by Eva Brandt
I tried very hard to not think about why the idea disappointed me.
* * *
Callum, Stefan, and Mikael didn’t change their minds. In fact, over the next weeks, it became obvious that my conversation with Mikael had just made them more determined to win me over.
Since I’d been foolish enough to point out that I didn’t see enough of Stefan and Callum to actually deem them adequate partners, the duo made it their business to drop by to see me every day. They ate at least one meal at my house’s table, much to the not-so-secret delight of my housemates. They didn’t push me, but they still made it clear that they were interested.
In early December, gifts started popping up around my classrooms. They were never huge things I could make a fuss about, because they were often not romantic in nature. My supply of Always ran out around the beginning of the month, at which point I realized in horror I had no place to buy any hygiene supplies on the island. Hair products were provided by the school, but having a period was apparently an issue they hadn’t deemed noteworthy. The next morning, a Max Pack just manifested next to my bed. I didn’t know if that was creepy or really thoughtful, but I was too embarrassed about it to mention it, since I couldn’t be sure the trio were behind the incident in the first place.
On another occasion, a book I’d desperately needed showed up in my bag. At least three times a week, I received either flowers or chocolates. I kept the flowers and gave most of the chocolates to my dorm mates, feeling increasingly put out.
Material gifts didn’t mean I had to suddenly fall at their feet and agree to be their girlfriend, but still, I had to admit a part of me liked the attention. On the other hand, I was still wary of this behavior. My divided emotions made it impossible for me to approach any of them and have an actual conversation about it.
“I think it’s sweet,” Yolanda said, one morning, as we sat at the table of The House of Envy, having breakfast. “The way they dote on you and try to court you.”
I took a sip of my tea, suspiciously eyeing Callum, Stefan, and Mikael over the rim of the cup. They’d been quiet today, huddling together at the other side of the table. They were planning something. But what?
Lena slapped my arm, drawing my attention away from the trio. “Stop glaring at them. They’re not going to attack you. Not unless you’re into that, in which case, they’ll happily do it.”
I ignored the latter sentence and the images it stirred in my head. “Why are you so invested in this anyway? Why would you want me to be with them?”
“Is it that hard to believe that we just want to see you happy?”
I was grateful I hadn’t been chewing on anything at the time, because if I had, I might have choked on my food. “Yes,” I replied. “From the moment I stepped into this school, people have made it clear that demons don’t do anything unless it’s for their own self-interest, so I find it very odd that you’d try to help us with our relationship.”
“It is for our own self-interest,” Yolanda pointed out. “If you knew how much we’re enjoying the whole thing, you wouldn’t be questioning us at all.”
She was probably telling the truth and, to her, it made complete sense to act like this, even if they might not like me the rest of the time. Then again, according to Mikael, that wasn’t true either, so what the hell did I know? Maybe they did consider me a potential asset and someone worth knowing in the future. This was too fucking confusing.
“Whatever,” I said, abandoning my unfinished meal on the table. “This is pointless. They’ll change their minds anyway and find a different occupation by the end of the year.”
I slipped Shiro a last bit of perfectly prepared bacon, wiped my hands, and got up. “I need to get to class. See you later, okay?”
“Sure thing, Alyssa.” Yolanda grinned. “Enjoy! Maybe you can ask Mikael for some private tutoring today.”
I suppressed the urge to groan. This morning, I had Familiar Bonding again. I felt I hadn’t made any real progress in my supposedly powerful familiar magic, but Lilith claimed that I had. She swore up and down that within less than a year, I’d be able to fully open my connection with Shiro.
I was excited about that, but felt tired at the idea of sharing another class with Mikael. I also feared that one of these days, Callum and Stefan would start popping up at Familiar Bonding as well. They were technically supposed to, but they never came, since whatever they needed to do to ‘solidify their familiar bond’ went beyond the lessons Lilith gave us.
As it turned out, Mikael and the others had other plans, ones that didn’t involve me going to class at all. They intercepted me just as I was leaving the hall. Mikael offered me his arm, just like he had months ago, when he’d guided me to the library. “Could we talk?”
The conversation I’d had with him that day hadn’t ended well, but refusing him—or any of them, really—would just end in another spectacle. “Sure, as long as you make it quick. We need to get to class.”
“Don’t worry,” Callum replied. “We wouldn’t get you in trouble with Lady Lilith.”
I was still a little suspicious of their intentions, but I nodded and accepted their request. It was only when we were out of the room and away from the crowd that they revealed their true plan.
“We’re kidnapping you today,” Stefan declared bluntly, somehow managing to steal me from Mikael’s hold.
I was too befuddled by his sudden statement to struggle against the irreverent treatment. “Kidnapping me?” I repeated. “I told you I have class! Lady Lilith will be furious.”
“No, she won’t,” Callum answered. “Like I said, we wouldn’t do that to you. We talked to her beforehand and made sure she was okay with it.”
“Come on, Alyssa,” Mikael insisted. “Don’t you want to explore a bit? See more of the island? You said we didn’t spend enough time together. This is our chance.”
TB crawled off his neck and stared at me with unblinking eyes. Being a serpent, she couldn’t actually give me the same pleading look Shiro so often used on me. Still, when she hissed and stuck out her tiny forked tongue, I found it hard to resist. “You’re a cruel man, Mikael, throwing your familiar at me like this,” I said with a sigh.
“To be fair, she doesn’t mind being thrown at you,” Mikael answered with a laugh. “But seriously, though… What do you say? Will you come with us?”
“That’s what the weekends are for,” I argued, shaking my head. “We don’t need to skip class to do anything like this.”
“We’re not free on the weekends,” Stefan replied. “It’s… complicated. There are some special lessons we need to attend because of our unique status.”
Which unique status was that? The whole ‘prince of the school’ thing or the one related to his familiar bond with Callum? It would’ve been rude to ask, so I didn’t pry. I had other things I needed to say anyway. “You can’t just unilaterally decide to interrupt my classes like this. I need them to survive. Or have you forgotten?”
“Of course we haven’t forgotten,” Callum answered seriously. “But that’s exactly why this is important. You can’t find every answer in the library or in class, Alyssa. We’re not going to force you if you really don’t want to go. It’s just an offer.”
Oh, he was good, tempting me with knowledge. Much like the snake of the Garden of Eden. I should’ve said ‘no’, just out of spite. But truth be told, I did want to look around a little more, and maybe taking a break would help me. And TB had asked nicely. Sort of.
“All right,” I said, “but I’m bringing it up with Lady Lilith before we go. It’d be presumptuous of me to leave without letting her know myself.”
Also, I wasn’t sure I could trust the trio to not lie to me about having received permission from the teacher to skip class. They did seem to receive such privileges a lot, but that didn’t mean they’d secured the same opportunity for me.
Instead of being offended by my distrust, the three men grinned, as if excited that I doubted them. “Sure,” Stef
an offered. “Whatever you want, Alyssa.”
“If we hurry, we can find Lilith before class, although you should probably prepare yourself for that,” Callum added.
The tiny smirk on his face said more about the meaning of his words than the sentence itself. “I’ve seen her have sex before,” I answered. “I think I’m good.”
I wasn’t. When we found Lilith in her office, she was sandwiched between the two Bones siblings, being… well, boned by both of them. Bartholomew was fucking her mouth, whereas his sister was thrusting into Lilith’s pussy from behind. I had no idea how Berta even managed to accomplish this—were there double-headed dildos and strap-ons in this place?—but I didn’t want to analyze the mechanics too closely.
Lilith noticed our arrival and released Bartholomew’s cock from her mouth with a wet pop. “Oh… If it isn’t my favorite students,” she said, her voice husky and raw. “By all means, join us. We can have a small party. Perhaps we can start preparing our young Sacrifice for a special class of sex magic.”
I liked her well enough and respected her skills, but I had no desire to have sex with her. If I ever approached a teacher for something like that, it would be…
No, brain! You’re not going there. No way, no how! I had enough issues on my plate without allowing my mind to drift in even more inappropriate directions.
Callum rescued me from having to say or do anything. “We appreciate the offer, Lady Lilith, but I think Alyssa isn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. She merely wanted to make sure you approved of our little outing.”
“Oh, of course,” Lilith replied, lazily jacking Bartholomew’s cock as she spoke to us. “By all means. Go have fun. Get to know one another better. It’s always a good idea to have a solid base for rituals of sex magic.”
“We’re not doing that now,” Mikael answered, “but thank you.”
He grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the office. “Don’t worry about what Lilith said. She’s a little bit of a nymphomaniac. We don’t have such expectations of you.”
I’d have been more inclined to believe him if he hadn’t mentioned sex magic too. “Then what expectations do you have?”
“For today?” Callum asked in Mikael’s stead. “Nothing in particular. We just decided to show you something. You wanted to know more about the academy, didn’t you? Well, here’s your chance.”
I glared at him balefully. I still didn’t trust them, but if they’d wanted to hurt me, they’d had ample time to do it. Also, Shiro hadn’t seemed anxious about their behavior, and I knew I could rely on his instincts. “All right,” I said, with some reluctance. “But just so you know, it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Of course not,” Callum answered. He didn’t smile, and for that, I was grateful.
The trio guided me out of the building and into the courtyard. I couldn’t see other students nearby, but Callum still gestured for me to stay as quiet as possible. “We’re not actually supposed to do this during daylight,” he explained.
“Do what?”
In response, Stefan ushered me close to the wall of the amorphous mass that occupied so much of the academy courtyard. He took my hand, wrapping his arm around me from behind as he guided my palm forward. “You’ll see in a second.”
He didn’t force me into anything, but I went along with it anyway. There was something about this whole episode that both frightened and intrigued me.
I’d always found the amorphous mass terrifying for reasons I couldn’t completely understand. I’d gotten used to The House of Envy dorms and was okay with most of the other sentient buildings. But this one always gave me the creeps. I couldn’t help but wonder why.
The wall parted with a fleshy squelch, revealing a passageway hidden beneath. It was sculpted in stone, and for the first time, I realized the mass was actually a sort of demonic, living moss that had grown over something else.
We entered the passage, with the three demons flanking me in a protective formation and Shiro as always by my side. As we advanced, the temperature began to increase. It was strange, since logic stated that the underground should’ve been cooler than the surface. Maybe there was some kind of hot spring or a volcanic source of heat nearby?
But no, we were at The Academy of the Devil, and that would’ve made too much sense. When the corridor ended, we emerged in a wide cavern, and for a few seconds, I thought I’d stepped into a reconstruction of Pompeii. The ruins of a darkened, beautiful citadel lay in front of me, barely recognizable, hidden under tons of ash, but still preserving an eerie, deadly beauty. Sparks of fire danced through the air like fireflies, and while they didn’t emanate any heat, they were the only source of light.
I brushed my fingers over one of the shattered columns and quickly pulled it back when I burned myself. “What is this place?” I asked, clutching my hand to my chest.
Mikael grabbed my hand and blew a gust of cold air over my mild burn. Instantly, the pain vanished.
Callum didn’t have the issues I did. When he leaned against the very same column I’d touched, it lit up, responding like an eager pet would to its master. “You know how I said the academy used to be located in the Bermuda Triangle?” he asked. “Well, that actually wasn’t its original location. For centuries, it was in Transylvania, and its original name was the Scholomance.
“Back then, humans were actually not as looked down upon as they are now. Demons were far more likely to breed with your species, and the Scholomance encouraged that. The dark magic the disciples of the devil were taught could turn any human into a superior version of themselves.”
A superior version of themselves. I didn’t want to get into that line of conversation, so instead, I inquired, “What happened to it? How did it become like this?”
“Nobody really knows,” Callum replied. “One day, most of it just… disappeared, like it was nothing. The remnants were brought here.”
“How can you not know? I mean… Not even the dean? Or the teachers?”
“They might, but they haven’t said a word.” Stefan shrugged. “Knowing them, it must be because the big guys had a fight about something. Anyway, it’s sort of turned into a secret place where couples come to… have some fun.”
What kind of fun encouraged couples to come here, when everyone was perfectly okay with having sex out in the open? Probably not something I’d approve of.
“We’re not a couple, though,” I said before the trio could elaborate. “Even if I agreed to your crazy idea, I don’t think that word would be accurate.”
“Eh… Semantics.” Stefan sat on the remnants of a gargoyle statue and patted the spot next to him. “Come on. Come sit. I’ll absorb the heat to make it comfortable for you.”
I did end up sitting down, although not next to Stefan. Instead, I climbed onto a rocky outcropping that allowed me to get a better view at the ruins as a whole. Interestingly, the stone wasn’t hot at all, not like the transported building, at least, and I didn’t have any trouble finding an adequate observation point.
The Scholomance was quite beautiful and very different from the academy as it was now. Still, I wondered why the three demons had decided to show me this.
Callum must’ve guessed what I was thinking, because he proceeded to explain. “Listen, Alyssa. We just wanted to be a little more straightforward with you. Like you said, it was unreasonable of us to think you’d just understand us. And I know our behavior hasn’t exactly been compatible with human way of thinking.
“But mankind was able to coexist in a better way with demons before. These ruins are proof of that. It can still happen.”
I jumped off the stone and brushed the dust and ash off my black gown. “Do you really think that? You weren’t nearly so optimistic in the past.”
“I didn’t know you back then. Things have changed.” He walked up to me and gripped my chin, forcing our eyes to meet. “You’re special.”
“I’m not,” I answered. I tried to hold onto my resolve, but it was difficult to turn awa
y. Even breathing was a challenge, as if my lungs were being sabotaged by Callum’s touch. “Callum…”
Callum pulled me closer, his free hand roaming over my barely covered back. “Shh,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful, you know? More beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen. As much as I love the way you look in this uniform, I’d love you more without it.”
“I concur,” Mikael replied. He was already lowering the zipper of my gown, and I gasped as he slid his hands beneath the material, cupping my breasts from behind. I didn’t know how he’d managed to sneak his way between my body and Callum’s. Maybe it was one of his cambion talents. It didn’t matter, because when he pinched my nipples, a jolt of arousal coursed over me, crackling over my skin like static electricity, all the way into my core.
Since I was between Mikael and Callum, it should’ve been impossible for Stefan to touch me as well, but he was resourceful. He knelt at my feet and lifted my gown, brushing his lips over my leg and leaving a trail of fire behind.
I moaned, grinding against Mikael’s heavy erection. “That’s it, Alyssa,” Callum said. “You want this, don’t you? You want us.”
Yes, I did. God help me, I did. It was embarrassing, really. My panties were already soaked with my juices, and Callum, Stefan, and Mikael had only kissed and caressed me a little.
But their hands felt so good on my body and for fuck’s sake, it was stupid to deny myself this pleasure. It wasn’t like I was saving myself or anything. I wanted them inside me, in my pussy, in my mouth, in my ass, in every possible way.
I wanted to spread my legs for them and have them fuck me rough and hard. And maybe I’d have asked them to do exactly that, but I didn’t get the chance.
A shadow flashed above us, like a bright, terrifying beacon. I happened to be looking up and through my haze of arousal, I caught a glimpse of it. The shadow morphed into a humanoid figure and extended spidery fingers toward me.