But it looked more to me like he wouldn’t. Didn’t want to.
As a matter of fact, he hadn’t looked any type of way. Surprised? Worried? He hadn’t shown any fucking emotions at all.
The instinct in my gut tells me something is seriously wrong with this whole scenario. How does Shade plan on bringing a piece of hell to Izzy?
Fuck if I know.
But I’m damn well going directly to Shade to find out.
Twenty-Seven
Syko
Hours later Malek bursts into the room like a wild animal. His eyes glow that feral yellow color and his nails have turned into sharp curved talons that pierce into the leather-bound book he holds in his hands.
“You okay there, Cerberus?” Saint jokes, his own eyes glistening with feline delight.
Malek ignores him and tears through the bedroom, flipping over mattresses and dropping to look under the beds. Growls tear from his chest as he rips covers from mattresses. “Where is she?” he growls, the voice more guttural and wolf than human.
“Okay, seriously, calm down dog boy and use your words instead of barks.” Heaven flicks her hair over her shoulder in a gesture of annoyance. Sasha peeks at Malek from over the vampire’s shoulder. “Enunciate clearly. Who. Are. You. Looking. For?”
“Izara.”
“She’s with Shade,” Phoenix growls, crossing his arms against his burly chest. “Where the fuck else?”
I feel the anger and bitter resentment in those words. I feel a sliver of it myself. Izara has spent most of her free time with the professor. I don’t like sounding like a jealous boyfriend, I’ll leave that to Phoenix, but it’d be a lie to say it doesn’t bother me.
She claims he’s helping her go through things. Things that we obviously can’t help her with. Being told we’re useless fucking hurts, but shit, I didn’t ever press or tell her to back away from the teacher because I’ve seen him around the Academy with other Prodless. I’ve seen him try to help. And Izzy… she fucking trusts him. And it’sherdecision, who she wants to confide in.
Even while I think it’s a strange decision.
It’s still hers to make.
“Well, we need to find her. Fuckingnow.And never let her near him again.” He storms to the door which is suddenly blocked by Phoenix. The demon and the wolf face off. Any amiability we’ve harbored in our mutual hate for the professor and our shared love for Izzy dissipates. Because of Phoenix’s rising anger, and Malek’s wild desperation.
“Slow the fuck down.” Phoenix pushes his big palms against Malek’s chest in a single gesture of dominance. The wolf snarls and Phoenix’s eyes are consumed with hellish black.
“Here we go again,” Heaven sighs.
Sasha claps, like this is all a game.
It’s not. There’s something about this moment, the way Malek looks… it’s off, and it sends the hairs along my arms rising.
“What happened?” Phoenix demands.
“What happened is that Professor Shade isn’t who he says he is.” He slams the book at Phoenix and it flops open to a page. The demon grabs it before it can slip from his grasp and turns it over, eyes scanning the book. “I did a little digging,” Malek continues. “After I heard all that bullshit Shade was brainwashing Izzy with, I decided to take a closer look at the legends of hell and look what I found.” His claw tipped finger slams against the page, nearly ripping it down the middle.
We all crowd around them to get a better look at the moving images and the words on the page.
‘Lucian Morningstar’s one true goal is and always will be the complete destruction and control over earth. An ancient legend exists that hell can be brought to earth with a ritual performed by a hell and angel spawn to open the gates of hell and unleash demons upon earth.’
“Sound familiar?” Malek growls.
“No. Izzy isn’t angel spawn. If she were nephilim, I’d know it.” Angels… connect the same way that demons and angels clash, angels can spot their own with a look.
“Not nephilim blood. Not partly angel,halfangel. Half angel, half demon.” He tears the book from Phoenix’s hand and flips through the pages, stopping on one.
“Her blood didn’t taste like demon…” Saint whispers and I’m suddenly reminded of how he compared Izara and me.
