Lorelei's School of Deviltry, Semester One: An Academy for Supernaturals

by SF Benson

  “I should have said the rebellious one.” My cheeks were heating up, and it had nothing to do with the major blunder I made. Torin was hot if you liked the prep-school type. Wrong. He was hot if you had a pulse and liked guys.

  Once again, London saved me and led me outside. When we were away from the others, she said, “If you’re worried about Sybil, don’t be. Those two will never figure out their issues. She likes him. Torin likes her. But they won’t admit it.”

  “Why not?”

  “They’re best friends. Plus, her parents want her with a royal. Someone not Irish. Catch my drift?”

  Unfortunately, I did. Although London said Lilin didn’t discriminate, she was being totally honest. Our age group had no problem with the different species or even the various lineages. Our parents weren’t so lenient. Incubi and succubi who were royalty were expected to marry only Lilin who shared their heritage. An Asian succubus couldn’t hook up with an Irish incubus, no matter how hot he was.

  Not wanting to miss out on all the details, I tuned back into London.

  “Most likely, the Nakamuras will arrange a marriage as soon as Sybil becomes of age,” London said flatly.

  “What about you?” She seemed to have the 4-1-1 on everyone else, but I hadn’t heard her deal yet.

  London pointed to a bench outside of the classroom building. “Really, there’s nothing to tell. Nico and I are fortunate to be here. Technically, we should be in the dorm with the hybrids.”

  “Why?”

  She tilted her head back and looked up at the night sky. “Nico and I are a serious hodgepodge. Daddy’s an incubus. My mother is a siren while Nico’s is a demon hunter.” When I didn’t say anything, London added, “We both have a little witch ancestry too.”

  “I guess that makes holidays interesting.” I tried hard to find the bright light in a dark situation.

  “Oh, no. You don’t want all that under one roof! One year Mom tried. Daddy showed up with his new girlfriend, a succubus. I think Mom was dating a wolf shifter at the time. Nico’s mom showed up and got into a shouting match with the succubus. Then Mom jumped in and defended Daddy.”

  “It still beats a holiday at the Martin household. Neither of us know our fathers.”

  “That sucks.” She blew air through her cheeks. “I’m not complaining. Our DNA is the best part. Nico and I both have magic.”

  “Your life still sounds awesome,” I admitted.

  London shook her head. “We’re a hot mess with all the different facets of our genes. There won’t be any royal hook-ups for either of us. Not unless you count the McKinleys.”

  “They’re royals?”

  “Only in their eyes. Alistair and his brother claim ancestry back to Queen Elizabeth.”

  “The royal family are Lilin?”

  “You won’t hear me say that.” London fiddled with the bandana wrapped around her wrist. “Alistair’s kind of cute though.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “Really? I can’t see the appeal. Abbott is dull.”

  She smiled. “Alistair isn’t.”

  Before I could utter a rebuttal, something blocked the moonlight and I smelled blood. I almost laughed when I looked up. Four guys—handsome if you liked tall, dark, and pale—with their female counterparts looked down at us. One girl with blonde hair and green eyes stood with her hands on her hips. They were all dressed in leather and boots.

  Oh my god, it was the cast for the latest trashy B-movie!

  “The Lilin Posse found another waif?” the blonde quipped.

  London opened her mouth, but I spoke up. “Wait! Is somebody remaking The Warriors movie?”

  My friend laughed. “Got you there, Kamila.”

  So, that was Kamila—head bee with an itch. I totally didn’t like her.

  The brooding vamp beside her with the piercing blue eyes said, “I’m Maksim Novak. We’ll let your disrespect slide for now, newbie.”

  “You’d be smart…” said a pair of twin males.

  Another two males who could easily be brothers added, “Not to insult…”

  “Us,” chimed in the two remaining female vamps.

  Did I step into the Strange Zone? Somebody cue up The Twilight Zone music.

  I wanted to say something else snarky but decided the Vamp Squad wasn’t worth it. Vamps were so pitiful. They embraced an ancient history, and a lot of them couldn’t move past it.

  Kamila stared down her nose. “There is only one rule you should be concerned with, waif. We have priority over everything.”

  London’s lips parted, but I held up my palm as I stood. I was just as tall as Miss Vamptastic.

  “I have one rule you should be concerned with, vamp.” I made sure to pop that p. “Call me a waif one more time, and it won’t be a stake you’re pulling out of your—”

  “Lilith!” It was Cyrena. “Don’t you dare!”

  The Vamp Squad laughed and then glided on toward their dorm. Once they departed, I turned to my sister.

  “What was that about?”

  She chomped on a wad of gum and said, “You know Mother doesn’t like swearing.”

  “She’s not here!” I yelled.

  “That doesn’t matter. You should always be on your best behavior,” she chimed in that annoying sing-song voice.

  Don’t ask me why I did what I did. Maybe it was too much time spent with my sister. After all, we didn’t share a room at home. We were in separate clubs at school. Mom didn’t even make us leave together in the mornings. Now I was forced to hang out with my aggravating, snippy little sister.

  So I turned into a raving badass with my sister as the recipient of my actions. I pushed her.

  Cyrena pushed back.

  I yelled.

  She yelled back.

  As we bickered, the rest of the campus began walking out of the library. Some of them stopped and stared while others passed us, muttering unintelligible words.

  “You’re creating a scene,” Cyrena shouted.

  “I don’t care!” Lifting my hands, I was ready to strangle my clueless sister when Sybil stepped between us.

  “Girls, you’re both causing a scene. First rule of Amatory Hall is don’t handle personal issues in public. London, go back to the dorm with Lilith. I’ll stay with Cyrena. There are things we should talk about.”

  Not wanting to make things worse, I rushed away as fast as my feet could carry me. Seconds later, a pair of long legs caught up with me.

  “Word of advice?”

  Glancing to my right, Alistair was beside me. “What do you want?”

  Ignoring my question, he continued, “Abbott and I are twins, but we’re not the same people. I’m the organized one. I’m the one who thinks about my future. My brother is impulsive. He thinks nothing of putting fun before responsibility.”

  “Bet that drives you crazy.”

  “It used to, but after living in the same room with him for two years, I’ve learned to adapt.”

  “How?”

  “Don’t make his issues mine and vice versa. We’ve also learned to give each other space. We don’t have to be joined at the hip. We don’t go to school functions together. We don’t even vacation together. When it’s time to go home, we take separate portals.”

  “That sucks. He is your brother after all.”

  “Yes, and I love him dearly. But I don’t like everything about him. He doesn’t like everything about me. We’ve accepted that fact. When we do things together, we enjoy them much more. We realize that those times are rare, so we make the most of them.”

  As we approached the dorm, Alistair added, “You need to let go. You can’t make Cyrena into your image. Remember, you have different sires. She’s going to be a combination of your mother and her father. Same for you. Think about it, pretty girl.”

  “Thanks, Alistair.”

  “Any time.” He jogged toward the building.

  I looked over my shoulder. Sybil was still having a heart-to-heart with Cyrena. Maybe I should cut her some sl
ack. I needed allies at Lorelei’s, not enemies.

  Chapter Four

  Little did I know that I would need those allies sooner than later. The first day of classes brought me epic trouble. Fortunately, the unusualness didn’t hit right away.

  It was morning, and Cyrena was still upset with me, so we weren’t speaking. Not wanting to sit across from her scowling face, I skipped breakfast. No biggie. I had never been a big fan of the meal. Instead, I headed to class early, figuring I’d get a good seat.

  Human Vulnerabilities was taught in a large lecture hall. Not long after I sat down in a front seat, I sensed the unfriendly creature entering the room. Within seconds, she stood beside me.

  “You are in my seat,” she said in a haughty tone.

  I glanced up. Kamila wore a scowl along with her school uniform. “There are plenty of empty ones. It’s too early for vamptude.”

  “Oh, you have not seen attitude yet, Lilin. You’re new here, so I’ll give you a pass this time. Cross me again—”

  “What’s going on here, ladies?” It was another vamp. He was tall with a fringe of black curls that flopped over his right eye. For a bloodsucker, he was kind of cute. From the color in his cheeks, I’d say he didn’t skip breakfast.

  “Not if I can help it.” He winked. “Sorry. Read your thoughts. I’m Milos.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Honestly, it was. I hadn’t met a friendly vamp before.

  “Same here.” To Kamila, he said, “Maksim is looking for you. You should go find him.”

  Her mouth twisted, but no words came out. She stomped her high heels back up the stairs to the door.

  “Mind if I sit?” Milos asked.

  “Like I said to your friend, there are plenty of seats.”

  He chuckled and sat beside me, anyway. “Dr. Wu can be a little intense at times, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

  Since Milos didn’t mention my comment, I chose to drop the subject. Arguing over a seat made no sense at all.

  “What makes you say that? You don’t know me.”

  He grinned, and I was rewarded with a pair of deep dimples. “But I do know a few succubi and incubi. Your kind tend to run on the extreme side of life.”

  Duh.

  His assessment, however, wasn’t something I wanted to hear from a vamp. After all, what was more extreme than dining on your dates? Thankfully, I was spared having to make a rebuttal when the rest of the class poured in. I glanced around for Cyrena.

  Leaning in, Milos said, “She won’t be in this session. This one is for upperclassmen only. She’ll be in the one right before lunch.”

  “Oh.”

  A skinny man dressed in jeans, a button-down shirt, and a casual sport coat took center stage. He adjusted his Clark Kent-style glasses before tapping a microphone. Feedback rang out and echoed around the room. “Good morning, LSD!” He grinned. “Now, there’s a greeting you’ll never hear in the human world.”

  Laughter broke out.

  “All kidding aside, how many newbies do we have this semester? Show of hands.”

  I raised my arm and saw that a good portion of the class were new. That made me feel a little better. Then I saw Kamila. She made a V sign with her fingers, pointed them at her eyes and then me. Great. Just what I needed. A threat from Miss Vamptastic.

  Sadly, the morning continued downhill from that point. Professor Wu kept calling on Lilin students to answer questions about passion and how to use it to our advantage with humans. I’d heard the story about the ravens and the scorpions—the supernatural version of the birds and the bees. I didn’t need to have a group discussion on the topic.

  The situation became worse when I reached Nightmare Physics. My lab partner was Milos. It was his second time taking the class—not because he flunked the first go-round. No. Milos Petrovich was a perfectionist extraordinaire. Out of a possible five-hundred-point system, he earned a whopping four hundred ninety-two points and was pissed. Ordinarily, students accepted such a score with grace and moved on. Well, at Lorelei’s money talks. The Petrovich family donated enough funds to get a plaque on the wall of fame in the library, and Milos got to retake the class.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll ace this class with me,” he boasted as I sat down.

  I was prepared to tell him that I didn’t need his help, but then I opened the textbook. The first chapter was in a foreign language—not Greek or Latin. Plus, there were formulas and equations that I’d never seen before.

  Milos puffed out his chest. “Still think you don’t need me? The first chapter is always a mystery. It changes every semester.”

  Unfortunately, I opened my mouth to speak.

  “Ah, our first volunteer.” Dr. Bates ran a hand through his thinning graying hair. “Miss Martin, would you like to try cracking the code of the first chapter?”

  “Uh… Actually, I had a question.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “How are we supposed to decode the words without a clue?”

  A few students giggled.

  “Excellent question, Miss Martin. Which leads to tonight’s assignment. For tomorrow, I want a list of theories from each of you. Use the scientific discovery method for supernaturals. Each hypothesis should be well thought out and expanded upon. No less than five possibilities. Class dismissed.”

  “Meet me in study hall,” Milos said near my ear. “We’ll knock out the assignment together. We can work on the other—”

  “Wait!” I shouted.

  “What?” He closed his notebook.

  “Are you in all of my classes?”

  Milos cocked his head to the side. “Let me think… You have Scareology 101 next and then Politics?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’re in Politics together. I have Advanced Scareology next.”

  Figures.

  §

  Thankfully, lunch and my afternoon classes—Lilin History and Lilin Applications—went smoothly. Basically, I spent the rest of the day with members of the Lilin Posse. Trouble, as I would soon learn, was waiting for me in Study Hall.

  Finding a suitable spot to study was tough with everyone scheduled at the same time. Plus, Milos didn’t say where to meet him. So, I headed for the library. When the librarian—a being who resembled an aging, twisted demon—said there was only one private room left, I jumped on it.

  The space was located on the second floor just beyond the stained-glass windows. I unlocked the door, leaving it open in case Milos found me, and placed my backpack on the wooden table. There were four chairs around it, a wastebasket, and a whiteboard with a few dry-erase markers on the ledge.

  Sitting down, I unzipped the bag and removed my notebook. I had cracked open my Nightmare Physics book, ready to get started, when I heard her voice.

  “What are you doing in my room?”

  What was with that vamp and territory? She was like a dog pissing on trees and calling them all hers.

  “Listen, Kamila. Nobody was in here. The librarian—”

  “The one with the toad-looking face?”

  That was harsh, but she was right. “Yeah?”

  “She didn’t approve my reservation!” Kamila dug in her designer purse and pulled out a purple card with the school logo on one side. She waved the object in front of my nose.

  Crap.

  The vamp was right. Her name was on the card along with the number for the room we were both in.

  Honestly, I owed her an apology, but with her attitude she didn’t deserve one. Still… I shut my book and began packing up.

  “I’ll leave.”

  “You better believe you will! But this isn’t over.” Kamila’s voice grew louder by the second.

  “What’s going on in here?” A female with severe black hair pulled away from her wrinkled face appeared outside of the door.

  Kamila revealed her reservation card. “This girl barged in on me. Said she had every right to be here.”

  The librarian’s brow furrowed. “That will not do. Miss Petrovich, do you
wish to file a complaint?”

  The vamp should have been given an award instead of a room. Kamila pouted and even found an errant tear. “If you think it’s best. I do hate to cause problems.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Was she serious?

  “Look, I’m leaving. No damage.” I slipped my arm through one of the backpack straps.

  “Not so fast,” the librarian said. She removed a white index card from her floor-length black skirt. “Your name?”

  “Lilith Martin.”

  “Hall?”

  “Amatory.”

  “That figures. We always have problems with Lilin.” The female gave a sympathetic glance to Kamila. “No worries, dear. I’ll report this infraction to the Tribunal.” To me, the librarian said, “You should know that we don’t tolerate bullying on this campus.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” I mumbled and shouldered past the two of them. Not looking where I was going, I collided with a hard body. “Oof.”

  “Where are you running to? The study rooms are in the other direction.” It was Milos.

  “The room’s full.”

  “Actually, Milos, if you want to study with me…” The sticky sweet voice came from behind us.

  On a campus full of supernaturals, I had to find the one spot teeming with vamps. “This doesn’t concern you, Kamila.”

  “On the contrary, succubus.” Miss Vamptastic walked over and clasped her hands around Milos’s bicep. “Vamps and Lilin don’t mix. Go play somewhere else.”

  I waited for Milos to say something, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “He’s all yours, Kamila.”

  Not wanting to endure any more drama, I headed back to the dorm. I didn’t need to study with anyone. If I had questions, I could always ask London or one of the others.

  By the time I reached Amatory Hall, however, everyone knew about my run-in with Kamila—including Samantha. Our adviser was waiting for me when I opened the front door.

  “Lilith, I’d like a word with you. In my office.”

  Seriously?

  I followed Samantha past the commons and dining rooms. Her office, located beneath the staircase, could have easily been missed. Crossing the threshold, the room was massive. It was nearly as large as our living room back home—ours was the biggest house on the block. Perhaps magic created the allusion of space.