“I’m afraid not,” she said. “I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“What was the point of the apples then?” I asked.
Esmariah wore a vague smile. “You seemed famished, my dear. What kind of hostess would I be if I failed to serve my guests?”
The glint in her eye made me wary. Something about these witches unsettled me. I trusted Balthazar more than I trusted the members of this coven, and he was a vampire that warned me not to trust him.
“Will you contact me if anyone approaches you to break the ward on a book?” Rafe asked. “I don’t care if it’s Barachiel himself. I want to know.”
Esmariah inclined her head. “You have my word, Watcher. Our interests are aligned when it comes to preserving peace in this realm.”
“Thank you,” Rafe said.
The witch gestured to the right. “Elsbeth will show you out. You don’t want to risk wandering down the wrong path in here. You never know where you might end up.”
Elsbeth wriggled a few fingers and we made our way toward her. Although she made polite conversation all the way to the exit, my mind was still on our interaction with Esmariah.
“I feel like we’ve been tricked somehow,” I said to Rafe, once we were away from coven headquarters and out of earshot.
“You think they lied to us?”
“No, not lied exactly, but I feel like Esmariah was withholding information. Didn’t you get that impression?”
“No, but I’m willing to entertain the theory. What do you think she’s holding back?”
I blew out a breath. “I wish I knew.” Whatever it was, I had the distinct impression that it wasn’t good—for either of us.
Chapter Thirteen
Rafe was nowhere to be seen, so I retrieved the book from Liesel’s library from the end table and rested it on my lap. I’d offered to go back to stay at Hotel Franklin, but he’d seemed almost insulted by the suggestion, so we collected my belongings and returned to the loft. I had to admit that I was secretly pleased by his reaction. I smiled to myself as I turned back to the page with the sapphire star image and lifted up my shirt to compare. My smile dissolved.
It was an exact match.
I wished Elder Sam were here so that I could ask him, not that he would know. The demon had to be my father rather than my mother because a pregnant royal demon likely wouldn’t go unnoticed in the Nether. Elder Sam found me abandoned in Trenton, New Jersey, which meant that my mother likely lived in the area. Then again, this was seventeen years ago. She could be anywhere now, even dead. My father could be dead, too. Even royal demons died—they were just much harder to kill.
I started to read. The mark had been passed down for generations since the very first King of the Nether presented his bride with a sapphire ring in the shape of a star and decreed that all the offspring of their love would share this precious gift. It was actually a romantic story, but it read more like a myth than a fact.
My fingers brushed over the mark. It was perfectly flat against my skin, not raised like a mole would be. It wasn’t unattractive—just different. It stood out on my skin mostly because there were no freckles on my torso. I only had a few small dots here and there on the rest of my body. Mariska’s arms had been covered in freckles. We used to pretend they were stars and draw constellations on them. I smiled at the memory and my heart squeezed. How I missed her generous hugs.
“Find anything?” Rafe’s voice came from above and I realized he must’ve flown to the rooftop balcony.
I pulled down my shirt and craned my neck to look at him. “Not yet.” I couldn’t tell him about this. If a Watcher knew that I was related to the King of the Nether, I didn’t know what the protocol was. Would I be allowed to remain in the city or would they force me to go to the Nether? Demon halflings didn’t tend to fare well in the Nether. Some levels were better than others, but a young human hybrid would be an easy target. It was one of the reasons the Elders trained us until we reached maturity. It gave us a fighting chance in any realm.
He flew down to the main living area to join me and I noticed his somber expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“When I first met you, you were looking for a lutum demon.”
“That’s right. Harlan, but we found him.”
The muscle in his cheek pulsed. “Someone else did too. He’s dead. One of the Watchers reported it in the group chat.”
“Dead?” Why would Harlan be dead now? Unless…Guilt seized me. “Someone must’ve found out that he talked to us.”
“Not necessarily,” Rafe said. “You can’t blame yourself, Cassia. Who knows what else this demon was involved with? It might have nothing to do with your investigation.”
“But what if it does? What if someone killed him because he told us what he knew?” And I’d tortured him in my own way for that information, hadn’t I? Was I no better than Mariska’s killer—willing to resort to extreme measures to achieve my goals?
Rafe sat beside me and swapped the book on my lap for his comforting hand on my thigh. “You are not responsible for that demon’s death. Do you understand?”
I nodded. “I know you don’t think much of demons, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
Rafe flinched as though I’d struck him. “Cassia, I’m not sure where you got the impression that I think the only good demon is a dead demon. I don’t feel that way at all.”
His hand was still on my thigh. Warmth radiated from his palm to the rest of my body. “But your job is to protect humans from creatures like us. You’re bound to be influenced by that.”
His gaze shifted to the open page of the book on his lap and he smiled. “Hey, you found it.” He began to read the relevant passage aloud. “This mark is known as the Mark of the Nether and is a distinguishing characteristic of members of the greater demon royal family.” He frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. The amon demons aren’t…Do you think they work for the King of the Nether?”
“Would that surprise you?”
“Honestly, yes. The royal family doesn’t trouble itself with the mortal realm. Stolen books and gray markets—those things would be beneath them.”
“So they’re like seraphim, except in the Nether,” I said, only half joking.
“There is a certain symmetry,” he admitted. “A yin and yang, so to speak.” He removed his hand to turn the page in the book and I tried to hide my disappointment. It felt so natural to be sitting together and talking amiably with his hand on my leg. In fact, I’d felt at ease with him from the moment we met in the tunnel. Given my background, it was a significant realization.
“Sometimes opposites can be complementary,” I said. “Mariska used to say that.”
Rafe closed the book and inched closer to me. “And what else did Mariska used to say? I’d like to know more about her.”
“She gave me this bracelet.” I showed him my wrist and his finger brushed the silver heart.
“It’s pretty.” His fingers moved to stroke the inside of my wrist and my heart beat faster. “Was it a birthday present?”
“No, we don’t celebrate those because we don’t…” I cut myself off. “Forget it. It was a parting gift. I was moving out of the main spire and…” Inwardly, I cringed. I couldn’t seem to say anything about Mariska without invoking the academy.
“What do you mean by the main spire?” Rafe asked. “Is that some sort of apartment complex?”
“No,” I said vaguely.
“We have spires in Dominion,” he said. “It’s one of the things I missed when I first moved to the mortal realm.” He let go of my wrist. “You never did say where you were raised.”
“Not Dominion, that’s for sure.” I hoped to deflect the question with a joke.
He cocked his head. “Where did the thief steal book from? Your home? And where are your friends now—Barris and Sage? They seem to have disappeared.” Now that the floodgates had opened, Rafe couldn’t seem to stop himself. “You’re clearly from around here,
yet you know very little about the city. Why were you really staying at Hotel Franklin? Do you secretly work for Balthazar?” Suspicion flared in his blue eyes.
I worked my jaw but no sound came out. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I was afraid. The Elders made it very clear how the rest of the realms felt about loathsome demonspawn—to be told there was a place where we were nurtured and taught might be too much for someone like Rafe. A Watcher. On the other hand, what if it wasn’t? He’d proven himself to be an ally. Someone to trust. I was already lying to him about the demon mark. Would it really be so bad to confide in him?
“I don’t work for Balthazar,” I said. “But he sometimes works for us.”
“Us?” Rafe narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean? You’re part of some criminal organization?”
“Gods, no. Nothing like that.” I drew a steadying breath. “I attend an academy for cambions like me.”
“You’re still in school?” He edged away. “How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” I said.
He scratched his cheek. “I’m not aware of a school in the area that caters to demon…to cambions.”
“It’s more than just a school,” I said. “It’s a safe haven for my kind. Did you know that demon-human hybrids are the most abandoned children and the most likely to die in infancy?”
“I never really gave it much thought.”
“Why would you? It doesn’t impact you.” I said this without blame. “I was nearly killed as an infant. Someone saved me and brought me to the academy where they knew I’d be safe.”
“Where is this place?” he asked.
“Hidden,” I said. “That’s why this break-in is a bigger issue than it seems. It puts the entire academy at risk—because it means that someone knows our location. And the book that was stolen includes the names and abilities of every cambion currently living at the academy.”
“Which is why the information is heavily warded.”
I hugged myself. “You said the entrance to the gray market is the best-kept secret in the city. It isn’t. We are.”
Rafe appeared stunned. “How many of you are there?”
“Does it matter?”
“You said you lived in a spire,” he said and instinctively glanced upward. “Do you have an entire academy hidden in the clouds above the city?”
I started to feel uncomfortable. “I don’t think I should say anything else. I only wanted you to understand…”
“What do they teach you there? What did you mean when you said Balthazar works for the academy?”
I began with the second question because it was easier. “If he finds an abandoned cambion, he sends word so that Elder Sam can come for it.”
“Who’s Elder Sam?”
“The academy is run by a group of demons, except Sam. They’re called the Elders. Mariska was my caretaker, but she wasn’t one of them.”
“And these Elders, they teach you history and science? Algebra?” He seemed to be trying to wrap his head around the concept.
“We have general subjects, but some training depends on our skills and abilities,” I said. “Barris is half djinni, for example, so he has projects that develop his magical abilities.”
“And what about the human side? How is that nurtured?”
I opened my mouth but quickly realized that I didn’t have a good answer. “We learn their customs. Absorb their pop culture. They try to make sure that we can fit into the mortal realm if that’s where we choose to live when we graduate.”
“And when do you graduate?”
“This year.” I didn’t offer details about my unique position within the academy. There would be too much I couldn’t explain.
“If the academy is such a secret, why are its students racing around the city without a chaperone?”
“It isn’t typical,” I said. “It’s because of what happened. And Barris and Sage are back there now. I’m only here because—” My eyes turned downcast. “I broke the rules, so I’m not allowed back until I’ve found Mariska’s killer.”
“They cast you out?” Rafe seemed aghast.
I lifted my chin. “I deserved it. It isn’t like they sent me into the realm unprepared. I have my weapons from the armory.”
He shot to his feet. “There’s an armory? For what purpose?” His expression shifted as a thought occurred to him. “You knew how to defeat the kappa demon. I watched you fight the demons at the burial ground. They taught you how to fight like that?”
“Yes.”
“But why?” he sputtered.
“To defend ourselves,” I said.
“Against what threat?” His wings stiffened. “Me? Other Watchers?”
“Anyone,” I said. “They just want to keep us safe.”
“They have their own army of demonspawn to call upon should the need arise?” he asked. “Is that why they keep a list of current and former attendees?”
“Of course not.” Tension flooded my body. How could he not understand? “They keep a list because Domus Academy is a school and that’s what schools do. You said yourself that the cambions you meet in the city are well behaved. That they seem to come from a finishing school. Well, they kind of do.”
Rafe paced the floor in front of me. “Cassia, this is…” He jerked his body toward me. “I don’t know what to do with this information.”
“Do? You do nothing. There’s no harm to the mortal realm. No threat to you or any of the nephilim.”
His expression was pained. “You don’t understand. I have an obligation. There might be thousands of demonspawn living above our heads, ready to wreak havoc if this book isn’t found. If the killer isn’t brought to justice. I can’t risk that.”
“We’re cambions,” I said quietly.
“Who cares about semantics right now?”
“I do,” I said. I kept my tone even and calm. I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of a demonic response. “As far as I’m concerned, we’ve shown you that we’re not a threat. We show the city every day by not causing a whiff of trouble here. Yet you still hear this information and want to treat us like criminals.” I took a step closer to him. “I told you the truth because I trusted you and I thought it would be helpful for you to know more so that you can help me find the book. I see now that I made a horrible mistake. I’m sorry. I’m leaving now. Thank you for your kindness. It won’t be forgotten.”
Before he could say another hurtful word, I flew to the loft to grab my weapons.
“Cassia, wait!”
I didn’t wait. With tears streaking down my cheeks, I escaped to the rooftop balcony, where I launched myself into oblivion.
Chapter Fourteen
I landed when I reached the path alongside the Schuylkill River. Moonlight rippled across the water and I was grateful for the clear skies. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and continued to walk. I wanted to put as much distance between Rafe and me as possible. I should have known better than to trust any nephilim. He was a Watcher. His sole duty was to protect mortals from creatures like me—like everyone at Domus Academy. How could I have expected a different reaction to the truth?
Leaves rustled across the path and skimmed the top of the water. The area was devoid of life at this hour. No people. No birds. Not even a squirrel. It was as though they all knew to steer clear of the path tonight. A strong sense of foreboding wrapped around me and I shivered. I curled my wings around my arms to stave off the chill, but part of me knew that it wasn’t anything to do with the temperature.
Something was coming.
I cast a wary glance over my shoulder. The path behind me was dark and still—and then I heard it. Not the wind this time.
A whistle.
Fear coiled in the pit of my stomach. A whistle didn’t necessarily mean a Whistler. It could be a bounder walking home after a drunken evening and amusing himself with a haunting accompaniment.
The sound stopped and I hurried my pace. There was nothing within my immediate view except the rive
r and trees. Signs of life winked in the distance, not that anyone there could help me.
My hand slid over my shoulder and I unsheathed my sword. I had to be ready, just in case. Wind rushed past me, tousling my hair and wings. When I pushed the wayward strands from my face, a man stood facing me on the path ahead. He wore a trench coat and boots, and a dark hat with a soft brim and indented crown. Ice shot through my veins. He didn’t need to whistle again for me to know for certain.
“Moloch?” I asked, because it was the only name I knew. The one that had tried to kill me as an infant when Elder Sam came to my rescue.
The Whistler kicked aside a stone as though it was an obstacle between us. “Nope. The name’s Sturg.”
“Sounds like scourge,” I said. “How appropriate.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
I arched an eyebrow. “Oh, no? Where should I be then?”
He spat on the ground. “From the looks of you, I’d say the Nether.” He scrutinized my head. “Except that hair of yours. Trying to pass for older so you can drink the bounders’ booze? Can’t say I blame you. Some of it’s good stuff. Not as good as the nectar in Faerie, mind you, but it does the job.”
I brandished my sword. “I’m not looking for any trouble. I’m not here to hurt anyone, not mortals or anybody else.”
He gestured to my sword. “Seems like a funny thing to say when you’re poised to strike me.”
“I know what you are,” I said. “I’m only preparing to defend myself.”
“And I know what you are.” He swaggered toward me. “You and me—we have what some might call a symbiotic relationship.”
“You and me don’t have a relationship of any kind,” I said.
The fear in my stomach snapped free and flooded the rest of my body. I wasn’t ready to fight a Whistler. As I attempted to go airborne and out of harm’s way, my wings suddenly felt like dead weight. I couldn’t flap them to save my life—literally.
Tension ripped through me. “What have you done?”
The Whistler smiled, revealing a set of crooked and broken teeth. The absurd part of my brain wondered whether his teeth were designed that way in order to make it easier to whistle.
Demonspawn Academy: Trial One Page 13