I’m promised.
Lincoln rolled out his shoulder. “They’re broken, but Noah says they’ll heal in time. I just can’t use them.” He was a soldier. Without his wings, he could get hurt.
“Lucifer?” I asked again.
Anger lit up Lincoln’s face. “Gone for now. But Brielle…” He was having a hard time composing himself.
I nodded. “I heard. I can’t leave Fallen Academy for a while.”
His eyes went cobalt. “Forever.”
I recoiled. “What?”
Lincoln grasped my hands. “Brielle, it’s the only place you can be safe.”
I puffed air through my teeth. “I’m a Fallen Army soldier. How can I help with the war if I’m hiding on campus?”
Lincoln sighed and looked out the tent’s open flap. “You can run the healing clinic or advise.”
Advise? What the hell did that even mean? I knew he was trying to help, and I did want to focus on my healing studies, but I also wanted to be out there, in the war zones, ferrying the people into Angel City.
“So I just hide for the rest of my life?” My voice felt hollow, and in that moment, the Dark Prince’s words came back to me.
Archdemon. I’m an archdemon.
‘Oh hooey, what does that shit-for-brains know?’ Sera voiced, but I couldn’t get that dark thought out of my mind. It had latched on tightly, and now I felt it would consume me.
Lincoln ran a hand through his hair. “No, you can’t hide for the rest of your life. Look, we’ll figure this out, okay? For the next two years, you’ll stay on campus and… we’ll figure this out.”
Two years.
“Can I still sleep over on weekends?” Technically his apartment was just off campus.
He swallowed hard. “The demon alarm doesn’t extend to my apartment complex, so…”
My face fell. Next year everyone would be getting apartments, and I’d be stuck in the dorms.
“But I’ll see about getting you your own room, or I’ll buy you a trailer,” he rambled.
He was being agreeable, so I would decide to stay on campus. I knew him too well. But I also didn’t want to get kidnapped by the Devil, and taken to Hell to do God knew what, and become some Archdemon. I just nodded. I’d do what was best for me and for Lincoln.
‘Good girl,’ Sera agreed.
There was a bright light at the tent opening, and then Raphael was ducking his head in, to peek inside. His chest was adorned in full gold-plated armor and his hair was slicked back into a ponytail. I’d never seen him battle ready, but he looked menacing.
“Hello, Brielle. Let’s get you home.”
Nodding once more, I stood with Lincoln’s help, and then walked out of the tent to greet the four Archangels.
The first thing I saw was Michael’s face and hair streaked with black oil and soot. When he saw me approach, he bowed slightly. “Brave Brielle. I’m very proud of what you did.”
My eyes widened, and I just barely resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and see if he was talking to someone else. I’d made a half-good, half-evil orb, then wussed out and flew away. What could he possibly be proud of?
Michael seemed to read my thoughts. “Lucifer invokes fear in people, but you didn’t cow. You fought, and then, when you knew it would be useless to fight any longer, you retreated.”
All of the archangels nodded in agreement.
“Carrying Lincoln that high, and that far. It takes tremendous strength,” Raphael added.
Mommy juice.
“I guess so.” I was too tired to argue.
I looked around, wondering if I’d see a car waiting to take me home. We were in a parking lot of what was once a grocery store, and now seemed to be a temporary military setup. The only cars were a few military issued SUVs, but they were far off the lot.
“I’m not sure I can walk that far. I’m so exhausted,” I told the crowd of powerful archangels with a bit of shame.
Michael stepped forward, wings fully extended. “We’ll be flying back to the academy. All of the roads are on lockdown after Lucifer let a bunch of demons into Angel City. The army is still trying to gather them up. Flying is safer.”
I wasn’t sure I could fly back to the academy either.
As if he’d heard that thought, Lincoln stepped forward. “She’s too weak to fly. Michael, can you carry her?” Lincoln asked the tall, blond, and extremely gorgeous archangel.
“Of course.” Michael stepped closer to me.
I swallowed nervously. Being the damsel in distress wasn’t my thing, but I was about to fall over.