“What’s with the wings?” he asked. Most of the Celestials kept them away unless fighting or showing off.
I rolled my eyes. “Is that what you came to ask me?” God, he was infuriating. Way to embarrass me, jackass.
He assessed me, then smirked. “They’re stuck again, aren’t they?”
Oh my God. I’m going to lie awake tonight and fantasize not about seeing him naked, but about how many ways I could kill him and hide the body.
I didn’t answer, and he snaked a hand out and stroked the top of my wings in one suave move. My wings snapped into my back, as warmth ran down my spine. Not gonna lie, my body liked his touch, but I could barely stand him. Sure, he may have been through some tragedy, but he was just… irritating. On all levels.
“You have to leave, right? I’ll walk you out,” he asked, looking at my friends.
Okay, that was a not-so-subtle way to kill my lunch. “Yeah, okay.” I grabbed my messenger bag, and turned to my new friends. “See you tomorrow.”
Luke frowned. “You only have half days?”
I chewed my lip and pointed to my forehead. “Yeah.”
Angela kicked him under the table, and they both put on fake plastic smiles. “Cool, see you tomorrow Bri,” she offered in an extra-chipper tone.
Bless her heart.
Lincoln tugged on my bag. “I need to speak with you.”
Ugh. This tall drink of water is nice to look at, but becoming a major thorn in my side.
We were making our way through the throngs of students, when Tiffany bolted into a standing position, blocking Lincoln’s way. “Hey, Linc.”
Linc. That must be something they all call him after they’ve slept with him.
“Hey, Tiffany.” Was that annoyance in his tone? He totally knew her!
“Sucks that Raphael has you babysitting the archdemon,” she spat, glowering at me.
Anger boiled throughout my entire body. How freaking dare she! I moved forward to do something impulsive and crazy, like rip her face off, when Lincoln’s hand came out to stop me.
“Don’t be a bully, Tiff. It’s unattractive.” He blasted past her with a firm grip on my upper arm.
The last thing I saw when leaving the cafeteria was Tiffany’s curled lip and a flame of jealousy in her gaze.
Ha. Take that.
The moment we were outside, he released my arm.
“You’re going to need a thicker skin if you want to survive here, or anywhere, for that matter. You can’t go fighting every person who name-calls you,” he said in a fatherly tone.
“Yeah, thanks, Dad, but I’m aware of that. She’s been at my throat all day,” I huffed.
Lincoln stopped walking halfway to the parking lot, and faced me. “Are you ever pleasant?”
I raised one eyebrow. “Are you?”
He rolled his eyes and kept walking, forcing me to run after him like an idiot.
“How do you know her, anyway? Ex-girlfriend?”
He made a disgusted face. “Ew, no. She’s a… family friend.” He didn’t sound too convincing.
“Well what did you need to talk to me about?” I needed to get going. Master Burdock would have my hide if I was late a second day in a row.
Lincoln spun and pointed to Sera on my right thigh. “That. That’s what I came to talk to you about.”
I recoiled a little, hurt by his tone. “What’s wrong?” I stroked Sera’s hilt.
‘Do we like him, or not? I can’t tell,’ she asked me.
I internally groaned. ‘I’m still trying to figure that out myself.’
“The problem is you can’t bring a seraph blade into Demon City. It’ll be sold or destroyed. Raphael has tasked me with fixing the issue!” He did not sound happy about that at all.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so for once in my life, I kept quiet.
Lincoln pulled a key from his jeans pocket. “This is a key to my trailer.” He pointed across the parking lot to the edge of the trees, where the cute little silver Airstream sat among the wildflowers. “Each morning you arrive, I’ll have the blade for you. Each day you leave, you’ll drop it off inside my trailer and lock my door. Do not snoop. Do not use my bathroom, or eat my food. Do you understand?”
I grinned. “Aw, sweetie, you’re giving me a key to your place already? Gosh, we just met.” I snatched the key from his hand greedily.
“Don’t lose that,” he barked.
I rolled my eyes, fixing it on my keyring. “Relax, I’m not a baby.”
“I can be gone for weeks at a time if things progress with the war, so I’m hoping you won’t set my place on fire or anything,” he added.
“What’s your problem with me? Honestly. Let’s get this all out there.” I’d decided that now, as I was running late to wash dead bodies, was as good a time as any to have a long, drawn-out argument.
He took a step closer to me, eating up the distance between us, and my breath hitched. He touched my forehead with his index finger. “That is my problem. I don’t trust you. I never will. One word from your master and you might strap a bomb to your chest and kill us all.”
I gasped as tears filled my eyes, unprepared for such a hateful answer. His face fell as my bottom lip quivered, but I wasn’t going to give the prick the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
Ripping Sera from my leg sheath, I handed it to him, and took off running through the parking lot. He called something out, but it was too low and muffled for me to hear it.
By the time I made it to the reanimation clinic, I’d cried off all my mascara, but I was five minutes early, so there was that.
I put the car into Park and then stepped out, but instead of heading for the doors like I normally would, I froze as a strong scent of sulfur and oil hit me. A demon was close, one I didn’t recognize by smell.
I swallowed hard, taking wide steps across the parking lot. Just before I reached the double doors, an honest-to-God Abrus demon jumped out from behind the pillar, making my heart lurch into my throat, and my wings snap out in defense. Abrus demons were second to Lucifer himself. They looked mostly human, with only two small red horns on their forehead, and searing yellow eyes. They were all insanely gorgeous males as well, seductive and dangerous. I’d only met one before in my lifetime.
“Brielle, I presume?” he asked, in a smooth whisky-coated voice, his eyes gazing lustily at my wings.
“Yeah. I gotta get to work or Master Burdock will kill me.” I giggled nervously, and tried to pass him.
“Oh, I don’t think he’ll mind. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.” He grinned, showing every single one of his pearl-white straight teeth. He looked hungry, and I felt like the main course.
“Waiting for me?” I ran a nervous hand through my hair to keep it from shaking.
He nodded, glancing from my tattoos to my messenger bag. “Did you get your infinity weapon today?”
My face must’ve registered complete shock because he smiled. “You know about that?” I rubbed my arms anxiously.
He nodded and eyed my bag. “Is it with you?”
My heart was hammering so loud, I was pretty sure he could hear it. “No, gotta leave them in Angel City.” I hoped to Heaven he wasn’t one of those demons who could smell a lie. He didn’t seem to, because he nodded.
“What did you choose?” he asked indifferently. His eyes held anything but indifference.
I knew in my gut that I shouldn’t say what I really chose, so I told him the first thing that came to mind. “Arrows of truth.”
He looked a bit surprised but then seemed pleased. “That could be useful.”
I shifted on my feet nervously. “Sir, I, uh, really gotta get to work.”
He nodded. “See you at the full moon.”
Anyone living in Demon City knew what the current moon cycle was, because it was posted everywhere there was a clock or calendar. Full moon was in six days.
“Oh?” I almost didn’t want to ask.
He grinned. Reaching out, he stroked my feathered wing, and sent a repulsive shiver down my spine.
“That’s when I’ll be buying your contract, and you will then be working for me. Be sure to bring your arrows of truth to the contract signing. You won’t be going back to Fallen Academy.” His words hung in the air menacingly.