Page 2 of Wings of Valor (Silver City University #4)

R estraint doesn’t come easily to me.

The urge to act and find out who turned on us claws at me. If Castiel betrayed us—betrayed her —he won’t like what’s coming. Anyone who brings her pain will pay for it with their own. Mark my words.

I press my hands against my closed eyes, willing the memories of my own mother’s torment to fade—but it’s as if they’re branded there.

Images flash behind my eyelids: the day I found out Mom had been taken; the agonizing hours and days that followed as we tried to get her back; and finally, the moment I learned I’d never be in her presence again.

I don’t want that for my hummingbird. She’s too bright. Too good. So if I have to threaten and maim to get answers, I won’t hesitate. Not for her.

Back on campus, Theo stops me at the entrance while the others head into the cave. “Get out of my way,” I growl, needing to be inside, to stand near her and protect her. If Castiel is in there with her, Theo’s putting her in danger by keeping me out here.

“She needs us,” he says. “All of us. So whatever anger and pain you’re feeling right now, use it. But don’t let it overtake you.”

His words hit me like a slap to the face. “And what the fuck would you know of pain and loss, hmm? Move, Theo, before I make you.”

“You aren’t the only one who’s lost a parent, asshole.

I don’t want her to experience that pain either, but she’s fragile right now, and if you can’t calm the hell down, then you can stay the fuck out here.

Get your shit together before you come inside; she doesn’t need this . ” He motions to my jittery state.

A little of my fury subsides as I watch him, catching sight of the pain he’s buried. I sigh. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

Some of his frustration melts away, and he nods. “It’s a good sign that you can see it this time. We’ve all got shit, man. It’s the one thing we all have in common—aside from our love for that woman inside.”

Fuck. How is it that Theo’s always saving me from myself? “I’m sorry. Give me a minute, and I’ll be in.” Before Theo reaches the threshold, I call out, “And thank you.”

Turning, he tosses me a soft, sad smile. “For what it’s worth, I wish we could have helped get your mom back.”

He walks away, leaving me standing there wishing for the same thing.

I give myself a few minutes to put my thoughts in order, trying not to let the memories of losing Mom take over.

Just because she didn’t make it doesn’t mean Hayliel’s parents will share the same fate.

She’s determined as hell, stronger than most—and unlike me, she has a loyal group of friends willing to do whatever it takes to bring her parents home alive.

When I finally walk into the cave, the silence is deafening.

Hayliel sits in a chair, staring at the wall. Castiel—who stands completely unharmed in the center of the cave, proving that the fancy rune Mira gave us must not work—looks confused, while the others do nothing to clear the air.

Shit. They’ve been waiting for me.

“Good. Now that you’re here, can someone please tell me what’s going on? Your message said someone took Hayliel’s parents. Were you able to find them?” Castiel’s gaze moves around the group. Is he that good of an actor, or does he truly not know?

“Not exactly, but we know who has them,” Raphael says, not giving much away.

Castiel’s brows furrow. “I’m not following.”

I’m sick of constantly tiptoeing around shit. “Did you tell anyone about what Hayliel is?”

He reacts as if I slapped him. “Of course I didn’t. What’s going on?”

Hayliel’s quiet, broken voice cracks the building tension. “Archangel Auriel knows. He’s behind everything going on in the city, and unless I join Team Evil , he’s going to kill my parents.”

The history professor can only stare at her, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

I still can’t tell if his reaction is genuine or all for show.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Hayliel. The good thing is, they’re still alive.

But just to be sure these old ears heard correctly, you’re saying one of the four Archangels has been working with demons? ”

Hayliel goes back to staring at the wall. “Yes.”

Castiel rubs his chin, more puzzled than ever. “For how long? And what is it he’s after?”

Theo steps closer to Hayliel, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s unclear. He didn’t exactly go into the details of his grand plan, though he mentioned a cleanse of the undeserving.”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what that means. Fallen aren’t safe anymore. Though, if I’m honest, we haven’t been safe for quite a while now.

“Auriel didn’t learn it from me, but I suspect I know where he heard it,” Castiel says, and all eyes turn to him.

“Well? Don’t stop there.” Raphael crosses his arms over his chest.

A thought occurs to me—one I didn’t consider before. Maybe it wasn’t Castiel himself, but someone else connected to us. Someone we haven’t even met. “Was it Phiel?”

It looks like Castiel wants to roll his eyes, but he doesn’t. “No. As I stated previously, he’s trustworthy. Just before you messaged, Uriel approached me. He knew we’d been snooping through his things and wanted to rub it in my face that we couldn’t get anything past him.”

“Shit. That’s not ideal, but it doesn’t explain how Auriel knew of Hayliel being a Seraphim,” Theo says, and it’s like he plucked the thought from my head.

“Oh, but it does. It seems Uriel has a rare rune etched somewhere in his classroom that transcribes conversation. It’s likely why he never took you to his class for detention”—he turns to Hayliel—“so there was never any proof of what he was doing.”

That fucking asshole has been a thorn in our side since the beginning. It’s time someone plucked him out.

Theo makes a noise in the back of his throat that has my brows darting up in surprise.

“So, when we were snooping in his class and I mentioned she was a Seraphim, the rune would have transcribed it for him.” His face is so pale the veins show through, making him look sick. “It’s my fault. I did this.”

The room grows silent as his stricken expression turns to Hayliel. In a voice so low I barely hear it, he says, “You’re in this mess because of me.”

“No,” Hayliel replies, walking to his side with more gusto than she’s had since discovering her parents are gone.

“He’d have found out regardless. The asshole was already slinking around in the Fallen library, remember?

This isn’t your fault.” Gone is the heartbroken girl from mere moments ago.

In her place stands a woman who sees her friend hurting just as much as she is.

Something she can’t bear to see without trying to soothe away the pain.

“But your parents.”

“We’ll save them. We have to. But it’s not your fault, Theo.” Hayliel’s gaze hardens. “The only angels at fault here are Archangel Auriel and that piece of fucking shit Uriel.”

Mira clears her throat, speaking for the first time since entering the cave. “So, what do we do now?”