by Eva Brandt
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” I said, idly petting my swollen belly, “but I’m sure they’d come up with something. They usually do.” Setting that line of conversation aside, I asked, “Any reason why you’re visiting, Professor?” I didn’t want to be rude, but he never dropped by unless he had something important to say.
“Actually, yes,” he replied. “I wanted to discuss a small issue with you. It concerns the casualties of the battle at the academy.”
I blinked in surprise at his comment. I’d thought that situation had been solved by now. “Err… What about them?” Shit, that sounded really insensitive. “I mean, is there something else I’m supposed to do to help?”
As far as I knew, most of the dead demon students had already returned to their lives. Some of them had chosen to stay in Hell, since they’d found it preferable to continuing their studies. Others had taken a break while the school was being rebuilt or had chosen to transfer. Most people would return next year. Even if the position of Satan was no longer up for grabs, they still wanted to serve the current Satan.
Of course, not everyone had been so lucky. Lilith and Ammit were gone, their essence having scattered after the battle. I wasn’t sure what had happened to their souls, but Lucifer claimed that they might have ended up with The Supreme Being. Eve and Berta were just as dead as they should’ve been and there would be no coming back for them, not again.
Similarly, some students had been badly affected by Berta’s death magic and their recovery had been impossible. Gemma was among them.
I’d thought I’d done everything in my power to make the situation easier, but maybe not. “Professor Grim, if there’s anything else we can do, we’d be happy to help.”
“Always so solicitous. I actually had a small favor to ask. A private request, if you will.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but before he could do so, the air next to us blurred and a portal appeared by my side. Two familiar figures stumbled from it. It took me a few seconds to identify them, but when I did, I gasped in shock.
I dropped to my knees next to them, torn between confusion, concern, and happiness. “Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?”
I hadn’t seen my parents in over two months, since I’d briefly returned home to explain the situation. They’d been furious with my decision, but had agreed to support the official story, that I’d fallen ill and had died in the hospital after a long coma. But they’d only done so after Lucifer had threatened to force them into believing what everyone else did, so I’d known I’d probably pushed them too far.
Apparently, I’d underestimated them and they had no issue whatsoever with visiting me in Hell.
“Your cat brought us here to visit!” my mother enthused. “Oh, Lyssa, we were so worried after we last spoke. We thought we’d never see you again.”
My cat? What cat? I didn’t have a…
My train of thought came to an abrupt halt when I spotted the teal feline waving at me with his paw. Oh. Of course it had been Leviathan. He was up to his old tricks again.
For some reason, he’d appointed himself as honorary godfather of my unborn daughter and as such, he’d decided that whatever my lovers couldn’t give me, he would. Between him and Shiro, they always came up with the most outlandish ideas.
This time, I couldn’t complain. “Right. He’s not exactly my cat. Maybe I should make the introductions, since I doubt he did. This is Leviathan, Lord of Envy. He used to be the patron of my house at the academy, so he sort of watches over me while I’m here. When everyone else doesn’t, at least.”
“Which isn’t often,” Leviathan said, his form melting into his humanoid one. Obviously, he didn’t want to terrify my parents by displaying his true power—or squash them by turning into a whale-like monster. “I hope you appreciate me taking initiative and bringing your parents to you. I know you missed them.”
I had, and I didn’t intend to pretend otherwise. “Thank you, My Lord Leviathan. I do appreciate it.”
It was only then that I noticed something very important. At one point during the conversation, Grim had disappeared. I frowned, wondering what favor he’d wanted to ask of me.
My mother tugged on my hand, dragging me deeper into the nursery. “Come on, Lyssa. I need to speak to your boyfriends. We need to figure out if we’ll have a wedding or not. And we have to decide on a name for that daughter of yours.”
My lovers had already noticed my parents’ arrival and had abandoned their work on the crib in favor of welcoming them. I focused on doing damage control and set everything else aside.
If Professor Grim wanted to ask me something, he’d surely drop by later.
* * *
Elsewhere
“This is a disaster. I told you to not leave until you spoke to her.”
“She was busy.” Grim shrugged and waved his scythe, creating a bench out of thin air. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”
The goddess sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Oh, Grim… I know what you’re thinking, but we can’t pretend any longer. We have to face facts. We’ve failed and that’s all there is to it.”
“I think we’ve done rather well. The power of hope is in good hands and The Infernal Realm will be perfectly monitored.”
“Yes, but that leaves us with a hole in the defenses of The Mortal Realm. We have to make a choice, and Lucifer isn’t interested.”
Grim patted the spot next to him and Morrigan sulkily sat down. “Relax, Morrigan,” he said. “We’ll find the right person. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s better this way. Alyssa Michaelis deserves a little happiness.”
Morrigan was a goddess, but she was also a mother at heart. She could not disagree with that.
“You’re right. We’ll find someone else to help us. But who?”
The magic in Grim’s eye sockets burned with a secret knowledge. “I have an idea, but you might not like it.”
She didn’t.
IV
A Devilish Graduation
Everyone deserves to be happy, to have a family. Everyone deserves to be loved. But for some, love is as dangerous as hatred. The love and future of the new queen of hell might be the beginning of the end for everyone else.
Exam Preparations
It started, as most things did, with Lucifer.
Ever since the battle at The Academy of the Devil, we’d been working in the reorganization of The Seven Circles of Hell. Even if the damage to The Infernal Realm had disappeared, the balance of power had shifted and the demons were still getting used to Lucifer’s return. I dedicated myself to learning as much about Hell as possible, hoping I could help him more in the future.
But I was still pregnant, which meant that my lovers weren’t very happy with the idea of me running around The Infernal Realm on my own. I couldn’t blame them for their paranoia. I didn’t think the demons would dare to hurt me, but after what we’d been through, it made sense to be extra cautious.
It still grated on me to be treated like an invalid. I might be carrying a child, but that didn’t make me incapable of looking after myself, damn it.
Lucifer being… himself, he decided to find the perfect way to neutralize my protests. One evening, as we were having dinner together in our shared quarters, he asked, “Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your exams, Lyssa?”
I stared at him in disbelief. No, I hadn’t thought about that. I’d sort of assumed I’d finished my studies automatically, since my new position made going back to school irrelevant and impossible.
“Looks like she hasn’t.” Meph clicked his tongue in disapproval. “How lazy, Ms. Michaelis. It looks like we should be punishing you more.”
My face flamed at the heat in his words. I still remembered the last time they’d punished me. It had been a very enjoyable day for all of us. I’d taken so much cock inside me that I got wet just when I thought about it.
As always, Meph saw right through me. He grinned, displa
ying his sharp fangs. “I see you look forward to it. Excellent. It’s not much of a punishment if you revel in it, but for your sake, pet, we can all make an exception.”
His tail curled around my leg, ready to fulfill his promise. I grabbed the appendage before it could slide underneath my gown and into my body. He tensed as I clutched the tip in my palm, rubbing it lightly. “Pet…”
“What?” I asked innocently. “Did I do anything wrong?”
Meph’s tail twitched in my hold, but he said nothing. Mikael snickered at our exchange. From her place on Mikael’s shoulders, TB let out an amused hiss.
“Problem, oh, High Lord of Hell?” Mikael asked.
“Technically, he’s a Prince of Hell now,” Callum said, swirling his wine in his goblet.
So was he, and Mikael and Stefan were in a similar situation. Since the previous princes had been defeated, Callum had taken over as Lord of Lust. Stefan was the Lord of Wrath, Meph the Lord of Gluttony, and Mikael, Lord of Greed. Half the time, I found the whole thing hilarious.
Lucifer rolled his eyes at our antics. “We’re going off topic. Not that I don’t appreciate the flirting as much as any other demon, but I do want a real answer from Lyssa.”
“I haven’t thought about it, no,” I offered. “I suppose there hasn’t been enough time. Do you think I should take the exams?”
“Oh, absolutely. It’s always better to graduate from the academy.” Meph smiled, his voice steady once again even if I hadn’t stopped caressing his tail. “In fact, I advise you all to do it. You can get away with it, even if you should’ve perfected some of your skills a little more.”
“Mmm, yes.” Stefan pursed his lips, apparently deep in thought. “Redrum mentioned once that if you finish the classes, you get some kind of prize.”
Lucifer nodded. “Yes, there are benefits to graduating, beyond acquiring an actual title. I believe it would help you adjust to Hell a little more, Lyssa. It might not be a good idea to force yourself through excessive magic trials while you’re pregnant, but you could definitely pass the theoretical classes.”
“I don’t know, Lucifer,” I replied. “I mean, the school is still being rebuilt and we’ve lost some excellent teachers to the battle. I don’t think our exams should be a priority right now.”
“Maybe not, but it’s something to consider. And as far as I know, Grim and Morrigan will organize a new set of tests for the other students anyway. A lot of them have said they want to come here to work for me, but they’re having some trouble without the official approval.”
“Since when are you such a stickler for the rules?” I asked, arching a brow. “You’ve never cared about official approval before.”
“No, I didn’t, and it didn’t end well. As much as I hate to admit it, I was rash when I was younger. I dragged my people down with me in my belief that I knew better. I still think I was in the right to leave The Heavens, but maybe there could’ve been a different solution if I hadn’t pushed too hard.”
Releasing Meph’s tail, I reached for Lucifer’s hand. To a certain extent, he still blamed himself for what had happened to Eve and he probably always would. I was the one who’d killed her, but he always said that her fate was his responsibility. Lilith’s death hadn’t helped either. If I could do anything at all to make his burden lighter, I would. I owed him that much. “Not everything that happened is your fault, Lucifer. People make their own choices, you know that.”
“Except for when they don’t,” Callum said, somewhat darkly.
Awkward silence fell over the room and a strange chill seemed to chase away the natural infernal heat always present in our home. We’d more or less surpassed that part of our relationship. I’d forgiven them for their manipulations and set aside my own doubts regarding my powers. The only way to tell if my lovers were still addicted to me would be to ask The Supreme Being. I hadn’t seen him since that fateful day at the academy and was honestly too afraid to reach out.
In any case, those fears had been part of the reason why I’d been kidnapped and killed in the first place. I didn’t want to go back to those days. I’d made a vow to move forward, and I would. “Don’t, Callum. We’ve set that aside, remember?”
“Right.” Callum rubbed his temples tiredly. “I don’t know what came over me. Sorry, Lyssa.”
“I guess we’re all a little nervous about the pup,” Stefan said. “I’m still not sure I’m ready to be a father.”
A loud growl sounded behind me at his words. Shiro bounded to my side, his usually white fur covered in soot. “Foolish hell hound. Of course you are. How many times do we have to tell you that before you believe it? I’d have never allowed you to breed with my Lyssa if I didn’t think you deserved it.”
I ignored his comment and got up. “Shiro! Where have you been? Your fur is a mess.”
“His fur is always a mess,” TB offered. “He’s terrible at taking care of it. It’s a disgrace. And he’s not a very obedient familiar either.”
“That’s not true.” Shiro wagged his tail and gave me an innocent look. “Lyssa, I was good, I promise. I was just exploring. The imps are really nice and the other hell hounds haven’t said anything, even if I’m a mutated creature.”
It was nice to know Shiro had been welcomed in Hell, although I hadn’t been too worried about it. Everyone here knew he was my familiar and I wouldn’t allow them to harm him. And even if that hadn’t been the case, Shiro was pretty terrifying in his own right. He’d massively grown since we’d moved to The Infernal Realm. His powers had been unlocked and encouraged by our new environment and now, he was almost as tall as I was and twice as heavy. He was also progressing in leaps and bounds when it came to the use of elemental magic. I had my suspicions on why that was, but didn’t begrudge him for his actions. After all, when he’d been the one to die, I’d wanted to hurt the culprit too.
Still, as happy as I was that he was thriving, I couldn’t allow him to bring such a mess into our house. I narrowed my eyes at him and said, “You need a bath. Move it, Mister. Into the tub with you.”
Shiro whined in displeasure but obeyed. He’d always listened to me, even before we’d become able to communicate in a direct manner. “All right, Lyssa. But I think your males should help you with this one. You shouldn’t tire yourself out with me.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but didn’t get the chance. “I’d be happy to, Shiro,” Stefan said. “And yes, we totally agree. Lyssa shouldn’t tire herself out. She needs to rest more.”
And so it was that we all headed to the bathroom, with Meph insisting on carrying me. Stefan and Mikael ended up the ones giving Shiro a bath, whereas I stayed in Meph’s embrace and watched. It really wasn’t necessary, but when Meph wrapped his wings around me, I couldn’t bring myself to fight it.
His hold just made me more apprehensive about the idea of leaving The Infernal Realm. I hated being so dependent on my lovers, but I couldn’t help myself. “I’m not sure about the exams. I think I’d miss you all if I left.”
“Of course we won’t leave you there alone, princess,” Callum said. “We’re far too selfish for that, remember?”
“But you’re needed in The Infernal Realm,” I protested. “You can’t just abandon our people.”
“Mephistopheles and I can handle it for a few days, with Leviathan’s aid,” Lucifer answered. “It won’t be a problem. We just want you to take a break from Hell. And I know the academy might not be the best place, but I honestly don’t think it’s safe for you to go anywhere in The Mortal Realm.”
“Besides,” Callum added, “like Mephistopheles said, it wouldn’t hurt for us to pass the exams too. We’re supposed to help Lucifer with the reconstruction of Hell, but that’s a bit of a challenge when we haven’t even graduated.”
“Somehow, I doubt that very much,” I muttered.
Before my arrival at The Academy of the Devil, Callum, Stefan, and Mikael had been the princes of the school and well on their way to possibly becoming the next Satan. I
’d changed their lives and brought that dream to an end. I liked to think they preferred this outcome, but the fact remained that there was still a gap between our level of power and education.
Would I even be able to graduate, when I had yet to master my strange mental skills? Lucifer seemed to think so, but Lucifer was very biased when it came to me.
“Don’t worry so much, love,” Lucifer said. “You’re more capable than you know. And you’ll only be doing your written tests now. I think you’re more than ready for those.”
Maybe he was right. I’d done a lot of reading while trying to master my strange powers. I’d be able to pass some of the theoretical topics with a decent grade. Or so I hoped.
“Don’t worry so much, pet,” Meph said, caressing my hair with excruciating gentleness. “You can do it. Trust me on this.”
I wasn’t really listening to him anymore. His hand felt too good in my hair. Before I knew it, the hellish, but comforting heat began to infiltrate my pores and my eyes closed. I hadn’t even realized I was so tired until now. Maybe they had a point and I did need a break.
As I hovered between sleep and wakefulness, I heard my lovers start a conversation. “How is the exam going to be restful?” Stefan whispered.
“Lyssa doesn’t do well with inactivity, but this will work,” Lucifer argued. “She needs a break from The Infernal Realm and she’ll have plenty of time to relax in between tests. This will be good for her.”
“As long as the island is safe, I agree with Lucifer,” Callum mused.
“Besides, the graduation gift will help Lyssa,” Meph pointed out. “You know as well as I do that she needs it.”
I believed them and just like that, the decision was made. We’d eliminated the enemies I’d had at the school anyway. A risk-free school experience wouldn’t hurt.
I should’ve known better than to hope for that. When it came to The Academy of the Devil, nothing was risk-free.