Page 13

On the second day of officially joining the Warriors, I stood there, hiding behind Lucas, as Azrael paced in front of us. His suit was once again immaculate, with his hands clasped behind his back as his gaze swept over the rows of Warriors standing before him.

“You should all know by now that a Warrior doesn’t just train to ascend,” he said and paused in front of a girl. “A Warrior trains to become an Authority—a Celestial soldier in the Second Order of the angelic hierarchy.”

I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. There were four orders in the angelic hierarchy I knew of. Authorities happened to be part of a group up there with Seraphim’s.

“Their purpose is to prevent the destruction of life, to protect the Celestial realm,” he continued, pacing once again. “And all of you that were born with the gifts of a Warrior are given this opportunity to train for more than just power—you are here once again to become Authorities.”

As he walked past us, his gaze briefly fell on me, failing to use Lucas as my personal hiding spot. My throat tightened as he gave me a cold, assessing look, and the Warriors around me snickered quietly.

Luckily, Azrael moved on and addressed the group. “Now, the upcoming competition is not just about the brute strength that you Warriors possess. I will be analyzing each and every one of you. And those who do well will see their names posted in the common room of their sector every two weeks.”

The anticipation among the Warriors was palpable. They were all buzzing in hopes of being selected now that the role of ascending was on the line. Even Lucas straightened up and puffed out his chest as if he’d been preparing himself for this very moment.

“Cain.” Azrael’s voice rang out across the muddy pit, cutting through the hum of sparring Ascendants. “Dunn, step forward.”

Silas grinned, his cocky swagger on full display as he stepped forward. Hunter followed reluctantly as his sharp grey eyes scanned the crowd briefly, pausing just long enough to land on me.

I froze under his gaze, unsure whether the flicker of emotion I saw was irritation, a warning, or something else entirely. Whatever it was, it was gone before I could name it.

“Demonstrate to the rest the use of shielding,” Azrael ordered. “Show me how you can absorb the force of an attack and convert it into energy for a counterstrike.”

Hunter and Silas nodded, positioning themselves opposite each other.

I leaned into Lucas, whispering, “Is Azrael an Authority?”

“He used to be.”

I frowned. “Used to be?”

“He left that position to teach Warriors on Earth instead.”

That only left me with more questions than answers, considering how important it seemed to be if one became an Authority.

I sighed, focusing on what Silas and Hunter were doing instead.

Silas was the first to attack, his power surging toward Hunter like a wave of heat.

Hunter moved seamlessly, raising a shield of energy.

The force of Silas’s power seemed to absorb into the makeshift shield, glowing briefly before Hunter pushed it right back at Silas.

Silas barely blocked it in time as the energy from the shield sent him flying back. He groaned as he landed on the muddy ground and rolled onto his side.

I was suddenly annoyed, wishing that could have been Hunter on the ground instead.

I wasn’t sure why his lack of reaction to winning or demonstrating how good he was at the counterattack infuriated me.

I wanted him to be smug so that I could have another reason to dislike him, but he just stood there like he wanted to leave already. Like it all meant nothing to him.

Azrael turned to everyone else and began instructing others to practice.

I glanced at Lucas and smiled. He didn’t return that smile.

He scratched the back of his head, not meeting my gaze. “Um, I—” he stuttered, and my face fell. I understood what he was trying to get across without even needing him to explain it.

“It’s okay,” I said softly. “You can partner up with someone else. I think I’ll just go and practice my hits.”

“You sure?” He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Grace. If I wasn’t terrible at shielding, I would go with you and practice other stuff, but—”

“I know.” I offered him a weak smile. “Now go, find a partner before you get stuck with Matias.”

Lucas looked over his shoulder before giving me an apologetic glance. “As soon as I’m done, I’ll come help you.”

A lump tugged at my throat, making me unable to speak as I nodded and watched him run off to someone else. I sighed inwardly and made my way toward a practice dummy, far from all the Warriors in the pit.

I felt utterly humiliated as I snuck a glance over my shoulder. Azrael’s instructions echoed in my mind, but all I could hear was the sound of barely concealed laughter from the others. I punched the dummy half-heartedly, the impact sending a dull vibration up my arm.

I had to remember that I asked for this. I wanted to join the Warriors, and it was all my doing.

“That’s all wrong, you know.”

I froze, my knuckles resting on the dummy as Hunter strolled over, his expression flat and intense as always.

“Wow.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice. “Thanks for telling me. I hadn’t noticed. Have anything else to say about what I’m doing wrong?”

He smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wooden post next to the dummy. “Plenty. Like how you’re placing your thumb wrong.”

I huffed, took a step back and placed my hands against my hips. “Shouldn’t you be practicing?”

“Brandon’s with someone else, and Silas wanted a break.”

Already?

“Besides.’ He tilted his head, strands of brown hair falling across his forehead. “Watching you punch the dummy like that is far more entertaining. I wonder how long it will take for you to break your hand before you land a decent hit.”

I rolled my eyes and aimed a punch straight for his chest, letting my annoyance fuel the swing so I could prove him wrong. But before my fist could connect, Hunter caught my punch easily. His hand wrapped around my knuckles, practically making my whole hand disappear beneath his.

His eyes locked on mine as he shifted my hand, fixing the position of my thumb. His grip was firm but not painful, and the heat of his hand sent an unwanted shiver down my spine. “This way, you won’t shatter your bones.”

I ground my teeth, trying to ignore the warmth of his touch and the way the rough feel of his skin made my pulse spike. “Why do you even care if I break my hand or not?”

He shrugged. “I don’t. Just hate watching bad technique.”

My eyes narrowed, and I pulled my hand away from his. He stepped back, and without saying another word, he turned and strolled away.

Staring after him, my frustration grew into something else—something confusing. An annoyed groan left my lips, and I punched the dummy again, this time with the proper form, which didn’t seem to aid whatever nonsense I was feeling.

“Dickhead,” I mumbled, unsure if I meant it about Hunter or myself.

It was late.

My feet dragged along the empty corridors of Celestia, with the weight of the day pressing heavily on my shoulders. I had barely done anything other than punch a dummy, and yet my muscles screamed in protest.

I turned the corner, my thoughts muddled with all sorts of things, before I collided hard with someone. Looking up, I scowled when I saw it was Hunter.

He was the last person I needed to deal with right now. My plan had been to head back to the dorm and avoid him at all costs by locking myself in my room.

“Excuse me,” I snapped, shoving past him with more force than necessary.

Hunter didn’t budge and leaned against the wall, blocking my pathway. “Careful, Grace. You might actually hurt yourself with that attitude.”

“Good,” I said, trying to sidestep him. It didn’t work.

“Still bitter about helping you earlier?”

“I am not bitter. For all I know, you helped me just to gain an upper hand for one of your schemes to get me out of here.”

His lips twitched as though he found that idea amusing. “That does sound more like me.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. “I don’t need this right now. Could you please move out of the way so that I don’t have to keep looking at your face?”

Yes, I was annoyed. By everything and especially by him. Though the Warriors laughing at me earlier when I was just there by the dummy might have been the final straw.

When he didn’t make any movement to let me go, I blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m really trying my best here.” At what? I didn’t know.

He hummed. “At surviving?”

That... sounded like the right answer I was searching for.

“Because that’s all you seem to be doing.

” He pushed himself off the wall, allowing me to run past him, but I didn’t.

I just stood frozen in place as his presence suddenly became suffocating.

“You’re not fighting. You’re not trying to win.

You’re just waiting for that angel of yours to come save you. ”

The truth of those words hit me like a punch to the gut and before I knew it, I was stepping forward, closing the space between us until I was staring up into those cold, unreadable eyes of his.

“I don’t need anyone to save me,” I hissed, my voice low and trembling with barely contained anger. “Least of all, Joe.”

Hunter let out a dry laugh. “Right. Because you’ve done such a great job on your own so far.”

I felt my chest squeeze, and for a moment, the hallway was silent as I refused to say anything else. The air between us cracked with a current of electricity, and I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. Each beat was louder than the last, and our proximity became suffocating.

“Whatever you’re trying to prove by joining the Warriors,” he said quietly, though his voice was low and rough, heating my skin. “You’re going about it the wrong way.”

“I don’t need your help,” I whispered, though even I could hear the uncertainty in my voice.

Hunter’s gaze flickered to my lips and then back to my eyes. “I’m not offering it.”

“Then what is your problem with me!”

I was frustrated. I was practically shaking from it.

Hunter’s eyes darkened, and something dangerous flickered behind the storm in them. He leaned down, his lips dangerously close to my ear as he whispered, “ You . You’re my problem.”

The sharpness of his voice twisted something inside me. I turned my head to look at him, our noses almost touching.

“Why?” I whispered, my head spinning at how intoxicating having him this close felt. When he pulled back slightly, my chest heaved as I stared at him.

His stare was empty yet cold. He looked down at me and spoke monotonically as if repeating a phrase someone had told him to say: “Because humans are useless to us in this place.”

We stood there for what felt like forever, neither of us moving nor daring to speak another word. I feared if I said something, I would crack, and it would give him every reason as to why I was useless.

Forcing myself to find some semblance of strength, I pushed my legs forward and stormed past him without looking back.

If being human was my biggest flaw, then what was his?