by Eva Brandt
“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—”
Behind Mikael, a shadow stirred in the darkness. A voice drifted into my mind, drowning out whatever else Mikael had intended to say.
It was only for a moment, and then Mikael pressed his lips to mine, chasing away the voice. “I’m yours and you’re mine, remember? There’s nothing else you need to think about.”
There was, but I couldn’t recall it, not anymore. Callum and Stefan started to chant and a bright glow invaded the cavern, as if the sun itself had descended into the depths of the hidden Scholomance.
“In darkness and light, we were born,” Callum said.
“Through fire and chaos, we rose,” Stefan added.
Mikael joined in, whispering his own part of the ritual against my mouth. “Through grace, we were given companionship.”
The words I was supposed to say easily came to my lips. “Through magic, we accept to be made anew.”
The light became brighter, almost blinding in its intensity. Mikael said something else, but I couldn’t hear him any longer.
A spiral of flame erupted around us, roaring like a monstrous beast. In the flames, I could’ve sworn I could see a face glaring down sharply at me. “No!” Stefan shouted. “You won’t take her!”
Something cracked in the cavern and Mikael surrounded me with his wings, shielding me from the fire and the wild magic that was trying to shatter the ritual. TB coiled around my naked body even more tightly, so much so that for a few seconds, I feared she’d suffocate me.
The blaze vanished as quickly as it appeared. The next thing I knew, I was kneeling on the ground, with my head still spinning and my arms wrapped around Mikael’s waist.
“It’s okay now,” he said, his voice hoarse, as if he’d been screaming. “It’s over.”
I forced an answer past my parched lips. “Did it work?”
“Yes,” Mikael answered, kissing my forehead. “Yes, it did. We have a familiar bond now. Thank you for this. I promise you won’t regret it. We’ll be together always.”
I nodded, but still broke away from his embrace. “That’s… That’s great, I guess. I think I need to take a nap, though. I have a headache.”
My epilepsy wouldn’t affect Mikael physically, but I knew how much my seizure agitated Shiro. It might have a similar effect on Mikael.
The others knelt next to me and Callum pressed his hand to mine. “All right, Lyssa,” he replied. “Whatever you want.”
Lyssa. The only people who called me that were my family—my parents, plus Shiro.
A memory flashed through my mind, distant and faded, like an old photograph—that of myself, hugging my parents, then promising to call them, of my father’s grief-stricken and guilty expression and my mother’s final attempts to help me.
Callum smiled, and the memory went away. “Come on. We should get you back to the dorms. You’ll feel better once you rest.”
I didn’t protest. I allowed Stefan to take me into his arms and leaned against his strong chest. I dreamed of smoke, charred flesh, and a vow, but I didn’t remember it.
Epilogue
Having to face the death of a loved one was always the same. There was shock, denial, grief, a feeling of impotence, and always, desperation, that insane litany of ‘no, God, please, no, there has to be something I can do.’
But there was a price to pay for everything, and life was no different.
My parents and I had plans for my eighteenth birthday. We were supposed to drive to a small forest just outside the city, to have a picnic. My mother had cooked. It was going to be a nice day, quiet, just like I liked it.
Two miles away from our destination, they started to bicker. “I think I forgot the napkins on the table,” my father said in sudden realization.
“You did what?” my mother asked. “Charles, I reminded you three times!”
“Well, I got a little distracted by having to do every other fucking thing!”
My parents didn’t fight often, but when they did, it always got nasty. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they were the perfect couple, but on occasion, a tiny thing could set them off and they’d scream at each other for hours.
I tuned them out and leaned against the window, closing my eyes and petting Shiro’s head. By the time we reached the picnic spot, they’d be sickeningly sweet to one another again.
All of a sudden, my father let out a curs
e. My mother screamed. I never saw what happened, but the next thing I knew, the car flipped, and my world exploded into fire and pain. I hit my head and slumped against my seat, helpless.
It was Shiro who dragged me out of the car. He shredded my seat belt with his sharp fangs and somehow jerked the broken car door open. He grabbed the lapel of my jacket and pulled me out of the wreckage.
The feat should’ve been impossible. Hell, he should’ve been incapacitated in the crash, since he hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt like me. But he did it anyway, and when I recovered some degree of cognizance, I was at least two dozen feet away from the car. My dog was in my arms, with his paws blistered and several other injuries littering his body.
He hadn’t gotten out unscathed, but he was still alive. I could still save him. My parents weren’t so lucky.
In front of me, the car went up in flames. I could hear my mother and my father screaming as they were burned alive inside.
I just sat there, staring, unable to move a muscle, unable to even scream. The scent of smoke, gasoline, blood, and scorched flesh filled my nostrils, threatening to suffocate me.
Distantly, I was surprised I hadn’t had a seizure yet. For once, I wished it would happen. I wished my condition would take this horrible reality, this horrible memory, away.
But it wasn’t meant to be, and my nightmare only continued. As I watched, a figure appeared among the flames, heading toward my parents.
The sight of it was so outlandish it managed what the screams could not. “Wait!” I cried out. “Please! Don’t… Don’t hurt them.”
As soon as I uttered the words, I realized how ridiculous they sounded. My parents were already burning alive. What else could the creature do to them?
And yet, somehow, I shuddered at the sight of the inhuman body, with its two pairs of wings and four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and a human. I knew it could do things that the fire itself couldn’t accomplish.
“Please,” I whispered again. “Leave them alone.”
The creature stopped mid-stride and turned toward me, scanning me with several sets of glowing eyes. “You can see me? Interesting.”
It—or rather, he, since the voice he’d used was male—made his way to my side. “Ah, yes. Alyssa Michaelis. I remember your ancestor’s soul. He just narrowly escaped me, that one. It looks like you may have inherited some of his skills.”
My ancestor? Skills? What the hell was the creature talking about? Did it even matter? I didn’t care about any of that.
This wasn’t about me or my skills. My family was dying, damn it.
In my arms, Shiro whimpered. He was still bleeding and desperately needed aid. There was no one here but me and the creature. What was I supposed to do?
The decision was taken out of my hands when the creature sat down in front of me and took my hand. Despite how odd he looked in every other way, his palm was human and his skin soft. Our point of contact shone like a star. “I’ll make you a deal, little one. As you can probably imagine, your parents were going to die today. I will grant them their lives back. In exchange, you and your familiar will come with me.”
I gaped at him in a mix of shock, hope, and suspicion. “W-What?” I stammered. “Are you serious? But why? Who are you? Why would you help me? There has to be a catch.”
“Ah, yes. Forgive me my lack of manners. My name is Lucifer, and I am a cherub. Or at least, I used to be one. Today, you might know me as Satan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Satan? The devil? What the fuck? I instinctively pulled away from him, terrified. “And you want me to… what? Sell you my soul?”
“Not exactly.” He smiled, the expression gruesome and predatory when it appeared on all four of his faces. “To be honest, that’s a little boring. You’re too interesting to be enslaved in such a way, and I’m not in that business any longer.
“No, here is what is going to happen. There is a place—it’s called The Academy of the Devil. You’re going to become a student there. I have an interest in certain developments at the school, and I think your involvement will provide me with great enjoyment.
“You will not remember this conversation. You will believe yourself to have come to the academy due to your connection with your inquisitor ancestor. I will give you this news later, in a different way. But should you fail in your task, I will indeed claim your soul as my own.”
“Task?” I repeated. “What task is that?”
“Oh, it’s quite simple. Heaven and Hell have been at odds for an eternity and have made humans their pawns in their endless battle. I grow weary of this game. It’s time for The Mortal Realm to take charge.
“Things were better when I could rely on the Scholomance, but with it gone, we’ll just have to do things the hard way. It’s time for a mortal to become Satan.”
“Wait… I thought you were Satan.”
“I used to be,” he said, shaking his heads. “I gave it up. It’s very boring to watch over the souls of the damned. I didn’t defy the Supreme Being to end up trapped in a fiery cage, for all time.”
I supposed I could understand his logic, but everything else remained just as unbelievable. I was only an eighteen-year old epileptic mortal girl. How could I take his place? It was impossible.
“Why me?” I asked him. “You could pick anyone.”
“I have my reasons. You’re special. And besides, I don’t think you should complain. This will give you back your family.”
His words put an end to my protests. I loved my parents too much to question the deal that would allow me to save them. When Lucifer engulfed me in his wings and his hellish light swallowed me whole, I accepted the curse he placed on me. And when I woke up again, alive and well, I promptly forgot about the whole thing and allowed myself to be whisked away to The Academy of the Devil, unknowing and unaware of what I was truly supposed to do.
* * *
I never did pass my PE exam, but Polyphemus gave me extra credit. His reasons were never explained through official channels, but he later told me that anyone who could knock Professor Jones out with a blast of magic was okay in his book.
I suspected the whole thing was a little more complicated than that, because all the teachers began to be almost alarmingly nice. The final exams of the second term went very well, with everyone avoiding anything that could trigger my seizures. Professor Jones ignored my attack on him and accommodated my condition.
I wondered if perhaps the dean had something to do with it, and I wished he’d intervened sooner, before Shiro’s death had forced us into this mess.
Still, I happily accepted his generosity, because I had countless other problems on my plate. I needed to find Shiro’s killer, and now, I also had a second familiar to worry about. The school students had stopped targeting me with their bullying, because they’d found a better victim.
Two days before my first year ended, I found Gemma throwing fire blasts at Mikael. “You don’t belong here, angel!” she screeched like a banshee. “Die!”
The other students just stood there, watching impassively. A pale Darling glowered at me and turned away, apparently disgusted with my presence.
Mikael didn’t scream. He didn’t show any sign of experiencing pain. But he didn’t try to fight Gemma off either.
I still didn’t know how I felt about him, about any of the three men, but this time, when Shiro lunged at Gemma, I didn’t restrain him.
It would only get worse from here. With minor exceptions, the whole school had turned against Mikael. But I owed him for saving Shiro’s life, and there was a bond between us now, one that couldn’t be broken.
I’d also made a promise once—a promise that no matter what, I’d never abandon hope and never forget my humanity. And so, once Gemma fled, I went to Mikael’s side and wrapped my arms around him. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here.”
He laughed, the sound bitter, sharp, and empty. “Nothing is ever going to be okay. Not here, especially not for a nephilim.”
“Well, then, we’re just going to have to fix it.”
After all, what other options did we have? For good or ill, we were stuck at The Academy of the Devil. If the students here wanted to make our lives hell, we’d just have to fight back and be more demonic than them.
II
A Demonic Year Two
Second chances are always costly, and at The Academy of the Devil, the price you have to pay for weakness is high. Get ready. Class is in session again, and this year, the lessons we have to learn are tougher than ever.
Prologue
According to the World’s Health Organization, falling in love was like a disease. It took a hold of you and insidiously crawled into you, like a virus you couldn’t stop or treat with anything. Before long, you found yourself solely thinking of the person you’d fallen for, obsessive over what they did, craving their presence, constantly worrying about them.
When I’d first heard about this classification, I’d laughed, because it didn’t make sense at all. I’d seen my parents together, and nothing in what they’d shared could be bad.
Then I’d arrived at The Academy of the Devil, and I’d begun to understand the logic a little more. Love was indeed a poison, one for which there was no real antidote.
I didn’t know if I loved them—any of them. Mikael, Stefan, and Callum were so different from anyone I’d ever met. But there were several things I’d decided when I’d come here. One of the first was that I’d somehow make it out, that I’d never lose hope, no matter what the school’s motto claimed. The second was that I couldn’t abandon my humanity. And in that humanity, slowly, I found love. Sort of.
Love was a selfish emotion. And even if Dean Mephistopheles had claimed Callum, Stefan, Mikael and I could have a polyandrous relationship, going through with that plan was far more complicated than suggesting it.
“Lyssa, we’ll be together always,” Mikael had said.
Stefan and Callum had seemed pleased about it at the time, and about the success of the ritual. But at The Academy of the Devil, everyone had secrets and secondary agendas. My incubus, my nephilim, and my hell hound were no different.