The title is familiar, but that doesn’t mean anything. With as much as I’ve researched demons over the years, it’s possible I’ve read it. But it’s also possible I haven’t. His dad’s a lieutenant in the Guild, after all, and it’s his actual job to know all that he can about those creatures. Wouldn’t surprise me if they had access to books that we didn’t.
“Okay, this part here.” He points to a section in the middle of the page just as my slate vibrates on the coffee table.
“One second,” I say, peering at the screen. It’s Raphael.
As I pick it up, he says, “You aren’t actually going to answer that now, are you?”
But I don’t respond, tapping on the call button. “Hey, man. You surviving?”
“Barely, but that’s not why I’m calling. I think I fucking found something.”
His words take me by surprise and, for a moment, I’m speechless. So much for losing out on prime research over the break. “Already? You’ve barely been gone a full day. Are the libraries here just that lame or what?”
“The school doesn’t keep copies of old family journals. I found a passage about golden wings in—”
Ezekiel scoffs, his voice ice cold as he says, “Is gossiping with your friends what you Pures call helping?”
Shit.Raphael isn’t going to take well to my being with Zeke, but it’s not like I sought him out. And the only reason I’m here is for Hayliel and the rest of our friends. We might not like him, but we need him.
Right now, though, all I feel is distaste for the asshole Fallen. Moving the slate away from my mouth, I reply, “You can just as easily leave, but since I’m guessing you want my help, why don’t you just chill and give me a fucking minute?”
I take a deep breath, ignoring Ezekiel’s mumbled words, and focus back on my best friend. “Sorry about that. Ezekiel asked for my help with a few demon-related texts he found, and I agreed. Still unsure if it was a mistake or not. Now, what were you saying?”
I expect Raphael to sound pissed, but whatever he called to tell me is too good to kill his mood. His excitement is palpable, even through the phone.
“My ancestor, Isaac. I found one of his old journals. I’ll admit that some of it is nonsensical ramblings, but I found a fewmentions of golden wings. One passage even depicts scorched earth. Could you check out the old well sometime? There was so much ash covering the ground after the attack that I didn’t notice, but I have a feeling we’ll find the grass blackened and burned.”
Was the earth where Hayliel had stood during the attack burned? That day is a jumble of flashes and fear, at least until the end. But by then, I can’t remember anything except the way Hayliel looked when she emerged from the shelter of her wings. Scared but strong.
“Absolutely. I’ll check on it tomorrow and let you know what I find. Have you told Hayliel?”
“Not yet.” Raphael hesitates before adding, “I think we should hold off for now, at least until we find a bit more to go on. Some of the entries are a bitodd, and I don’t want to get her hopes up.”
I nod, my gaze darting to Ezekiel, but he doesn’t seem to have heard. “Agreed, at least for now.”
There’s a commotion on his side of the phone before Raphael sighs then calls out in a weak tone, “I’ll be down in a moment.” To me he says, “Shit. I’ve got to go disappoint my family, but I’ll keep you posted. Don’t take any shit from that asshole house leader.”
“I won’t. Good luck.”
As the call ends, I worry about my friend. He’s stuck with a family who fails him at every turn. A mother that always reminds him of his shortcomings. A father without a backbone who never sticks up for his son. And a brother who took every chance to make Raphael feel small and insignificant. Now he has to spend an entire week in their presence without an escape. From experience, I know that when he comes back, it’ll take some time to wash away the stench of their disappointment, but between Hayliel and I, hopefully we can push it away sooner.
“Wow. Pures really are ungrateful, huh? A week at home in a mansion with your family where both your parents are alive. It must be so damn hard to be Raphael right now,” Ezekiel mocks.
Anger flares in my chest, my eyes hardening as they settle on the piece of shit who doesn’t seem to know when to shut the fuck up. “I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut about things you don’t understand. Blood doesn’t mean jack shit in some situations, and if all you’ve ever had is the love and support of your family, count yourself fucking lucky.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. “While we’re on the subject of ungrateful behavior, don’t think I haven’t noticed your hot and cold bullshit with Hayliel. From what I can see, all she’s done is be kind to you, and all you do in return is glare and grumble like a child.”
“You might want to take your own advice and shut up about things you don’t fucking understand,” he says, his jaw clenched.
“Yeah? Well, why don’t you spell it out for me then, because from where I sit you’re just a butthurt little boy who’s pissed off at the world.”
“My relationship with Hayliel is none of your damn business.”
I chuckle. “If you keep acting like a dickhead, then you won’thavea relationship with her at all. And you can try to pretend like that wouldn’t bother you, but you’re not fooling anyone. It’s obvious you care about her. Why else would you have rushed to her side when she emerged from her wings or stayed with us after the attack? But your fluctuating dismissive bullshit is affecting her, and she has enough crap to deal with already. So lay off her, angel up, and stop acting like you don’t fucking care. You don’t have to like me or Raphael, but if you don’t start letting Hayliel in, you’ll lose her, and something tells me that would hurt far worse.”
The anger on his face is gone, replaced with a mixture of remorse and irritation.
It feels so fucking good to finally lay it all out for him. Whether he takes my words to heart and changes, that remains to be seen.
