Fallen Academy: Year Two (Fallen Academy #2)(61)

‘Good girl,’ Sera agreed.

There was a bright light at the tent opening, and then Raphael was ducking his head in, to peek inside. His chest was adorned in full gold-plated armor and his hair was slicked back into a ponytail. I’d never seen him battle ready, but he looked menacing.

“Hello, Brielle. Let’s get you home.”

Nodding once more, I stood with Lincoln’s help, and then walked out of the tent to greet the four Archangels.

The first thing I saw was Michael’s face and hair streaked with black oil and soot. When he saw me approach, he bowed slightly. “Brave Brielle. I’m very proud of what you did.”

My eyes widened, and I just barely resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and see if he was talking to someone else. I’d made a half-good, half-evil orb, then wussed out and flew away. What could he possibly be proud of?

Michael seemed to read my thoughts. “Lucifer invokes fear in people, but you didn’t cow. You fought, and then, when you knew it would be useless to fight any longer, you retreated.”

All of the archangels nodded in agreement.

“Carrying Lincoln that high, and that far. It takes tremendous strength,” Raphael added.

Mommy juice.

“I guess so.” I was too tired to argue.

I looked around, wondering if I’d see a car waiting to take me home. We were in a parking lot of what was once a grocery store, and now seemed to be a temporary military setup. The only cars were a few military issued SUVs, but they were far off the lot.

“I’m not sure I can walk that far. I’m so exhausted,” I told the crowd of powerful archangels with a bit of shame.

Michael stepped forward, wings fully extended. “We’ll be flying back to the academy. All of the roads are on lockdown after Lucifer let a bunch of demons into Angel City. The army is still trying to gather them up. Flying is safer.”

I wasn’t sure I could fly back to the academy either.

As if he’d heard that thought, Lincoln stepped forward. “She’s too weak to fly. Michael, can you carry her?” Lincoln asked the tall, blond, and extremely gorgeous archangel.

“Of course.” Michael stepped closer to me.

I swallowed nervously. Being the damsel in distress wasn’t my thing, but I was about to fall over.

Lincoln rushed forward, pressing a tender but chaste kiss to my lips. “I’ll check in on you later,” he promised.

Michael nodded to Lincoln. “Hold down the fort until I’m back.”

Lincoln raised a hand and saluted him. “Of course, sir.”

Then Michael was there, gathering me in his arms, and with one kick of his boot, we were airborne. Next thing I knew, Raphael, Gabriel, and the elusive Uriel were flying with us in a protective formation.

I loved Lincoln, I did, and I knew Michael was married, but damn if the situation wasn’t a little swoon-worthy. Being ferried across the sky in a strong archangel’s arms? I could definitely cross it off my bucket list.

After a short flight, we were landing in the quad where a few students were still milling around, Shea one of them. Lincoln must have called her. Her eyes were rimmed red, evidence that she must have been worried and crying.

As Michael set me down, I looked at each one of the archangels and thanked them. Michael had been the only one to hear Lucifer’s words about me being an archdemon, and our gazes lingered a little longer than the others as something unspoken passed between us. That look told me he wouldn’t tell anyone what the Prince of Darkness had said.

As they flew away—all but Raph, who walked back to his office—Shea thrust herself at me in a bone-crunching hug.

“What the hell, Bri! One second Lincoln tells me he’s proposing to you tonight, and the next he calls and says the freaking Devil crashed your engagement.”

Tears lined my eyes as I looked at my best friend’s worried gaze. Holding up my hand to show her the ring, I smiled. “I said yes.”

We both let out a pathetic laugh, and then she was pulling me toward the open Bright Hall doors. “Dude, your mom is worried sick,” Shea informed me as we walked through the halls.

Lots and lots of staring at me confirmed that the rumor mill was in full effect. Tiffany’s stare was the only one that got to me though. If she calls me Archie, I’ll kill her dead right here and now. I lifted my left hand in her direction to show off the ring, and the look she gave me confirmed that she was definitely capable of murder as well.

“Did you guys know Lincoln was going to propose?” I asked my bestie.

She scoffed. “Of course! He sat your mom, Mikey, and me down and asked us all.”

My heart nearly melted at her words. He was the best.

When Shea threw open the door to our shared room, I was assaulted with white balloons and toilet paper streamers. Purple magical writing hung in the air above my bed: ‘Congrats!’

But the sullen faces of Luke, Chloe, my mom, and Mikey were a different story.

“Hey….” I wasn’t sure what else to say.

My mom rushed forward to pull me into a hug. “What happened? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

I really, really didn’t want to talk about it right then. “I’m fine,” I told her, and she backed away two steps, seemingly taking the hint.

I held up my hand awkwardly and smiled. “So… Lincoln proposed. Or kind of. Promised? If that’s a thing. We’re getting married in like three to five years,” I told the group.