Adair raises her arms above her head. “I am the Scala Heir.” Tiny points of light tumble from her fingertips like grains of sand.
Verus nods. “Now that the Heir has been awakened, she must be angelbound. Igni power comes from the angels. Once the Scala Heir displays true love toward someone with angelic blood, it will further activate her abilities with igni. When the current Scala dies, her full powers will appear.”
I count off the steps in my mind: awakened, angelbound, and then full Scala when the old one dies. Makes sense that the angels would want to control when and how the Heir is awakened. It’s a big job. I look at Adair, my mouth twisting onto one side of my face. Not sure she’s really cut out for it.
Verus gestures to the Scala Heir. “To whom do you wish to be angelbound?”
Adair grins. “I choose my true love, the High Prince Lincoln.”
My back teeth lock. I think I’m going to be sick.
“Does the High Prince accept this?”
Lincoln’s expression is unreadable. “Yes.”
Verus gestures to Adair. “Would you like to say a few words before you’re angelbound?”
Adair beams. “Yes. Thank you all for this lovely initiation.” She glances straight at me. “I’m glad that the lesser creatures could be here too.”
Anger spikes up my spine. What did I ever do to her? First, she makes snotty comments about me in the library. Now, she does it again in the Arena. Someone is asking for an ass-whooping.
Adair and Gianna start whispering again.
I roll my eyes. Sheesh, save it for the ride home.
Verus gestures to Lincoln and the Scala Heir. “Please turn and face each other.”
Adair quickly steps in front of Lincoln. Their gazes lock. Adair’s forehead crinkles. After that, she swoons and tumbles to the ground. Lincoln helps her back to her feet. Adair looks around the stadium, her eyes blinking madly.
The stadium lets out a collective gasp. Adair’s eyes, once mismatched, now both glow bright blue. Angel eyes.
“Lady Adair, you are awakened and Angelbound,” says Verus. “Our initiation is complete. When the current Scala dies, you will gain your full powers from him. We bow to you, our Scala Heir.”
The angels bend at the waist, the demons howl and screech. Armageddon leans back in his black stone throne, eyes gleaming red and missing nothing. The whole scene seems way over-the-top and sketchy to me. But what do I know? I’m used to killing things in the Arena, not watching crap like this.
Lincoln offers his arm to Adair, she wraps her fingers around his bicep. Of course. Together, they process off the stadium floor.
Suddenly, I’m totally regretting my decision to stand by an exit archway. They’re heading straight for me. My inner rage monster turns positively frantic.
As the Prince and Scala Heir step nearer, Adair eyes me from head to toe. “What do they call these lesser demons again? Partials? Semis?”
Fury twists my stomach. We’re called quasis.
Lincoln gazes in my direction. His face is stone. “I’m not sure.”
Adair sighs. “Whatever they’re called, I’m glad they saw ‘real warriors’ in action today.” She grips Lincoln’s bicep tighter.
More fury flows through me. I set my feet apart, ready to pounce. My tail arcs over my shoulder. Lincoln watches the movement, the ghost of a smile curling his full lips in a way that says ‘how cute; the little demon wants to fight.’ My blood pressure skyrockets.
The Prince steps past me through the archway. “Yes, I’m sure it was quite an education for the poor creatures.”
That does it.
Mindless rage blasts through my veins. My eyes positively beam with red light. I rush forward, ready to tackle them both behind the kneecaps.
Instead, it’s Walker who pounces on me, knocking me straight into a portal. We tumble through space, coming to a landing in the empty parking lot outside my school.
“Walker? What in blazes are you doing?” I ball my hands into fists. My eyes burn bright red.
“You’re asking me?” Walker shakes his head in disbelief. “You were about to flatten the thrax High Prince. A hundred of his best warriors were standing nearby. Even you can’t fight that, Myla.”
I pace the parking lot. The movement helps the anger seep from my body. My eyes cool a bit. “Okay, you’re right.” I pause and take three deep breaths. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Walker rubs his sideburns. “That was some look on your face, Myla. I’ve never seen your eyes turn that red.”
“I guess I lost my temper big time.” I shift my weight from foot to foot. This incident has gone from rage-inducing to totally embarrassing.
“I understand. Ghouls are the same way. We’re quiet enough and then–KABOOM–we lose our cool.”
Maybe that’s a genetic trait I got from my father. Barf. A heavy sadness seeps into my bones. I slouch and hug my elbows.
Walker tilts his head to one side. “Is there something wrong, Myla?”