Descend (Celestial Academy Book 2): A Reverse Harem Romance

by Maya Nicole

  "Now you guys will know how I felt all these months with her so far away. Imagine how I felt not even able to go to her on campus. You two can at least fly and be here in a few minutes." Asher dried his hands and he and Olly sat on the sectional next to each other.

  Tobias moved my hair off my shoulders and leaned down to kiss my neck. He trailed his lips to my ear and moved his mouth so it was only touching when he spoke. "No more early morning visits."

  "You can still visit me in the mornings," I breathed as he flicked his tongue against my ear.

  "Not the same." He kissed my temple and pulled me after him to the couch.

  I turned back towards the kitchen when my phone buzzed on the countertop. I picked it up, finally seeing a reply from my dad. Your mother cooked me that same exact meal the night she told me she was pregnant.

  My phone slipped from my hand.

  I had convinced myself that the woman from the grocery store couldn't have been Lilith. That would mean she was following me. I didn't say a word about it to the guys; they didn't need any reason to try to stop me from moving off campus.

  I made my way across the lush campus of Los Angeles Celestial Academy towards the staff building. The grounds were mostly deserted since it was class time and all first years were taking their guardian placement assessment.

  I had been the first one done. Whether that was a good sign or a bad sign would be known soon. Would I be a healer, warrior, intellectual, or a spiritual guardian angel?

  The test was a joke, at least for me. I was no angel. I couldn't heal. I wasn't a fighter. I definitely didn't have the brains to be an intellectual. And well, my spiritual beliefs were shaky at best. The test was supposed to determine which courses angels took from second year forward.

  I smiled to myself, thinking of the test. It had some ridiculous questions on it. It was mostly multiple choice that tried to gauge interest and personality. My favorite questions were the open-ended ones. In particular the question: Two people are in a room and you are told one of them has to die. What five questions would you ask to decide who lives and who dies?

  I was certain my response was not what they were looking for at all. I wrote:

  What is this, the movie Saw? First off, I would never be in a room where one of two people has to die. In what world would this happen? I will humor you though. This is assuming the two people don't know that one of them is going to die.

  How would you describe the one person in your life you would die for?

  If you had one day left to live, what would you do?

  Diet Dr. Pepper or Diet Pepsi?

  Dogs or cats?

  Dark chocolate or white chocolate?

  Clearly anyone that answers Diet Pepsi, cats, or white chocolate is a prime candidate for death. Asking who deserves to live or die in any situation is a ridiculous question. I expect better from angels.

  Most of my answers were filled with snark. I was sure Olly came up with something that transcended the fine line between morality and immorality.

  I changed into jeans and an old shirt once back in my room. I texted Asher that I was done with my test. He had taken half the day off to help me and Olly pack my life and move it to my new place.

  Thirty minutes later, I went downstairs to let Asher into the building and to help him carry boxes in. The building was mostly empty since all of the teachers were teaching or scoring the placement assessments.

  "You got finished with your test pretty quickly," Asher commented, following me up the stairs. He had to stop halfway to adjust the grip on the stack of boxes he held. "Did it go okay?"

  "Everyone stared at me like I was crazy for being done so fast, so probably not. I thought it was better to just answer with my immediate thoughts. I bet I'm in Slytherin." I walked into my room and dropped the broken-down boxes on my bed.

  "Slytherin?" I turned and saw the confused look on his face. Was he kidding? He had to be kidding. He must not have paid any attention at Universal Studios.

  I grabbed a box and taped it up. The déjà vu was strong as I pulled the tape gun across the bottom.

  "What do you want me to help with?" He grabbed the tape gun from me and taped another box.

  I was just about to answer when Olly burst into the room, panting. The door banged against the counter. Asher dropped the tape gun he was holding and cursed.

  "Fuck, man! Don't do shit like that!" Asher shook his head and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

  I frowned and put my hands on my hips.

  "I didn't know he'd be here yet." He had to take two breaths to get his words out.

  "Why are you panting? Did something happen?" I went back to taping boxes. I wanted to check on Asher, but the lock had clicked, meaning he wanted to be left alone.

  "Just wanted to see you." He made his way to the bathroom door and knocked gently. "I'm sorry."

  There were grumbles in return and Olly turned back to me with a frown. I just shrugged. I was used to the mood swings from Asher. Sometimes they were for a reason, like when something unpredictable happened, but they were also seemingly for no reason.

  "Here, why don't you put the crap in my nightstands in this box." I handed him a box and then started emptying my dresser drawers.

  "I'm sure none of your stuff is crap," he said as Asher finally came out of the bathroom.

  Olly was bent at the waist, his hand starting to open the nightstand when he looked over his shoulder. Asher's eyes were heated as he stared back at Olly. His eyes slid briefly to his ass before turning back to the box he had dropped.

  The sexual tension between the two of them was getting worse every time we were together. I didn't know what was holding them back. I had been pretty clear that I wanted them to explore their feelings for each other, but maybe I hadn't been clear enough.

  Olly started putting the contents of my nightstand into the box. It mostly contained cords and old notes from Ava.

  "What is this?" He held up my purple clit stimulator with an amused look on his face. My face heated as both their eyes landed on me.

  He pushed the button and it started buzzing, causing him to drop it on the bed. Asher grabbed it and turned it off.

  "What would you even need this for?" Asher asked, his eyes widening and glimmering with mischief. "Are the three of us just not doing it for you anymore? We can remedy that pretty quickly."

  "When was the last time you jacked off?" I grabbed it from him and he grabbed my wrist, tugging me towards him.

  "In the shower before coming here. I don't see what that has to do with you having a toy." His eyes went to my lips.

  "So you can get off without me, but I can't without you?" I laughed and pulled away from him before he could move in to kiss me.

  We had packing to do. Not that there was much, but I was more than ready to leave this place in the dust.

  "Do you use it often?"

  "Lately, no. Now, say two really hot male angels walked in my room and started making out and touching each other. I wouldn't even hesitate to use it." I couldn't stop the smirk that spread across my face as Asher's eyes widened further and Olly made a sound that was half gasp, half choke.

  "Do you often get hot angels coming to your room and making out?" Asher moved back to the dresser he was emptying. He grabbed a handful of clothes and put them in a box, avoiding Olly, who was staring at him.

  I sat down against my headboard and turned on the toy, the sound filling the quiet room. "Not as often as I'd like."

  "Let's say two hot angels did come to your room. Wouldn't you just use them instead of that hunk of plastic?" Asher shut the empty drawer and turned to look straight at me, his lips in a tight-line, his eyes darkened by his dilated pupils.

  "Maybe, but sometimes it's fun to watch. Especially when they've been eye-fucking each other." I unbuttoned my pants and looked between the two of them. "I don't know what's been holding them back."

  The tension in the room escalated, the lust so palpable I could almo
st reach out and dip my fingers in it. Olly took a step towards Asher who backed against the dresser. This was one of those moments that it felt like the world stopped spinning for everyone except the two men in front of me.

  Olly cupped the back of his neck, pulling him closer. His move surprised me, but then again Olly seemed to have turned over a new leaf.

  "I don't know if this is-" He didn't even let Asher get the words out before he kissed him hard.

  In my head I had imagined their first kiss being a little softer, very PG. I thought it would be Hallmark Channel gentle with U2's With or Without You playing in the background. Instead, what I got was stormy, forceful, and enough to melt my panties right off.

  Asher put his hands on Olly's shoulders and pushed him slightly. Olly didn't budge, having a few inches and pounds of muscle on him. Asher was stiff as a board, and when Olly finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard.

  "Sorry, I-" Olly started, but Asher grabbed him and spun him so he was pressed against the dresser. The dresser hit the wall and he stared at Olly, one hand bunched in his shirt, the other braced on the edge of the dresser.

  I couldn't take my eyes off the two of them, my toy forgotten for the moment. It was like two pit bulls circling each other, waiting to go in for the kill. Olly's eyes landed on me but Asher let go of his shirt and grabbed his chin, bringing his eyes back to him.

  They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, having a silent conversation with their eyes. I knew Olly was open to being with a man, but Asher was a closed book when it was brought up. My stomach dropped as my brain finally processed the fallout that this might cause between all of us.

  I shouldn't have pushed them so hard. They weren't ready and I had forced their hand with my flirting and teasing.

  I was just about to get off the bed to make sure Asher didn't turn violent when he leaned forward and kissed Olly. My heart thumped hard in my chest as their lips moved against each other, Olly's hand settling on Asher's waist.

  Asher pulled away and cleared his throat. "We should finish packing her stuff."

  Words must have escaped Olly because he nodded before both he and Asher looked at me on the bed. There was uncertainty written in their eyes, like maybe they thought I'd have an issue with what they just did.

  "That was... wow." I stood on shaky legs and threw my vibrator in the box.

  They probably didn't need me masturbating to their first kiss, although the wetness between my legs was hard to ignore.

  Chapter Ten

  I didn't think it would be too different living in my own place, but somehow, it was. Living on campus never felt right and being in my dad's house never came with the responsibility of taking care of things on my own.

  Now I was on my own.

  The space was quite large for being a one-bedroom apartment, with an open concept living room and kitchen. The ceilings were high and the windows were the same old factory style as Asher's. The bedroom was probably my favorite because it was large enough to fit a gigantic bed that could easily fit all of us.

  The guys hadn't seen the bed yet, and I'm sure their reactions would be priceless.

  I plopped down on my couch and hugged a pillow to my chest. Things were finally starting to look up for me. School was almost out and I was going to pass all of my classes. The only problem was that I didn't see what purpose they would serve.

  Did the academy offer a course on dealing with your tainted blood?

  Did they offer a class on not turning evil?

  I stared at my reflection in the blank television screen. The angels at the academy weren't wrong that I had evil blood. They just thought it was my father's. Boy, were they wrong.

  I still had to figure out how to tell Tobias, Asher, and Olly about what I knew about my mother and about my own blood. I didn't know who would have a worse reaction.

  I pulled myself from the couch, which was absurdly comfortable and had to have some kind of tranquilizing properties, and walked around the island into the kitchen. I was about to start pulling out ingredients to cook when a knock came at my door.

  The guys weren't supposed to come over for another hour. I was cooking for them again. The only way to learn is to actually do it. This time I was doing more than boiling water and dumping sauce on pasta.

  I walked to the door and looked out the peephole. A delivery driver stood outside, a van with 'Beautiful Blossoms' written on the side was behind him. My stomach fluttered and I opened the door. No one had sent me flowers before.

  "Danica? I have a delivery here for you." My eyes went wide as I took in the vase of roses in his hands and the open back door of his delivery van. "Forty-two roses."

  "Forty-two?" I took the vase and he turned to grab two more vases.

  "He was very specific."

  I didn't see a card and twisted my face in thought. "Is there not a card? Who are they from?"

  "He was very specific about that too. There isn't a card and I can't give you his name." The man smiled and then got into the van to leave.

  I didn't know rose buying protocol, but with crazy stalkers I would have thought a buyer would have to give more information to the recipient. I set the vases on the counter and stared at the roses. Who would send me such a random number?

  Maybe he had meant forty-eight. That made more sense. I started counting them. Forty-one. I counted again.

  I picked up my phone and sent a group text. Thanks for the roses, whoever sent them.

  I pulled out the ingredients to make chicken enchiladas. The website I got the recipe off of said only an idiot would mess up the recipe that pretty much was tortillas, canned chicken, sour cream, canned sauce, and cheese. As long as I remembered to set the timer, I was confident I wouldn't be an idiot.

  I emptied the cans of chicken in a bowl and added the sour cream. It would probably be better with fresh chicken but there was no way I was risking giving everyone salmonella poisoning due to my poor cooking skills. Plus raw chicken grossed me out.

  I checked my phone and frowned down at the responses to my thank you. None of them had sent me roses. Maybe my dad had sent them, although that certainly didn't make any sense.

  I laid a flour tortilla on a cutting board and was about to scoop the chicken mixture inside when there was another knock on the door. I wiped my hands on a towel and looked out the peephole.

  My heart stopped.

  Reve's head was down, but I'd recognize his slicked back hair anywhere. How had he even known where I lived? I gulped down the lump that had suddenly worked its way into my throat and put my shaking hand on the door handle.

  When I had told him to leave, he hadn't been back. I didn't quite know how to feel about him standing on the other side of my door in the flesh. Would he be the same as he was in my dreams?

  He knocked again and I took a steadying breath before opening the door a crack. He had a hand behind his back, and the other tucked in his front pocket, his thumb in the belt loop of his distressed jeans.

  "Hi." His voice was just as soothing as it had always been.

  I ran my eyes down his body before meeting his moss-colored eyes twinkling back at me. He pulled his hand out from behind his back.

  "You sent me the roses?" I still hadn't opened the door fully, trying to decide if it was safe. He was a demon.

  My shoulders slumped as my own thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks. I was a demon too. His slight smile suddenly dropped and his eyes glistened with concern. He could read me like a book. Of course he could; he had been inside my head.

  "Yes, I did. Are you okay? You're pale."

  I put my hand against my cheek. I stepped out of the way and opened the door.

  "It's just, you're real. You're a demon. You were inside my dreams."

  Were all demons so attractive?

  He blinked a few times and cleared his throat. "Are you going to let me in or should I go?"

  I moved to the side and he stepped into the foyer, handing me the rose in his hand. I
didn't know what to make of him. He tortured people in their dreams, turning them into nightmares. Yet, here he was, sending me roses.

  We stood awkwardly facing each other, the rose acting as a barrier between us. I probably shouldn't just go opening my door to strangers and then letting them inside. He wasn't a stranger though. He knew me more intimately than my boyfriends even did. He knew my worries and fears. He knew my desires.

  Besides, he could probably get inside without me even opening the door.

  "Do you want something to drink? Do demons eat and drink?" I bit my lip as I stepped back into the kitchen. I didn't know what to say to him.

  He stopped at the edge of the counter and propped his hip against it, his legs crossed at the ankles, and folded his arms crossed over his chest. The fabric of his black cotton t-shirt stretched and his biceps poked out from the sleeves.

  His arms were covered in tattoos, just like they were in my dreams. The most noticeable tattoos being the chains around his neck and wrists. I hadn't had the balls to ask him about them yet.

  "I don't have to eat or drink."

  I nodded and went back to putting the chicken and sour cream mixture in a tortilla with cheese as if I hadn't just let a demon into my apartment. I could feel his eyes watching me and braved another glance at him.

  "Are you cooking for them?" His voice had a hint of jealousy to it. "Maybe I should go."

  I shook my head. I finished the last enchilada and dumped the can of green sauce over them and sprinkled grated cheese on top. I was considering what I wanted to say to him as I preheated the oven.

  "Why were you in my dreams? Was I even in control? I felt like I was." It really had felt like my feelings and actions were my own.

  He hopped up on my counter like he owned the place and his hands wrapped around the edge. I kept my distance, not trusting myself to be closer to him. I was drawn to him, just like I had been in my dreams.

  "Forty-two days ago I was over the roof and was drawn to your pain. I couldn't resist a taste since pain and suffering feed me. But when I was in your own nightmare it made me sick. That was the night I asked you to dance." His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at me. "You've always had free will. Well except when you wanted your three boyfriends there. I blocked that."