by Eva Brandt
Gulping, I complied, wriggling my way past my lovers and walking to Cain’s side. Shiro joined me, although he left TB with Mikael.
As Lucifer approached, my palms started to sweat and my heart raced in my chest. I was uncomfortably aware of how many people were looking at us and how badly this could all end.
Lucifer ignored everyone else. As soon as he reached me, he offered me his hand, smiling with a warmth I didn’t trust for a minute. “Don’t worry,” he said again. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”
I didn’t believe him, but even so, I decided to go along with it. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea. I might be able to talk to him through this method, since I hadn’t been able to approach him before.
Still a little worried, I took his hand. A jolt of energy rushed over my skin, just like in Familiar Bonding. This time, it was a little more sedate, maybe because I was prepared for it.
“All right, Ms. Michaelis,” Cain said. “Now, I want you to attempt to project your mind into Mr. Starr’s.”
“And how do I do that?” I asked, befuddled.
Every time I’d used this power in the past, it had been by accident. I had even more problems with mind magic than I did with my elemental one, and that alone spoke volumes of how bad I was at it.
Cain didn’t seem taken aback by my lack of skill. “Most users of mind magic have instinctive sense of how to accomplish this, but since it’s different for you, we will try another exercise. Focus on Mr. Starr’s eyes, on every detail, every single thing you can discern.”
That was a little tougher for me and Lucifer than it would’ve been for other people, since Lucifer’s eyes had always had a weird effect on me. Still, it was a practical suggestion and something I could do without too much trouble.
Squeezing Lucifer’s hand a little more tightly, I focused on his eyes, just like Cain had instructed me. At first, my world seemed utterly consumed by the bright gold. It was so blinding I almost turned away. But I’d always been stubborn, so I held on. And I realized the golden eyes held specks of different colors, crimson and black dancing around his iris like a tiny, barely visible whirlwind.
In his deep gaze, I saw starlight and hidden secrets, whispers of grief and dark sorrow. I wanted to explore the universe of his mind, to unlock the mysteries of his heart, to find out what motivated him and why he’d decided I was so important to him.
Just like that, something seemed to click at the back of my mind. I was pulled away from the classroom, into a wide open space that reminded me an awful lot of the one glimpse I’d had of The Celestial Realm.
I wasn’t in a tower or anything like that. Instead, I seemed to be somewhere in the area I’d glimpsed from its window. The floor beneath my feet wasn’t a floor at all. It was a cloud. Currents of energy traveled around me, the same ones I’d seen when I’d been brought to The Heavens by Archangel Michael.
But there were still significant differences between this space and The Celestial Realm. No light came from the energy currents, only a strange, dark shadow. The cloud underneath my feet vibrated with an incipient, angry storm, sparks of red lightning crackling through its surface. Drops of molten lava fell from above us, avoiding me, missing me, but sweeping through the fields of shadow like shooting stars.
It was the mind of a fallen angel and I almost wished I hadn’t done this at all, since it was intimate in a way my view of The Garden of Eden hadn’t been. But before I could try to make my escape, Lucifer manifested by my side.
“See?” he asked. “What did I tell you? You’re perfectly capable of performing mind magic.”
Tendrils of shadow rose around him as he made contact with a cloud, but my presence didn’t bother him. I did my best to put my apprehension aside and said, “I still need a lot of practice. Are we supposed to do anything else now?”
Lucifer shrugged. “Not really. I think Cain wasn’t planning on you being the one to investigate my brain. I’m sure he and Lilith have their own little scheme, trying to figure out why I’m here. But since that didn’t work for them today, I can try to show you how to manipulate someone’s mental space a little.”
“Is that safe?” I asked, my nervousness returning with a vengeance.
“Normally, it wouldn’t be, but for me, it’s something I can easily control. A lot of angels can do that. We don’t have four faces just as a symbol.”
As it turned out, Lucifer could isolate individual parts of his brain and manipulate them however he saw fit, then return them to their previous state. From the cloud where I’d arrived, Lucifer carried me to a volcanic lake filled with glittering water. It was beautiful, but in an entirely different way, and the space emanated a different type of magic than the cloud. “It’s kind of like you’re a computer, with separate drives,” I said. “I never thought I’d see something like this in a person.”
“Why not? Humans were created as imperfect copies of The Supreme Being. It stands to reason that their creations would be copies of something that already exists.”
“Other demons don’t seem to know much about that or about human creations in general.”
Lucifer snorted. “You’ll find that when demons come together in groups, their intelligence heavily decreases. In that respect, they’re very similar to humans. Also, just between you and me, most demons aren’t very smart, to begin with.”
He sat down on the shore of the lake and gestured for me to join him. “But enough about that. I have a feeling my frustration with demon-kind isn’t what you wanted to discuss, and you weren’t looking for mind magic lessons either.”
I didn’t ask him how he’d guessed my intentions. I’d probably been an open book since class had begun. “You’re right. I wanted to talk to you about what’s been going on between us. I know you said you’re interested in me, but I’m really worried about what that means. So I want you to please give me another solution for this situation we’re in.”
“Are you suggesting that we put together another contract?” He arched a brow at me in a mix of amusement and disbelief. “You can’t turn to demonic deals for everything, you know.”
After a few moments of hesitation, I shook my head. While I’d come here prepared for another contract, he didn’t seem thrilled about the idea, so maybe I could avoid it. “That’s not what I said. Not everything has to be about contracts and deals. Look, I think you’re a reasonable person. If you hadn’t been, you could’ve claimed my soul a long time ago. So I’m not suggesting anything like an official deal. Just a tentative agreement. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, that’s all, and if things keep heading in this direction, it’s bound to happen.”
“I suppose you’re not wrong,” Lucifer replied, pursing his lips. “I can’t make you any promises, Alyssa, but I will say this. Your lovers aren’t in any danger from me. As long as they don’t get in my way, I have no problem with them. But things aren’t so simple, are they?”
“No, they aren’t. They see you as a threat and aren’t willing to share me with anyone.”
“So in other words, the problem is with them, not with me.” He smirked, and I immediately wanted to slap him. “Wouldn’t you agree? They’re the ones who insist on protecting you from me, although they’re well aware it’s not necessary.”
I threw my hands up, exasperated with his absurdity. “I can’t ask them not to protect me. I almost died last year. Twice. I spent three months in a coma. I have Satan hunting me down and half the time, I can’t sleep at night because I keep hearing screams in my head. Give me a break here.”
Lucifer’s smirk melted into a deep scowl. He ignored three-quarters of what I’d told him and focused on a single word. “I’m sorry… Screaming?”
“Yes. It started out after I woke up. I heard it first when I was in The Garden of Eden, with you, and it hasn’t stopped since.”
A heavy wind began to blow over the lake, making its clear waters ripple. “That isn’t good,” Lucifer said. “I want you to do something for me, Alyssa. This is important.”
The seriousness of his tone alarmed me. “What?”
“That scream is a memory,” he explained. “I’m sure you realized it by now. But if it stuck to you, it’s not just because you heard it once in my mind.
“It is a sound that was once uttered by my worst enemy. And in case you’re wondering, no, I’m not talking about Satan.”
His worst enemy? That was crazy. Who could he be referring to, if not the new Lord of Wrath?
Lucifer answered my questions without me having to ask them. “The fact that you’re still hearing the scream can only mean one thing. Eve is back at the academy.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. “Eve? You mean…”
“Yes, that Eve. Cain’s mother. She and I were friends once. I used her and she’s understandably very pissed at me. But that’s an old story, and not something you have to pay the price for.
“Alyssa, if you see her or she tries anything, you tell me and I’ll get rid of her. Okay?”
I thought about all the ghosts I’d been seeing since I’d come back from my coma and my strange reaction to apples. I had a feeling that I’d already seen Eve, more than once.
I opened my mouth to tell him just that, to ask him to help me with the ghost. At the last moment, I changed my mind.
So far, the ghost had been unable to hurt me and I’d managed to deal with the situation on my own. By his own admission, Lucifer’s approach would be a little more permanent.
I wasn’t sure something like that was necessary, not yet.
“How about we do this? If I think I’m in danger from anyone, I’ll let you know.”
“That sounds great.” He smiled, visibly relieved. “Okay. Don’t worry about the rest of it. I’ll talk it out with Mephistopheles and the other three.”
“Really?” I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious at his easy acceptance. “You’d do that?”
“I’ve done harder things, Alyssa. This isn’t that complicated. We just have to reach an agreement that works for everyone.” He winked. “And I’m very good at coming up with that sort of thing.”
I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, even if I’d wanted to argue with him, I wouldn’t have had the time.
The horizon lit up and Lucifer hummed under his breath. He got up and offered me his hand, helping me stand as well. “It looks like it’s time to return. I’m surprised it took them that long to come knocking.”
When he pulled me into his arms, I didn’t fight him. When he brushed a kiss over my forehead, I didn’t push him away. I’d seen this coming and if I wanted to be perfectly honest, I was even looking forward to it a little.
Sometimes, I was such a shameless fool. I kept telling myself that I wanted to have nothing to do with him, and then, this happened.
Still, I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. I needed to make him understand that, above all else, I treasured my relationship with my lovers.
“Don’t tease them too much, okay? They deserve better.”
“So do you, Alyssa,” he answered, “but we don’t all get what we deserve.”
He crushed his mouth to mine and the world went white around the edges. I had just enough time to feel the flavor of his burning passion exploding on my taste buds, and then, I lost track of him altogether and fell—through clouds, through volcanic rock, through darkness and nothingness.
It was only for a moment, and then I was waking up in the classroom, back at The Academy of the Devil. The sensation was a little similar to recovering from a seizure, but there was no headache, bitten tongue, or confusion. Go me!
Mikael was nowhere near as overjoyed about my current condition as I was. “Are you okay, Lyssa?” he asked. He was holding me close to his chest, his hands glowing brightly. He must’ve been the one to ‘come knocking’, as Lucifer had so eloquently put it.
“Fine,” I replied, flinching when I realized how breathless I sounded. “I’m fine.”
Judging by the way Stefan and Callum were glaring at Lucifer, they didn’t believe it for a second.
I wondered how obvious our interactions had been for the people waiting in the classroom. I’d have liked to hope that most of it—as well as my response to Lucifer—remained a secret, but at this point, I knew better than to expect such a thing.
With a sigh, I resigned myself to having to give my lovers an elaborate explanation. No matter what Lucifer claimed, I still believed they deserved better. I couldn’t lie to them, not about something so important.
It would not go over well, but I had no choice. If I wanted our relationship to survive, I needed to fully bare my heart to them and explain what I felt.
It would’ve been easier if I’d actually understood it.
Punishment
It took forever for me to be able to steal some private moments with my lovers. After Psyche Manipulation ended, Mikael and Stefan insisted to take me to the infirmary and have Faust look me over. Callum stayed behind, apparently wanting to have a serious conversation with his ancestor.
Faust grumbled a little, but did check my condition. He ended up giving me a clean bill of health and throwing a massive book of Criminal Law at Stefan’s head. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate us wasting his time.
We made it to Necromancy with only a minute to spare. Callum was missing, and I assumed he was still dealing with the aftermath of Cain’s arrival.
That day, Professor Grim’s lesson was purely theoretical, and I was grateful for that, because I probably wouldn’t have handled another trip into the past very well. I was distracted all throughout the class and barely heard a word. It was a good thing I’d learned this last year, otherwise I would’ve ended up an even bigger failure than I already was.
When class ended, I walked out of Professor Grim’s tower, half in a daze. A part of me wanted to just drag my lovers back to the dorm and tell them everything. The other shied away from the thought and took comfort in the delay.
In the end, the choice was taken out of my hands. A shadowy figure was waiting for us outside. It bowed as soon as it saw me, did a small pirouette and crooked its finger. Then, it blew me a kiss and disappeared into thin air.
“I take it Meph wants to see us,” I said.
“Seems like it, yes,” Stefan mumbled. “For fuck’s sake. Mephistopheles is so dramatic.”
He could be, yes, but that probably came with being a High Lord of Hell. I wondered what warranted him sending one of his shadowy minions after me. He’d never done that before, not like this, at least.
Since the shadow hadn’t mentioned where Meph was, we headed to his office. This time, we were luckier, and we found him there. I took one look at his face and I knew Lucifer had spoken with him before I could.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have approached him like that. I shouldn’t feel this way. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m sorry.”
The words spilled from my lips in a torrent I couldn’t stop. They had been bubbling inside me since my conversation with Lucifer and now, I had to let everything out.
“Ever since I saw him in that vision from last year, I can’t stop obsessing about him. It’s crazy. This… This isn’t right.”
Callum wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me close. “Slow down, princess. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes, I did. Lucifer and I…” I groaned, having more and more trouble vocalizing my feelings. “When I was in a coma, he kissed me. And I think… I think there is something there. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand him. But I can’t pretend I don’t want him, not anymore.”
“You have to realize, Alyssa,” Mikael said slowly, “that this really isn’t a big surprise for us. If you hadn’t been interested in him, we wouldn’t be jealous at all.”
“And if there hadn’t been something there, he wouldn’t have come to the academy,” Meph added. “I’ve known him for millennia and it’s clear to me that he sees you as special.”
Their words should’ve made me feel better,
but instead, I was even more embarrassed and distraught. I was supposed to be better than this, damn it. I couldn’t allow my physical urges to be stronger than my head. Yes, he was hot, but for fuck’s sake, I already had four hot lovers I could barely handle. I didn’t need another.
“What am I doing?” I asked. “This is so—”
“We’ve already been over this,” Callum cut me off. “It’s not wrong. You have the right to feel anything.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it,” I replied, freeing myself from Callum’s embrace. “I’m a terrible girlfriend, aren’t I?”
“You’re not, pet,” Meph said. “You’re just allowing your human sensibilities to get in the way of your big heart.
“Listen, as you probably realize, I asked you to come here today because I spoke to him earlier. I don’t know what you’ve done, but he wants to call a truce. I’m as confused as you are, but it’s true that there’s more going on here than simple physical attraction.”
“Yeah, I thought so. What is it, then?”
“I’m not sure. He’s always had his secrets. I have some suspicions, but…” Meph shook his head as if chasing away a thought. “It’s stupid. Never mind. In any case, this isn’t about us and our jealousy. We can’t make you happy unless we reach some kind of agreement and I think we all understand that.”
“And what did The Fallen One propose?” Stefan drawled. “A schedule? We get Lyssa from Monday to Friday and he gets her on the weekends?”
Meph didn’t answer, but his silence said enough. Callum groaned. “You have got to be kidding me. That’ll never work.”
“Look, maybe we should just take a step back and slow down,” Mikael piped up. “We don’t have to do anything right this instant. He’s already said he won’t force Lyssa into anything. So let’s give it time.
“I don’t know about you, but when I first arrived here, as a nephilim, I was pretty uncomfortable. It took me a while to grow accustomed to this place.
“I’m not saying Lucifer is the same, but maybe we can reach a more sensible agreement.”