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

by SF Benson

  Chapter Nine

  Surely, I didn’t hear what I thought I did. My mouth slackened. Milos’s words must have sucked up the oxygen in the room because I was suddenly lightheaded. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “No!” I shouted, forgetting that we were still in the library. Gazing at him, I asked, “Who told you that lie?”

  He had to be mistaken. Lilin weren’t charity cases requiring favors from anyone. Despite what some councils believed, we belonged at Lorelei’s. Historically, my kind had been associated with nightmares. There were stories about how we disrupted sleep. It was the myth behind the great Merlin’s birth—an incubus impregnated his mother. There even were human experts who considered Lilin to be demons—rightfully so. It was only in the past few years that some of those same scholars began entertaining the idea that Lilin were no more harmful than an agathodemon—a winged serpent who brought good luck. Essentially, we sounded worse than what we were.

  “It’s no more a lie than the legend of Keleva and Draven,” Milos said flatly.

  Jumping to my feet, I leaned over the table. I had believed the vamp was too smart to listen to tall tales. Someone fed him that drivel, and I wanted to know who. If it was Kamila, I’d show her just how scary a pissed-off succubus could be.

  “Who. Told. You. That. Lie.”

  Milos scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I overheard Kamila’s parents. Apparently, it was something that the Tesarovas discovered.”

  That seemed plausible.

  “I’m listening.” Slowly, I sat down. In a calmer voice, I asked, “What did they say?”

  “Besides revealing that nugget of knowledge?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Kamila’s parents said that Lilin needed to be removed from campus. Her father is the one responsible for upsetting the councils.”

  “What did he do?”

  Milos softly shook his head and muttered words to himself. Then he said, “Kamila’s father pointed out the distinctions between vampires and Lilin. Namely the fact that you pose no threat to humans.”

  Instinctively, my hands balled. “Mr. Tesarova wants us declassified?”

  “No, it’s what Kamila wants. She’s a spoiled brat. Whatever she wants, her father gives her.”

  My face tightened. Milos was a bloodsucker. Maybe I shouldn’t trust him, but I wanted to. I really, really wanted to.

  “How do you know this?”

  “The same way I know Kamila’s agenda.” He paused as if waiting for me to draw my own conclusion. When I remained quiet, he said, “She told us, Lilith. The day you set foot on this campus, Kamila, Maksim, and I were outside the main building. We saw you and your sister. Maksim was instantly drawn to both of you.”

  I gasped.

  “Don’t be so surprised. Remember, he has a thing for succubi.” Milos drew in a deep breath and then exhaled. “I’m guessing Kamila didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Erica. Later, that evening she let us know she would run for the Tribunal. She also told us about her plans for getting rid of Lilin.”

  “Before or after the Meet and Greet?”

  “Before it. The confrontation in the courtyard was planned. She wanted to see how big a threat you were.”

  “Her conclusion?”

  “She saw that I was interested in you. Kamila sees you as a threat to all vampires on this campus, especially bloodbornes.”

  How could I threaten a bloodborne? It wasn’t as if I could disrupt their existence.

  Color me stupid, but I’d learned in a Basic Supernatural Physiology class that vamps couldn’t naturally get pregnant. Once a person became undead, certain bodily fluids no longer flowed.

  “Explain how bloodbornes are even possible.”

  Milos shot me a crooked grin. “So we need to have a discussion about bats and scorpions?”

  “No, silly. It’s basic physiology though. Once a person dies—”

  “Wrong. I’m not dead. Neither are bloodbornes. We’re a rarity. There are only a few original families in existence. Kamila and Maksim belong to two of them. The Horvath and the Varga families are also bloodborne.”

  Folding my arms, I stated, “Still lost here.”

  “We’re a genetic fluke. There’s no real explanation for it.” Milos’s eyebrows knitted together for a second. “Let’s look at it from a different angle. You accept that there are children of shifters, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “They were born that way. No one bit them. No one cursed them. It just happened.”

  I nodded.

  “Same thing with bloodborne vampires. Our parents carry the gene. No one knows whether or not it’s because the DNA from the original vampire inserted itself into the genome. It’s just one of many theories. Those who aren’t bloodbornes are either dhampirs—half human and half vampire—or they had a little magical intervention.”

  “Meaning the couple got help from a witch or a mage?”

  “Anyone who possesses magic.”

  Pushing to my feet, I began pacing the floor. “Are bloodbornes like royal Lilin?”

  “Yes and no. What’s the punishment if a royal succubus hooks up with non-royalty?”

  I stopped moving. “That’s not how royalty works with Lilin. As long as two full-blooded Lilin hook up, that’s considered an imperial connection. The only way it’s not is if the Lilin is a hybrid or we hook up with another species.”

  Milos pursed his lips and tapped his chin. “Vampires work differently. Bloodbornes can only marry other bloodbornes. Marrying outside of that classification nullifies our lineage. Any children born after that will not be pure.”

  My jaw dropped, and I scratched my head. “That doesn’t make biological sense.”

  “For us it’s not about biology. It’s a status thing.”

  “That’s why Kamila feels threatened by Lilin. If bloodbornes start hooking up with other species, you lose your status. The hierarchy disappears.”

  Milos’s words made so much more sense. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the story about the headmistress was BS. Kamila’s parents didn’t know the truth. In all honesty, they were supernatural racists—pure and simple.

  “What about you, Milos?”

  His forehead furrowed. “What about me?”

  “You’re bloodborne. Why are you hanging out with me? Why did you kiss me?”

  “Did you miss the part where I said I was interested in you?” The chair scraped the floor as he pushed away from the table. Milos quickly closed the distance between us. “I don’t care about status. The way I see it, we’re just in high school. Unlike Kamila, I’m not looking for my forever mate. I only want to have a little fun. Is that so wrong?”

  “No,” I admitted. He was standing too close, making me tingle all over. I tried to move away, but Milos placed his palms on the wall ,trapping me against it.

  “Are you afraid of me, Lilith?”

  “No,” I lied.

  Actually, I was more afraid of what might happen between us. I was already on probation. If I continued making out with a really hot vamp and someone saw us, I might get expelled.

  Milos leaned in and cupped my face between his hands. “We have fifteen minutes before lunch is over. I’d much rather kiss you than argue. Agreed?”

  “O-okay.”

  He smiled before claiming my lips again. My arms snaked behind his head, and I lost myself in the kiss.

  §

  For the rest of the afternoon, my focus was gone. After two hours of lectures on Lilin history and learning practical techniques, I was ready for a break.

  And maybe some more of Milos.

  If someone had asked me point blank, I might have lied. But part of me, okay all of me, was really into the vampire. If he didn’t have the whole status thing, I could see— Nope. We had the curse between us. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t slip up one day and take a nip. I simply couldn’t hang my future on one with Milos. No matter how hot he was.
<
br />   Before I seriously considered hunting down the vamp, Alistair caught up with me. I was on my way back to the library when he dragged me into an empty classroom and closed the door.

  “What’s up?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “About?”

  “You and the vamp.” Alistair dropped his leather messenger bag on a desk. “Want to tell me why the two of you spent lunch making out?”

  My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard.

  He raised a hand. “Don’t bother denying it. I saw the security footage.”

  “Security footage?”

  “You’re fortunate that I’m friends with a mage on a work-study program. Suffice it to say, he saw the video and realized who you were.” Alistair dug into his bag and pulled out a VHS. “Thankfully, I confiscated this. Sirius destroyed the rest of the evidence.”

  “The rest?” I felt like a parrot, mimicking what I heard but not providing answers.

  Alistair’s gaze flickered to the ceiling before landing on me again. “There are eyes and ears all over this campus. If you’re going to make out with a vamp, don’t do it in a building. Wait until dark. Go down into the south quadrant where nosy supes won’t care.”

  I perched my butt on the edge of the desk. “How much trouble am I in?”

  “None yet, but if this gets back to Kamila…”

  “Understood.”

  “You have a chance at winning the Tribunal seat. Is it really worth throwing it away for a vamp?

  “You’re wrong, Alistair. I’m not throwing away anything. We’re just having fun.”

  He rolled his eyes. “If you’re not going to disassociate yourself from Milos, at least be careful. Kamila won’t hesitate to use it against you.”

  Speaking of using things…

  “Did you know that Miss Vamptastic was working to get rid of Lilin on campus?”

  “No. Who told you that?”

  “Milos.”

  Alistair pursed his lips. “Like I said, be careful. He’s a no-good bloodsucker that can’t be trusted. For all you know, he planted that idea and hoped you’d run with it.”

  Part of me wanted to defend Milos. I thought he was being sincere with me, but down deep I knew Alistair could be right. After all, the common belief was that vamps always stuck with vamps. Most Lilin would always side with Lilin. It was how supes operated. Always had. Maybe always would if I couldn’t bring about change in our community.

  Alistair folded his arms. “Is there a way to confirm it?”

  I shrugged. “Milos said that Kamila’s parents were behind trying to get Lilin declassified too.”

  “I’ll check with my father. He’s on the London Council. Father has plenty of connections even with bloodbornes.” Alistair latched up his messenger bag. “In the meantime, we need to work on some topics for debate. The first one is scheduled for the end of the week.”

  An empty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I had no problem with public speaking but doing so against Kamila was something different. She was a fixture on the campus.

  I wasn’t.

  “Lilith?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Alistair took hold of my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “All we’re going to do is go over those points you made in class. We’ll add some other relevant issues too. The Debate Team is sponsoring the event, and they’ll give us a copy of the questions twenty-four hours in advance. Okay?”

  I forced a smile.

  How bad could it be?

  Chapter Ten

  Thanks to our prepping for the upcoming debate, I didn’t have a chance to meet up with Milos. By the time Alistair and I finished my speech, it was too late to slip out, and I didn’t dare call the vamp dorm. With my luck, Kamila would have been the one to answer the phone.

  So I resigned myself to the simple fact that I had to stay put for the night. It was either remain indoors or risk breaking curfew. Frankly, I was in enough trouble with the school’s director. Before Mom left, she reminded me if I didn’t behave, I’d have to deal with her. A direct violation of a rule, no matter how much I wanted to see Milos, wasn’t worth it.

  With no other choice, I decided to spend the evening with Cyrena. It had been too long since we sat around and chatted. I might have been feeling a little guilty about how I’d been treating her too.

  I hung up my blazer in the closet and went over to my bed. How could I make our forced attendance at Lorelei’s feel more like home? If we were back in Falls Creek, we would have put on our pjs and ordered pizza.

  Something was off. Cyrena was in the room, but there were no sounds coming from her. I had dubbed my sister Little Miss Motor Mouth years ago. If she wasn’t speaking, there was something wrong.

  “You okay, sis?”

  “I’m all right.” That sounded like a lie. She looked like someone had kicked her puppy.

  Stretching out on the mattress, I rolled onto my stomach. “Rena, tell me how you like it here?”

  My sister stood up and crossed the room. She sighed deeply as she plopped down beside me. “Honestly?”

  “That’s always appreciated. You know that.”

  “I totally hate it,” she admitted.

  That was a shocker. I figured Lorelei’s was right up my sister’s alley—plenty of snobs and a stupid dress code. “Why?”

  “I miss Mom.” Cyrena complained, pushing her black hair off her face.

  Understood. Mom and Cyrena were very close, but it wasn’t because she was the youngest. Mom worried about Cyrena because she was so trusting. Mom said I had to keep an eye out for my little sister because she didn’t believe that bad things could happen to her. It was like Cyrena compartmentalized evil or something. In her mind, bad things only happened to humans not supernaturals.

  “You’re the rebel, but there are too many rules here. Even for me. They’re dumb rules, Lil.”

  She’d get no argument from me.

  Cyrena continued, “Back in Falls Creek, like, I had friends of every species.”

  True. At one point in life her best friend was a witch.

  “Not here. No! They encourage you to stick with your own.”

  True, but I never thought I’d hear those words come out of my sister’s mouth. I always thought she was good with the status quo. Plus, she had been so excited to attend Lorelei’s.

  “What are you saying, Rena?”

  “I’m saying I totally want to go home. I realize we have to finish the semester. When it’s over, can we talk to Mom?”

  “Yeah, we can.” If Cyrena wanted to go home, she had to have a good reason. But I knew my sister. She wouldn’t tell me anything if I pressed her. When Cyrena was ready, she’d confide in me—or Mom. “Do you know that I’m running for a seat on the Tribunal?”

  “Yes. I’ve been meaning to ask you about it. Why?” Cyrena turned up her nose. “I didn’t think you even liked this place.”

  “It’s not about liking the school.”

  “Then what, Lil?”

  I blew air through my cheeks. My reasons for running had nothing to do with liking Lorelei’s. It was about my goals in life. I’d either become a politician or an advocate. When I’d done all I could for mankind and supernaturals, then I’d become a journalist chasing down those who were still causing havoc in society.

  “Because there are students here who deserve a fair chance. When I faced the Tribunal, they didn’t care about my side of the story. It’s like that for everyone. That’s not right, Rena.”

  She shrugged. “So we’re, like, stuck here?”

  “No.” I respected my sister’s right to choose. If she wanted to go home, we’d make it happen. “Tell you what. Let’s just worry about this semester. If I get elected, I’ll do whatever I can with whatever time I have.”

  “Okay,” she said on a sigh. “Have you finished your homework?”

  “Yeah. Do you need help?”

  “Physics is, like, totally killing me.”

  “How about we get
comfortable and tackle it together?”

  Cyrena jumped to her feet and headed for the bathroom. “Sounds awesome.”

  §

  Too bad awesome didn’t describe the following day. The time I spent with my sister was the calm before the storm.

  When I reached my first class, Kamila was in full effect. Somehow, she had conjured up buttons and fliers overnight. All her supporters were draped in the paraphernalia extolling the merits of voting for Kamila.

  Milos was already seated when I sat down. “How did she get all the gear?”

  He tilted his head toward me. “She knows a mage.” A nasty tone slipped into his voice. “One might say she had a productive evening.”

  A definite jab at me.

  Glancing over at Milos, I said, “I’m sorry about last night.”

  He swallowed hard. “I waited for a long time and risked breaking curfew for you.”

  My chest tightened. “I couldn’t come.”

  “Why not?”

  Professor Wu walked onto the stage and dropped his briefcase on the desk. “Let’s get started.”

  “I’ll tell you after class,” I whispered.

  Honestly, I should have done myself a favor and skipped a class. I couldn’t concentrate. Professor Wu could have been speaking in tongues for all that I understood. My mind drifted back to the confiscated video tape. What if it had been leaked before Alistair seized it? If Kamila knew about Milos and me, I wouldn’t stand a chance of winning the election.

  As soon as class was dismissed, Milos turned toward me. “What’s going on? I could hear your thoughts, but they didn’t make a bit of sense.”

  I narrowed my eyes and thought, Keep listening, and I’ll think something you won’t like.

  A hint of color popped into Milos’s cheeks. “Sorry.”

  Once the room emptied out, I said, “Alistair said there’s a tape of us.”

  Milos’s face darkened. “Where is it now?”

  “With Alistair.”

  Milos swore and then slammed his fist into the top of the desk.

  I jumped.

  “I’ll check into it.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry about it, Lilith.”