Dancing With Demons (The Academy of Amazing Beasts Book 3)

by Melody Rose

  I blushed after I took him in, glad that he was honorable enough to not try anything funny. It also occurred to me that I was in a fairly suggestive position, my curvaceous butt pointed right in his direction.

  “Care to tell me what you mean, exactly?” I asked while I sat up. Aurelius was now on his haunches, looking at the young man with determination. My familiar was clearly trying to say that he had a handle on this, that he wouldn’t let me get roughed up.

  “Well,” the stranger began, “you know what they say about lunar faeries?”

  I shook my head. I mean, I knew what the general stories were, but I didn’t see any reason to worry. Rumor had it that moon faeries were ballsy, or as Lemurians put it, bold, but what was the big deal with that?

  “They’re not afraid of a challenge, right?” I tried to answer his question. “Even though they’re small, they can’t get pushed around easily, and they have pretty great offensive magic?”

  Not bad, if I could say so myself. I’d come a long way from being a naïve human. I wondered if Theo was impressed by all the trivia I picked up.

  “No,” he squinted, sizing me up as if I was out of my mind.

  I guess I wasn’t winning him over with my wit, so I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for his answer. He laughed and shook his head.

  “That’s not it, silly,” the mischievous mage went on. “I mean, everything you said is correct, but what I was trying to tell you is that you shouldn’t just go around taking naps in these parts. I’m sure you know it’s a risk in itself to be in the circle of eternal death.”

  “Speaking of which,” I pitched in, “why is it so damned quiet? It’s eerie, even. We must be pretty far into the circle of eternal death, and when I was first here, I was face to face with a fucking skinwalker!”

  Now that I was more wakeful, I made an effort to stand up. I shuffled a little bit since my legs had fallen asleep, but he didn’t make a big scene about that. Aurelius even came up to his full height and nuzzled the young man’s shoulder. That must have been a good sign. I laughed to break the tension and tucked an auburn lock of hair behind my ear.

  “Are you going to let me finish my thought first?” the stranger asked me, but I could tell he was real tongue in cheek about it.

  I rolled my eyes playfully, and the mage returned my silent sarcasm with a smug grin.

  “Eesh, by the Abyss!” he cried out. “Can’t you just let me dazzle you with my wisdom? You’ll be glad you listened!”

  I pressed my lips together, showing him I was willing to put up with him.

  “Love it! Has anyone told you that you’re an excellent audience?” he teased. “At any rate, lunar faeries congregate where trouble’s about to brew, which means that you and I are probably in for a nasty surprise.”

  I winced and opened my mouth to speak, but he just kept going on. The boy loved to talk. I had to hand it to him, he was damned charismatic and entertaining. He almost made me forget that we were in the middle of one of the grimmest places imaginable.

  “As for your question,” he said, “it’s a really good one. I know because I asked it myself. You see, while you were napping with your familiar--”

  I made a squeak of protest. Was he suggesting I was lazy? He gave me a little wink that told me not to take him too seriously.

  “I was sending my own to scout out the forest and see what was the matter with it. You see, before you trampled in,” he looked at me with mock accusation, “there wasn’t an enchanted creature in sight besides my familiar, and this place is usually teeming with infernal baddies. There certainly wasn’t this swirl of lunar faeries, so I’d say that’s pretty suspicious.”

  He poked me in the arm. Aurelius had gotten so used to him that he didn’t so much as growl. If all that he was saying was true, and he seemed to have no filter, then he had a point.

  “I see where you’re coming from,” I agreed.

  He folded his arms and nodded like a genie from the movies. This guy was really starting to grow on me. I liked that he gave good advice without getting too big of a head.

  “Thanks! Anything else I can help you with, sleepy beauty?”

  I was mortified and flattered. I also decided that we had chatted way too long without actually exchanging names. As I already wanted to stay in touch, so it’d be important to get this detail out of the way.

  “Yeah, one more burning question,” I began, “what’s your name? I’m Joan, though I guess what you just said isn’t the worst label! I guess I’ll call you ‘pretty goth boy.’”

  He blinked in confusion. I guessed that goth was a foreign term in these parts. For all his sass, I had caught him off guard.

  “Ahem.” He cleared his throat as his raised eyebrow lowered back to a laid back expression. “I’m Damian. Nice to meet you, Joan. So what brings you here?”

  “Well…” I patted Aurelius’ head, getting dangerously close to Damian’s leg since that’s what my hound was leaning on. “You see, I guess I was so swamped with studies that I forgot to put this tough guy through his trials. He should have battled with boggarts months ago, but…”

  “You’ve been procrastinating,” the smart ass finished my sentence for me. I pouted, feeling as though I were put on time out. He continued with a light-hearted tone. “Don’t worry about it! I’m on the same barge. I’ve been sparing my Bast from trials too, but I decided I had to put a stop to that. Also, my spell point average is almost nonexistent, so I’ve got some making up to do.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. With that settled, I looked around for his familiar, but I couldn’t see any sign of one. Guess it wasn’t back from scouting, so I decided to pass the time by gleaning even more from Damian. After all, I had spent most of my time between Becks and Theo. Having a normal conversation with someone new was refreshing.

  “That’s strange,” I said. “I mean, I guess I have a bit of a competitive streak only because I have something to prove. Truth be told, I’m trying to stick it to anyone who called me a lamb’s blood, so I’m trying to make as much of a name as possible.”

  That was another comment that threw him for a loop. He squinted at me, not like he was suspicious, but like I was some rare creature. I rubbed my neck awkwardly as he gave me the once over.

  I changed the subject. My cheeks were burning, so I wanted to distract myself. “I mean, there’s a lot of opportunities at Bouclier to do better, improve your spell point average. Nascha, the dean of student culture, believes in second chances. How can your spell point average be nonexistent? Are you one of those overachievers like Theo who blow a gasket when you’re don’t get extra credit?”

  Damian forced a smile like he was trying to hold back a barb. No one was bold enough to bad-mouth Theo to his face. Who wanted to risk pissing off the most influential mage at Bouclier, aside from the Headmaster? I didn’t even know if Theo was actually a mastermind at curses, a rumor that floated around campus.

  “No…” he trailed off. He almost looked embarrassed to reveal his secrets. He went on, though, so I guessed he was comfortable with me. “I… really… really mean it. The only class I’m any good at was the Soul Releasing class, but even then, I couldn’t only get any extra credit.”

  I tilted my head to the side. I made excellent marks in that class as well, mainly because it just required strong empathy and attention to detail. Damian seemed at ease in the circle of eternal death, so how could he possibly be struggling with Soul Releasing?

  “You look like you can hold your own,” I began. “What went wrong?”

  Damian chuckled darkly and shook his head. “I could, and that was exactly the problem. Not all ghosts wanted to be sent off to the astral plane like Professor Leo claimed. Some of them genuinely enjoy being down here, so I listened to them.”

  I nodded, letting him blow off some steam. I felt really called to the work I did in Soul Releasing, but I’d also never met a spirit that I thought would thrive wandering around here. Maybe different ghosts found their way to
each of us, though, so I kept an open mind.

  “Anyway…” He switched gears, back to his upbeat self. I could sense it was partially an act, though, still bothered by his problems. “I really dig ghosts and mysterious haunts. None of the other classes could really hold my interest, and I always found myself wandering around here. Mostly I would do it alone, keeping Bast in my dorm.”

  He glanced over my shoulder as he petted Aurelius absentmindedly. No doubt, he was looking for his familiar. I was glad because as much as I liked learning about Damian, I was really interested in meeting Bast. Everyone else at the school pitted their companion creatures against each other, and I hoped that wouldn’t be the case with us.

  “The only way I can redeem myself is to rack up points through independent study, and my idea is that the best way to do that is through putting Bast to the test,” Damian explained. “So here goes nothing, right?”

  He called out, “Envolez-vous vers moi, mon ami, fly to me, my friend.”

  He then let out a high pitched sound that made me clap my hands over my ears. Aurelius didn’t seem bothered at all, though. Maybe familiars tolerated each other, or maybe they needed to adapt if they were expected to contend with other creatures. My white wolf even let out an excitable yelp. I looked in the same direction Aurelius was to see what the commotion was about.

  My mouth dropped open when I spotted Damian’s familiar. At first, Bast looked like an ordinary fruit bat. It was fairly small, with an adorable furry snout and gleaming orange eyes. I was taken over by the urge to pet or cuddle it. I could tell that it had a good heart and a friendly attitude, exuding an affectionate, rosy pink aura. I definitely could see why Damian was fond of it, but I wondered how it’d be of any use in a duel.

  Right when I’d underestimated Bast, it grew to an incredible size. It glided toward us with amazing efficiency, then landed right by Aurelius’ side. My hound gave it a warm, slimy welcome, running his tongue all the way up the bat’s cheek. Never had I seen Aurelius so happy, well, except for us getting a full look of unicorns during my first day in Lemuria, of course. I smiled both from that warm memory and how swimmingly the two were getting along.

  “Well, that was unexpected!” I announced. “Aurelius doesn’t really take to other familiars so easily.”

  Damian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He was similarly confused and sentimental, watching the two act as though they were long-lost friends.

  “Bast is pretty much a recluse, too. Likes either my dorm, caves, or murky forests. We’re peas in a pod, her and I.”

  I laughed at the expression. I guess some sayings were so good they were interdimensional.

  “Well, tell you what.” Damian gave me an intense look. I found myself lost in his hypnotic eyes, so I willed myself to think about Theo and swallowed. “Why don’t we let them let off some steam and have one last batch of fun before we put them through the wringer?”

  I’d just met him, but I wanted to kiss him and then wring his throat. Of course, that was an overstatement. I was mildly frustrated by how much he tempted me. I kept trying to steel myself to send Aurelius into the great unknown. Now that I had an alternative dangled in front of me, I couldn’t help but take Damian up on it.

  “That’s not a…” I wondered if I had the heart to turn him down. Nope, this was impossible to resist. Aurelius and Bast were nuzzling at each other. On top of that cuteness, they were murmuring in a language made up on the spot. “... terrible idea.”

  I whimpered slightly as I swooned at how adorable the two were. I blushed as Damian clicked his tongue, suggesting I was a big softie. He wasn’t wrong there.

  Damian clapped his hands together. “It’s settled, then! You two kids have a grand ol’ time! And just remember, even when the going gets tough, Joan and I are here every step of the way to make sure you’re both safe!”

  For a Lemurian mage, he sure had a collection of sayings that were uncannily human. I wondered if he snuck out of a portal into the “civvie” world just like Becks did. Instead of lusting over gadgets, though, I bet this brooding goth boy was into roaming around human cemeteries. Come to think of it, I wondered if it would be possible to commune with my parents. I felt my throat constrict and tears emerge, so I put on a brave smile. Despite my best efforts, my bottom lip trembled a bit.

  Damian’s forehead wrinkled. He focused on my face as if he wanted to crack open my every secret, just like he did with wandering spirits. I wasn’t really in the mood, though. I wanted to move on and melt into the joy Aurelius and Bast would have. Part of the reason I immersed myself in Bouclier was that I didn’t want to think of my problems or the life I left behind.

  I wanted to encourage our familiars to explore the forest and entertain each other. Normally, I would have thought this was a weird place to unwind, but Damian did say that Bast was a big fan of the dark. As for Aurelius, not much seemed to faze him. I don’t think I’d hear him whine at all since I lifted the negative energy stirring in him when I was still a vet assistant.

  I giggled nervously and threw myself into my own homebrewed Lemurian chant. Hanging around Theo and lounging in bed with him so many times really did wonders for my comfort level with this new language. That was handy since it was required for higher-level skills or cross-species communication.

  “Laissez-vous être sauvages et libres, créatures douces. Nous veillerons sur vous,” I told Aurelius and Bast, a small jitter in my voice. “Let yourselves be wild and free, sweet creatures. We’ll look over you.”

  Even though I was uncertain about my Lemurian, the two of them understood me perfectly. Aurelius barked with glee, happy to be relieved of any responsibilities. Bast responded with a high-pitched screech, making me scrunch up my face. I guessed I was going to have to get used to this ruckus since the two hit it off so well.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, a proud familiar parent as Aurelius bounded off, Bast immediately following behind. Damian chuckled and stood by my side, mirroring my body language. At that moment, I felt we were both bound by our mutual affection for our companions. As my white hound and his inky bat shot off into the woods, I felt like Damian and I were living out some cheesy but endearing scene. Basically, despite the shadowy and ominous atmosphere, we looked like a sunshiny would-be couple with a budding connection watching our pets. It almost seemed like an excuse to spend more time with one another.

  When I considered all this, guilt started to trickle into my system. I couldn’t lie to myself, Damian was dangerously cute and was immediately warm where Theo was instinctively cold. Still, even though Theo and I hadn’t outright laid out commitment, I pretty much knew where he stood. He was expecting loyalty and devotion, not for me to cozy up with some handsome stranger off campus grounds. Maybe Theo’d be less riled up if he learned that the company gave me comfort in such dangerous territory.

  I shelved my anxieties for the time being, melting into the moment. I even let Damian snake his arm around me and softly grab my shoulder. I wrote it off as a friendly gesture and didn’t resist. I had to admit to a little dose of fear when I roamed the circle of eternal death. This sweet but totally platonic touch did wonders to calm my nerves. I felt ready to take on the world with a kind stranger and two highly capable familiars by my side. Why was I even worrying in the first place?

  6

  Joan

  I giggled as I watched Aurelius and Bast play fight with each other, the bat dipping and soaring as my hound batted at it with a large paw. My tenseness ebbed away until I fully relaxed, barely even noticing that we were in the most dangerous territory near Bouclier. When I glanced to the side, though, Damian’s aura was completely grey. It seemed like he was on edge, constantly watching his back with sensory magic even if he tried to hide it.

  Before I could really dig into why Damian was so bothered, I gasped at the sudden and incredible transformation that unraveled in front of me. Bast encased herself with a transparent black orb that shuddered, growing larger every second. As her sleek fur harde
ned into scales, Damian’s energy lifted. The foggy haze that swirled around him turned into a dazzle of gold, a constellation of auric stars. He was full of fatherly pride, a feeling I could definitely relate to.

  Once Bast completed her metamorphosis, she turned first into a snake-like, shadowy dragon without any limbs or wings, called a “wyrm” in Lemuria. I was grateful for my Beast Studies class because otherwise, I’d be pretty disoriented by all the creatures I ran into as a Bouclier student. After this stage, Bast formed herself into what looked closer to a standard dragon but fairly small, about the size of a bald eagle.

  Aurelius was even respectfully impressed, lifting his head for Bast to nuzzle him and closing his eyes, blissful at the touch of his new friend’s scales.

  “How…!?” I squeaked, high-pitched surprise ringing throughout.

  I never learned about these skills in Beast Studies, so I definitely wanted some answers. Of course, I’d seen Aurelius use intimidation magic and turn into a shadow version of himself, a majestically dark behemoth. He was still basically the same hound, though, just… on enchanted steroids. I didn’t know that familiars could change into an entirely different species.

  “It’s strictly off-textbooks magic,” Damian revealed, a smirk tugging the side of his mouth. “As I said, I have a bit of a knack with speaking to the dead, and they’re actually pretty chatty and willing to reveal some secrets that the Headmaster would balk at spilling. Anyway…”

  My eyes lit up at Damian’s enthusiasm because I could tell he was revving up instead of winding down. I had no intention to interrupt him now that he had hit his stride. Who would have thought that hanging out with ghouls and spirits could inspire someone so intensely?

  “I have been close friends… is that a weird term?” he asked.

  I shook my head. I wanted him to feel comfortable sharing, and honestly, Lemuria had so many possibilities, I didn’t think it was right to judge his choices in company. Damian took my cue and grinned, exposing white teeth with sharp canines.