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

by Melody Rose

  I was fortunate that it hadn’t managed to poison her heart. I didn’t know if she would still trust me after this if her affection for me was strong enough to resist abyssal magic. I took a deep breath to steady myself, feeling my nerves stir as I thought about Joan growing cold to me.

  “Montrer à quel point cette infection infernale s'est propagée,” I began my incantation. “Show me how far this infernal infection has spread.”

  “Ah… Damian…” I coughed as a cue, needing to undress Joan to see if the spell had worked. I wasn’t quite so comfortable sharing her company in this way.

  “Oh! Right…” Damian shook his head as though pulling himself out of a reverie. He waved a hand at Joan, who sighed petulantly but returned a half-hearted gesture. “I’ll just… stay in range over here.”

  The embarrassed mage quickly walked over to a trifold privacy screen decorated with black-necked cranes, a fixture his familiar, Bast, seemed fascinated with it. She clicked happily, inspecting the art as Damian stood dutifully behind the panels.

  “If you insist, naughty man…” I was glad that Joan wasn’t too fatigued to be her usual cheeky self.

  She had difficulty taking her robe off, however, so I climbed onto the bed to assist her. Of course, I could have undressed her with a crafty spell, but that wasn’t nearly as fun, nor as romantic. I also needed to safeguard my mana for the rest of this process. I saw her breath caught in her chest as I gathered fistfuls of her hem and pushed it over her knees, then her hips, and finally pulled it over her head. I tossed it swiftly aside, letting it fall to the ground in a dark heap. I had to admit to some pride over the sound of her robe hitting the floor, sending a message to the other man in the room how much access Joan gave me to her body.

  Shortly after, Joan shrieked, leading me to look over her pale and curvaceous figure. Red runes that symbolized the “mark of the Beast,” the infernal king of the abyss, were scrawled onto her flesh like tattoos. Of course, I knew that they weren’t permanent, but they certainly seemed to be. I could understand why she would be mortified. They altered almost every part of her with the exception of the space over her heart. I wondered if she withstood the magic here because she was naturally so loving or because our connection had given her so much strength in this new world.

  “What I can tell you,” I began as I traced the markings with my fingertips, so immersed in this new mystery that I wasn’t even distracted by her lovely body, “is that you encountered a high level, deeper abyss demon that can only be summoned by a mage skilled in bypassing the strongest wards. There is no reason that a creature of this caliber should have been in the circle of eternal death.”

  I continued to explain myself, feeling my blood boil. It made me livid to not know who exactly was responsible for this or how to exact vengeance.

  “Even though you were quite shaken up the first time you saw a skinwalker, they’re easy enough to repel with simple spells. They’re more of an arcane nuisance, really,” I told her. Joan pouted and furrowed her brow. That memory could still be a thorn in her side sometimes. She never allowed me to forget it. “Based on these symbols, I have reason to believe that nothing short of murdering the beast would have stopped it from hunting you down. Now…”

  I helped Joan back into her robe, the telltale rustle of fabric against skin letting Damian know that she was decent. He also must have anticipated that I would need a buffer at a higher charge, requiring him to step closer to me. This time, I winced even though I needed him. It was eerie to have another man slink into the room and to act before I could direct him. I was accustomed to being the master of my own domain. I was out of my element, and I had to will myself not to show it. My misgivings would have bled through my aura if I let them. I couldn’t abide by that.

  “It’s time now?” Damian asked, oddly at ease. Perhaps he was glad to know what we would have to deal with. He may have also known that we had advanced past the stage of undressing Joan. It was a rather odd predicament, her laid bare in the presence of two men. It certainly wasn’t how I expected to spend today, or any other one for that matter.

  “Ah.” I inhaled softly and nodded. We’d all need to be spiritually interconnected to some degree to execute the enchantment. “Yes. Let’s form an arcane link so that I can attempt to scry the root of this hex and then clear it.”

  “And then clear it?!” Joan interjected and squirmed on the bed. I could not blame her for being restless.

  “Sorry to say,” Damian said, shattering her hopes of a quick treatment, “Theodore’s not going to be able to trace the caster of the demon without a good amount of residue. Luckily, this will all be over soon!”

  10

  Joan

  I couldn’t believe how this was dragging on. Even though I was flirty with Theo, it was mostly out of habit and to break the tension. My libido was next to dead, I was starving even though I’d just eaten, I was somehow blazing hot and dizzyingly cold at the same time, and I just wanted a damn nap.

  Both Theo and Damian were really against that idea, though. They lectured me every time I tried to shut my eyes. Something about lapsing into an irreparable coma. And, yeah, that was pretty sound logic. But I was still mad. I mean, I had just fended off a demon and then whipped up a modest but energy-demanding meal for us all, so I thought I deserved some rest.

  I hissed as Theo helped me back into my robe. I was grateful for the help since my muscles were as good as Jell-o, wobbly and lax. Still, my nerves were on fire, I was hypersensitive, and the fabric was sandpaper on my skin. I wished I could have asked for something silky, but to be honest, I probably would have sweated through that. Then it would be just another thing for me to complain about. I just wished that every minor detail or sensation didn’t set me off.

  Speaking of which, I was practically traumatized when I saw my body covered with strange and sinister markings. It felt violating, and it was a real head trip to look down and not even recognize myself. It wasn’t as though tattoos were totally out of the question, but not if they were attached to some crazed enemy that I couldn’t even track down. Hopefully, Theo and Damian would get to the bottom of this. I hadn’t been so vengeful before, but now, it felt like a war with some caster out there was targeting me. Sure, there was no denying their skills, but it was damn cowardly move to send a demon to do their dirty work.

  As I was caught up in my own resentful thoughts, my concentration was broken by Theo’s talk about cleansing the hex. I perked up and gave him sad puppy dog eyes. What he said next absolutely deflated my spirit, causing me to crumple with disappointment.

  “Scry the root of this hex, and then clear it.”

  It landed like a nail in the coffin. Suddenly, the room was closing in around me, and I was a couple uneven breaths away from hyperventilating. I probably should have had some faith in him. Right now, though, I was bitter and impatient. What was worse than my bad attitude was not knowing whether I was in complete control of my emotions. My fiery rage hit a crescendo, and I howled in annoyance.

  “And then clear it!?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. Theo and Damian were between cracking up and rushing to comfort me.

  In the heat of my frustration, I couldn’t even hear what they tried to tell me. My head was pounding, my blood was boiling, and I wanted to rip both their heads off. Figuratively, of course, but who knew what would happen if this hex took a complete hold over me?

  Next thing I knew, Theo placed his hand on my shoulder while Damian followed suit, his hand falling over my boyfriend’s. Cords of light traveled from his fingertips and into Theo, his veins now glowing from the buffer spell. The energy of the two talented mages was palpable, and even in my fatigued state, I could feel a spark of vitality enter my body.

  “Révélez le mage ou clan responsable de ce mal,” Theo muttered with enough malice to make me shudder. “Reveal the mage or coven responsible for this evil.”

  Despite their best efforts, I was pretty sure that what happened wasn’t their int
ended effect. The bright mana that snaked through Theo and Damian was completely snuffed out, along with the rest of the light in the room. A sense of dread took over and weighed me down like a heavy stone. I was now hyperalert, clenching my jaw and waiting for my enemy to strike. That same alien rage gnawed at me, to the point that I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.

  “Show yourself, you weak-hearted wretch!” Theo yelled out in the dark. “I’ll deal with you right here, right now! It’s the coward’s path you’re taking!” He was so incensed that he didn’t even bother with his usual Lemurian incantations or curses.

  The answer he received was haunting. His sweepingly large bedroom suddenly seemed unnervingly cramped, and a peal of manic laughter resounded throughout the shadowed space. It only served to torment all of us, a maddening enigma and cruel riddle that couldn’t be solved. Theo managed to find me in the dark and wrapped his arms around me, a warming gesture I appreciated.

  It was clear that we’d reached a dead end, and as soon as I gave into that attitude, completely defeated, the lights flickered in the room again. Lemuria had an arcane system superior to human electricity, but it was still no match for what we were dealing with. I was just glad that everything was restored back to normal again, but that didn’t mean I felt more settled.

  I began to pant as I broke into a cold sweat. Everything that had happened that day came down and hit me pretty hard. Sure, I’d been bullied before, but I kept trying to be resilient and just keep on keeping on. What with Lydia literally attempting to kill me, I thought I deserved props for somehow getting past that. Now that I was just finally finding my way in Bouclier, I had a target being painted on my back all over again. When would it ever end?

  “It’s alright, it’s alright, mon cherie,” Theo soothed me. “It’s all over now.”

  Damian looked sideways quickly, probably thinking what I was. How could it all be over if we didn’t even know who had it out for me?

  I shot Theo a glassy-eyed glare, one stupid remark away from having a total breakdown. He shrunk from my reaction, still embracing me but giving me a hangdog look.

  “Admittedly, this isn’t ideal.” I was glad that he was seeing reason. That made me feel vindicated, at least. “My ‘detect caster’ spell wasn’t strong enough to break past the complex deflection magic we’re working with, but I’ll find a way around this. I promise.”

  Damian looked at me with pity and petted Bast, who seemed shaken by the situation. I was actually glad that Aurelius wasn’t here because I was pretty sure he’d go rabid with fear over what was happening to me.

  “Even though we didn’t find what we wanted,” the goth wizard added as he raked his fingers through his dark hair awkwardly, “Theo can remove the hex from you and the infernal markings. We’ll just have to find some other way to figure out who is responsible for this, and we will! I also promise to be here to help as best I can.”

  I heaved a big sigh, not exactly thrilled by this turn of events, but glad that I had some strong mages on my side. I resolved not to let this shatter me, and with that resolution came a little bit of excitement in a weird way.

  If some creep, or band of them, from the underworld thought that they could mess with my head, I was determined to prove them wrong.

  11

  Joan

  About three days had passed since Theo and Damian combined forces to help me remove the hex and patch myself up, so to speak. Both of them were gentlemanly enough to walk me wherever I needed to go, and Theo filed an excused absence scroll on my account to give me time to heal. I didn’t even have to worry about tossing and turning alone.

  Still, I couldn’t keep skirting the issue of going back to class. As nice as it was to lounge in bed and have Theo dote on me, magicking up simple soups and soothing teas I’d taught him before, it was indulgent, maybe even selfish, to lose myself in it all. If there was a demonic menace on the loose, I owed it to Bouclier to become the best witch I could. For all its faults, it was my new home. I couldn’t risk it becoming endangered because I wanted to nest with Theo in the safety of my bedroom.

  Finally, well enough to move on my own without any help, I leapt out of bed. I wanted to amp myself up and convince myself that I was ready to take on the world. Before I could get very far, though, Theo wrapped his hand around my forearm, groaning in mock agony.

  “Mon trésor,” he pleaded, my sheet falling down right below his hips. He was truly a sight to behold, beads of sweat accentuating his impeccably chiseled muscles. It was difficult to believe, but he was even more built than when I first met him.

  I always wondered why he was so obsessive about perfecting his body and strength, pretty rare for mages with heads in their tomes. Even though he was vague about it, it wasn’t as though I had any room to complain. Still, I couldn’t give in to the distraction, even as distracting as Theo’s naked body was. I wanted to get back on track after missing so much of my coursework.

  “Yes, my love?” I humored him, just for the fun of it.

  I enjoyed feeling as though I had him in the palm of my hand. No one else could testify to accomplishing that with the aloof mage. Thinking my words over again, I blushed when I realized that I let the “love” word slip out. It felt smooth as butter, I couldn’t even question it. Would he brush it off, act as though it wasn’t a big deal?

  I gulped, noticing his eyes gleamed with mischief. I wondered if I had lost the home advantage, and that he now knew I was all sap and putty. After months of feeling girlish, clumsy, and so… human… around him, I was enjoying turning his superiority complex on its head. Now, I might have puffed him back up all over again.

  “Well, mon amour,” he answered me with debonair charm, “I don’t see any reason why we can’t… extend… your time off? Are you quite sure that you’ve fully recovered?”

  My mind was a swarm of flustered thoughts and unresolved questions, all stirred by the exquisite man laid out in front of me. The thinness of my sheet highlighted a major distraction, playing off of his innuendo. Theo had a masterful tongue in more ways than one, that was sure.

  More importantly, though, he used the “l” word right back at me. Well, maybe not technically. It was in Lemurian, and while I was becoming more fluent, I didn’t know all the layers of the language. Did he use the phrase out of obligation? To be funny and cute? Did his native tongue have a concept of romance that was more complex than human sentimentality?

  I decided not to get bogged down in the details, at least not on the surface. I didn’t want to ruin this moment between the two of us.

  Especially because it was time to get serious, I had to pry myself away from how achingly seductive he was. I trounced over to the mirror to see the damage and saw that, for all intents and purposes, I was the same plain Joan.

  “As much as I’d love to,” I said, sincerely tempted, “you brought me here for a reason, and it wasn’t to luxuriate in bed with one another for days on end! The stakes are even higher, don’t you think?”

  I waved my hands to the side like a symphony conductor, channeling my hopefulness into a bright yellow aura to reassure him that I was totally fine.

  Theo ran his fingers through his hair, transforming the sweaty tresses into a perfect coif. I was actually pretty envious of his glamour magic, but the only catch was that it only worked on himself. He then stood up, snapped his fingers, clothed himself in his school robes, lined with dark purple trim to show his status, and gracefully walked toward me.

  I was glad that he had dressed in school attire. That meant he wouldn’t keep resisting my attempts to get back to class. I squeezed my forehead with concentration and managed to coax my own robe, beautifully cut with striking black silk and dappled with glimmering silver stars, from my closet. It was paired with a sumptuous gold capelet, symbolizing my contribution to several Bouclier championships as the team culinary witch.

  Honestly, I wanted to show off with a bit of telekinesis. Maybe I was a little insecure from all this time skipping cla
sses and being Theo’s fragile little pet. It seemed like the more that I advanced at Bouclier, the more my imposter syndrome flared up. At least my robe was able to slip off of its velvet hanger and sail across the room. I started to get a pinprick of a migraine, though, and couldn’t keep the cantrip, an arcane trick, up. The gorgeous frock dovetailed anticlimactically into a sad little heap.

  “Damnit!” I cursed, my pride damaged.

  While I pouted, Theo chuckled and wrapped his arms around me. He stroked my hair soothingly, sending a shiver of delight through me.

  “It would seem that the cosmos is conspiring against you being clothed,” Theo teased before kissing my freckled shoulder. My now gentlemanly, totally-not-an-insufferable jerk turned around to fetch the evidence of my failed telekinesis. I snatched it from him and stuck out my tongue, stepping into it and pulling it up like some normal human. I thought it was probably best to conserve my mana so I could make a good first impression after my string of absences. Before I was able to snipe back, Theo finished his comment.

  “Luckily, you’re a mistress of your own fate.” At least he scrubbed the sarcasm out of his message. “You look positively lovely. Ready to start your day, then?”

  I nodded and grabbed a compact of makeup from a decorative stand next to the mirror. There were just a couple finishing touches, after all, and I guessed that they were all up to me. Theo wouldn’t be able to help with any enchantments, and he definitely didn’t know his way around human cosmetics.

  “Almost,” I muttered and set to work.

  Tried as I might, no matter how masterful my smoky eye was or how dark my palette was, I couldn’t hide the obvious. A glowing red rune that Theo told me was infernal script practically screamed for attention on my eyelid. Not only did it cast a subtle but noticeable amount of light at all times, but when I closed my eyes, I looked pretty much demonic.