Page 6 of Wings of Valor (Silver City University #4)

T wo days have gone by without hearing from my parents.

Azrael says the long-distance totems aren’t available, so I’ve taken to quick trips off campus, hoping some place in this goddamn city will bring me close enough to connect with them. So far, I’m out of luck.

According to Zeke, the samples they took were a dead end, too.

Apparently the variety of sand and dirt is common in several regions of the city, so they’re unable to pinpoint a specific location.

The only good thing is that they confirmed the blood they collected belonged to my parents, and they didn’t find any angel blade toxins in the sample. There’s still hope.

To make matters worse, I woke up to a private message on my slate. I stare at it once more, my hands trembling. Other than a cryptic list of numbers, there are no other details in the message. It has to be Auriel, but how did he get my information?

They’re coordinates. And the exact time he expects me there.

I’d be foolish to go. Foolish to think this will solve all our problems. But how can I not when he dangles my parents’ lives over my head?

I toss the device face down on my bed, unwilling to look at it any longer. Fuck. What would my friends do in this situation? I’d ask them myself if I thought they’d let me go.

Right away, I know Theo would look up the coordinates and survey the area, given the high probability this is a trap.

Raphael would advise me to figure out what parts of the landscape I could use to my advantage, and Zeke would encourage me to do the opposite—figure out how my opponent would use the terrain against me.

Mira would probably tell me to suit up with weapons, and I know Dina would already have a list of what to pack in a bag in case things don’t go as planned.

Shit. This would be so much easier if I could just talk to them. I wish they understood. And I know, in a way, they do. They’re only looking to protect me, but how can I think of myself at a time like this?

For the last twenty-four hours, I’ve been playing sick like a coward.

Pretending I’m ill so I can hide away in my dorm room, skipping classes, and avoiding my friends while I figure out what the fuck I’m going to do.

They’ve hated it, and I know they’ve done their best to have someone stationed nearby in case any of Uriel’s henchmen try something, but at least they’re listening.

A knock on my balcony door spikes my heart rate. I’ve been jumpy as hell since the cloaked figure came for me, though I know now that was just Auriel. I wonder if he knew then what I was.

The knock sounds again, mere seconds before my slate vibrates on the bed beside me.

Slowly, like it’s going to bite me, I turn it over, relaxing a little when I see Mira’s name flash across the screen.

Mira : It’s just me. Can I come in?

After tucking the paper containing all my secret notes under my pillow, I open the door.

She surveys the room, then asks, “How are you feeling? Any better?”

Right. I’m supposed to be in pain with cramps or something.

Shit. What had I told them? I feel like an ass.

Physically, I’m fine—and probably always will be since our immune systems don’t allow for things like colds or sickness.

But mentally, well, I’m a hot mess, and it hasn’t been that hard to play it up for my friends.

Still, I can’t drop the ruse that I’m unwell.

“It’s touch and go, though I think the solitude is helping,” I say, trying my best to stick to as much truth as possible.

She leans against the wall, looking like a slightly more stylish, less grumpy, gender-swapped version of Zeke. It must be a my father’s a lieutenant thing. “Well, I won’t take up too much of your time. I just wanted to let you know I understand your decision, and if I can help, I will.”

I stop breathing. She can’t possibly know what I’ve decided. No one does.

Playing dumb, I say, “I’m not following.”

One side of her mouth tilts upward in a half smile. “Please. I can smell your determination all the way from home. You’re going to agree to work with Auriel in exchange for your parents’ lives and freedom. It’s what I would do in your situation.”

My gaze narrows on her. This could be her way of trying to convince me to open up just so she can shut me down, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how very un-Mira like that is. She’s open and sometimes downright blunt. Subterfuge isn’t her thing.

“You would?” I ask tentatively.

“Without a doubt. Have they answered your telepathic calls yet?”

I don’t get the sense that she’s lying to me. She would absolutely trade herself in my shoes. But that still doesn’t explain why she’s here.

Shit. She asked me something, and here I am lost in thought. “No. It scares the fuck out of me, but I think I’d feel it if … if they—”

“Trust me, you’d know.” Our eyes meet, and I see a world of pain behind her green gaze.

“My mom left when I was little. Just took off one day and didn’t come home.

She left me a note, promising to come back for me.

Two weeks later, I was playing in the park when it hit me.

The pain was almost unbearable. It felt like my chest was caving in.

I knew, at that moment, that my mom wouldn’t be coming back for me. Not in this life, anyway.”

My chest tightens, making me feel even closer to this woman who sprang into my life out of nowhere. “I’m so sorry. Does what happened have anything to do with your situation at home now? I don’t want to pry, but I’m here if you ever need a friend.”

I want to ask why her mom left. What it was she’d been running from, or toward, but it doesn’t feel like the right moment. Maybe it never will.

“It was a long time ago, and my circumstances now are a much longer story for when things aren’t so messy.

But it’s why I sympathize with you. It’s why I’m here offering whatever support I can.

” She glances at my slate, which has been vibrating nonstop with message notifications.

“The others have good intentions. Hell, the guys are madly in love with you, and everyone else just wants you to be safe. I’m sure they won’t be happy with me when they learn I knew and didn’t try to stop you, but … ” She shrugs.

My gut urges me to take her words at face value.

At this point, I’ll take all the help I can get.

“I appreciate that. And honestly, I could use a sounding board, if you don’t mind?

I just … I need you to promise not to tell the others.

The last thing I need is to worry about them stumbling in and ruining the plan.

I don’t want anyone getting hurt on my behalf. ”

She mimes locking her lips and throwing away the key.

“It’ll stay between us. But if you’d like, I can deliver a message to them after you’ve gone, when it’s too late for them to stop you.

Pass along your love, or even a plan to extract you, which, honestly, you should have as a backup just in case that shady fucker doesn’t hold to his end of the deal. ”

I pat the bed and smile, reaching for my hidden notes with my free hand. “I’m really fucking glad you’re here. Now this is where I’m at with a plan.”

Turns out I’d been on the right track when I decided to research the coordinates.

Mira confirmed it’s exactly what she’d have done, and then we looked at the area together.

Just past the point where the housing and farming district meet, there’s a desert, and the coordinates Auriel sent are on the cusp of it.

Pictures of the area are minimal, but it looks like he wants to meet somewhere far enough away from the city to not be seen or heard.

There are a few places to be careful of.

Little hidden spots I don’t even think I’d have noticed on my own where Auriel could trap me or have his lackeys waiting to grab me—dense shrubs or large dunes of sand where the desert begins.

The heavy weight that’s been sitting on my shoulders for days eases slightly with Mira’s help. I’m grateful for her guidance and support. It’s not as if she owes me anything, so the fact that she’s here with me tells me everything I need to know about who she is.

It’s enough encouragement for me to share my biggest fear with her. She’s helped me with everything else so far. Maybe she’ll have some good advice for this, too.

“What if … what if he refuses to let my parents go? Given what he’s capable of, I don’t trust that he’ll stick to his word.

Knowing he saw Raphael, Zeke, and Theo with me—and isn’t demanding anything from them—only makes me more concerned.

Will he truly let them and my parents be, after what they know? ”

She rests a hand on top of mine, offering me strength. “The bastard is an Archangel. Maybe he feels safe enough in the powerful good-guy image he has. With the way things are now, he probably doesn’t think anyone would believe some youngsters or two Fallen adults.”

“I fucking hate him and the way things have become,” I say, dropping my head in my hands.

“Me fucking too, babe. We’ll never know for sure what’s going on in Auriel’s mind. All we can do is plan for as many outcomes as possible—and hope none of them happens.”

“Right. No pressure.” It all feels like too much. Too many angels at risk with far too many shitty outcomes.

“Let’s focus on small things,” Mira says, tapping my notes. “We’ll start with your parents. If you’re worried he won’t let them leave, why don’t I wait nearby, far enough away that he won’t sense me, and I’ll help them get home safely?”

“I appreciate that, but I really don’t want to put anyone else at risk, and that includes you. What if he attacks them and you get hurt in the process? I’d never forgive myself.”