by Cara Wylde
He jumped over the three steps that led to the tall door of Septentrio and was ready to enter the building when he heard a soft sob coming from somewhere to his right. He let go of the door handle and turned to see who was there and what had happened to them. It was so unusual to hear someone cry at Lure, a place where everyone was cheerful and horny. He took a couple of steps towards the right end of the building, and saw a feminine silhouette hunched over on a bench, elbows resting on her knees, palms covering her face.
“Hey… are you okay?”
The girl jumped in surprise, straightened her back, and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Her voice sounded weak and shaky. She hadn’t heard him come and now she was trying to hide her distress.
Alexi got closer and stopped in front of her. She was keeping her head down, her dark brown hair covering her forehead and cheeks. She didn’t look familiar. “You’re new around here.”
“Is it that obvious?”
He gave a short laugh. “No, it’s just that I have very good visual memory, and I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
The girl wiped the last traces of tears off her cheeks, then looked up at him. “I arrived today.”
Alexi got lost in her brown, teary eyes. Her plump lips were full and sensual, looking as if she had bitten down on them for the past half an hour, and her white skin made the dark green eye shadow stand out. He swallowed heavily, suddenly feeling his mouth dry. He dug his hand into his back pocket for the tissues he always kept there.
“Here. You smeared some of the mascara under your eyes.”
“Oh, crap. Thank you.” She smiled, took the tissue, and started dabbing under her eyes, hoping she’d get most of it.
“I’m Alexi, by the way.”
“Sophie.”
He listened to the echoes of the music that came from the ball room of Septentrio, where the Midnight Ceremony had probably started. It was clear that Sophie should have been inside and that, for some reason, she had run away and hidden here. Normally, he couldn’t have cared less if a new cambion screwed the party, but there was something about Sophie that made him stay rooted into place. He watched her as she was blindly trying to fix her make-up and hair, then decided to sit down next to her.
“So, why did you run away?”
“What? I didn’t. I needed some fresh air before the whole madness started.”
“That’s why you were crying?”
“I wasn’t…” she sighed. “Are you always this blunt?”
Alexi raised his dark eyebrows in confusion. He had never thought of himself as being blunt. She sighed heavily again, then gathered all her hair over her left shoulder. Alexi admired the smooth skin on her neck and the way her long earring dangled from the tiny ear lobe.
“I’m sorry. I… I guess I freaked out.”
“Go on…” he encouraged her. He had always been good with people. His ability to listen and gain the other’s trust was a great advantage he often used to solve his cases.
“I only got here a couple of hours ago, and everything started happening so fast. One moment, Hebe is showing me to my room, the next she says something about a ceremony and how it’s just a simple protocol. Then, a bunch of young girls come to dress me up and make me wear this long, white dress…” She emphasized her point by pulling lightly at the soft material. “I thought I was ready, but I… I guess I was just being naïve.” She let go of the long, flowy skirt, and her hand went to her chest, where she pulled at the material in an attempt to better cover her generous breasts. “I’m not making much sense, am I?” She smiled bitterly, her gaze fixed on her white high-heels.
“I think you’re avoiding what’s really bothering you. Just tell me what it is.” Alexi’s voice was calm and soothing.
Sophie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “All new cambions need a mentor.” There, it was out. The thing that had made her shrink in fear and storm out of the ball room.
“Oh. So that’s the problem,” said Alexi. It was clear he didn’t quite understand why or how.
“You don’t get it. The new cambions must be chosen by senior students who will work with them to help them discover their powers and control them.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “No one is going to choose me.”
Alexi’s dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why would you think something like that?”
Sophie huffed, hating the fact that he was making her explain the obvious. “Have you even looked at me?” She found the dumbfounded look on his face annoying, so she rose to her feet to emphasize her point. “I’m huge compared to all the other girls here! To make things worse, the hetaerae made me wear this joke of a dress that barely covers anything!” She was so angry and frustrated that fresh, hot tears started running down her cheeks again.
Alexi raised an eyebrow and took his time to study her. She was clearly upset, but, for the life of him, he still couldn’t quite comprehend why. He took in the way the revealing white dress hugged her plump body in all the right places. Yes, it was true that it lifted her heavy breasts and didn’t do much to cover her nipples, but he didn’t see anything wrong with that. His cock twitched in approval. His eyes followed the wavy line of her thick waist, and traveled down her round hips. The large skirt covered her legs, so he wondered just how long they were. He had to readjust his position on the bench to relieve some of the pressure in his tight jeans.
“All I see is a hot cambion who’s going to make a killing in there.”
Sophie looked at him as if he was a new sort of stupid. He stood up, took her chin between his fingers, and started dabbing her cheeks with a new wipe.
“The dress fits you perfectly, Sophie. You’re beautiful and sexy, and I can already feel the soft wave of your aura, of your inner demon that can’t wait to rise to the surface. I’ve seen many new cambions and, believe me, their magic wasn’t as evident as it’s yours right now.” The tips of his fingers caressed her jaw and moved down to her neck. “If I can feel it, then the other senior students will feel it too, and they will fight to make you their apprentice. Stop worrying that no one will choose you. By the end of the ceremony, you might just end up being the one who’ll have to make a choice.”
Sophie looked into his eyes and smiled. She had no idea how, but this guy could almost convince her. He was a stranger to her, but the soft touch of his fingers burned her skin.
“Shall we go inside now?” he asked.
His fingers were suddenly gone, and the pores on her neck sizzled. She could think straight again. “Yes…”
♥
Sophie was sitting in her soft, velvet covered chair on the low stage in front of the immense room. There were three other new cambions by her side, one girl and two boys, and she was the last in the row. She tried to keep her back straight, her feet firmly planted on the floor, and her hands relaxed on the armrests, although she was painfully aware that her palms were sweating and her fingers were gripping the wooden edges. With so many eyes on her, she was amazed she hadn’t fainted yet.
The ball room in Septentrio was absolutely majestic. The golden chandelier hanging off the tall ceiling illuminated it perfectly, sending clear, silvery light even in the smallest, most obscure corners of the room. The round tables filled with glasses of wine and large plates of delicious appetizers had been pushed closer to the walls to make room for dancing and socializing in the middle. Next to the stage, there was the large table destined to the incubi and succubi. As much as she wanted to move her gaze to her left to study them, Sophie was paralyzed by her own emotions. There must have been over one hundred cambions in the ball room, juniors and seniors, and their intense looks and light chatter made it impossible for her to focus on anything, or think clearly. Lamia was the one who had eventually told her the whole point of the Midnight Ceremony was, in fact, for the senior students who wanted to mentor to choose an apprentice. Apparently, she hadn’t told her before because she hadn’t known how. Usually, the Mi
dnight Ceremony was held once a month, or even once every two months, depending on how many new cambions were brought to the Academy. It so happened that Sophie had arrived just in time for this one, which had been scheduled two weeks ago for the three other cambions who had arrived before Sophie. Lamia had also been afraid that she’d only scare her roommate if she told her, which, indeed, happened and led to Sophie storming out to get some fresh air and clear her mind.
“Dear students and colleagues, I thank you for joining me at the Midnight Ceremony to welcome our new juniors.”
Lilith’s smooth voice snapped Sophie out of her thoughts. The beautiful succubus was standing near the stage, and Sophie could almost smell her intense perfume. The headmistress was wearing a long, green dress, the corset squeezing her thin waist in a vice grip and making her breasts almost pop out of it. Her red hair was pulled up in an intricate bun.
“Allow me to introduce these beautiful, young people who will become your colleagues and, for some of you, your apprentices.” She turned towards the four cambions on the stage, and started with the girl at the other end of the row. “May Clayborn.”
Sophie stole a glance at the girl. She stood up, took a step forward, and made a small bow. She was blonde and bubbly, and the huge smile on her face told Sophie May had been prepared for this whole thing. She had known what was expected of her, unlike Sophie, who had to try and follow the others’ lead. It was just her retarded luck.
“Robert Rivers,” continued Lilith after the cambions in the ball room stopped applauding May and her cute gesture.
Robert, a tall, dark haired young man, stood up, but didn’t do anything special.
“Benjamin Reza.”
When the brown-haired guy with sparkling green eyes and a cocky smirk on his lips only nodded his head without standing up, Sophie figured she could sit down as well. The cambions clapped their hands in enthusiasm and a group of girls welcomed Ben with a loud cheer.
“Sophie La Volpilliére.”
That was it, her name. A cold drop of sweat made its way down her spine, and Sophie gripped the edges of the armrests tighter, trying to prevent her body from trembling too visibly. She nodded her head just like Ben did and hoped it would be enough. She heard some people clapping and recognized Lamia’s voice as she cheered.
Lilith waited for the applause and cheers to settle down before she continued. “All of you here already know how the ceremony will unfold, so I’m just going to explain the steps to our new cambions.” She turned to the young students on the stage, a pleasant, honest smile plastered on her red, sensual lips. “Some of our juniors and seniors have prepared gifts for you, so each of them will come and place their gift at your feet.” Her green, intense gaze moved from one face to another, and eventually stopped on Sophie’s slightly teary eyes. “Thus, our mentors will have enough time to decide who they want as their apprentices. As you can see, there are four glass goblets at your feet. This is where the mentors will place their claim rings. The moment you take a claim ring and put it on your finger, you pledge your acceptance to become the mentor’s apprentice.”
Sophie tried to exhale softly, as she realized she had been holding her breath for the past few seconds and her chest was starting to feel the uncomfortable pressure.
“You must know that the mentors have been chosen from among our most successful senior students, so whoever chooses you as their apprentice, you will be in good hands. Your mentor will assist you through your first months at Lure Academy. Together, you will establish at least one private session per week, during which your mentor will help you bring your own personal magic to light. The purpose of these special sessions is to release your personal demon from the chains of your human consciousness, and learn how to control it.” Lilith fixed her gaze on each of the new cambions one more time, as if she were inviting them to ask any questions. None of them even flinched. “All right, I think we are ready. Let the Midnight Ceremony begin!”
Sophie tried to relax her shoulders and look around her. The worst was yet to come, she knew that, but the tension was starting to give her cramps in muscles she didn’t know she had. A couple of people approached the stage to leave small, neatly wrapped boxes in front of May, Robert, and Ben. She figured everyone at Lure knew them already, since they had been here longer. She only knew Lamia. No, scratch that. She also knew Kain and Alexi. Even though she hadn’t spent more than five minutes with them, it did count as knowing them, right? She tried to spot them in the crowd, but she couldn’t find them. She saw Lamia walking towards the stage, carrying a white box.
“Hey there,” Lamia said. “You’re doing great.” She set the small box at Sophie’s feet, then took a step back and gave her an encouraging smile.
“Thanks. What did you get me?”
“Patience, my love. You’ll see.” The girl winked and turned around to leave.
“No, wait…” Sophie whispered. If only Lamia would stay close to her, she’d feel better and less nervous. She sighed and looked at the gift before her. The other three cambions had already received six or seven similar boxes. “Oh well…” she thought. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s not like I can do anything about it.” Way to start her brand new life at Lure Academy. This kind of situation was exactly what she had feared and the reason for which she had refused to go to college in Paris. She turned her gaze towards the round table of the incubi and the succubi. Lamia had promised to tell her who was who, but Sophie had stormed out before giving her the chance. Now, she had to wait until after the whole thing with the gifts and mentors was over. She spotted Hebe next to a tall, lean guy with unnaturally blue hair, but the succubus didn’t even look her way. There were five men and six women around the table, all of a blinding, artificial beauty.
“Welcome to Lure!”
The chirpy voice startled Sophie. She turned to see a cute redhead place a white box at her feet.
“Thank you.” She wondered if she should try to make conversation, or at least ask the girl what her name was, but the redhead was gone before Sophie even finished considering the idea. She looked at the other cambions on the stage and noticed their piles of gifts had grown considerably.
Six more people came to offer her a smile and a gift, and by the time Lilith rose from her chair and stepped in front of the stage again, Sophie wasn’t feeling that blue anymore. Eight gifts were merely half of what May, Robert, and Ben had received, but at least the space in front of her feet wasn’t empty. The curiosity and anticipation to open them had almost made her forget about the next step in the ceremony.
“Thank you all for welcoming our new juniors so warmly. Now, the moment that all of you have been expecting.” She made a wide gesture to the empty glass goblets. “Mentors, place your claims!” She stepped back to leave room in front of the stage, and a deep, eerie silence fell upon the ball room.
Ben was the first one to be claimed. A beautiful brunette with wavy curls and a perfectly fit, athletic body let her claim ring fall into his goblet and clink against the glass. No one said anything, and Sophie understood the cheers would probably come after all the new cambions would be chosen. “They’ll have to wait then,” she thought. Next was May, claimed by a tall, muscular guy, and then Robert, claimed by a handsome, blond guy with a sexy smirk on his lips. Sophie clenched her jaw and tried not to burst into tears. The part with the gifts had been much easier than this one. She kept her head up and her back straight.
When the soft sound of metal hitting glass rose to her ears, Sophie couldn’t place it. Was it her goblet, or had another mentor claimed one of the other fresh juniors? She gulped and let her eyes wander down to her feet. Indeed, it had been her goblet. A shiny platinum ring was at the bottom, then the last thing Sophie would have ever expected happened: another platinum ring fell down to join it. She almost saw it in slow motion: two fingers dropped it, the precious metal caught the light of the chandelier, bounced off the side of the goblet, then settled half on top of the other ring. The ball room was eve
n more silent than before. It was like everyone was holding their breath, even the incubi and succubi. Sophie raised her eyes from the glass goblet to the two mentors who were standing in front of it. Her breath hitched and she almost chocked on sheer air.
Alexi and Kain weren’t looking at Sophie. They were staring at each other, dark green boring into ice blue, their hands still hovering over the goblet. There was an unspoken challenge between them. Lilith stepped closer to the two cambions and stole a glance in the glass goblet, as if to make sure she had seen right.
“Well, well,” she said tentatively. “We haven’t had such a situation in… a very long time.”
“Centuries.”
Sophie turned her head to see who of the incubi had spoken, but she couldn’t match the voice to the face.
“Indeed…” Lilith touched Alexi’s arm, and he took a step back, letting the headmistress stand between him and Kain. “It is true that more mentors can choose the same apprentice,” she addressed the audience then turned to face Sophie. “However, for as long as we can remember, we have all abode by… let’s say… an unwritten rule. Usually, the mentors talk amongst each other before claiming their apprentices, so the decisions are made before the claim rings end up in the glass goblets.” She tried to give Sophie a reassuring smile, but it was clear Lilith was at a loss herself.
The incubi and succubi had watched both Alexi and Kain as they had approached the stage and pledged their claims, and now they were discussing and arguing, trying to keep their voices down. Lilith sent them a concerned look. It wasn’t only the fact that, for the first time in centuries, as Ke-sar had mentioned, two mentors claimed the same apprentice. In fact, that was the least of the Pantheon’s worries. They were intrigued by the fact that Alexi and Kain were the ones to break the tradition. None of them had wanted to mentor for at least ten years. They had both avoided the Midnight Ceremonies like the plague, preferring to focus on their work rather than on training new cambions. So, why now? Why Sophie? Did it have anything to do with the fact that they had just been forced to share a room? Kvasir studied his son carefully, rubbing his chin. He thought about the files he had given Alexi just two hours ago. “No, I don’t think he had time to study them,” he whispered to Ke-sar, answering a question the tall, blond incubus had asked some seconds before.