Death In Her Eyes - Erin Bedford Page 0,26

of the school which was more worn. Less inhabited by the students who were known to make their presence known even while in classes.

They hadn't bothered to glam up this part of the school. The walls were bare and there weren't fluffed up oriental chairs or rugs on the floor. It was as if no one ever came down this way. Or maybe they just didn't care about that kind of stuff.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going or keep me in suspense?" I wrapped my arms around my waist and stared at the back of Azazel's head. I thought angels were supposed to have wings. But neither Azazel nor my father had any. At least, not that I could see. Were they metaphysical in nature? More of the energy variety than actual literal wings? Either way the whole angels and Nephilim thing was still hard to wrap my brain around.

"Even with angelic blood in your veins, you are still so human." Azazel commented wistfully.

"And that's a bad thing?"

Azazel angled her head toward me, her lips ticking up at the edges. "On the contrary, we here at the Fallen Academy believe your humanity is what makes you an indispensable part of our hierarchy."

I snorted. "I thought we were nothing but bugs to be stepped on when we get out of line."

She threw her head back and laughed. "That too."

Grunting in the back of my throat, I dropped my arms to my sides as I paused in the hallway. "So, we only matter when you want something from us, is that it?"

Azazel stopped and twisted toward me. "Precisely."

"That's seriously fucked up."

My words didn't offend Azazel. She walked the few steps toward me trying to use her presence to loom over me. "Never forget you exist solely by our will. If you leave this place you will be smote by those all so holy angels the humans pray to. You are an abomination to them but to us," she reached out and caressed the air next to my face but not touching me. "To us you can be something more."

It hurt my pride to step back from her, but I did it. She made my skin crawl even without the physical touch. The fact that she had kept herself from touching me alone made me not trust her. Now that I knew what their end game for all of us was here, I trusted her even less. Not that there was much trust there to begin with. Anyone who befriended my father already had a place on my shit list.

"What if we don't want to be a part of your plan?" I countered, seeing how far I could push her before she showed her ugly side.

Azazel smirked. "You are under the impression that you have a choice in the matter? You, in the long run, do not matter. There are hundreds of children just like you who would love nothing more than to be part of the grand plan."

I flicked my hair over my shoulder and snarled, "Then get one of them to play your games." I spun on my heel ready to make a rapid exit and continue with my plan of escape, but Azazel tempted me once more.

"The seer is waiting for us. We shouldn't keep her waiting."

I half turned back. "Seer? You mean, someone like me?"

"Did you think you were the only one?" She arched a brow and swept her arm out to the side. "It's not much further."

Already regretting following her rather than trying my luck at getting out of there, I took the few steps needed to catch up to her. "This better be worth it. I'm getting tired of your games."

Azazel shook her head and laughed as she stopped before a wooden door with black metal lining the edges and handle. "You are so much like Batariel."

My jaw clenched tight. "I'm nothing like him."

Azazel gave me a knowing look before turning on her heel and disappearing into the shadows, leaving me at the doorway with no explanation.

Like my dad? Pfft. No fucking way. I didn't abandon my family. I didn't put work above all else. I didn't...ugh. Why did I let her get me so worked up? I'd finally gotten myself to the place where I didn't give two shits about the man and now he just kept getting brought back up again.

And for what?

He wasn't going to change.

Kidnapping me from mom's funeral for some kind of unconfirmed threat wasn't winning him any