The Demon Academy: The Complete Collection

by G. Bailey

  Perhaps she hates me now because of the choice I made. Perhaps hell bonds our souls or something. I know hell does something to young demons—it’s why The Demon Academy is on earth and not down here. But what has it done to me?

  Sera is alive, and I won’t ever regret that. I just can’t.

  Hearing footsteps, I look up to see a shadow walking towards my cage just before the light highlights his bright blond hair, bright green eyes and stupid smirk in a posh suit that looks out of place here. “Ah, my queen is awake. Will you behave if I let you out?”

  “You call me your queen and yet you lock me up. Seems like you can’t make your mind up, Lucifer,” I reply, crossing my arms and holding my chin up high. He will not beat me down or intimidate me into doing anything for him or even agreeing with him. We both stare each other down for a long time, and every second he smiles like this is all some messed-up game.

  It sure isn’t going to be a messed-up game when his new queen stabs him in his useless heart.

  With a long, over the top sigh, he finally says, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  And I’m not going to, asshole. “Where is Morgan?”

  “Recovering from his fall,” Lucifer answers, his smug ass face suggesting he is happy to tell me that because he knows it’s not what I want to hear.

  “Where is Morgan exactly?” I practically growl.

  “I won’t kill him, if that is what you are concerned about,” Lucifer muses, stepping forward further into the light caused by the fires above, holding keys in his hands that clink against each other. “Once he comes into his full power, I will absorb it and then kill him. He has about twenty-four hours, but do not think I’m going to let you see your lover, Alexandria.”

  Rushing forward, I grip the bars as desperation takes over me. “You c-can’t—”

  “Morgan doesn’t matter, Alexandria. We have a mating ceremony to prepare for. After all, you made me a deal, and you can’t break a deal with the devil,” he says, flashing me a grin.

  I stare into his empty eyes, my heart feeling like it has been smashed into a dozen pieces as I start to realise I might not have a way to save Morgan. My game plan was to kill Lucifer at the first chance I got, but how can I kill him before he gets a chance to kill Morgan? My game plan might have taken me years. Gritting my teeth, I try to hold in a scream that wants to escape. “I. Know.” After he smiles at me, he unlocks the cage door and pushes the door open, the keys disappearing in red smoke.

  “Come on. I want to show you our castle and home.” The devil holds his hand out, and I glare at him, shoving his hand out of the way as I walk out of the cage. Step one, escape the cage. Step two, save Morgan. Step three, kill Lucifer.

  I can do this…but first I need to find Morgan. I turn to look back at Lucifer who is strolling behind me like he is attached on a piece of string I want to cut lose.

  “Where are we?” I ask him. I might as well get information on hell while I’m here.

  “This is the first section of hell, where we keep the newcomers, of course.”

  “Of course. It’s super inviting,” I sarcastically mutter. “How many sections of hell are there?”

  “Eleven. An odd number, I know,” he comments, like it’s something he has thought about a lot.

  “Which section is Morgan on?” I ask.

  “He is in my castle on section eight, where I will take you if you ever stop talking. Come along.” Lucifer walks across the rocky ground, and I don’t have a choice but to follow him as I try to make a plan to get myself out of this situation. At the other side of the cavern are four sets of shiny black doors. They are super modern for…hell. I cross my arms, feeling sweat trickling down the back of my neck as Lucifer presses a button on the side of the middle doors. The doors make a bing noise as they open to reveal a small room.

  “Is this a lift? In hell?” I stupidly ask, as it’s clearly a lift... I just didn’t expect it.

  “Why are you surprised? Did you expect hell to be rocks and fire demons running around naked?” he asks as we both step inside.

  “Was it ever like that?” I reply, actually curious.

  “Before I got here, yes. I made hell civilised,” he proudly comments. “It is now everything the human world needs.”

  “And you made yourself king as payment,” I remind him. He isn’t a saint who did it all for free. I hate how DA all but worships this monster. He is selfish, and he has never done anything that wasn’t for himself.

  “We all take a price for our actions, Alexandria. Your price was a half breed mutt’s life,” he reminds me.

  “Her name is Serafin, and no matter what her blood makes her, she is worth any price.”

  “We will see how many years it takes you to regret the price you promised. I believe it won’t be many,” he says, and he laughs, pressing one of the eight buttons on the side. If there are eleven sections, then why aren’t there more number buttons?

  “Do you regret much, Lucifer?” I muse, stopping him laughing all together. “I think you’ve made worse decisions than I ever have, and you have nothing more than hell full of disloyal subjects to show for it.” His hand smacks across my face, slamming me into the back of the lift, and I tumble to the floor. Lucifer doesn’t look down at me as I hold my throbbing cheek, tasting blood in my mouth from where I bit my cheek. The lift goes down, making butterflies flutter in my stomach even as it feels like my cheek is healing super quickly. Must be a hell gift.

  The black glass doors do little to hide the city as it comes into view in the blink of an eye. A city in hell, full of demons, who knew? High rise towers fill the main part of the city, made of pure black stone with black windows. The tops are shaped like spears, stretching into the fire covered ceiling. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of little stone houses around the centre of the city, and beyond that is acres of red leaved trees of all different sizes.

  Hell is beautiful.

  “Look at my kingdom of hell, Alexandria, and tell me if I regret anything.”

  Chapter 57

  Cat for luck, mother for love?

  Javier

  “Has she woken up yet?” Nikoli’s question is more of a demand than anything else. I peel my gaze away from Sera lying on Lexi’s bed, to where he stood in the doorway, his shadow hanging over me from the light behind him. I gently place Sera’s pale hand down before getting up and walking over to him, tugging the door shut behind me. Sera’s life might have been saved, but her soul needs to recover. Or that’s what one of the cooky teachers here told me when they came and checked up on her as I asked them to. After Eike threatened to kill all the teachers and hang their hearts around Sera to help her heal, they quickly came to our aid.

  I don’t think my best friend would have done that. At least, hopefully not.

  “What do you think? She died, she needs time to heal,” I all but growl at him as he walks away from me into Lexi’s living room. It still smells like her in here, and everything in this place makes me want to hit something. Glancing at Nikoli, I realise he is as fucked up as I am without Lexi here. This apartment smells of her, settling me and my wolf a little inch away from losing our shit and trying to dig our way down into hell to get our mate back. Closing my hands into fists, I push my wolf as far back as I can, knowing shifting and letting him take control would be very bad for everyone.

  And it wouldn’t get Lexi back.

  Lexi saved my sister at the price of her own life, the price of going to hell and god knows what else she gave up. I love her more for it, but I hate that there was no other way and that Lucifer has her now. She is my mate, my soul, my everything in this world, and I knew it the second I broke into her apartment and she stood up to me like I wasn’t an alpha wolf she should have been scared of.

  Lexi isn’t scared of anything, or she never shows that emotion to anyone, and right now I need to be the same. To be strong and make a decent plan with these demons she loves to get her back.

  “The fucking
useless headmaster says hell is banned to everyone and all portals have been locked from the inside. He doesn’t have a way to help us get in,” Nikoli explains. Claus punches the wall, setting it on fire a little before he stalks away to pace in front of the window where he has been for a long time.

  “I told you how to get into hell, but you have all ignored me,” a voice cuts into the silence, and we all turn to look at her sitting on the counter.

  “Because your way is fucking crazy, Mother,” Claus shouts at the cat. How this cat is their mother, I don’t want to know. Either way, the twins have serious mummy issues going on that is making the tension far worse. “In fact, don’t talk, or I’m throwing you out the window over the cliff like I should have done when we got back here. Maybe you can shift into a fish and swim the fuck away.”

  “Maybe she is right…” I drawl, remembering the cat’s advice she tried to give us when we first got here.

  “Lilith suggested using an angel to open a portal to hell. Unfortunately, our only angel friend just jumped into hell before the gate closed in our faces,” Nikoli reminds me. “I doubt a fallen angel inside hell is going to be any use. We will be lucky if Morgan isn’t fighting Lucifer, and Lexi doesn’t get caught in the middle before we get there.”

  “I have an angel friend you can trust. He is a friend of Alexandria’s and Morgan’s. He will help her,” the cat-demon mother suggests.

  Claus and Nikoli look at each other for a long pause before Claus speaks. “And how do you suggest we contact him, Mother?”

  “Angels don’t leave calling cards,” Nick adds.

  “I will get him for you. Be right back.” The cat runs out of the room as Eike storms in holding new blankets for Sera, followed by an older demon I don’t know, who closes the door. Eike pats my shoulder as he passes me and heads straight to Sera to change her blanket as she keeps sweating so much that they need constantly changing. Apparently Eike can sense her wolf trying to shift, but her human side isn’t having it without a full moon, and that’s why she is like this. Until she wakes and calms her wolf, this is just going to continue.

  “Mr. Bisgaard, what can we do for you?” Nikoli asks, in a not too friendly way either.

  “Wolves are not allowed in The Demon Academy any longer. I am here to request you remove them all,” he demands, holding his head high, but he betrays himself when he glances at me in disgust. Fucking demons.

  I cross my arms, baring my teeth as I growl. “You can try removing me and see what happens, teacher.”

  “Claus, Nikoli, your father demanded—”

  “Let’s just make this clear.” Claus walks right up to the teacher, interrupting his sentence mid-way. “We own this academy now, not you. If you do one fucking thing to annoy us, my father will be the least of your worries, because you will be hanging off the top of the academy with your heart missing. Get out of this room and do your fucking job.” His eyes glow green, his hands changing colour as he threatens his headmaster for me and Sera and Eike.

  I see why Lexi likes these two now. Almost.

  “Y-yes,” the headmaster babbles before running out of the room, slamming the door shut.

  “Where is Lexi, and what did she do?” We all turn at Sera’s soft voice. I take two steps, tugging her into my arms. Thank fuck she has woken up.

  “Lexi made a deal with the devil to save your life,” I whisper to her, feeling her body shaking in my arms and the sob caught in her throat. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry, because no one is, and I know Lexi isn’t.”

  “What?” Sera’s voice is soft and full of shock. She looks up at me, and I nod, knowing she loves Lexi as much as we all do. Except Eike. I can just about deal with these demons and the now fallen angel being in Lexi’s life. After a few tears fall down her cheeks, she holds her head high, steeling her gaze on me before looking at the twins and then back to Eike who stands a few feet away, watching Sera too closely for my liking.

  “Then how are we getting Lexi back?” she asks, putting her hands on her hips.

  “We are waiting on a cat…” I answer, and Sera looks at me like I’ve gone mad.

  “Wait? A cat? Which cat?” Sera asks, crossing her arms and looking between us all. “Someone better start explaining everything right now. My best friend is in a lot of trouble, and I am not letting her face it alone,” she demands. “I will go to hell and kill Lucifer myself if that’s what Lexi needs.”

  “Yes, madam, we like that idea. We should discuss it more as we wait for my mother,” Claus smirks, and I glare at him and then Eike, who I catch staring at Sera like a lovesick puppy.

  “What does your mother have to do with the cat?” Sera asks, super confused. As Sera goes to stand with the twins, chatting away with them about how Amethyst is their mother, I feel Lexi’s presence missing like a hole in my chest.

  Nothing is right without Lexi here…and nothing ever will be.

  Chapter 58

  Love is as bitter cold as desperation in the end.

  I peel myself off the floor as the lift stops on a level below the city, and this place is just as beautiful as the city of hell seems to be. Sitting at the back of the cavern is a massive black castle with spiralling towers, red stained glass windows that stretch from the ground floor to the highest floors. The castle is surrounded by an impressive garden, filled with every kind of red plant and tree you could imagine, perfectly existing down here. In the middle of the garden is a row of water fountains with red water, at least I hope it’s water, and small little streams run from them down the sides of the black stone pathways.

  I nearly jump out of my skin as three men appear out of nowhere, and they look a little like Hellers, but they wear long red cloaks instead of black ones, and they don’t have hoods that cover their faces. Instead, they are painted black with a strange symbol drawn onto their foreheads, and their eyes never open, making me wonder if they actually do at all. I feel Lucifer’s eyes on me every single second I take to look around, and I wonder if he wants me to say something. Like, oh I love the place you are going to lock me up in forever. Cute flowers!

  “Why are these Hellers like this?” My question seems to finally get him to look away from me and towards the waiting Heller.

  “These are a special brand of Hellers; they are the loyal guards of hell. They are personally chosen by me,” Lucifer explains. “They once simply protected the gates of hell, and then I promoted them, so to speak.”

  I nod, crossing my arms. “What is that on their forehead?”

  “It’s my mark,” Lucifer simply states.

  “But why?” I ask.

  He looks down at me like I’m a bug he wants to squish, and he grins. “The symbol forbade them from talking, from communicating with anyone that isn’t me. It’s the perfect way to keep them loyal. The spell also makes it impossible to open their eyes, yet they can see much more than they ever could due to magic.”

  “That’s cruel,” I whisper, looking at the Heller and feeling deeply sorry for him.

  “Hell isn’t a fairy tale, little Alexandria. Now come along, you need to see your home, and I have a wedding to plan. Are you not as excited as me?”

  I don’t answer that, mainly because I don’t feel like being hit again. My cheek still throbs, and where I’ve bitten the inside of my mouth hurts like a bitch. Lucifer all but prances down the footpath at my side, and I keep my mind busy with ways I’m going to kill this motherfucker.

  “What are on the other sections of hell?” I ask, and he reaches out, grabbing my elbow in his grip.

  “Let’s just say every section above this one and including this one, you are allowed on. If you go to the lower floors, I will lock you up quicker than you can blink,” he warns me, tightening his grip to emphasise how serious he is, I suspect, before he lets me go.

  “Understood,” I bite out.

  “Remember, little Alexandria, if you don’t hold up your end of the deal, I will go to earth and rip the half breed mutt to tiny pieces. Then I will
bring little bits of her back here for you,” he almost sweetly warns. My heart tightens because this is the problem; he knows I love Sera. She is a sister to me, my best friend, and she is pure and everything good the world needs.

  And right now, she is a weakness that Lucifer can hold over me.

  “I never said I wouldn’t hold up my end of the deal, Lucifer. You are jumping to conclusions without proof,” I say.

  “It’s the way you look at me. You want to kill me, but alas, that is not something I can allow to happen,” he comments. “You look at me as Lilith did the second she realised who I actually am.” That’s interesting.

  “Why do you want me as your mate? You could have anyone, but choosing me means you will never have someone that loves you,” I ask.

  “I want you because you are the only other being that can touch souls and own them. That is all you need to know,” he explains to me. “And I quite like you, Miss Alexandria Cameron. You are sarcastic, beautiful and powerful…I may love you one day.”

  Gulping down the disgust burning in my throat, I ask, “So I’m not your true mate?”

  He laughs low and long. “No, Lilith was always that, and she knew it. It was her angel blood, the blood of the first angel in hell that made demons to begin with. The angels will never admit that, but they know where demons came from in the beginning, which makes angels and demons true mates more often than not. I remember the day I saw Lilith, I was looking after a human charge, and she was the human’s date. Lilith could project herself into humans’ bodies for a day and live their lives, but she could not escape hell, so I went to hell for her and permanently opened the gates.”