Page 61 of Saints & Sinners

“Oh, sorry!” I said, trying to regain my balance.

Eden offered a small smile, her gaze warm and knowing. “Don’t apologise, Grace. I’m the one walking in the opposite direction.”

I hesitated as she laughed, and the crowds dispersed until only Eden and I stood in the middle of the corridors. “Eden...” I sighed, wanting to confide in her but unsure how. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long has it been since you Ascended?”

Eden’s expression softened, oblivious to the fact I wanted to somehow gain information from her. “A few decades now. It’s strange how fast time passes around here.”

“And...” I said slowly. “During all those years, did you ever encounter Riftkeeper’s?”

Her smile faded just a little, and she glanced around, clearly guarded. “A few times, yes. Their influence... is everywhere you go.”

I nodded. “I have as well. Except Joe always kept that hidden from me as much as possible.”

Eden cast a quick glance down the hallway. “So has Joe never mentioned their hideouts to you?”

That piqued my interest. “No, never.”

She sighed. “Might as well be a good thing. They are dangerous people, Grace. They don’t care whether you’re innocent or not; if you get involved with them, there’s never any going back. You could end up in their dark markets, underground—” She paused, knowing she had said too much. Cursing under her breath, she shook her head and plastered on her usual bright smile. “Youshould head to the training grounds. I would hate for Azrael to tell you off for being late.”

She moved to go past me, but I turned and blurted out, “What about the demon you captured recently? Did he give any information?”

She paused. “No,” she said, casting a glance over her shoulder but not necessarily meeting my eyes. “He made sure we wouldn't get anything useful out of him. He’ll likely be sentenced soon.”

Like to the Hollow.

The thought of it made me nauseous.

“I hope you keep this information to yourself, Grace,” Eden said. “It’s not something you should have to worry about.” She walked off at that, and all I could think was how I couldn’t helpbutworry about all of it.

Instead of training, my mind went to what I could do, and rather than take the stairs down to the fields, I went up to the library in search of the cherub.

Chapter Thirty-One

Brandon and Silas were going at it in the sparring pit, each testing the other’s patience with every swing and jab. I stood by, arms crossed, watching them with half an eye while my attention drifted to the far side of the grounds, where Grace sat on the ground, tying her combat laces up. She was trying to look confident, but I could still see how nervous she was.

“Looks like you’re getting close to her,” Brandon called out between breaths, dodging Silas’s punch.

I kept my expression flat, not giving them anything. If I so much as agreed, that would just give them an opening to annoy me. Fuck that. “She’s learning to defend herself, that’s all.”

Silas let out a low chuckle, shifting his stance as he prepared for Brandon’s next move. “Sure, because teaching someone how to fight is your style, right? We thought you’d still want her gone by now.”

I shrugged, keeping my gaze trained on Grace. They didn’t know Grace had offered to help me find Aaron yet or that, in some fucked-up way, I wanted to be near her.

“Martin.” Azrael made his way over to her as she jumped to her feet. “Pair off with Fulcher.”

My jaw clenched. Norah Fulcher was part of Matias’s clique, agrade-A ass with a tendency to use underhanded moves to get her way. Grace had fought her a few times before, but it was different this time. Itfeltdifferent.

Brandon shot me a look, noticing the tension in my stance. “What are you gonna do?”

Ignoring him, I approached Azrael, who raised an eyebrow as I pulled him aside.

“What is it, Cain?” he asked, clearly unimpressed.

“There’s no point in having Grace fight Norah,” I said, forcing away the hint of irritation in my voice. “We all know how that’ll end. Just pit Norah against someone on her level.”

“Everyone trains here, Cain, including your new friend. You said so yourself the day you decided to challenge her.”

A muscle in my jaw ticked, but Azrael’s expression didn’t waver. He turned back to Grace and Norah, dismissing me with a curt nod. I clenched my fists as I stalked back to the edge of the training pit. Grace stood across from Norah, who was grinning in that smug way she always did, clearly relishing the idea of having Grace as her opponent.

---