by Riley London
“Please, don’t say that—”
“Even if Charlie is dead,” Mrs. Deveraux continued. “You will sully his memory if you let the world come to an end. How will you ever be able to mourn him or remember him, when there’s nothing left to remember him by? Everything else that Charlie loved, everything else he cared for, if it all gets destroyed by the princes, he will be entirely wiped from life’s memory. Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Then you will have to fight. For Charlie. For everyone.” Mrs. Deveraux rested a hand on my shoulder. “And I will protect you, every step of the way.”
“Protect me?”
“From the Council.” Mrs. Deveraux moved away from me, heading back towards her desk. “If they discover that you have demon blood, and that you possess Michael’s sword, they may make a foolish decision.”
“Like try to kill me or something?”
“Yes.” Mrs. Deveraux’s words came out quick. “They will see you as a threat. Not a savior. And they will punish you for it, by taking away your life.”
“I’m sorry for putting you through all of this, Mrs. Deveraux.”
“Oh, child. You’re not putting me through anything.” She smiled back at me. “Don’t you see that you’ve saved me? I thought that our way of life would be lost, because we didn’t have Michael on our side to fight against the Princes of Hell. But I didn’t realize that we did have Michael, after all, or at least someone with his same spirit.”
Mrs. Deveraux looked down at a stack of papers on her desk, before motioning for me to leave the room. “Thank you for reminding me of what’s left to fight for. Now, go. I have to make plans to keep you guarded.”
As I turned to leave the room, I heard Mrs. Deveraux suddenly snap her fingers, as if she was recalling a thought.
“Oh, and Celeste?”
“Yes?”
“Consider finding creative ways to hide your eyes. At least, until you can control the black and gold.”
Chapter 10
Charlie. Charlie. Charlie.
I tossed and turned in my bed, my mind only able to conjure images of Charlie’s face. It felt like torture, not being able to think of anything else. It also seemed so strange too, since I’d felt a little better after confessing to Mrs. Deveraux about what I’d been up to lately. It made me feel so much safer to have her on my side, even if the Council was still determined to ruin my life.
What also made my thoughts of Charlie so strange was that they were all so fucking sexual. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, almost like the memories of us being physical were playing on a loop right behind my eyes. At one point, I felt myself getting wet between my thighs as a moan escaped through my parted lips.
What the hell?
I wanted him and he was nowhere to be found. And unfortunately, I had a feeling that this desire wasn’t going to pass until I took care of it myself. Sure, I could’ve asked for Zachary or Benjamin to help me out, but it felt wrong to ask them to have sex with me, just because I couldn’t have sex with Charlie. Zachary already seemed to have a complex about coming in last place, when it came to which one of them was my “favorite guy.”
Besides at the moment, it was Charlie who I wanted anyway.
I slipped a hand underneath the hem of my sweats, a comfortable set I’d picked up years ago at a store that no longer existed. I typically didn’t sleep in heavy clothing, but I needed to feel the weight, needed to feel some kind of security in the middle of all of this absolute bullshit.
As I rubbed my clit, I quietly moaned. I was so happy that Zachary wasn’t back in our room yet, probably still out at one of Micah’s parties or something. I didn’t want to have to explain to him that even though I was obviously horny as hell, I didn’t want him to be the one to touch me.
Charlie. Charlie. Charlie.
As something clenched below my abdomen, I moaned again. I wanted more. Needed more.
I pressed one of my fingers inside myself, still thinking of the way Charlie’s body used to feel against my own. I shivered at my own touch, with Charlie’s name still on my lips. I didn’t know why I’d felt so desperate for him, but I was. It almost seemed like I was going to be miserable for the rest of my life if I didn’t come, if I didn’t let my memories of Charlie bring me over the brink.
Eventually, I got there as my skin started to gleam in the moonlight with beads of my sweat. I still didn’t know what the hell any of that was about, but at least it was over.
Until it wasn’t.
Only a second or so after I came, the craving was back, and it was back with a vengeance.
No.
Something was wrong. It wasn’t natural, stemming from a combination of my loneliness and how much I missed the man I loved. Whatever was going on with me was teetering on obsession, even though I wasn’t the driving force behind it. I wondered if it was possible for a demon or Prince of Hell to plant this kind of obsession in my brain, to make me crave Charlie so much that I just stayed in bed all day and touched myself.
I remembered that yeah, there was an asshole who was definitely able to do that shit.
Ashmedai. Prince of Hell. Father of Lust.
I hopped out of bed, ignoring the way my clit throbbed with every step, heading for my bedroom window. I couldn’t imagine that Ashmedai ever would’ve come onto the academy’s campus, but something told me that he had to be close by.
As soon as I made it to my window, there he was. Ashmedai, wearing his crystal suit and holding onto his golden scepter. He smiled up at me, even offering me a wave, motioning for me to come down and meet him on the grassy quad.
I motioned that I’d be right there.
And then, I turned to grab Michael’s sword from the corner of the room.
By the time I’d made it down to the quad, there was no sign of Ashmedai.
Shit.
Were the Princes of Hell just going to take turns taunting me now? Is this what I had to look forward to? Why the hell would Ashmedai have come all this way just to get me horny and leave?
As I thought about the potential answers to my own questions, a figure suddenly appeared out of the corner of my eye.
My heart started to beat double-time in my chest when I realized who stood before me.
“…Charlie?” I said his name with a hopeful air. “Charlie, is that you?”
Charlie didn’t respond.
Weird.
I decided to get closer to him, briefly considering that he couldn’t hear me since I was still a ways away from him. But once I was close enough to see his face, free from the shadows of the night, I could tell that his eyes were glowing bright red.
My heart sank to the bottom of my chest. “Charlie…no. Charlie, what have they done to you?”
“They didn’t do anything to me,” Charlie finally replied. “You did this to me, Celeste.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You did this to me. I loved you and you did this to me.” Charlie’s words came out with so much rage behind them.
“You took my soul.”
“But…I didn’t mean to. I…I didn’t know what I was doing,” I admitted. “I’m so sorry, Charlie. If I’d known that bringing you back was going to have that effect on you, I never would’ve—”
“You knew.”
“What?”
“You knew,” Charlie growled through gritted teeth. “You always knew there was something different about you, but you just didn’t care.”
“Charlie, please. You know that I would never hurt you. Not on purpose.” I shook my head. “I love you, Charlie. You have to believe me. Please.”
“I do believe you.” Charlie smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I believe that you love me. And that you would never hurt me.”
He reached towards his side, before sliding a sword out of a hidden sheath. “And that is going to make it so much easier to take your life.”
I stilled, taken aback by seeing Charlie with a
weapon. I looked over at his sword, noticing that its blade was almost as black as the night and its hilt was bright and silver. I’d never seen a weapon like that at the academy and I wondered where Charlie had picked it up.
“You wouldn’t take my life,” I continued, even as I grabbed the hilt of Michael’s sword in response. “That’d be suicide.”
“You’re wrong,” he replied, taking a step closer to my frame. “It would’ve been suicide before I learned how to pray for myself, how to fend for myself. But now? If you die, you die alone.”
“Learned how to pray?” I was confused by his response. “But you’re not an angel. The Heavens won’t listen to you.”
“I don’t pray to angels in Heaven.” Charlie’s face took on a cruel grin. “I pray to the Fallen and they answer my prayers, just the same.”
“You pray to the Princes of Hell?”
“I’m tired of this conversation.” Charlie snapped. “Goodbye, Celeste.”
“Charlie, wait—”
It was the last thing I had a chance to say to him, before he came at me with his sword. I was able to expertly dodge his first attack, stepping out of the way, and turning myself towards his back. Once I had a clear shot, I sliced Michael’s sword down Charlie’s back, not trying to gravely injure him, just wanting to slow him down.
When Charlie spun back around to face me, he carried a deranged expression. “Sana eam.”
I watched with horror as black roots seemed to spring from the ground at Charlie’s feet, angling towards the open wound I knew I’d left on his back. He winced as the roots wrapped around his frame, seemingly integral in putting his broken skin back together. A moment later, the roots were gone, and Charlie ran towards me with his weapon, yet again.
That time, I hadn’t been quick enough on the draw. Charlie managed to knock Michael’s sword out of my hand before he kicked me in the abdomen, knocking me back towards the grass. I rolled away from him as he brought the tip of his sword down towards my neck, again and again, as if he was going to pin me to the ground with his weapon through my throat.
What the hell?
This wasn’t Charlie. I had no idea who the fuck this was.
One of his goddamn attempts eventually landed. I felt his sword pierce me right through my chest.
“Sana eam!” I quickly screamed, bringing myself up by the knees. I turned towards Charlie with a palm held out from my frame. “Solis ortus!”
A beam of light seemed to shoot straight from my fingertips, soon swirling around Charlie’s body. His blade turned from black to silver and the glow in his eyes went from red to his usual brown. He looked dazed for a moment, sparing a look over at me.
“…Celeste?” he asked, dropping his weapon towards the ground. “Celeste, are you okay? God. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Charlie!” I ran towards him, eager to hold him in my arms again. But once I was near enough to pull him against my chest, he disappeared out of my embrace.
“Charlie? Charlie!” I helplessly screamed, looking around the quad. “Please! Come back!”
“You are impressive, Daughter of Lilith.” Ashmedai appeared by my side, eyeing me up and down. “And you only grow more impressive by the day.”
“Where the fuck did you take Charlie?” I growled. “Bring him back! Right the fuck now!”
“Did you like how I lured you from your bed?” Ashmedai asked, seemingly ignoring my words. “It was a pleasure to get a glance at those memories, too. Your Charlie seems like a rather proficient lover. Tell me, which do you miss more: the way his mouth felt against your skin or the way he felt inside of you?”
“Fuck off, you fucking pervert,” I barked. “Where the fuck is Charlie?”
“He is quite safe. Don’t worry your mind about such little matters.” Ashmedai seemed annoyed. “Why are you so invested in that one, anyway? Don’t you have a future Council member in love with you? I saw those memories, too. I’m honestly surprised that Benjamin is such a gentle lover, but perhaps that will change when the stresses of his day increase tenfold. Being on the Council is not an easy task.”
Ashmedai offered me a smirk, before continuing. “Although, judging by your relations with Zachary, it seems that you’d be more than all right if Benjamin wanted to be rougher with you between the sheets.”
“All right. Enough of this shit.” I reached down to pull Michael’s sword back into my grip. “Tell me where Charlie is or I’ll send you back to Hell. For good this time.”
“Yes, yes, yes. We’re all aware that you now possess Michael’s sword.” Ashmedai rolled his eyes. “But I haven’t come for a fight, Daughter of Lilith. I’ve come to offer you a deal.”
“What is with you assholes and deals?” I scoffed. “And what the hell do you think you could ever offer me to make me work with someone like you?”
“Charlie.” Ashmedai shrugged. “I can offer you Charlie, unless he’s no longer worthy of your time or negotiations?”
“…I’m listening.”
“Good.” Ashmedai nodded. “Here’s the deal, Daughter of Lilith. We will return Charlie to your possession, if you can create more Charlies for us.”
“More Charlies?” I shook my head in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever you did to the boy, when you took his soul, you made him the perfect vessel.” Ashmedai’s eyes lit up with excitement. “He is neither an angel nor a demon, but his existence as something in-between allows us answer his prayers, something we’ve never been able to do before. If we were able to raise an entire army of those like Charlie, Heaven would not stand a chance against us. It’d finally be a fair fight, something God has been avoiding since time immemorial.”
“So, you want me to help you take on Heaven?”
“Why not?” Ashmedai asked. “Despite your attendance at this academy, you are not aligned with the Angels, Daughter of Lilith. Your place is in Hell and so is mine. Why would you not be an ally to your own community?”
“Because I don’t trust you. Any of you,” I continued. “And I don’t want to see a lot of innocent people get hurt when you assholes try to take over the world.”
“There is no such thing as an innocent person,” Ashmedai scowled. “If you only had an inkling of the horrid thoughts that swim through the minds of those around you, you’d beg for them to be eradicated once and for all.”
“Yeah, but I still have more in common with them than I have with you. My place isn’t in Hell, Ashmedai. It’s here, on the surface.”
“Does your mother’s blood not call to you?” Ashmedai said with disbelief. “How can you turn your back on what you are?”
“I’m not turning my back on anything. I just want to keep people safe.” I turned towards Ashmedai, aiming Michael’s sword right at his abdomen. “Which is exactly what I’m doing.”
But when the sword was supposed to make contact with his body, Ashmedai disappeared, the same way that Charlie had done earlier.
I was left standing all by myself on a dark, empty quad.
Chapter 11
The next day during lunch, I sported a pair of dark shades. I’d taken Mrs. Deveraux’s words to heart about keeping my eyes hidden until I was better able to control the light and the dark, which both felt like they’d been fighting inside of me all day.
Seeing Charlie had filled me with so much joy and so much rage, knowing that he was safe and unharmed, but also knowing that those assholes were using him as some kind of fucked-up prototype for their weapon of war.
Feeling like I couldn’t do anything about it only made that hole in my heart grow a few sizes wider. It made me want to feed into the darkness, to let those parts of my anger flow out from my fingertips and take it out on everyone who’d ever wronged me.
“Nice shades.” Zachary sat down beside me, a grin already upon his face.
“Something happen in the training room? You trying to hide a black eye or something?”
“No,” I replied. “I just thought tha
t they looked cute.”
“Those sunglasses are against the academy’s protocol for their uniforms,” Benjamin informed me as he took a seat at the cafeteria table too. “I’d thought we’d gotten past this with your leather jacket.”
“First of all, I didn’t stop wearing my jacket because I care about uniform protocol. I stopped wearing it because I was afraid of having to wash it too many times, in case the fabric got fucked up,” I explained.
“And second of all, fuck uniform protocol. Being able to have some freedom of expression should be encouraged in a place like this.”
“Yeah, fight the power.” Zachary smirked again. “Just make sure you take them off if Mrs. Deveraux stops by.”
“She’s the one who told me to put them on,” I explained.
“Why would she tell you to put on a pair of sunglasses?” Benjamin asked.
“Because she knows.”
“…She knows?”
“She knows everything,” I admitted. “I told her what’s going on with me, with Michael’s sword and with Charlie too.”
“Oh.” Benjamin folded his arms across his chest. “Interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“Yes. Interesting.” Benjamin nodded, after his words. “I imagined that Mrs. Deveraux would be working alongside the Council, continuing their investigation into you. However, if she’s assisting you by helping you avoid detection, she is directly going against the Council’s wishes.”
“Isn’t that a good thing, though?” I asked. “I mean, she’s doing the right thing, isn’t she? Even if they can’t see it right now? They’ll have to forgive her for it one day.”
“Not in the Council’s eyes, no,” Benjamin answered. “Right now, she’s nothing but a traitor and it’ll be difficult, if not impossible, to convince the Council of anything otherwise, even if she is making the right choice in the moment.”