Page 28 of Saints & Sinners

Azrael’s voice sliced through the tension, and Hunter immediately pulled away and rose to his feet with barely controlled fury.

I sat up, my hands trembling, not from fear but from the overwhelming anger and humiliation I’d been subjected to.

Azrael placed a calming hand on Hunter’s shoulder, whispering something I couldn’t hear, but Hunter’s eyes never left mine. His gaze burnt into me even as Lucas hurried over to help me up. We were locked in that stare, Hunter’s anger still simmering beneath the surface and mine boiling over. Lucas was saying something and brushing dirt off me, but I couldn’t hear anything. The pounding in my head drowned out everything else.

“Grace?” Lucas shook me gently, and his voice finally broke through to me. “Are you okay? Do we need to go see Marnie?”

“I—” I stammered, my eyes flickering toward Hunter, who stormed past us without another glance. Silas and Brandon stood nearby, looking equally tense. “No.” I shook my head. “I’m—okay.”

“Grace,” Nadael said from where she stood with the other Celestials, her gaze sharpening with concern. “My office.Now.”

I swallowed hard at the firmness in her voice and followed her as she turned, strolling towards the academy.

Chapter Fourteen

I sat stiffly in the chair across from Nadael. My wrists still ached from where Hunter had grabbed me, and my head only kept spinning, the longer I sat here.

Nadael leaned forward, her fingers clasped together as she gave me a measured look. I was starting to despise this office. “Grace.” She sighed. “Do you understand what happened today?”

Not really, no.But that wasn’t the answer she was looking for. “Yes.”

She studied me for a moment longer. “I want you to know something... the people there today, watching the training—they weren’t just Celestials from the academy. Some of them were members of the Angelic Council.”

My eyes widened on their own accord. Just when I thought I couldn’t embarrass myself any further, I realized I had done it in front of the most important figures.

“And it’s a good thing,” Nadael added with a sigh, “that Joe wasn’t there to witness what happened.”

Shame washed over me as I lowered my eyes to the desk. The thought of Joe seeing me made my chest tighten. He would havebeen furious, maybe even disappointed.

“What I said... I didn’t...”

“You need to remember your place here,” Nadael told me. “You are already under intense scrutiny as a human staying at Celestia. I’m trying my best here to help Joe by keeping you away from the outside world, but incidents like today only reinforce the Council’s doubts about you.”

I nodded, my throat tight with the need to plead my case, but I had none.

“And another thing,” she continued, her voice much gentler now. “It is in your best interest that you apologize to Mr Cain.”

My head snapped up. “What?”

“You provoked him.” She raised a brow. “And whether or not his reaction was justified, you share a dorm together. So, I suggest you find him and make amends.”

I wanted to argue, to tell her that Hunter had pushed me first and that this whole thing was his fault. He wanted me gone, and granted, mentioning his brother had crossed a line, but he was just as much in the wrong.

With a resigned nod, I stood up. “If that is what you wish, then I will. Sorry for the display I caused.”

Nadael seemed content with that answer, which was far from what I felt when I left her office and returned to the dorm.

When I walked through the doorway, I found Silas lounging on the sofa, his feet kicked up on the coffee table. Brandon wasn’t back from training, but I assumed Silas had made an excuse to come up here earlier.

I approached him cautiously and asked, “Where’s Hunter?”

Silas glanced up at me, then shrugged lazily. “No idea.”

That clearly meant he did have an idea of his whereabouts.

“You always know where he is.”

He smirked. “Not today, Gracie. And even if I did, I wouldn’ttell you.”

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