“You sure, angel?” I ask gently, failing to mask the concern in my voice and not particularly giving a damn about who hears it. Her fall was freaky, andnotin a good way. Didn’t like it one bit.
“Certainly.” She wiggles her way out of my grasp to stand upright, and I oblige. She pats her dress down, then lifts her chin to the Archangels. I’m not enjoying the anxious look she’s sporting at the moment. She’s been so well composed up until this trial. This has rocked her.
And it’s my fault.
Scanning the room, I notice everyone else’s stares for the first time since Mr. Drama’s outcry.
Look, I know it may not make much sense, but I broke a huge law of the afterlife. Sure, my reveal didn’t harm Iris, but the fact that I did it at all and hid it from them doesn’t make me look so great. I’d assume this probably hasn’t happened in a very, very long time.
I get why everyone is frazzled, that’s all.
“I heard them discussing it today. Instead of greeting him and introducing herself to him in the foyer, she pulled him into her office. I found that strange—especially because Cleo doesn’t let many people into her office.
"So, I followed them just in case something was wrong. I waited outside her office and overheard him say,‘I crossed the veil and revealed myself to my sister. I also kept Jasper’s ability to see me a secret.’That was all I needed to hear. I bolted away and processed what I heard. As you all may know, Cleo and I were once close, so sharing this isn’t easy. After thinking about it, I decided it must be done.”
I sneak a peek at her, noticing she’s scowling deeply at Stephen. In turn, he’s smirking at her coolly.
Luke pins us with his golden gaze and asks skeptically, “Kai. Cleo. Do you have anything you’d like to share? Do Stephen’s accusations hold merit, or would you speak against them?”
Cleo’s gaze remains stoic.
“We can do this the easy way or the difficult way. The easy way comprises of you both telling us the truth. If that doesn’t work, we can enter your minds to watch the interaction infull.”
My mouth opens to speak before I can think better of it.
“You caught me.” I smile sheepishly before clearing my throat and schooling my expression. “I crossed the veil to reveal myself to my sister.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” Annalise whispers.
“At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. Cleo had nothing to do with this, though. I’m the one who broke the law.”
“By not intervening or reporting your indiscretion, she’s guilty by association,” Jessenia says softly.
“Please, be seated. We need to process this and determine a suitable verdict,” Nial interrupts, staring at us. “For both of you.”
And that’s where I draw the line. Away with the calm, collected Kai—he’s left the realm. “Punishing her won’t be necessary.”
“Says who?” Stephen sneers.
“While your intentions are noble, it would be best for you to refrain from speaking until the sentence has been determined,” Jessenia says plainly. “Stephen, I’d advise you to sit down on the bench and do the same.”
She’s definitely the group’s nice angel—I think the others are too disgruntled to speak at the moment.
“But seriously, just punish me twice as hard to make up for her violation. I can take it,” I urge them harder. Jessenia winces, a look of pity crossing her petite features.
I sneak a timid glance at Cleo, fixating on her unreadable eyes as she sinks into the bench—her mental shields are too good. It’s damn impressive. She parts her lips, as if to say something, then closes her mouth, pressing her lips together tightly.
“We do not take commands from Guardians, Kai Greene,” Luke states boldly. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to allow us time to deliberate.”
Guess who can crossgiving a group of almighty Archangels a direct commandoff their bucket list?
Me. It’s me.
My jaw ticks, and I reluctantly bite my tongue, walking to the bench and taking a seat next to Cleo. The more I speak, the more I could negatively affect our outcome—a bad habit of mine.
The Archangels are all conversing privately within their heads, careful not to convey any emotions outwardly. I watch each of them, hoping to catch a fragment of emotion to no avail. My knee brushes against hers, and she quickly scoots closer to Matt, who hasn’t looked me in the eye once since the news broke. He and I are close—well, we were close. Given his crossed arms and emotionless expression, he doesn’t seem to be a big fan of me at the moment, and I can’t blame him. As my mentor, this doesn’t make him look so hot, either.
It’s wild. While guarding Iris, I had zero intention of ever revealing myself to her. I knew the rules, and for once, Iwantedto follow them. I wanted to ascend more than anything—the Golden Realm sounds like a dream come true. Then, Jasper showed up, looking at me in the eyes and shit, and everything went to hell. I had to cross the veil and reveal myself to Iris. The second she hummed the wordplease, I had no other choice.
