I shake my head even as Malek hands the book back to Phoenix. “An angel wouldneverprocreate with a demon.”
“But it isn’t impossible.” Malek gestures at the page with impatience. “It’s probably hard to detect with demon blood coursing through her veins.”
I look over the demon’s shoulder and onto the page Malek indicated. “The devil is a shapeshifter. These are the last images of him anyone was ever able to capture.”
My heart pounds and I feel all the blood drain from my face as I take in the pictures. Pictures of Lucian Morningstar with tall pointed horns and black smoking wings. Wings that look familiar. Beneath that, images of his human face throughout time. Faces of men in similar build and looks, but with one feature that sets them entirely apart from the rest.
Bicolored eyes.
One black. One gold.
“Shade is… he’s…” I can’t seem to form the words, and my thoughts are racing. Izara. He has Izara, and he’s going to use her. And we have to find her, to protect her.
“Shade is the fucking devil.” Saint’s entire body tenses just as mine does.
The book tears in Phoenix’s angry grip, papers flutter to the ground. The sudden stillness that settles over us all is preternatural. We are predators, all of us, even me, and the woman we love is in danger.
“Wouldn’t the Academy have known what he is?” Saint, for once, doesn’t sound sarcastic or teasing. The glint in his eyes is dimmed, an expression of worry pulling at his features. Like he doesn’t quite want to believe it, but deep in our veins, in our bones, in oursouls,we all know it’s true.
“This Academy is shit and so is their library and education system. I had to steal this book from Shade’s apartment.”
“But—Izzy—a hell and angel spawn? Her father is the Messenger of Chaos, and he’s pretty high up in the demon hierarchy, but…”
Phoenix interrupts my confused thoughts with a curse. “Groemmel,” he whispers like a dark curse.
I blink. “What?”
“Izzysaidthat the Messenger kept calling her ‘daughter’ in ancient Ifrit. Groemmel, she said he kept saying.”
Malek frowns. “But ‘groemmel’ means…”
Phoenix shakes his head. “I know. Groemmel doesn’t mean daughter.”
“Then what the fuck does it mean?”
Phoenix and Malek share a look. “Groemmel means ‘sister.’”
“And we all know who the father of the Messenger of Chaos is.”
Lucian Morningstar.
Fuck.
“We have to find her.”
Twenty-Eight
Izara
I confessed too much. I know that. I know I shouldn’t have. I’m still thinking about our argument hours later as I leave my dorm to meet Shade again for our evening session.
It’s just that my men already treat me like I’m broken, a fragile glass doll. The most fucked up part? I feel it. I feel weak. I’ve felt it since coming back. And I hate the look in their eyes.
Like I’m pathetic.
Like I’mweak.
I don’t want tobeweak and reckless.
