Fallen Academy: Year Two (Fallen Academy #2)(8)

The boyfriend handed us four shiny barcode tickets. “Each fighter gets to bring someone to claim the body,” he stated as I tucked the tickets into my pocket.

“See you on Fight Night,” the girl called with fists clenched.

Shea smirked. “I hope you’re competing.”

Pink Hair nodded, rolling out her wrists. “Luckily my hands have healed from her brother’s face.” She looked at me and smirked.

I‘m going to jail for murder.

My wings snapped out, and with one gust I was airborne, and flying at her. Her face was about to get ripped off.

A sharp pain shot through my right wing, and I yelped as I was flung backward.

Lincoln.

Motherfu—

“She wants this! You’re playing into her hand. Save it,” he whispered.

The searing pain in my wing was throbbing as he kept an iron grip on it. I’d been thrown against his body, and he now had one hand wrapped around my waist as well.

The girl was grinning at me, blackish green magic erupting from her palms once more. She was ready to throw down.

“Let’s go,” Shea snapped.

With another deep cleansing breath, I forced myself to walk away. I would save her ass-whooping for the ring. My eyes remained on hers while I allowed Lincoln to pull me away.

Payback was going to be a bitch.

We were escorted to the car quickly, where Noah sat anxiously behind the wheel. Once we were all inside—Shea and I in the back, with Lincoln up front—Noah started to drive home.

“How’d it go?” he asked. He looked like shit—sweaty, ashen, and he hadn’t winked once the whole time we’d been in Demon City.

“Fine. They’ve enrolled,” Lincoln told him.

“Um, not fine,” I countered, leaning forward. “I can’t believe you spent two grand on that. It’ll take me two years to pay that back.” Or more if I was going to be helping out my mom.

He chuckled, looking down at me. “You’re welcome.”

I groaned. “Well thank you, obviously, but I hope that didn’t break the bank.” I didn’t know his financial situation, but living out of a trailer while the rest of the boys stayed in nice Fallen Army apartments didn’t bode well.

Noah laughed. “Lincoln’s rich. It’s fine.”

Lincoln cut him a glare.

“Oh,” I murmured. “I assumed with the trailer…”

Noah busted out laughing. “I told you that trailer was ghetto.”

Lincoln reached over and socked him in the arm. “I like my trailer.” Then he turned to face me. “I’m not loaded, but my parents left some money behind with the life insurance so… yeah. I don’t mind spending it on you girls.”

Oh my God. He spent his parents’ death money on me. Love exploded in my chest, and I vowed right then and there to one day have Lincoln Grey’s babies.

Shea squeaked out an “aw,” and I smiled.

“Who knew this entire time you were just a pretend asshole?” I stated.

A frown pulled at his lips. “Pretend asshole? Is that a thing?”

Leaning forward, I ran my fingers through his hair, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “It is.”

“I think he’s a real asshole who only has nice moments,” Noah piped up.

Another sock in the arm.

“Oww.”

Shea chuckled. “An asshole and a manwhore go on an adventure in Demon City. Sounds like the beginning of a messed-up children’s book,” she lamented.

Laughter erupted out of me as we reached the gates to Angel City.

Noah stopped the car when we reached traffic and looked over at Lincoln. “Can I be a manwhore if I haven’t touched another woman besides Shea in almost a year?”

Lincoln grinned. “Nope. You can’t.”

They both looked back at Shea, who was glaring, but she just thrust her palm out in a ‘talk to the hand’ move. “Whatever.”

The hard-to-get act was going to crash and burn soon. She needed to claim that shit, or Noah was going to walk.

But we had an Awakening ceremony to attend for my brother, so no sense in trying to fix her life now. That was going to have to wait.





Chapter Four





“What if I have black wings like you?” my brother asked as we walked up to the Awakening ceremony.

My jaw went slack. I’d never thought of that. In all the scenarios I’d played through my head the past few hours, that had never occurred to me.

“Then we’ll deal with it,” I told him.

Please God, don’t let him be like me. I couldn’t handle Lucifer being after my brother too.

Lincoln and Shea were walking with us, and Lincoln put a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “You’re a free soul, so no matter what, you’ll be at Fallen Academy with your sister. Nothing to worry about, bro.”

Bro. Oh my God. My ovaries did somersaults at Lincoln’s nice gesture toward my little brother.

Mikey grinned at him and nodded.

Shea tipped her chin down and chuckled a little. “Unless you’re a Gristle. Then you’re screwed and the academy won’t want you.”

I reached back and swatted her head.

“Kidding. You’re going to be fine,” she added, rubbing the spot I’d hit.