by Katie May
“What look are you going for?” Layla crosses her long bare legs, her skirt riding up. As per her usual, she wears the Academy skirt and blouse that leaves little to the imagination. Her dark hair cascades over one shoulder in luscious curls. I wish I had the balls to wear what I wanted without fear of being reprimanded.
But I’m afraid I’ll resemble an Oompa Loompa instead of a Barbie doll like her.
“What do you mean?” I consider myself in the full-length mirror. The outfit will make my boobs look larger than they actually are and show off my toned stomach. The pants will accentuate my ample ass—my best quality, if I’m being honest.
“You’re obviously trying to impress these boys,” she points out. “Or else you wouldn’t worry so much about what you’re wearing.”
“I am not!” I protest, dramatically touching my chest. “What type of person do you take me for? Definitely not one who would try to seduce the sexy brothers. Nope. Not me. Never.”
Layla flashes me a brilliant smile, seeing through my defensive front.
Not that I blame her.
The thought of seducing Auston and Preston...
Goosebumps erupt on my arms at the mere thought, my body’s visceral reaction.
It honestly takes me by surprise. The two men, from what little I garnered, are incredibly different both in looks and personality. Well...not looks besides their hair color and body type. Their facial features? Similar. The way they flaunt those features? Extremely different. Preston is awkward and outgoing, his body lean and lightly muscled. A swimmer’s body. Broad shoulders leading down to a tapered waist and an easygoing smile that for some indecipherable reason makes me melt.
Fucking melt like he’s water and I’m the Wicked Witch of the West.
Auston, on the other hand, exudes strength and masculinity. I’m pretty sure even his muscles have muscles. Even when I was falling from the bridge, I felt instantly protected in his arms. Comforted.
“I wouldn’t blame you one bit.” Layla stands and moves to my closet, surveying the selection with calculating eyes. “Those men are fucking yummy. I could lick their abs.”
“And I could lick their penises,” Aggie cuts in, startling me enough that I drop the clothes I was carrying with a cry.
“Jesus Christ, Aggie! Warn a girl next time!”
She sits up in bed, blinking fatigue from her eyes, and as she stretches, the blanket falls down to, once again, reveal...
Sagging tits.
Of fucking course.
Layla, seemingly unperturbed by my roommate’s naked body, grabs a lime green tank top, dipped low, and black yoga pants with a green waistband.
“This.” She bobs her head decisively. “Not too revealing, but still shows off your body. This is the type of outfit you would glance once at, look away, and then stare at again because you’re not sure what exactly you saw the first time. Trust me. It oozes sexuality. Subtle sexuality.”
“Subtle,” I repeat dryly, grabbing the proffered outfit.
Aggie moves to stand behind me with her hands on her hips.
“What are you doing here?” she asks Layla, not unkindly. My friend’s—if you can even call her that this soon—lips twitch in something akin to a snarl.
“My roommate decided it would be a good idea to invite her Reaper back to our room,” Layla responds. When Aggie continues staring at her, not comprehending, she adds, “They’re doing the dirty. The horizontal tango. The willy and the nilly. The downward dog. Jackhammer galore. Pound town. Twiddle me nipples. Cahoot and the shoot. Trimming the garden. Wet a pet.”
“Okay!” I cut in, raising my hands. “I think she gets it.”
Aggie flashes me a look. “I need more examples. Maybe a demonstration…?”
“You kinky horn dog,” I tease, shaking my head. Without waiting for her response, I shut the door to the closet and change into the outfit Layla picked out. I have to admit that it looks good on me, and as an added bonus? It feels fucking amazing, the shirt gliding over my stomach like silk.
The straps are thin enough that you see my sports bra peeking through. Somehow, that adds to the whole “subtle sexuality” thing Layla mentioned. The pants, stopping mid-calf, cling to my body like a second skin.
It makes my ass look really fucking good.
When I emerge, Layla and Aggie are arguing about the proper way to put on a condom.
“You don’t fucking use your teeth,” Layla scoffs, her voice teeming with annoyance.
I’m so happy I missed that conversation.
While they’re preoccupied, I grab a hairbrush and untangle my sandy blonde locks. After placing it in a messy bun, strategically pulling pieces out so it looks even messier, I have to admit I look good.
I’m not vain or anything, but as most girls will tell you, there are moments when you feel prettier than normal. Who knew workout gear would do that for me?
Maybe I should’ve taken up jogging when I was alive.
And then I think about actually running and that thought dissipates.
I have a severe distrust of all people who can run more than a mile without a stitch appearing in their stomachs. Obviously, those people aren’t human. Unless you’re running to get food, there is no reason you should ever jog for fun. None.
“See? Subtly sexual.” Layla grins at me. “If I was a boy, I would totally tap that.”
“I’d look better in it,” Aggie mutters despondently.
“You definitely have the body for it,” Layla assures her, patting her arm. Aggie practically preens.
“I’m going to be heading out now. I’m already, like, ten minutes late.”
“Fashionably late,” Layla corrects, grabbing her Academy jacket off the chair. It’s way too hot to wear the thing, but Layla insists it adds something to the uniform. Honestly, I learned not to get into a fashion argument with Layla after she spent the last hour snapping at me for wearing mismatched pajamas. “I’ll come with. I’m meeting up with my Angel, Teddy, as well.”
“Teddy?” I hold the door open for her, and both she and Aggie step past. Immediately, I grab hold of Aggie’s bare shoulder and push her back into the room with a pointed look. She glances down at her naked body, shrugs, and attempts to follow me once more. This time, I slam the door in her face.
“Yeah. He’s in his mid-thirties. Died from a heart attack. Good man. Had a wife and two kids.” From her tone, I can see how much she admires and respects him.
We move briskly out of the dorm and into the blistering sun. Or, fake sun. I still have no idea if it’s an illusion or if the school is located on a fluffy white cloud over the Earth.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Layla asks.
“I think so. You?”
“In the building we had the assembly in. I think it’s usually like a recreation hall or something. Teddy said that...holy sex on a beach with sand in the vagina.”
I glance at her quickly in surprise, but her attention is fixed on something over my shoulder. Following the direction of her gaze, I feel my mouth drop open as well.
Yup. She’s right. These guys would totally be worth sand in the nether land.
They’re all gorgeous, but only one completely captures my attention.
He stands in front of the pack, his dark hair grazing his nearly black eyes. No, not nearly black. They are black. Obsidian orbs stare back at me from a face carved from marble. My breath hitches, and my heartbeat ratchets up a notch. His shirt is in tatters, blood matting portions of his hair to his scalp. He looks as if he has fought a meat grinder...and lost. Horns as dark as night jut from his head, and black, veiny wings protrude from his shoulder blades, and I wonder if they feel as velvety as they look.
His eyes ensnare my own, and I am helpless to look away. There’s something about him…
He seems familiar.
He glances away sharply, leaning forward to whisper something into the ear of the Demon girl standing next to him. She laughs, and his lips twitch.
&nb
sp; Something akin to jealousy spears my chest, which is completely irrational. I don’t know him. At all.
So why does the little green monster want to come out and play?
“They’re Demons,” a gruff voice says in my ear, and I jump. It’s both familiar and unfamiliar, that voice.
“Hi, Jake,” I chirp, turning. His eyes raise from where they were obviously resting on my ass. An easy grin crosses his face, and he shifts his gaze from me to Layla. His eyes drop to her cleavage before moving lower to her long legs.
“Who’s this?” he inquires.
“Layla.” Her voice is uncharacteristically sharp.
“Demons,” I say, recapturing his attention. Not that I want it. Fucking Jake is good looking, but something about him puts me on edge. I can’t necessarily pinpoint what.
“They just returned from a trip to Hell,” he explains. “Second and third years often go on field trips like that. Demon students are sent to Hell with their teams to find and kill monsters.”
“Monsters?” I repeat, fascinated.
“Hellhounds, for one. They sometimes escape from the deepest pit of hell, and it’s the Demons’ job to keep them contained. Rogue souls too. Keep them in check. And, the most fearsome monster of all.” He lowers his voice ominously. It seems as if he believes that the lower his voice is, the closer he’s allowed to get to me. He pauses when his lips are a hair's breadth away from mine.
And then he stays there, waiting. Baiting me.
Damn my curiosity. I take the hook with greedy hands.
“What monster?” I tap my foot with annoyance.
“Before the beginning, there was Darkness. And that Darkness had to be trapped in order for the light to shine.”
Of all the cryptic bullshit…
“A few years ago, the Darkness escaped. The Demons over there? Led by Braxton? They’re a student division charged with finding it and killing it.”
“Wait!” Layla cuts in. “The Darkness is a real entity?”
“As real as you and me,” he states solemnly.
I shudder instinctively. This whole conversation is terrifying. Hellhounds and monsters and Darkness, oh my! It sounds like a macabre version of the Wizard of Oz.
“I need to get going,” I tell both Fucking Jake and Layla. “They’re going to wonder where I am.” I begin to walk in the direction of the clearing.
Jake’s voice sounds as if he’s eaten something sour when he calls, “Ah. Your mentors. Have fun with them.”
Something about his tone causes me to pause. Glancing over my shoulder, I level him with a glare that could shrivel grapes.
“What exactly do you mean?” I ask, feeling unsettled.
“I just said to have fun.” He tries to feign nonchalance but fails. Miserably.
“I recognize a warning when I hear it, Jake.”
He releases a heavy breath, his shoulders slumping, but his eyes are alive with...mischief? Excitement? Before I can place a finger on the emotion, he schools his expression.
“They’re brothers, as you probably know by now. And like all brothers, they fight over what they want. They don’t care about the toy they break in the process. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I search his earnest eyes, looking for any indication he’s pulling my leg. All I see is brutally raw sincerity. “Don’t get pulled into their competition to one up each other. It’ll only lead to pain. For you.”
“She appreciates your advice,” Layla cuts in snidely. She gives Jake an indefinable look. “Now, if you don’t mind…” With her hands, she makes a shooing motion.
Jake flashes her a wide smile before looking towards me. That smile softens somewhat as his eyes caress my body.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He brushes a strand of white hair out of his face. “It was nice to see you again, Hadley. Layla.” He merely nods at the sultry female before hurrying away.
“That was weird,” I muse, but Layla isn’t listening to me. Her eyes are firmly fixated on Jake’s retreating back, her brows creasing. Before I can comment, she turns to me and smiles. It’s the type of smile you would see on a mannequin, with their painted on lips and dead, haunted eyes.
“I have to go,” she says abruptly, spinning on her too tall heels and hurrying in the opposite direction of Jake.
I watch her go with no small amount of confusion.
To myself, I mutter, “No, that was weird.”
The mantra of my new life.
Well...death.
Chapter 10
PRESTON
Watching the exchange between Jake and Hadley was painful. But not as painful as it could have been falling out of the thorny bushes I was crouching behind. I hope she doesn’t see anything in that twatwaffle. He’s nothing but a wealth of lies followed by a side of bad news.
I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Hadley is a smart girl and wouldn’t go for someone like that. But I still can’t help the pang of jealousy that flared when he spoke into her ear. She shuddered when his lips neared her own, but I hope the reaction was in disgust and not pleasure.
Shudder in pleasure? Is that even a real thing? If it is, then I’d like to be the one to cause such a visceral reaction in her perfect body. The way those yoga pants hug her ass makes my cock twitch.
I wonder what type of panties she’s wearing today. I stared pretty hard at her ass and didn’t see any panty lines. So maybe that means…
She’s going commando!
Down boy! I order my rebellious cock.
And then there was the incident with Brax...
My excitement at seeing Hadley quickly turned into jealousy when Hadley’s eyes landed on Braxton. I could see the wheels spinning behind those pretty blue eyes as she took in his features. Hopefully, the blood and dirt covering his face were enough to hide the truth, at least for now.
I know she’ll find out soon enough, but I still hold on to hope that someone like Darren will be her Demon mentor.
She exchanges awkward goodbyes with Layla after getting a fucked up warning from Jake about Auston and me, then hustles off to meet me.
Oh fuck!
She’s off to meet me! And I’m not fucking there...
I scramble out of the bushes, taking prickles to the forearm, and rush off through the trees. Thank God for this shortcut I found during my second year. It’s helped me on more than one late occasion. As if being unbelievably clumsy in the Afterlife wasn’t bad enough, I also have no concept of time. My inner clock is always late, or maybe it’s just fucking broken.
A fallen log blocks my path, so, like the athlete I am, I speed up to jump over it. With a battle cry, I surge into the air, but my victorious shout quickly becomes a terrified scream as I misjudge the leap. My traitorous toe hooks the log, and I go crashing face first into the dirt.
“Ugh,” I groan, picking my face up off the ground. “Well, at least it didn’t rain today,” I mutter, as I brush the grass and fallen leaves off my form-fitting t-shirt and shorts.
Jogging much more slowly this time, I head to the clearing beyond the woods where I just know Auston is waiting impatiently for his charge. Even in life, he was prompt. As someone who is perpetually late, it annoyed the fuck out of me.
Sure as shit, he’s already waiting when I emerge from the trees.
He offers me a scowl when he sees I’ve joined him. I know he doesn’t want me here, but I don’t fucking care. Hadley is mine as much as she is his.
Auston can fucking suck it.
“Here for flight practice, Preston?” I take a breath to respond when I trip over my own feet and crash onto the grass. He huffs. “Seems to me like you might want to master walking first.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, his muscles bulging obnoxiously. “Maybe you could use your Reaper scythe as a cane? Ever thought of that?” He laughs at his own joke, the asshole that he is. “Who knew your weapon was multifunctional?”
“Suck a dick, Auston,” I gripe, pushing myself off the ground once more.
<
br /> “You always did have such snappy comebacks, Pres,” he taunts.
“Hey guys!” a sweet voice calls from across the field. I can’t help but smile when I see Hadley waving at us as she walks over.
Fuck if she doesn’t look stunning. Her green tank top is strategically ripped so her abdomen peeks out when she moves. She looks so much healthier in the Afterlife than she did in death, having put on a few pounds, as well as gaining the ability to smile.
I jump up and down, waving excitedly back like an idiot. She covers her mouth with a delicate hand, and I know she’s trying to stifle a laugh at my expense. But I don’t really care. As long as my awkwardness makes her grin, that’s all that really matters to me.
“You’re late,” Auston scolds her. “Again.”
“At least I showed up this time,” she retorts, placing her hands on her curvy hips.
Speaking of those delicious hips, she cocks one to the side, only accentuating her hourglass figure even more. It takes me a moment before I realize it’s silent. I glance up to see her eyebrows raised, her eyes playful, and a cheeky grin on her face.
Fuck.
I’ve been caught gawking...again.
Auston gives me a disapproving glare, but Hadley walks over to me with a look of concern on her face.
“Preston, what happened to you? You’re bleeding and… and filthy.”
“Oh! I umm… fell?” I admit, as my cheeks heat.
“On what? Looks like you fought some rose bushes then lost a battle with the ground,” she says with a laugh. “Let me see that.”
Her fingers softly grab my forearms. It’s only then I realize how bad those thorns got me. Blood is smeared all over my arms. Grass stains streak over my white tank, and my hands and knees are covered in dirt. Hadley’s right, I do look like I got my ass beat by the forest.
“Eh, he’s fine,” Auston asserts. “This is nothing for Preston. You should have seen him when he was alive. He—”
Auston cuts himself off abruptly with a well-placed coughing fit.
“Anyway,” he deflects, throwing his long white hair into a bun on top of his head. “Are you ready for your first lesson?”