Page 36 of Saints & Sinners

“What?”

Silas narrowed his eyes. ‘Since when do you care where Grace is or not?’

I shrugged. “I don’t. Couldn’t care less, in fact.” Now where the fuck was she?

Both my idiotic friends looked less than convinced but I ignored them, feeling suddenly frustrated as I headed toward the door without saying a word.

I wasn’t sure why I felt the sudden need to find Grace, but the urge was there, telling me to do it. Maybe it was because I wanted to know more about why Veronica lashed out at her, or perhaps I just wanted to see how she felt. I shook my head at that last ridiculous thought.

The academy halls were almost empty, except for someyounger kids heading to their next class. I walked and walked, making sure to investigate every empty room, including the canteen.

She wasn’t in any of them.

My last resort was the library on the fifth floor of the main building at Celestia. I pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. My eyes immediately scanned the rows of shelves for any sign of her. The place was practically deserted as I made my way through the book aisles. Right there, beneath the soft glow of a lamp, I saw her petite figure as she held onto a book, her eyes engrossed in whatever was inside of it.

She hadn’t noticed me yet, and for a moment, I hesitated. I watched her flip each page. Her curls were up in a bun, and she was still wearing the Warriors uniform.

I took a deep breath, pushing down the unfamiliar tightness in my chest, and walked over to her. She didn’t look up until I was standing right in front of her, my shadow falling across the pages of the book.

Chapter Nineteen

Eden was right. The library at Celestia was beautiful in its own intricate ways. It was hard to believe no one else was there except me. The high arched ceilings were adorned with Celestial figures, and the walls—each were lined with tall, built-in bookshelves that stretched up to a second level. The combination of the ornate ceilings and the gleaming gold accents against the blue archways and shelves made it all feel like I was in a palace.

I took my phone out, texting Marnie about how she should have taken me here ages ago before my finger hovered over Lucas’s incoming message. Sighing, I opened it.

Lucas: Hey, heard about what happened between you and Ver. U okay?

You: I think u should be asking that to Veronica. How is she?

I bit my lip, waiting for his response but nothing came, so I typed:

You: Can we meet later?

Three dots appeared.

Lucas: Sure, I’m just walking out of the HealersSector. We can meet in the canteen, say, at 4pm?

I replied with a thumbs up before pocketing my phone away and navigating myself through the library.

As I walked through each aisle, names such as angelology and lore stood out, and I felt like I was in my element for once. I ran my fingertips across each book, searching for something I wasn’t so sure of when something flickered from behind me. I turned and frowned.

When I whirled my head back around, I jumped as I saw a small figure appear in front of me.

I pressed a hand to my racing heart and shook my head as the creature hovered a few feet above the ground, his small, childlike form crowned with a faint golden halo that glowed softly in the dim light of the library.

“Hello!” it spoke in a surprisingly deep and melodic voice.

Oh.

A cherub.

He looked exactly as the paintings depicted him, with his petite wings, large and silver eyes, and innocent appearance that seemed both young and ancient at once.

“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding the Garden of Eden?” I asked, half-joking

The cherub tilted his head. “Why, there are far more than just a few cherubs in the angelic realm, Miss Martin.”

I frowned, a bit thrown off. “How do you know my last name?”

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