Page 42 of Angel Lost (Fates Academy #3)

Chapter Forty-two: Zephyr

I float, staring at the sky. The knowledge of the stars calls to me. The ethereal glow pulls me among them, elevates me. My soul soars. The infinity pool sparkles far below. The silver surface ripples across the dark depths of truth, of futures yet to be.

Today is the day. I drop one tiny luminescent bead of the professor’s tincture under my tongue, spread my hands, and send my senses out. The energy pools and ripples, straining in all directions toward all possible futures until…

I crash into my body with an uncomfortable speed, still not used to shifting among the stars. Not used to how the visions take me away from the everyday. That stardust tincture though. I crane my head back, imagining again the spark against my tongue, the way it lights me up, shining a brightness into every corner of my soul. One day I’ll have enough money to buy a swimming pool of that stuff and then drown myself in it. Happily.

I shove Farrell’s dorm room door open and stalk in. I’m still pissy with him. With them all. But I’m lonely. My anger has died down enough that I’m going to let him apologize. Maybe if the asshole grovels enough, I might even forgive him. I toss my hair over my shoulder. Not fully. Not until I’m unbound. But Fates, I miss him. I miss all of them. Even the fae.

I follow the sound of voices toward Farrell’s bedroom. Kai’s annoying whine, Chano’s deep barking tones, and Lorelei’s sparkling laugh. Without thinking, I open his door and peek my head around it. My heart thunders .

They’re all here. All in the bed. Chano, Farrell, Lorelei, and Kai. And she’s naked. Lorelei is naked. She half sits, clutching the sheet to her chest, hair mussed, eyes blissed out.

“Get out,” Kai snarls. “Go back to the angels.”

My knees buckle and I stumble in the doorway.

Lorelei kisses each of them in turn, a delicate little peck on the mouth, then she gathers the sheet around her and moves toward me. Her brow furrows. “You betrayed me, Zephyr, the boys told me.” She looks inconsolably sad. “How could you?”

I open my mouth, gaping. “And you believed them?” I demand. “Them over me?”

She chews her lip and reaches out, patting the side of my face. I lean into her hand. “They are my mates, Zephyr. Of course I believe them.”

She brushes past me to the bathroom, the door shutting as the words sink in. They are her mates. Them, not me. Those assholes are turning my Lorelei against me. My mind races. There has to be a way around this. We’re allegiance. There has to be a way.

I step into the bedroom, shutting the door. “Why the lie?”

Kai stands from the bed, stark naked, and weaves toward me in that slightly unhinged manner he has. I edge sideways, away from him, keeping my back to the wall.

“You should have left when she did, Zephyr,” he says.

Chano stands too. At least he’s still got boxers on. “She was the only thing protecting you from us.” He growls.

I freeze.

Farrell finishes buttoning his shirt and finally looks at me. “Now we get to kill you.”

Kai tuts, his index finger tapping the side of his head. “Uh-uh. Think, boys. Maim, not kill. She’ll feel his death.” A switchblade appears in his hand. Where the fuck did that come from? He’s naked .

I shake my head. Concentrate . Kai is between me and the door. And they’re all coming at me. This isn’t some sick joke. My wings erupt, and I sprint for the window. My fingertips just brush the sill as Chano sweeps my legs out from under me. We land heavily, limbs tangled. Farrell and Kai are immediately on my back. With a slash, one of my wings is severed from my body. Agony engulfs me. The second follows, less smoothly. I feel every single sawing motion. Screaming, I twist around in time to see Farrell rip the last remnants from my back, feathers and sinew flying in the air. Even as my blood oozes into the wooden floor, my abilities abandon me.

I lie, heaving, head swimming. Footsteps move away. The bedroom door slams, then the dorm door. They leave me alone in my own blood. Lorelei with them.

Lorelei.

I have to get her away. I have to keep her safe.

My head swims, my stomach heaving. I roll over, falling off the lounger. I hear shouting in the background. Loud. Angry. I push myself to my knees, hands clapped over my ears, breathing ragged.

The infinity pool swims into view. Above, the sky twinkles, winking down at me.

It was a vision.

I retch. Holy Hecate, a vision.

I’m not safe. Lorelei isn’t safe. It hits me like a punch to the stomach. I lean back, resting against the cool marble wall. The shouting continues, and a draft of blessedly cool air reaches me. Seconds later, my allegiance piles into the main observatory.

I shrink away from them.

“Betrayers,” I hiss. “Liars. ”

Farrell shines a light in my eyes, and I scrunch them shut. My head pounds. Slim, cool fingers wrap around my hand and the scent of strawberries tickles my nostrils. Lorelei. She pries the precious tincture bottle out of my hand and slips it into her pocket. She slides an arm under my shoulders and helps me up. My legs wobble. Farrell steps to my other side and I flinch.

“I…uh…I’m still very sore from the fight at the rip.” I force the lie out.

His mouth turns down, and he rubs the back of his neck. “About that, Zephyr—”

I wave my hand. I don’t want to hear it. I did, before the vision. I wanted his apology then. I wanted him to try to make it right. But now? Not now. Now, I know. I can’t care about him anymore. About any of them. Except Lorelei.

By the time we reach Farrell and Kai’s dorm, my brain fog has lifted. I leave my arm slung over Lorelei’s shoulders, enjoying her closeness, reveling in being the only one touching her.

They regale me with the most recent drama. There’s always drama. The difference now is I really don’t care.

“Wait,” I say, my voice stronger than I expected. “You have the vegetable—” I gesture at the Maverik boy and Kai flinches. “—you got him out. So how can you possibly believe they don’t know it was you and Lorelei?”

Kai scowls. “I have fae magic, angel. It works against cameras.”

My wings prickle uncomfortably under my skin. Like they remember he helped cut them off. Except that’s in the future. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. “That’s dark magic,” I snap. “You shouldn’t be involving Lorelei in that.”

Chano rounds on me, his big, fat, stupid finger in my face. “It got him in there and found us Lottie, so shut up, idiota .”

I stand, peering out Farrell’s window. The window I never reached in my vision. Lies, intimidation, and bullying, and dark magic from Kai. Lorelei is not safe. Not safe at all. I tune back in to their arguing. All of them ganging up against Lori, trying to make her stay back. I bristle, suspicious. They want me to go, but her to stay. Is this where they set me up as the bad guy?

“If Lorelei wants to go, she goes,” I say, turning to them. “We just need a good plan.”

Lorelei’s shoulders relax. In two strides she’s at my side, arm around me, head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Z.”

I plant a kiss on her hair. In another life, maybe she and I…If only these violent assholes weren’t here, coloring her view of the world, of me.