Ascend (Celestial Academy Book 1) Read online

  On impulse, I quickly walked down the path between the buildings and peeked around the corner. My eyes widened as Asher threw a man in dark clothing into another and they fell onto the ground. He walked with clenched fists and hunched shoulders to the nearest one, grabbed his head and snapped his neck. The sound caused me to gasp and cover my mouth with my hand.

  He grabbed the next man who was scrambling back like a crab and did the same thing. He piled the two limp bodies on top of a third near the wheel of the gray, windowless van blocking the alley.

  I felt as if my heart was going to jump out of my chest cavity and explode. I stepped out of the darkened walkway as Asher pulled open the back doors of the van.

  "I told you to stay across the street." He didn't look in my direction as he reached into the van and dragged two angels out; one had their wings extended and arms and legs zip tied, but the other didn't.

  I took another step forward and gasped as they stepped into the light from a lamp post. I rushed forward and knelt by Oliver's side. He looked at me with wide eyes and tried to talk through his gag. I pulled it out.

  "They came out of nowhere!" His voice was frantic and he smacked the ground with his wings, trying to sit up with his bound legs and arms.

  I looked over at Asher who was staring down at Levi with a glowing silver weapon gripped in his hand. He looked confused and then turned towards Oliver and me.

  "I take it you know these idiots?" Asher swiped the knife through Oliver's ties. "I'd never expect an archangel along with another angel to get taken by three Fallen. You should have felt them coming."

  "We... we thought it was you two. They knocked us out before we even knew what hit us," Levi said, standing and reaching over to help Oliver up. I watched with rapt attention as Oliver shook out his shining wings and they folded back and disappeared.

  Asher tucked his knife into the waist band of his pants near his hip, the faint sound of it sliding inside a sheath bringing my attention completely back to him.

  "You're fucking idiots. What do they teach you at that school of yours? Fallen angels feel different." He shook his head and then turned towards me, putting his hand on his hips. "And I told you to stay back. Isn't one kidnapping attempt enough? What if they-"

  "Who are you? You feel like those three... hey, where did they go?" Oliver moved his head around, looking for the heap of bodies that had suddenly vanished. He swatted Levi's chest with the back of his hand. "See. I told you following her was a bad idea."

  Faster than my eyes could track, Asher had Oliver pinned against the side of the van, his feet dangling a foot off the ground. His jaw was set tight. "You were following her?" His words came out clipped and menacing.

  Heat bloomed between my legs. Clearing my throat, I stepped forward and placed my hand on Asher's tense biceps.

  "Let him go, Ash. It's okay." I didn't want Asher to kill them. I was curious as to why they had been following me though.

  I turned to Levi and raised my eyebrows. Behind me I heard Oliver grunt as he dropped to the ground.

  Levi sighed and ran a hand over his forehead. "He- we were worried. You missed class two days in a row."

  My stomach clenched and I folded my arms over my chest. "You were worried. After all the bullshit over the past week, are you really surprised?"

  "These are two of the fuckers that have been assholes? Say the word and I'll kick their asses." Asher took a step towards Levi who promptly backed up with his hands in front of him, palms out.

  "We're sorry, we..." Oliver looked over to Levi and then at me. "We were stupid."

  "That's an understatement." Asher grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine.

  Oliver's eyes looked down at our interlocking fingers and then up at me. His eyebrows arched and his frown deepened.

  "You said that she was almost kidnapped?" Levi moved next to Oliver, keeping a wide distance between himself and Asher.

  "Yes. There were three of them, same type of van. Why couldn't you guys get away?" I asked.

  "Besides the demon blood on the zip ties, they spray something in your face. I think it makes you weaker. That's why I need my seraph blade to cut the ties," Asher explained while pulling his phone out of his back pocket. "I'm calling Tobias to come get you two. The demon blood that got on your skin will take a few hours to wear off. You won't be able to fly."

  "Armstrong? Please don't!" Oliver took a step forward before Levi put an arm out across his chest, stopping him.

  "Don't, Ash. I'll take them back." It was out of my mouth before I even knew what I was doing.

  Asher turned to look at me and I crossed my arms under my breasts. He clenched his jaw. He put his phone back in his back pocket and muttered something unintelligible under his breath before turning and walking down the gap between the buildings we had come down.

  We walked in uncomfortable silence back to his house, the two angels following us. When we reached my car, he looked past me across the street, his jaw set tight, moving slightly.

  "I'll see you later." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against my cheek, the skin burning under the softness of his lips. He turned and headed towards the stairs leading up to his place.

  I watched as he went and blinked several times, quelling the tears that had formed. He was disappointed our night hadn't ended well. I can't say I blamed him. I had wanted to go up those stairs with him.

  We piled into my car, Levi in the back and Oliver in the front, and rode back to the school in silence.

  We somehow all ended up in Levi's room, which looked exactly like mine. So much for telling myself living in the staff building was a good thing. The only good thing about it was Tobias was right down the hall.

  We sat in a circle on Levi's bed with a bottle of vodka. How Levi had gotten a bottle of vodka was something I would file away to explore later.

  "Let's play Never Have I Ever," I said after Levi had suggested playing Try Not to Laugh.

  I'd have a hard time with that one and end up drunk before I even knew what happened.

  "How do you play that?" Oliver was examining the text on the label of the vodka before he handed it back to Levi.

  "You say something you've never done that you think the other players have done. If they've done it, they take a drink."

  "Is it safe to drink a lot of that?" Oliver had a crease between his eyebrows and was frowning at the blue bottle.

  I shrugged and looked to Levi who regarded Oliver with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

  "Olly here has never drank before. We always try to get him to but he won't." He handed the bottle back to Oliver. "You start."

  "Okay, let's see. Never have I ever had alcohol?" He looked back and forth between us, seeking confirmation he was playing right.

  "Good job, angel. You catch on quick." I snatched the bottle out of his hands and twisted the top. After taking a quick swig, I passed it to Levi, who I was certain had had alcohol before. Why else would he have three different bottles hidden under his bed?

  "I'll go next," he said, wincing after taking a drink, "Never have I ever smoked weed."

  I snorted and reached for the bottle but he tipped it back and took a drink before handing it to me. I narrowed my eyes slightly at him before grabbing the bottle and doing the same, my eyes staying locked on his hazel green ones.

  "Never have I ever... been to heaven." Levi snatched the bottle back from me and drank before handing it to Oliver.

  Oliver looked down the opening of the bottle and then took the smallest sip I had ever seen. I laughed at his puckered expression before he coughed and then took another small sip.

  "God, it burns! How can you stand it?"

  "You'll see once you get enough of it in you." Levi wiggled his eyebrows and touched my knee. "Right, Dee?"

  "Right." I wasn't sure I liked him calling me Dee, it felt wrong. I tilted my head slightly to the side and looked at Levi. Really looked at him. He was kind of cute with his messy curly hair on top of his head and high
cheekbones, but maybe the alcohol was already speaking to me.

  "Never have I ever..." Oliver bit his lip and looked between us, seeming unsure of himself. "Had sex."

  I threw my head back and laughed, not at him, but at myself, because boy, had I had sex. Would have probably done it with Asher had they not ruined our evening. I snatched the bottle and took a mouthful and looked at Levi. He took the bottle and drank.

  "Really?" Oliver looked equally as surprised as I was.

  "I was sixteen when I died. I had a girlfriend. Plus, Delilah and I hooked up once. Never have I ever lusted after more than one person at a time." He took another drink and then preemptively handed the bottle to me.

  "You're playing wrong, Levi. You’re supposed to say something you haven't done or felt." I took a drink and then Oliver reached over and grabbed it.

  As he took a surprisingly long drink, his eyes danced between me and Levi. Oh, fuck. When I had taken a drink, I had thought of him, Asher, and Tobias. He was thinking of me and Levi.

  He cleared his throat. "Never have I ever wanted to kiss someone in this room." He took another long drink and held it out to Levi with a shaking hand.

  I would have never expected this game to take this turn with the angels who had been assholes to me, but here we were, already onto sex. Levi drank.

  "Never-" he started, but I grabbed the bottle and took one shot while I looked at Oliver.

  Yeah, I did want to kiss Oliver again, but I also wanted to smack him. He was a Grade A asshole, but damn if I didn't want him. What the hell was wrong with me?

  "Never have I ever regretted being such an asshole more than right now." I smirked and handed the bottle to Oliver.

  They both drank and Levi leaned over and put the bottle on his nightstand. "I think if we play anymore right now, Olly might puke."

  I looked at Oliver with his glossy eyes and smiled. He was literally beaming. His faint glow was brighter than usual. He looked at my lips and I ran my tongue along them, causing him to suck in a breath of air.

  I leaned forward and our lips connected, both of us letting out moans as the connection we had felt in the library took over our bodies. Maybe it was because he was an angel, but if all angels got this response from my body, I was in big trouble.

  My hands moved to his shoulders and I pushed him back, lying on top of the hard contours of his body. His arms went to my hips, gripping lightly at first before the deepening of our kiss moved them to my ass.

  He rolled us so he was on top and moved his lips to my neck where he delivered kisses so light across my throat that it felt like he was running feathers across my skin. I moaned and opened my eyes to see what had happened to Levi. He had laid next to us, his head propped up on his hand. His eyes locked on Oliver. My attention went back to Oliver as he recaptured my lips and parted them with his tongue. His tongue collided with mine and I moved my hips up, connecting with his erection. He moaned against my lips.

  "Take her shirt off." Levi's voice broke our kiss and we both looked at him.

  I had just enough alcohol in me to throw caution to the wind. I was game if they were. Oliver was still staring at Levi as I reached down and tugged my shirt up as far as I could before he moved so I could remove it. Oliver looked down at my lace-covered breasts and let out a breath of air.

  "Kiss them." Levi ran his free hand through his hair before lowering it to his pants and rubbing his evident erection through the fabric of his jeans. "Don't just stare at them."

  Oliver took his finger and traced it over the top of my breasts before lowering his lips to kiss where he had just touched. I tilted my head back and then turned my head towards Levi and bit my lip. I wasn't attracted to Levi in the same way I was to Oliver, but part of me was curious what would happen.

  He scooted forward and ran a finger along my bottom lip and then kissed me with such heat that I clenched my legs together, trying to lessen the overwhelming need that consumed me.

  How would I even handle two guys at a time? One was hard enough as it was.

  Levi moved his hands behind me, Oliver preoccupied with the swell of my breasts over the fabric of my bra. The restrictiveness of the bra went away as Olly kissed down my arm as he moved the strap down. I threw the bra to the side and watched as both guys looked at me with hunger in their eyes.

  Oliver moved first, taking my left nipple in his mouth and sucking lightly. I arched my back and tangled one of my hands in his hair. Levi kissed my neck and trailed his tongue down to the same breast. He hesitated for a brief moment before he moved his lips near Oliver's.

  Their lips met on my nipple and they both sighed against my skin. My hands threaded in Levi's soft curls as his lips and Oliver's began kissing around my nipple. It was hard not to watch and even harder to ignore how turned on I was by it. One of Levi's hands snaked around Oliver's neck and pulled him up towards him, their lips colliding in a needy kiss above me that had me feeling a little jealous.

  Oliver broke the kiss and stared panting at Levi before his eyes cut to mine.

  "It's okay." I looked between the boys and saw the lust in Levi's eyes, but not for me, for Oliver.

  "I should go." Oliver slid off the bed and had his feet shoved in his shoes before we could react. "I'll see you guys in class tomorrow."

  The door shut with a click and Levi rolled over and threw his hands over his face. Now that Oliver had left the room, my need to be touched evaporated.

  Chapter Ten

  I put my pillow over my face and pressed it against my ears. After Oliver's exodus the night before, Levi and I drank until we were sloppy drunk. Not my finest moment. The realization that Levi didn't turn me on was like a slap to the face. It was like all desire had evaporated once Oliver left. For a moment I had thought all angels that had dicks were going to turn me on.

  I somehow managed to make it back to my room, but now someone was knocking on my door. I threw my pillow and pushed myself up. I was never going to drink again. How many times had I said that before?

  My feet dragged across the floor, my eyes not quite all the way open, and I peeked out the peephole. I let out a groan because I really didn't want to see him right now. I turned the lock anyway and shuffled back to my bed, lying face down to block out the light that was making my eyeballs throb like someone was pumping them full of air.

  The door opened with a small creak and clicked shut. The bed dipped as Tobias laid down next to me and pulled me towards him, the faint scent of mint hitting my nose.

  "Time to wake up," he said, kissing my hair. I grumbled into his chest and shook my head. "Where were you last night? I called, texted, knocked. Asher called and told me what happened."

  His hand went to my lower back and ran back and forth across it, sending tingles up my spine. Where the heck was my shirt? I didn't even remember taking it off. Besides making out and the hot kiss between Levi and Oliver, I didn't remember much else.

  "I think I'm still drunk." I hiccupped and let out another groan as the jolt of the hiccup sent a pain through my skull. "Didn't mean to worry you."

  "You got drunk with Oliver and Levi?" I nodded my response into his button up shirt and ran my hands over the smooth material on his back.

  He pulled back so he could see my face. I bit my lip and saw the question in his eyes.

  "We kissed. A lot." I flinched with my words. It was one thing to hold hands with Asher and flirt all night, but to make out with not one, but two different guys? Guilt was a fickle beast and it had currently set up shop in my chest. What Tobias and I had was so new, yet I felt as if I had just cheated on a long-term love.

  His hand moved a stray piece of hair out of my eyes and then rested on my cheek. "They've bullied you."

  "I know." I looked at the top buttons on his shirt. "But I feel something for Oliver. I don't know what it is. Safety? I feel the same thing with you. With Asher. I know it sounds crazy."

  He put his finger under my chin and tilted it up to meet my eyes. "It doesn't sound crazy. I feel
the same way, and I bet if you asked them they'd say the same. What about Levi?"

  I shrugged. "I probably wouldn't make out with him sober." I played with a loose thread on one of his buttons, tempted to yank on it, but not wanting to pop the button off. "I can't be with all three of you, that's..." He put his finger over my lips, stopping my words.

  His eyes closed and he spoke softly. "I've been around a long time, both as a human and angel, and I have never felt like this. I'm not willing to let you go because you feel the same thing with them."

  I kissed his finger and turned my head so it was on my cheek. "What about divinity points?"

  He chuckled and opened his eyes, amusement written on their glistening surface. "Your dad really didn't explain anything to you did he? You being with us hurts no one. The only person you'd be hurting is yourself. Besides, divinity points really just help you get better guardian gigs." He kissed my cheek and then sat up. "Now, let's get you showered and to class because you will be going to class today even if I have to drag you there myself or throw you over my shoulder."

  "Is that an offer to help me shower?" I rolled onto my back and looked up at him standing over me. His eyes moved down to my chest and narrowed slightly. My eyes fell to my left breast and I let out a groan. "Yeah, about this." I ran my finger over the hickey. I wasn't even sure who had left it.

  He cleared his throat and put his hand out to help me off the bed. "You don't need to explain." He pulled me up and led me into the bathroom.

  He turned on the water and then started unbuttoning his shirt. I hadn't seen him without his shirt on yet, and watched in anticipation. As the sleeves slid down his arms, I watched as his right arm came into view. Stunning portraits wrapped around his muscles; four smiling faces looked back at me. A woman. Twin boys about five. A baby girl.