Shit.

Everything was starting to blur at the edges. Shea hooked a hand under my armpit, hauling me into the back of the SUV and pushing me lightly so my body interlocked with Lincoln’s. Two bloody, half-dead people spooning in the back of my SUV.

“Get us… to the… academy,” Lincoln told her weakly. She slammed the back door and ran to the driver side.

My back was against Lincoln’s chest, his warm breath coming out in short rasps against my neck. “You’re… the craziest… girl… I’ve ever… met.” He reached out to me with a glowing orange hand. With a jolt, the car peeled out, and I remembered Shea didn’t have a license.

Too weak to care, I just stared at the glowing orange hand as he laid it on my bleeding thigh. He was trying to heal me. He was bleeding to death, weak as shit, and still trying to heal me.

“You’re the hottest guy I’ve ever met,” I said stupidly. The blood loss had obviously made me loopy, let my inhibitions down.

A low laugh erupted out of me, and then a black wall slammed into me as I lost consciousness.

Chapter Ten

My consciousness returned in bouts.

I remembered Noah standing over me screaming, then there was a bright golden light, and Raphael appeared. I remembered Lincoln’s terrified face hovering over me, and Shea crying.

It all came in snippets, like a dream.

Now, I could feel bedsheets underneath me, my rib cage, thigh, and tailbone were throbbing. I tried to speak, but only croaked. Opening my eyes, I winced against the bright light.

Shea’s face swam into view. “You crazy bitch! Don’t ever do that again,” she scolded, sticking a finger in my face for good measure.

I tried to smile, but my face hurt. “I can promise you that.” Shakily lifting a hand, my thumb brushed across her clear forehead.

She burst into tears then, and threw her arms around me. “Thank you!” she sobbed in my ear. “Mi familia.”

“You’re welcome, mi vida loca.” I didn’t really know Spanish, but I threw out what I did randomly because it always made her laugh.

I was rewarded with that laugh now.

Peering around for the first time, I noticed I was in some type of medical room, with only a chair next to my bed. The door was propped open, leading out to a tiled hallway.

“You’re in the healing clinic at Fallen Academy,” she told me.

I nodded. “Am I expelled? In deep shit?”

We were free souls, but without jobs we wouldn’t be able to live in Angel City, and now we were banned from Demon City. We were basically homeless if they wouldn’t take us.

She shrugged. “I don’t think so. I mean, there was a lot of yelling, but I heard the words ‘brave idiot’ tossed around a lot. Seems like the old dude likes you.”

I smiled. Raphael.

“Is Lincoln okay?” I asked, eyeing the open door.

That time it was her turn to smile. “You mean the hottie who fought for your freedom? Yeah, his injuries were pretty minor. Being in Demon City was just zapping his energy, or whatever. Once we got over the border he perked right up. Moderate blood loss and some stitches, I heard them say.”

I sighed in relief. “Is he pissed at me?”

She grinned again. “So pissed. Unnaturally pissed. He punched the wall.” She pointed to a hole in the plaster. I grimaced. Her hand rested on my shoulder. “You almost died, Bri. You can’t go fighting demons, like you’re some badass.”

I’d nearly killed a demon, so I was arguably a badass, but I wasn’t going to say a word. Shea would go all Puerto Rican on me, start cussing in Spanish, and wave her angry hands in my face. So I just nodded, glancing at the pile of my clothes on the chair, and noticed for the first time that I was wearing a thin white cotton gown, and nothing else.

“Where’s Sera?” I asked, eyeing the gown.

Shea frowned. “Who?”

“My dagger.”

Dawning shone on her face. “Ah yes. In the middle of his rant, Lincoln ripped it off you, and said you weren’t allowed to have it outside of weapons and battle training.”

That motherfu—

“Brielle. You’re awake,” Raphael’s voice came from the open doorway.

I sat up, nervously clutching the sheet around my body. Raphael was with Mr. Claymore, both looking at Shea.

“Come in,” I told them. Please don’t kick us out.

“What you did was very dangerous,” Raphael chastised me.

I frowned. “I know, but—”

“But also admirable. I’m very taken with the story. To save your sister from a lifetime of slavery like that. It’s touching.”

Shea raised one eyebrow at me.

“Sister?” I asked. I mean, yeah, I considered her my sister, but….

“Lincoln said you two were family,” Raphael stated, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Shea’s hair and skin were about ten shades darker than mine.

Lincoln told them that? Hmm. Maybe they would only let her stay if she was related to me.

I grasped Shea’s hand. “We are, and if you kick me out, we’ll have nowhere to live. But… no pressure.”

Both gentlemen laughed, and exchanged smiles. For a man in his early forties, Mr. Claymore was quite handsome, his short brown hair weaved through with silver streaks over kind eyes.

“We’re not kicking you out,” Raphael reassured. “I brought Mr. Claymore, to see if it was possible to erase Shea’s death mark. Assuming that’s what she wants. That way she could become a student here. Room and board is included, of course.”

I wanted to act tough but I couldn’t, tears leaked from my eyes.

Shea shot out of her chair. “Yes! That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I took the mark against my will. They pinned me down, and—” Her voice broke before she could continue.

Mr. Claymore frowned, stepping forward. “If that’s true, if you took the mark against your will, then I can easily remove it. It’ll take a day or two for me to brew the potion, but it’ll fall away as if it were never there.”

Shea’s chest was rising and falling, clearly trying to hold her shit in.

Raphael clapped once. “Then that’s that! I suppose you two would like to room together? I’ll have the groundskeeper make up your room so you can get settled. Were you able to bring any belongings?”

Shea and I shared a look. Yeah right. We ran like a bat out of Hell. Pun intended. I’d packed a bag like Lincoln told me to but it had one pair of clothes and one pair of underwear with my toothbrush. Nothing to last me… forever.

“No, and I’m worried about my mom and my brother,” I confessed to him.

He nodded, his glossy hair falling around his shoulders. “I spoke with your mother an hour ago when she called to inquire about your health. She said she’s fine and has been permitted by her new… employer to visit you once a month. She can bring your belongings then. In the meantime, we have an overflowing lost and found pile that I’ll have Mrs. Greely bring in for you to go through.”

I barely heard the rest of it, glad my mom was okay. I was curious who her new master was though. I was kind of hoping that when Lincoln killed Burdock, she would be free.

“One more thing.” Raphael held up a finger. “School, room, and board is free here, but if you want extra cash, you’ll need to get part-time jobs. I happen to know that the clinic is looking for someone, Brielle, and with your healing abilities, you’d be hired on the spot.”

My healing abilities I know nothing about.

I nodded. “Thank you, sir. I’ll look into it.”

Mr. Claymore looked to Shea. “And I could always use a Mage student to keep my supplies organized. Crush my powders, help with the potions.”

Shea, eyes wide, just nodded.

They were letting us stay. They gave us jobs.

Holy shit, Angel City is Heaven on Earth.

We were finally free of the darkness that had lurked over us most of our lives. We were slaves to no one. We were free souls, and it felt good.

Raphael went to leave the room but I sat up straighter. “Sir, one more thing.”

He turned.

“Umm, Lincoln took Sera, my seraph blade. Can I get it back?” Surely he thought it was preposterous that Lincoln was treating me like a five-year-old.

He frowned. “I’ve put Lincoln in charge of your training. If he feels you shouldn’t have the blade outside of classes, then there’s nothing I can do.”

With a bow, they both left.

Grrr. Lincoln was lording his power over me, but dammit, he’d given me my freedom, so I was going to have to do whatever he said.

Oh God.

A memory came back to me then. He’d called me crazy and I’d called him hot. I hid my face in my hands, mortified, praying he’d forget. When I looked up, I saw Shea staring at a blank spot on the wall, her face a mask of complete shock.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her. “Aren’t you happy?”

She nodded. “I’m so happy. But it feels weird. I’d forgotten what happy felt like.”

I smiled and reached for her hand. “Promised you I wasn’t going to let you go dark.”

She nodded. “And I promise you not to let you get through your first year without kissing Lincoln.”

My eyes widened. “Shea, stop. He’s my teacher, kind of. And an asshole, kind of. Anyway, not happening.”

She grinned. “That was a lot of ‘kind ofs.’”

I punched her arm and she laughed.

There was a knock on the door then, and a short brunette woman–in her early forties—came in, holding a huge basket of clothes. I even saw a backpack and water bottle poking out. She also held a pair of crutches.

“How are you feeling, dear?” she asked, setting the basket down and setting the crutches at the end of my bed. I recognized the Raphael tattoo on her forearm.

“A little sore, but I’m okay.”

She nodded. “I’m Mrs. Greely. I’m in charge of the healing clinic here at the academy. Raphael tells me you’re looking for some part-time work? I’d love to hire you.”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. That would be wonderful.”

She smiled and handed me a packet. “Fill this out and bring it by tomorrow. Then we can go over the schedule.”

I grabbed the packet, clutching it to my chest. “I will.” I’d traded up, from washing dead bodies at the reanimation clinic, to this.

“You girls are free to leave. Housekeeping is putting linens on your beds. Here’s a map with your room designation. Come back if you feel any worsening pain, and take anything you like from the lost and found.” She indicated the basket of clothes she’d set down.

I nodded. “We will. Thank you so much.”

She smiled and then left the room quietly.

Shea glanced at the map. “Dude, this place is huge. Way bigger than Tainted Academy.”