I nodded. “Of course, Mom. I will.”
She smiled again, weaker that time. “Love you, bee.” The childhood nickname caught me off guard. She hadn’t called me bee or bumblebee since I was ten.
“Love you too, Mom.” I pulled her in for another hug, but then all too soon she was drawing away.
“Bernie and Maximus miss you,” she added, and then she left. Just like that. She just left me with my little brother to take care of, and an ache in my heart for her, for Bernie, for all of them. It was the first time that I really realized how bad Demon City was, how bad being a slave bound was.
I smoothed my hair and left the healing unit in search of the only person I knew could, and would help Mikey.
I knocked on the large double doors lightly, praying he would be in his office.
“Come in!” Raphael’s cheery voice called out.
Thank God.
Relief mixed with nerves flooded through me as I stepped into his office. He sat at his desk, looking over what looked to be maps and papers. He seemed surprised to see me.
“Brielle? Is everything all right?” he asked, standing up from the desk, and walking around to meet me. His huge white wings were always striking, and I found myself staring, transfixed, at them.
“Is someone hurt?” His concern deepened.
Damn, I forgot about the mind reading.
“Yeah, my brother. Who is a free soul!” I added quickly. “He was beat up by some Tainted Academy kids, and now… he can’t go back to Demon City.”
I let that linger for a minute. Raphael’s brows drew together with concern.
“But it’s only five weeks until the Awakening, and since he’s a free soul, he’ll be coming to Fallen Academy anyway.” Unless he’s a Gristle. Oh God please don’t make him a Gristle.
“So….” I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t ask.
Raphael chuckled. “You want him to stay here in the meantime?”
Relief poured through me once again. “Yes. Please. If that’s okay?”
The archangel rubbed his chin and then consulted some of the papers on his desk. “We are still transitioning students who failed the gauntlet out of school. We’ve allowed them to stay for the summer in the dorm housing, but we are working to get them jobs and more permanent housing, so I don’t have anything open at the moment.”
My heart sank. I guess I could stay at Lincoln’s and he could have my bed, but I doubted they would allow a guy in the girls’ dormitory.
“Except.” Raphael held up a hand. “Is he okay with doing yard work? Mowing the field, trimming hedges? My groundskeeper just graduated last year, and his cottage and job are open. Your brother could have the job for the summer, give me time to find a replacement.”
A fifty-pound weight lifted off my shoulders.
“Yes! Thank you, sir! He’ll do anything you need. He’s a super hard worker.”
Not exactly the truth, but he could learn to become one. Maybe.
Raphael beamed. “Wonderful.” Walking over to a cabinet, he produced a set of keys. “Here are the keys to the cottage. It’s the one behind the gym.”
So that’s what it is. I’d seen it before and wondered what it was. It looked like a tiny stone house that had been left behind when they were building this enormous school.
“Thank you so much, sir.”
My walk back to the healing clinic was a little bit lighter. I’d figured out a temporary situation for Mikey. Now, I just needed him to not be a Gristle.
When I got back to his room, he was knocked out, fast asleep. Noah was doing his crazy orange glowing hand, healing magic thing.
“He okay?” I asked as I heaved his two duffel bags over my shoulders.
Noah nodded. “Gave him a sedative. Mending bones is painful.”
Yikes.
“Thanks a lot. I’ll be right back, gonna set up his new living space,” I told the healer.
I wasn’t sure which was harder, Lincoln’s drill team exercises or schlepping two huge, heavy duffel bags across campus to the little stone cottage.
By the time I got there, my arms were so fatigued they were shaking. I let myself in quickly, and then dumped the bags on the floor. One of the zippers split the second it landed, and I winced as all my brother’s shit came tumbling out.
What a mess.
Leaning down to pick it up, my eyes fell on a bright orange flyer that had rolled out of his bag. The bold font stating $1,000,000 caught my eye first, then the words ‘Fight Night.’
What the…?
I picked it up and scanned over the flyer.
FIGHT NIGHT
Winner gets $1,000,000
(no strings attached)
Teams of two fighters will face off.
Whoever is left standing wins.
Televised. Ages 18-21 only.
$100 entry fee per team.
Winners get invited to join the Tainted Army.
The last line made the room sway. Tainted Army? What the hell was that? I mean, it sounded a lot like Fallen Army, but… were the demons now using kids to fight for them beyond the wall? It was sickening.
My head was reeling, so I sat down a second. As I leaned on the bed, I flipped the flyer over and my brother’s messy handwriting made my heart jackknife in my chest.
Win the money. Buy mom’s demon contract. Free soul.
I sat up straighter. Could my brother have been onto something? Would Mr. Grim take a million bucks to release my mom from her contract? She had just said he was all about the money…
I stood then, a fierce desire in my heart. I was going to win Fight Night and free my mom. But it was going to take some help.
Glancing at the paper, I noted the fight was scheduled for February, months away from today. I had time to plan.
Hang on, Mama. I’m coming for ya.
Chapter Two
“Absolutely not!” Lincoln roared. The sound was made louder by the fact that we were in his tiny trailer. It was late, and I just wanted this shit storm of a day to be over, but I couldn’t lie to him. Besides, I would need his help.
“Babe.” I had never used the pet name before, but maybe it would help soften the blow now. “I’m doing it regardless. I’m just asking you to help train me for the fight.”
He looked furious. The veins in his neck were bulging, and his left eyelid was twitching. “You don’t even know if he’ll take the money!”
“He will,” Shea, who had been quiet while we fought, spoke up at that point. “He’s money motivated. I worked for him for nearly six years. If the Necro clinic isn’t making much, then he’ll see it as a fair payout for losing an employee. He’ll hire a new Necro, and be happy with the deal.”
Lincoln shot her a death glare. “Noah and I will fight,” he finally answered.
I winced and pointed to the flyer. “It says eighteen to twenty-one. You guys are twenty-three.” It was sweet of him to offer to fight for my mom though, which I would never forget.
His fingertips pressed against his temples, rubbing them. “Well, you’re not doing it. We’ll crowd fund or something.”
I barked out a laugh. “Crowd fund a million bucks? People don’t even like me! They think I’m evil. No one is going to pay to get my slave bound mom out of Demon City, Lincoln.”
He sighed. “Well, it’s a bad idea. You could die.”
I chewed my lip and stepped closer to him, reaching out to touch his arm. “It’s my mom, Lincoln. My flesh and blood. The woman who gave me life.” I saw the moment he admitted defeat.
“You’re going to be the death of me.”
I grinned. “So you’ll train me?”
Growling, he nodded. “Who’s your fighting partner?”
Shea stood, popping her knuckles. “Ghetto Tainted Academy bitches got nothing on me,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Lincoln sighed, looking at the ceiling as if it held some answers. “We’ll see about that. Meet me in the small gym every day after boot camp. Every. Day. Including weekends. And when school starts, I want you in there every day after school.”
Shea groaned, and his eyes flicked to hers with a glare. “Just kidding. Yay.” She fake-cheered.