The Demon Academy: The Complete Collection

by G. Bailey

  “Good luck and have fun. It might be nothing—”

  “Every teacher is acting weird and almost frightened this week. I don’t think this is just going to be a regular ball,” I remind her.

  “Me neither, I just wanted to make you feel better,” she tells me.

  “You’re my best friend, Sera. You know that?” I tell her as I walk to the door.

  “You know you’re mine too,” she tells me, and I grin back at her, feeling more at home in this academy than I ever have done at this moment. This school gave me Sera, a chance to have her friendship, and I know it will last a long time between us.

  “See you later,” I say as I open the door and walk out into the corridor. I keep my head high as I walk past the statue and around it to the double doors that have always been closed until this night. Sera told me the decorations in the ballroom where insanely beautiful, and I can’t actually wait to see this room. A few students in light-red dresses look at me, and I smile at them, but they don’t smile back.

  “Enjoy the ball, Lexi,” I sharply turn to see Maggie at my side, appearing out of nowhere. She has a tight, floor-length red dress on with black vines wrapped around her arms and up to her neck. Her long hair is up in a high ponytail, curled to perfection, and her makeup makes her eyes seem darker and bigger somehow.

  “Same to you,” I reply. I’m surprised she said anything to me at all.

  “Letitia was my best friend, but I should have stopped her doing what she did. I didn’t, so it is as much my fault as it is yours that she is gone,” she tries to explain. It hurts that she knew she was going to try and kill me. At the end of the day, everything in this academy is trying to kill us, and as students, we should try to band together simply to survive.

  “Her soul belongs to Lucifer now,” I say, but it doesn’t feel like me that said it at all. My demon echoes the words in my head, making it clear who pushed that thought out of my lips.

  “As it should,” Maggie replies and nods her head at me before heading into the dark corridor behind the double doors. I keep my head high as I follow after her, walking down the silent corridor which has no lights. Two doors on the other side push open as I get close to them, revealing the ballroom, and the music blasts against my ears. An orchestra plays beautiful, soulful music on the one side of the ballroom, couples dance and spin around with each other in the middle, and the other side is a bar with small tables with red orbs floating in the middle of each table. I look back to the dancers, the way the women have long dresses that contrast with the men in white suits. The mix of red and white almost blur together like a beautiful painting, effortless and unique.

  Unforgettable.

  The ceiling has hundreds of red, white, and black orbs moving around in a circle shape, glowing brightly as they highlight the rest of the room. Tiny star-shaped red sparks of light fall from the ceiling, disappearing around the dancers, never quite touching them. Every part of the gold walled room is beautiful, and it doesn’t surprise me that they kept this room locked up away from anyone. I glance down at the deep, dark wooden floors below me, seeing how polished they are.

  “May I have this dance?” Morgan’s voice almost pulls me to him as I turn around, seeing his outstretched hand waiting for my answer. Morgan has a white suit on, which contrasts with his black wings right behind him. His black hair is styled to the left, pushed away from his forehead, and it makes him look less wild.

  Not that anyone could tame Morgan. He is reckless and wild...and that’s one of the many things I actually like about him. His green eyes meet mine like we were drawn to each other across a crowded room and there really is no one else. His eyes make me never want to look away, not when I see what hides behind them. The emotions there. I don’t answer with words, not trusting myself to know how to speak or what to say, but I slide my hand into his. My hand is so small and soft compared to his rough, large hands, but he makes me feel safe in a way I didn’t know I needed. Morgan leads me to the dance floor, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me against his body. I place my free hand on his shoulder, never once breaking the eye contact between us.

  “My professor wants to meet you. He has an idea about our secret,” Morgan whispers to me, never once breaking the dance we are doing, never once letting me have control as he moves me exactly how he wants. I try my best not to stand on his feet.

  “I can’t leave here and neither can you, so how would that work?” I ask.

  “A natural place, and I get one day off to go somewhere. We can work out a way for you to come with me,” he explains. He has it all thought out.

  “You never did tell me why you are here in DA,” I enquire.

  “You never needed to know,” he replies.

  “And now?” I ask.

  “Maybe one day, Miss Cameron,” he tells me.

  “Always maybes with you, Mr. Morganach,” I mutter. “I am glad you are talking to me once again.”

  “I realised something when I saw you today,” he explains.

  “What was that?” I ask.

  “That no matter how much I try to push you away, you will always be the only person I see in a crowded room,” he tells me, taking my breath away as the song stops. He steps back and nods his head to me before letting my hand go and walking away through the dancers. He can’t just say that and walk away. I take one step to follow him when Claus and Nikoli step out of the dancers, blocking my view.

  “Wow, you are stunning tonight, Lex,” Claus says, coming closer and resting his hand on my arm.

  “The dress suits you,” Nick comments. It’s almost comical how the twins are so different in their compliments, but they mean exactly the same thing. It makes me smile.

  “You two honestly don’t suit white. It gives the illusion you are innocent, and you are so not,” I remark, even though their tailored white suits do look extremely good on them, fitting them both to perfection.

  “Come on, we want you to be at the front for this,” Claus says, taking my hand and pulling me through the crowd without telling me exactly what is going on. I look back to see Nick following closely until we get out of the crowd and face the stage where the orchestra was, but they have cleared out, and music from speakers plays softly in the background instead. Nick comes to my other side, his whole body extremely tense whereas Claus looks excited. What is going on?

  “Welcome to the Unholy Winter Ball. We have someone very special to introduce you to, and he will be staying in our beloved Demon Academy for a while. We welcome our king, Lucifer,” Mr. Bisgaard says, and green fire burns across the floor. There are gasps and awes as a man in a red cloak walks up invisible steps, slowly appearing until he stands still in the middle of the green fire.

  “Hello, Father,” Nick mutters under his breath, but I can’t take my eyes off Lucifer as he lowers his cloak hood, revealing silky white locks of hair falling over his forehead, his eyes are a perfect shade of green, and I remember him.

  It’s Luc.

  Fucking hell, Luc is short for Lucifer, and I met the King of Hell in a restaurant and didn’t even know it. Luc’s eyes are fixed on mine as he winks at me and claps his hands, the green fire disappearing.

  “Join me, Alexandria,” Luc sweetly asks, holding out his hand, reminding me of Morgan holding his hand out earlier tonight. Only this time, I don’t want to take it.

  “No,” I reply before I can think about it. His eyes flip in seconds, turning black as he jumps off the stage and walks right up to me, only Claus and Nick move in front of me to protect me.

  “You know our mate, Father?” Claus asks.

  “Your mate?” Luc asks, a long laugh escaping his lips, which is strangely seductive to hear. “She is not your mate. She is mine.”

  “No—” Nick tries to say, but Luc cuts him off.

  “Shut up, son, and get out of my way. I must speak to my mate,” he demands, and I pray to all gods that the twins don’t move, but they do. They don’t look at me as they walk away, and I can only wa
tch them go, my heart hurting.

  “I’m not your mate,” I protest, taking a few steps back.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, but that is exactly what you are. It’s why I can walk on Earth because you have walked on Earth. Anywhere you go, I will follow,” he tells me. “You are my other half, my perfect mate.”

  “I—” I try to speak, but I’m clueless on what to say.

  “You are my mate, but I shall make allowances for you,” he decides, “rather than dragging you to hell with me until you learn to love me as you shall.”

  “Like what?” I gulp.

  “Time,” he says simply as my hands shake in fear. True, blinding fear.

  “Time?” I echo.

  “Time for us to truly get to know each other. I am staying here at DA, and you will be at my side every day,” he tells me. He has it planned that I want to be here or something.

  “I am not your mate. You have it wrong,” I point out.

  “Mr. Bisgaard, get me the choosing stone. Miss Alexandria Cameron needs to see who she is,” Luc demands. I’ve never seen Mr. Bisgaard disappear in flames so quickly. I pull my gaze to the twins by the door, Morgan next to them, and the casual way Nick is pushing Morgan away. I shake my head at him, just softly enough to let him know not to get involved. The choosing stone will say Luc is wrong, and then we can all go back to normal. Mr. Bisgaard appears in flames next to us this time, holding a red glowing stone out in his hand.

  “Your highness,” Mr. Bisgaard bows his head, offering it.

  “Take it, Alexandria. It will show you who you are meant to be,” Luc demands. Just to prove him wrong, I pick up the glowing stone and hear dozens of gasps around me from the other students left in the room.

  “Nothing has happened,” I say to myself, but Luc hears it.

  “Look at your reflection, Alexandria,” Luc suggests. I gaze down at the stone’s shiny surface and freeze, seeing a crown of flames hovering above my head. “You are my queen, and you shall rule at my side, Alexandria Cameron.”

  Chapter 27

  Love is a sweet betrayal

  “Time to celebrate, don’t you think?” he asks, and I glower at him. I don’t think so, no.

  “What is your suggestion, your highness?” Mr. Bisgaard asks in excitement. And to think, I liked the headmaster until this point. Everyone is a slave to this fallen angel who claims he is my mate, why should I have expected anything else?

  “Bring me all the wolf slaves. A mass murder is a brilliant way to party,” he suggests, and horror fills every part of my soul, of my mind, at the thought of anyone touching Sera. I can’t let the devil kill her. No fucking way.

  “No!” I shout at him, dropping the stone and snapping out of my shock. Luc moves in front of me in the blink of an eye, grabbing my throat hard enough I can’t breathe. I gasp and fight his grip before he suddenly lets me go. I drop to my knees, coughing and gasping for air.

  “Do not intervene with my ways. I am king, and as much as I need you, my queen, I will not be tested,” he demands, and I can only try to breathe. Thick tears fall down my cheeks, and he seems to smile as he sees he has scared me.

  “Am I excused?” I bite out, hating him so much already. He is not my mate...I don’t care what he says and what the stone shows me to be. I don’t want to be his queen; I don’t want to be his anything for that matter.

  “Of course. I’m sure you wish to rest. I will find you tomorrow,” he tells me, and for the first time since he arrived, I feel a little bit of hope. I can get Sera out of here, and if she lives a long-ass perfect life, then the world isn’t all shit after all. I pick myself up off my knees and rush to the door, finding Claus and Nikoli still waiting for me. I can barely look at them, knowing they just left me there with their monster of a father. Maybe they knew all along; maybe they were playing games with me and my heart.

  They are the sons of Lucifer after all.

  “I’m sorry—” Claus tries to tell me, but I cut him off. I can’t hear it right now.

  “Get as many wolves out of here as you can,” I demand, avoiding looking at the three wolves being dragged into the ballroom behind me.

  “We can’t—” Claus starts to say.

  “If you ever cared for me, even a small amount, you will get them out. I need you to,” I demand, and to my surprise, they both nod in agreement.

  “We will help you, and then we need to talk,” Nick states and runs off down the corridor as I head off to my room. The door is locked when I get to it, and I bang it a few times.

  “Sera, it’s me. Let me in, quickly,” I demand, hearing screams in the distance, and fear fills my body. I can’t let Sera die. I sigh in relief as she opens the door, and I shut it behind us, locking it once more.

  “You need to get out of here. Now,” I desperately tell her, and that’s when I see Javier holding a towel around his waist.

  “I’m here to take her,” Javier explains, walking up to me. “Go and stand by the door, Sera. I need to speak to Lexi for a moment.”

  “Okay,” Sera says, but she hugs me tightly first. “I love you, Lexi. Don’t get hurt. Please, and thank you for everything.”

  “Thank you, Sera. I love you too,” I tell her, letting her go and wiping my eyes as she walks away. I turn back and put my hand on the door, only to stop.

  “No, you can’t go down there!” Javier says, gripping my arm tightly.

  “Come with me. The wolves need help escaping him!” I demand. “Sera can get out herself and meet you with other wolves.”

  “They are lost, Lexi,” he says, pulling me to him, his voice growing quieter and softer. “Come with me; I can protect you in my pack and make sure no one will ever touch you. Lucifer is on Earth, and if he is going to declare war, he will be putting a large target on your head. On every demon’s head.”

  “If you feel anything for me at all, then you will follow me down there to save the other wolves,” I protest, hearing more screams. More cries for help. Sensing so much pain, it makes me feel sick. “They are your people!”

  “I-I can’t do that,” he says, his eyes flickering to Sera by the window.

  “Then let me go and get out of my way. Claus and Nikoli are getting your wolves out, and I won’t leave them on their own to do it,” I say, pulling my arm away and holding back my tears as I run to the door.

  “Because they are your mates, right?” he angrily asks me, making me pause in the doorway. I look back, knowing I shouldn’t say anything, but I can’t help it. It’s not them as my mates he should be worried about.

  “No, because I care about them. The wolves you are abandoning. If it was you down there, I’d fight for you too,” I tell him.

  “I’d never put you at risk,” he demands, letting my arm go.

  “But you are leaving me now. We both know who cares more in this,” I protest.

  “In what? It was just a friendship I made with you to keep my sister safe, Lexi,” he says, and I humourlessly chuckle to hide the pain in my throat. I never thought I could be disappointed in Javier until right now. I never thought I’d see him as weak. I look over at Sera by the window as tears stream down her cheeks and mentally keep their images in my mind. I know I’m not seeing either of them again.

  “Goodbye. I-I enjoyed knowing you both,” I say, though my voice cracks as I pull my hand away. I unlock the door and leave, running down the corridor.

  I’ve just decided to stay in school with the devil.

  God help me.

  Epilogue

  Lucifer (King of Hell)

  “When are you going to tell her the truth about who she is? About why you really want her?” she enquires, as I lie down in the pool of wolf blood all around me. The bodies are piled in every corner as they burn, making a dreadful smell. I have never liked the smell of burning hair; it really is some fucked-up smelling shit.

  And hell, wolves have a lot of hair.

  “When we are mated, of course,” I reply, a coarse laugh escaping my lips. “What
about you? Still pretending to be a simple talking cat instead of the exiled woman you really are?”

  “I’m protecting her, just like I promised her parents I would do,” Lilith states, standing over me in all her naked glory. She is the perfection of the mortal body, or demon, in her case. Smooth golden skin, long silky black hair, wide hips, and perky breasts.

  Perfection.

  She is the reason I fell into hell all those years ago after all. I even gave her children, but I suspect she still hates me for stealing them away from her and giving them to human parents.

  Our children are going to be a problem if they get in my way with Alexandria.

  “Alexandria will be my queen, walk in hell at my side...willingly. I expect you to stay out of my way, Lilith,” I warn her, spreading my fingers out in the thick blood. “Or I will tell her who you are. You never know, her demon monster might kill you before you could even explain yourself.”

  “She is not a monster,” Lilith bites out.

  “Alexandria Cameron is my perfect little monster. She just doesn’t know it yet,” I reply with a cruel laugh. “Now stay out of my way.”

  “As always, your highness,” she sarcastically replies before shifting into a silky black cat with glowing purple eyes and running off into the academy, leaving paw prints in the blood.

  As wolves howl, teenagers scream, and the scent of war rises in the air...I know I’m going to like this academy.

  Pre-order book two, Ruthless as Hell, here….

  Description

  I can’t escape this academy…

  My name is Lexi Cameron, and I really need some help in the form of two sexy demons, an alpha’s wayward son, and an angel who is worse than the fallen.

  The only (tiny) problem?

  They’d rather kill me than help me get out of here.

  Welcome to Demon Academy, where the students might do more than just try to kill you.