by Kaylee Kane
I was entering the cafeteria when my eyes fell on Aliuth. My stomach lurched. He didn’t see me before I jumped out and flattened myself against the wall. I craned my neck and peeked into the cafeteria. Aliuth wasn’t alone. I couldn’t blame him if he wanted to talk with somebody to get it off his chest but what was making my skin scorch was that it was Debbie.
Mafento’s class must have ended by now. That was the last thing I cared about as I watched them. Debbie was wearing a black top with a short black skirt. Aliuth was sitting at the end of the bench while Debbie took his side, sitting on one of her legs. Aliuth looked like he was staring in the space while Debbie leaned over against him, squeezing her boobs together with her arms.
I clenched tightly onto the doorframe until my knuckles went white. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath as I mentally punched Debbie’s face. My thought traveled to the time when Tessa tried to set me up with Aliuth. A wave of uncanny jealousy shot through me as the mental images of Tessa asking me not to wear underwear so that I could be easily accessed by Aliuth flounced in me, her voice whirling in my head, making my blood boil.
No way I was gonna let her get him. I couldn’t bear the thought of Aliuth fucking another girl the way he fucked me. He was mine. All mine. The anger brewing inside me catapulted me out of the cover. I stormed in front of Aliuth and Debbie with my arms crossed and spat, “Oh whoa, you certainly don’t like wasting your time.”
Debbie rolled her eyes and retracted herself from Aliuth. “Why do you have to be such a bitch all the time?”
My blood boiled in my veins. My mouth sprang open in disbelief. Did this fucking bitch just call me a bitch? That catapulted me into a petty bitch mode. “Excuse me, bitch. Who are you to call me that when you’re here trying to get on Aliuth’s dick so that you could get out of Fallen Angels?”
Debbie’s eyes flew open as they bounced between Aliuth and me. Her lips quivering. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Stop acting, Debbie. You know what you’re doing. This is Tessa’s idea, isn’t it?” Debbie pursed her lips. She glanced at Aliuth, who sat there brooding uninterested in the commotion happening in front of him, and scurried from the scene. I followed her retreating back with my eyes until she disappeared from the cafeteria.
“Was that why?” Aliuth broke the shrill silence. His bright blue eyes interlocked with mine, sending a flood of sweet memories we shared back into my head. “Shaved pussy and no underwear? And the prank? It was all a setup so that you could get on my dick and I would miraculously get you out of Fallen Angels?”
My stomach sank. I felt like crying. It couldn’t have felt more humiliating than being compared to Debbie. “No…it was not true…”
“Liar!” shouted Aliuth, making me jump a foot in the air. He was so angry it wasn’t even funny anymore. It wasn’t ‘You were very naughty you deserve a spanking’ kind of angry. It was pure unadulterated ‘I don’t want to see you ever again’ kind of loathing towards me. With his teeth gritted and fists clenched, he looked away, eyes seething with fury.
“When I first met you, I thought they made a mistake banishing such a perfect angel to this damned place. I thought you might be a special one for me. Then, I was wrong…” Though there wasn’t a hint of despise or disgust in Aliuth’s words, they still stung.
“Look, I’m sorry, Aliuth. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think we were together at that time. I thought it was just a fling.” Regret pricked me when I saw the hurt look on Aliuth’s face. Thinking back, he never really expressed his feelings for me or his intention to get into a serious relationship. All the while he was getting all possessive and protective about me.
At least Ehreus did claim that he loved me. Maybe that’s why I trusted him more to tell him about my past. Maybe I felt more connection with Ehreus compared to Aliuth. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have any feelings towards Aliuth. I still wanted him as badly as I wanted Ehreus. Oh god, if only I could have both.
But right now, I was left with none.
“I really don’t want to talk about this right now, Lamora. Please leave me alone,” said Aliuth. I reached out my hand to touch him but changed my mind and retracted myself.
“I’m sorry, Aliuth. I’ve never meant to hurt you.” I wished Aliuth would say something when I turned around and started walking out of the cafeteria. He didn’t even look in my direction. He was sitting there, staring into the space, lost in his own thoughts.
I stood alone in the empty hallway, feeling loneliness creeping into my bones. It was the first time since Cora left I’d felt this lonely and lost. I thought a new life in Fallen Angels would help me forget the past and move on but everything seemed to be bringing me back to Cora and the life before.
I didn’t realize where I was going when I wandered along the quiet hallways and found myself back on the roof, the first place I explored when I set foot on the campus. The afternoon poured over the earth, blinding my gaze. I put a hand over my face and squinted through my half-open eyes as I looked at the horizon.
Maybe Aliuth was right I didn’t belong here. It wasn’t because I was too good to be banished here with the other fallen angels but rather I was beyond contempt and not deserving of rescue. How could I be so greedy and break two hearts at the same time?
“How did you think I would feel when you fuck my man?” A familiar voice coming from behind me broke into my reverie. I turned around, blinking quickly until the two silhouettes took shapes. Tessa and Debbie stood side by side with their arms crossed. Though I never considered Tessa as my best friend, a pang of jealousy shot through me for seeing them on good terms.
“Ehreus wasn’t your man when we got together,” I said lamely, though it was true.
Debbie rolled her eyes. “Well, Aliuth isn’t your man either so why you mad?”
I clenched my fists as a wave of futile rage swept over me. “I can’t believe I actually risked my life to save your ass the other day.” I hated myself more for being so petty. I couldn’t believe I’d stooped so low.
Debbie was about to say something when Tessa grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back. “I don’t give a fuck about y’all sex life. Now, why did you fucking rat on us?”
“Rat on you? Excuse me? I thought this escape plan was always between you and me? Why did you send Debbie to get on Aliuth’s cock?”
Tessa scoffed. She got a cocky patronizing smirk on her face that my fist itched to plant on. “Our deal was off the second you chose Ehreus’ dick over me.” I chewed my lips fighting to hold back the slew of curse words that would otherwise destroy Tessa’s life.
“Ehreus was right about you being so selfish. You were using me from the beginning. So now we’re even.” Tessa was about to snap back when a fearful look cast on her face. I put my fists on my hips and smirked, “What? Nothing to say anymore? Because someone finally called you out on your acts?”
“Watch out, bitch!” Tessa shrieked.
At first, I thought it was a threat. As in Tessa asking me to watch my back around the campus or I would suffer one of her stupid pranks. But when I felt something tugging at my hair, I realized she was referring to something else. All the blood drained from my face when a strong arm slithered around my neck and clutched me tightly, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Panic engulfed me. The horrified pale look on Tessa and Debbie’s faces reflected mine. A chill ran down my spine when a gust of warm air brushed against the nape of my neck. I tilted my face and was met with a pair of crimson eyes.
“Lamora…finally, it’s your time. Your best friend has been waiting for you a long time…” muttered the Agent of Darkness, making the tiny hairs on my arms rise.
I was whimpering as my eyes darted between the Agent of Darkness and the two other girls. “Oh my god…fucking do something!” I shouted at Tessa and Debbie who huddled closer together.
Tessa hesitated and shouted, “Fucking let her go!”
The Agent of
Darkness licked his tongue across my face, leaving a disgusting trail of spit. A sickening cry roared from my throat. “Fucking do something that actually helps!” I snarled and reached my hands back trying to scratch him but instead, he caught me by the wrists and pinned my arms behind me. My back was pressed up against his body build which felt hard and uncomfortable, making me miss Ehreus and Aliuth more by the second.
I gritted my teeth and wrestled to free myself as his hand cupped on my breast and started squeezing it. “Fuck! Get your filthy hand off me!”
Debbie had the same paled expression she wore the day she was abducted by Darvon. She whimpered and sank behind Tessa. It was the moment I realized that even though you were willing to risk your life saving somebody else, it didn’t mean that they would turn around and do the same thing for you.
Tessa clenched her fists, ready in a fighting stance. Her face was tight in a serious expression, probably the most serious time she’d ever been. “Don’t try to hurt her, you fucking scum.”
“There’s nothing you can do now. Except to pledge your allegiance to your new master, Andrajvah.” My heart thundered in my chest as he wrapped his arm around my face, suffocating me. My life flashed before my eyes. In the brief second, Tessa stepped forward, pulling out a dagger. She muttered something, turning the blade into a bright neon green color.
My eyes widened as a gasp escaped from my lips. Holy shit! Tessa was using black magic. I wasn’t sure which one surprised me more. The fact that Tessa knew black magic or the ever so selfish Tessa was risking it all to save my life. Either way, it was too late.
“Lamora!” Tessa’s cry warped as everything I ever knew ceased to exist.