ah. Not an angel.” Charlie shrugged. “Just a curiosity Mrs. Deveraux keeps around until she can figure me out.”
“Being an angel isn’t only about the wings on one’s back,” Trinity said softly. “It’s about what’s on the inside, as well. And you, Charlie Collins, from the little I’ve known of you so far, are positively radiating with angelic qualities.”
“Get a room.” Zachary rolled his eyes, taking a huge bite out of his eggplant sandwich.
“So, Trinity,” I said trying to keep my tone neutral, turning my attention toward her. “The French Academy, huh? What was that like?”
“Oh, very similar to the American one. But as I’ve mentioned before, there was more of an emphasis on fighting and offensive tactics, rather than tradition, not to say that history and tradition are not important.” Trinity’s hand reached down for her fork.
“And you went there for your freshman year, too?”
“Yes.”
“And before that?” I leaned toward her, waiting for her to respond. “Did you go to angel high school or wherever you guys go before college?”
“I...was homeschooled,” Trinity hesitated. “I know that may sound unusual, but my parents wanted to be in control of my education, and there was no easier way.”
“What did your parents do?”
“My father was an entertainer and my mother was an herbalist.”
“Entertainer?”
“Yes. He sang professionally for a while, before he retired.” Trinity seemed to grin at the memory of our father. “Well, I say retired, but really he was let go after he got into a rather huge argument with the band leader.”
Ha.
The way she’d phrased Lucifer’s rebellion against God brought a genuine smile to my face, but I quickly wiped it off as I continued with my line of questioning. “And you said your mom was an herbalist?”
“Do you mean like, she sold weed? Or do you mean like, she sold those tiny green pills? The ones they show on TV at like midnight?” Charlie chimed into the conversation.
“Neither. She was basically a community doctor, just without the fancy degrees. She loved to help people, and the best way she could do that was medicinally.” Trinity offered Charlie a warm expression, before she glanced my way.
“And how about you, Celeste? What do your parents do?”
“I have no idea,” I replied. “Never had a chance to meet ‘em.”
“Oh.” Trinity’s face saddened. “And what were you doing before the academy?”
“Surviving.” I kept my answer short.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that alone.”
“Not all of it. I had Charlie for a little bit, before I ended up here.” I nudged Charlie’s arm for emphasis. “And it wasn’t all that bad. It taught me how to be independent. Strong.”
“I don’t know if I believe that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know if I believe that suffering makes you any stronger than the next person. It’s not the suffering that shapes you, after all. It’s the endurance, the quality of your spirit. I think you’d have that resolve, whether or not your life started off in tragedy,” Trinity continued. “You’d still be you, Celeste Venoix, whether or not you were raised by your parents, or raised by the streets.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure if I believe that,” Benjamin hummed. “Are you suggesting that there’s no logic behind the idea of nature vs. nurture? That we’re all doomed to be the same person, regardless of the other factors in our lives?”
“I believe that some of us were always meant to be who we are,” Trinity answered. “And it doesn’t matter how we get there, the end result will always be the same. The sun is always going to shine. The moon is always going to hang in the sky. And mothers are always going to weep.”
“I’ve never heard it put quite that way before,” Benjamin said softly.
“It’s just something that my own mother used to say.” Trinity smiled. “I’ll admit, she was a little quirky, but she had her moments of wisdom.”
“Why did you come here?” I kept my question low, knowing that I was interrupting the growing banter between Benjamin and Trinity. “Why the American Academy? Why not stay in France?”
“Because there were things that I wanted to see for myself.” Trinity’s answer was vague.
“Things like what?” I pushed her on it, just wanting her to admit the truth.
She knew who I was.
And she’d come here for me.
Hadn’t she?
“Landmarks,” Trinity replied. “The sights. The sounds. France is beautiful, but it’s easy to tire of France when it’s all you’ve known. And besides, I think my services would be better suited for the American Academy. I think that my sensibilities may align better with your values.”
“And what values are those?” I wasn’t letting up, not until I was satisfied with her answers.
“Life without liberty is like a body without a spirit.” Trinity’s fork dove into her salad. “And I find myself very much agreeing with such a statement.”
“Nice.” Zachary nodded, taking the final bite of his sandwich. “Celeste, are you done with this inquisition or what? Can we get back to talking about how Charlie’s definitely going to fail out of the academy now?”
“Fail out?” Charlie looked distressed. “Is that even an option? Is that even a possibility?”
Everything is going to be just fine.
Benjamin’s words played over and over in my head, as I watched Trinity finish her meal out of the corner of my eye.
Chapter 6
“Does Mr. Toorin think that we speak Aramaic?” I asked Benjamin, as we sat across from each other in the library. “Wait. These study questions are written in Aramaic, aren’t they?”
“Let me see.” Benjamin held out his hand, and I passed him my notebook from class. He took a moment to look over the page, before he shook his head. “Mandaic. Not Aramaic.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Mandaic is a dialect of Aramaic,” Benjamin explained, as he handed me back my notebook. “They’re similar, but still not the same.”
“Yeah, I can tell you how they’re similar in one other way, too,” I replied. “I don’t understand either of them.”
“You’ll get better. Once you learn one language, it’s easier to pick up the others.”
“Yeah. Sure,” I sighed, flipping to another page of my notebook. “I just thought that I was getting better with all of this stuff. I mean, I spent my whole summer studying everything I could get my hands on, and it’s like I still have no idea what’s going on. Not even spending all day in the training room made a difference when it came to facing off against a real demon.”
“You weren’t facing a demon. You were facing a Prince of Hell. And it’s a wonder that you survived, at all.”
“It’s not a wonder. Trinity saved me,” I replied. “Because even with all my studying and training, I’m still the kind of person who needs to be saved. Ugh.”
“Don’t be so down on yourself, Celeste,” Benjamin said, he eyes resting on my face and a warm expression taking hold of his features. “What you were trying to learn in a summer can take years for angels to learn starting out. You’re doing good. Just keep up the same pace, and by this time next year, you’ll be unstoppable.”