by Eva Brandt
Checking? There was a checking process? Oh shit.
I struggled not to panic and forced a smile. “Sure. We can... uh, check. Do we have to do it now?”
“It would be for the best, in order to eliminate all doubt,” Dean Mephistopheles answered. “No need to be concerned. The enchantment is quite simple, when I cast it. Please take Mr. Lost’s hand. This will only take a moment.”
I shared a look with Mikael, but complied. As our fingers entwined, a jolt of power coursed through me. His wings twitched, the black feathers glowing like the onyx of the academy’s towers. “If this doesn’t work,” he mouthed, “run.”
I nodded. He and the others had told me to run before, and I hadn’t listened. Maybe I would have, if they’d been nicer. Still, they hadn’t exactly been wrong, and I suspected this warning was just as correct.
Dean Mephistopheles walked up to us and let his hand hover over mine. Threads of crimson magic emerged from his palm and drifted over me and Mikael.
I met his crimson eyes, knowing I couldn’t hide the truth from him, but still hoping he’d help us. Maybe he heard me, because seconds later, when he pulled away, he nodded in apparent satisfaction.
“Everything seems to be in order. Mr. Lost is indeed Ms. Michaelis’s familiar. As such, through her, he has permission to be at the academy.”
It was a huge lie and three-quarters of the people here probably knew it. That didn’t matter. They let it go, just like I’d hoped they would.
“You should’ve told us from the very beginning, Alyssa,” Lilith said. “Then, there wouldn’t have been a need for such agitation in the first place.”
“I didn’t exactly have the time to do that, considering everything that’s happened,” I replied. “But I’ll do my best to keep you informed in the future.”
“Well, you let us know now, so there was no harm done,” Ammit said, waving her paw. “Come on, Lilith. Let’s go. It’s late and sleep beckons.”
“Fine. I had someone in my bed before I was interrupted anyway.” She shot Ammit a quick glare. “By the way, I still can’t believe you killed the Bones siblings. They were an excellent resource.”
“Does it matter? You’ve already found someone new.”
“Well, yes, but I shouldn’t have had to.”
They were still bickering when they left, with the others trailing behind them. Grim waved his scythe and the unconscious Professor Jones floated in his wake. Finally, the only ones who were left on the cliff side were the four of us—Callum, Mikael, Stefan, and I—plus Redrum, Shiro, and of course, the dean.
As soon as the others were gone, Mephistopheles dropped his pleasant mask. “We are going to take this discussion to my office,” he said with an unpleasant grin. “And when we get there, you will provide me with an explanation for this.”
Oh, dear. This wouldn’t end well, would it?
The Choice
“That was very reckless of you, Ms. Michaelis. Falsely claiming any creature as your familiar is a crime. You could’ve gotten in a lot of trouble for it.”
I crossed my arms over my chest defensively and refused to back down. “I think I was already in a lot of trouble, after I lost my temper and attacked Professor Jones. At least this way, I have a better excuse.”
As he’d stated, the dean had dragged us all to his office and he’d been giving us a piece of his mind for the past ten minutes. Since I refused to listed, he directed his attention toward the others. “And you three? What’s your story? What could’ve possessed you to act in such a way?”
“What else could we do?” Stefan asked. “Let Shiro die?”
“Technically speaking, Shiro was already dead. And you could’ve spoken to me about it before you went ahead and jumped into something so rash.”
Dean Mephistopheles shook his head in exasperation. “What will your family say, Mikael?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Mikael glared at Mephistopheles. “It’s not like any of them care.”
Yikes. There was so much baggage there Redrum wouldn’t be able to carry it. Mikael was clearly not on good terms with his family. Now that I was paying attention, it was very obvious that he had issues and I berated myself for not having noticed sooner.
Mephistopheles didn’t approve of Mikael’s reaction. “Oh, I beg to differ. But fine. As I said, I’ll respect your choice to reveal your secret, no matter how ill-advised I think it might be. But that still leaves us with a problem. Ms. Michaelis has claimed you as her familiar. We all know that’s not true, and I won’t be able to hide her lie.
“So you need to decide where you’re going with this. Starting today, you’ll have to craft your life around that of Ms. Michaelis. She’s only a first year and her education is rather lacking. Recent incidents haven’t helped. Her studies aren’t compatible with yours.”
Oh, not this bullshit again. He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean it didn’t piss me off. “I’m not his equal, you mean. Yes, I know. I’m constantly reminded of how inferior I am, compared to everyone here. I’m sorry for being such an inconvenience and trying to save someone’s life, even if it’s in this convoluted way.”
“And we’re all grateful for your intervention,” Mephistopheles said without missing a beat, “but we still have to take into account the complications it has brought.”
“With respect, Sir, it’s not that complicated,” Callum argued. “All we have to do is give Alyssa some private lessons. We can do that during summer holiday. She’ll catch up quickly, I’m sure of it.”
The offer was so surprising I didn’t know how to react to it. Stefan and Mikael wholeheartedly embraced it. “She’s behind on the theory, yes,” Stefan said, “but it’s not like regular classes were helping her, when students and teachers alike were sabotaging her efforts.”
“She’ll be able to concentrate much better while not having to handle the fear of being attacked all the time,” Mikael added.
The possibility of receiving private classes appealed to me, but I wasn’t sure that attending them under the tutelage of the three boys I sort of liked would be helpful. They distracted me too. Studying in their presence might prove to be a useless effort.
Dean Mephistopheles ignored this obvious fact. “Private classes. That could work. She’ll have to take a test at the beginning of next year, to make sure she’s caught up. And Mikael will have to repeat at least one year. But I suppose you could all do it, as punishment for your behavior.”
“That’s fine with us,” Callum answered. “We can handle it.”
His quick agreement snapped me out of my trance. Once again, I was reminded that this wasn’t just about me, and it wasn’t just my life that had gotten rearranged. “Wait, no. I heard no one who repeats a year ever survives it.”
Stefan waved a hand dismissively. “These are extenuating circumstances. Ammit wouldn’t devour our souls for trying to do the right thing.” He winked at me. “Besides, if she does try, we have quite a champion ready to jump to our defense.”
He meant me and I felt my face flame at the inherent praise. “It was just an impulse,” I muttered. “I have no idea if I’ll manage to repeat the performance.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Ms. Michaelis,” the dean said. “Your outburst might have been instinctual, but it does mean you have more raw power in your little finger than half the students at the school put together. You’ll do fine, I’m sure of it.
“I will, however, commission some special medicine for your affliction. While I might not agree with the approach these three gentlemen have chosen, they’re not wrong in stating your situation has gotten out of hand.” His voice softened, filling with an almost shocking amount of compassion. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about happened to Shiro. We’re still looking into the identity of the culprit, but we didn’t find anything conclusive so far.”
I doubted that was true. I’d seen the amount of magic on Shiro’s dead body and knew how much power the dean had at his disposal. H
e should’ve been able to find Shiro’s killer a long time ago. If he hadn’t, it was because he didn’t want to or was ignoring the knowledge.
“All right, Sir,” I told him, “but I won’t let this go. If no one else at the school is willing and able to track down someone who committed such a crime, I’ll do it in your stead.”
“You are in your right to investigate, in whatever way you choose. But in the meantime, I invite you to focus on your immediate priorities. I’m sure that even Shiro would agree you need to take care of your long-term health and welfare, if you want to accomplish anything at all.”
I reluctantly agreed, although I was worried about what these private lessons would mean for me. I was very grateful to Mikael, Stefan, and Callum for rescuing Shiro, but at the same time, I was still uncertain of their true feelings for me.
Redrum had told me I needed to test them in order to ascertain they were ‘adequate’ mates, but that had been before the whole business with my seizure. I supposed I could understand their behavior, if it had been motivated by fear of discovery. But if that was the case, what did it mean for us? Where did we go from here?
Mephistopheles provided me with the answer to that. “By the way, Ms. Michaelis, since Mr. Lost is now your familiar, you’ll have to share his room.”
Mikael smirked, the bastard. Callum and Stefan both glared at him. I could feel another headache approaching, this time not epilepsy-induced. “But Sir,” I tried to argue, “we’re not... like that.”
It was a feeble and weak protest. I’d made my bed and I now had to lie in it. And truthfully, maybe it was better this way. I’d tried avoiding the issue, and it hadn’t worked. I’d tried pushing them away, and it hadn’t ended well.
I didn’t believe in fate and all that nonsense, but it did seem that Callum, Stefan, Mikael, and I were being pulled together. Maybe this would provide me with an answer and a real way to move forward.
Mikael would probably be a better roommate than Yolanda and Lena anyway. And I’d get access to TB, which was always a plus.
Still, I was grateful when the dean turned his crimson eyes toward Mikael. “I’m sure these new arrangements won’t be an issue. Mr. Lost is a perfect gentleman and would never force himself on a lady. Isn’t that right?”
Once again, his presence seemed to grow larger, and a hot, suffocating energy filled the office. His body didn’t change, not like before, but he emanated a threat that was perfectly clear.
Mikael wasn’t impressed. He smiled again, and the ice in his gaze contrasted sharply with Mephistopheles’s heat. “I don’t think you’re the best person to lecture me on how to be a gentleman, Sir. But never fear. I do have manners.”
Mephistopheles twitched in irritation, his tail swaying back and forth like a whip. I suppressed a groan. Did Mikael absolutely have to piss off every member of the staff?
Were they going to fight again? We’d just barely managed to survive the last one. I was exhausted and I wanted to spend a little more time with Shiro, to make sure he was truly okay. I didn’t have the time and patience for another argument. Also, I didn’t want to dwell too much on why the dean suddenly looked protective of me.
“Yes, you’re right,” I interrupted the conversation. “We’ll figure something out. We’ve done crazier things.” Like resurrection rituals for my deceased familiar. If we’d accomplished that, we could get along enough to cohabitate.
“I apologize for doubting you, Sir. I realize now that there’s no need to be concerned.”
Just like that, Mephistopheles’s deepening scowl melted into a bright, brilliant smile. I was beginning to think that he, like Lilith, might be bipolar. “Excellent,” he said. “That just leaves us with the familiar bonding ceremony then. Do you want to perform it, or should I?”
“We can do it,” Callum replied. “Thank you for the offer, Sir, but it would be best to not involve anyone else, especially so quickly after we all participated in another complicated working.”
Another ritual. Great. Why did I have a feeling it would add more complications to my life?
As if guessing my thoughts, Stefan shot me a brief smile and reached out to me. His hand came to a stop inches away from my face, as if he’d just realized his touch might not be welcomed. He pulled away, but he kept smiling. “It’ll be more pleasant than what you’ve had to experience so far,” he assured me. “It’s intense, but you won’t deem it painful or anything like that.”
Pain wasn’t the only thing I was worried about. It had become obvious that at The Academy of the Devil, the threats that targeted me went way beyond physical ones.
TB hissed and, looking at her, I was reminded, not for the first time, of the story of the Forbidden Fruit. It was, at least in part, true, as evidenced by the apple trees growing outside. Was I making the same mistake as Eve? Was I reaching for something I should’ve left alone?
Maybe, but I couldn’t stop this, not any longer. And the worst thing was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to try.
* * *
The Academy of the Devil didn’t teach Ritualism until fourth year. Callum was a bit of an overachiever and he’d learned his runes and rituals beforehand, having needed it when he’d decided to make Stefan his familiar. It was unclear what had made him do this, in the first place, and I swore that one day, I’d ask, but for the moment, I was a little more concerned about the ritual itself.
Two days after Shiro’s miraculous return from the dead, I found myself standing in the familiar cavern, in front of the ruins of the Scholomance. Nothing had changed since the last time I’d been here, but I was still beginning to have my doubts about our tentative plan.
“I’m not sure about this,” I said, eyeing the circle drawn on the stony ground. “Do I really have to be naked?”
“Most powerful rituals require nudity, in order to remove any contaminating factor,” Mikael explained. “The resurrection spell I cast on Shiro was different, because his body was already contaminated with dark magic, and it was actually wiser to keep our clothes on. But when it comes to bonding rituals, nudity is preferable, yes.”
Callum got up from his crouched position and brushed the purified salt off his gloved hands. “Don’t worry,” he added. “Most of the time, it’s not sexual. It’s simply a matter of togetherness.”
“If it helps, we won’t look?” Stefan suggested with a crooked grin. I didn’t believe him for a second. How the fuck had I landed myself in this mess?
Oh, right. I’d been trying to save the guy who’d rescued my familiar. I’d come up with a lie I couldn’t back up with facts, and now, I had to turn that lie into truth.
I comforted myself with the thought that both Shiro and TB would participate in the proceedings. I could hardly be gripped by a sudden bout of overwhelming passion while my dog and Mikael’s snake were present.
“Let’s just do it and get it over with,” I said. “We can’t be away from the academy for too long.”
Without looking at them, I toed off my sandals and slid out of my black gown and underwear. Despite it being so hot down here, the ground felt cool under my bare feet.
Callum’s breath caught when he first saw me naked, whereas Stefan let out a low, choked growl. My face heated and I stared at my own feet so I wouldn’t have to look at them.
“Come over here,” Mikael said, his words soft, low, but full of hidden fire. “Don’t worry. You’re fine.”
I didn’t look at him. Instead, I followed the sound of his voice and joined him in the center of the circle. Shiro padded to my side and barked. “It’s all right, Lyssa,” he said. “You’re safe.”
My ability to communicate with my Shiro was still a little unreliable, but hearing him always put me in a good mood. Feeling encouraged, I lifted my eyes and faced Mikael. “I’m ready.”
In the darkness of the cave, Mikael’s eyes glowed like sapphires. He was naked too, although I couldn’t have said when that had happened. I kept my gaze on his face, fearing that if I saw his erection, I’d
lose my nerve again.
He didn’t speak again. Instead, he just extended his hand. After only a small moment of hesitation, I took it.
TB left her spot on his shoulders and slithered on top of me, and her cold, serpentine body felt strikingly comforting to the touch. Her forked tongue tickled my cheek, drawing a small laugh out of me. “Stop. We need to focus on the ritual, remember?”
She hissed again, and while I couldn’t understand her like I did Shiro, the sound seemed to hold affection. Before I could say anything else, Stefan interrupted our exchange. “You’re so beautiful,” he blurted out from behind me, drawing my attention away from TB.
I turned, only to find him staring at me with almost unnerving intensity. Callum shook his head in exasperation. “Stefan, we talked about this.”
“Sorry,” Stefan quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Carry on.”
It was a little too late for that, since the casual mood TB had created had been ruined. I couldn’t begrudge him for it, though. No matter what they might have said earlier and what I’d told myself, the sexual tension between us couldn’t be denied. I hadn’t forgotten what we’d almost done when we’d come here the first time. Besides, Callum might try to pretend Stefan alone was at fault for shattering the moment of tentative peace, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Callum’s aura was just as powerful as the day we’d met, and even if he hadn’t said anything out loud, I could feel the heat of his gaze raking over my flesh like a physical caress.
But I couldn’t afford to think about that now, or about my utter confusion regarding my relationship with the three men. The ritual was both risky and necessary, and it took priority over my inability to make a decision in my love life.
I looked away from Callum and Stefan, focusing on Mikael once again. “Okay, then. Let’s make you mine.”
“I think that’s my line,” Mikael said with a smirk. “You’re—”