Serpent's Touch: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (The Last Serpent Book 1)

by Tansey Morgan

  As the car made the turn off the main road and onto a smaller, single road encased in an almost never-ending ribcage of arching trees, and the house at the end of the road came into view, I realized I was way off the mark. I had pictured a high school, but what I got was a mansion, easily the biggest I had ever seen. There were three towers on the façade, each taller than the apartment building I lived in, and more gables than I could count, each topped with gothic spikes.

  A huge fountain sat in the middle of the courtyard just in front of the house. After we exited the tunnel of trees, it became clear the trees hadn’t been placed there to decorate the road; the road had been carved into a forest. A deep green field stretched out to my left and right, encircling the mansion on all sides.

  My eyes widened as we pulled up to the front of the house. “There must be a hundred rooms in there,” I said, astonished.

  “One hundred thirty,” Dante said.

  “And how many, uh… students?”

  The ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Only five.”

  My head snapped around. “Five? How is that—”

  “Including you.”

  “No way. How can there only be five students at this place?”

  “That’ll all be explained to you soon.”

  He got out of the car before I could respond, and walked around to open my door. I stepped out, carrying Morticia with me while the driver opened the trunk and produced our suitcases. The driver shut the trunk and returned to the driver’s seat.

  “This place is amazing,” I said, pulling my suitcase and carrying my cat carrier as I walked along the paved walkway toward the front of the house.

  “I’m glad you like it. I think you’ll like the inside, too.”

  Looking up at the towers, I found I couldn’t stare at the top for too long without feeling a pinch of vertigo—something about the way the clouds moved—so I decided to look directly ahead at the mansion’s doors. They were tall, brown—to match the rest of the house—and adorned with a crest.

  I didn’t know much about heraldry, nothing at all in fact, but the artwork was great to look at. A lion battling a serpent, holding its neck in its paws and roaring at it. The serpent, though, wasn’t scared of the lion, and was hissing right back at it. It seemed like an epic fight, and as I approached, I could almost imagine it in my head, these two legendary creatures, matched in size, going at it like mythical titans.

  In the pit of my stomach, a feeling formed. Fleeting, insignificant, but while it was there, it burned as brightly as the sun; I wanted the snake to win.

  The doors opened as I approached, and relief washed over me. I didn’t want to have to knock. When the doors opened fully, a man stepped around it. He was older, maybe in his early fifties, with a head full of gray hair and a trimmed gray goatee. His eyes were sharp and blue, so blue they glimmered like jewels.

  “Lilith, Dante,” he said as he approached, his hand extending.

  I thought of Dante, and what had happened between us when we had shaken hands back at the store; we hadn’t touched since. I didn’t want the same thing to happen now, whatever that had been, but refusing his hand would probably put me off on the wrong foot, so I took it… and nothing happened. Nothing but a firm handshake, at least. No current, no jolt, just the warmth of human interaction. That alone brought a natural smile to my face.

  “Hi,” I said, “Yeah, I’m Lilith.”

  “I’m the Keeper. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

  “The Keeper? So, is that Mister Keeper, or?”

  He laughed, and it was a genuine, hearty laugh—the kind that made the apples of his cheeks rise. I found myself giggling too. “No, no—my name’s George Faraday, the Keeper is just my occupational title. I own this estate.”

  “You’re American.”

  “Surprised?” he asked as he took my suitcase. Morticia hissed when he got close.

  “Sorry, she growls at everyone. She’s old… and a bitch.”

  “That’s fine. I’m not a cat person myself. But before we go in, Dante, a moment?”

  “Of course,” Dante said, stepping aside to have a private word, only they weren’t far enough away that I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

  “The tutors are gone,” the Keeper said in a hushed tone.

  “Gone? Where?”

  “Business. I don’t know. They left as a group, all four of them. Didn’t say when they’d be back.”

  “Dammit. We needed them here, especially with a new person joining us.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t stop them.”

  Dante looked around, his jaw tightening. “I need to make a phone call,” he said, and then he marched into the mansion, leaving his suitcase behind.

  When Dante was gone, the Keeper returned to where I was, and picked up my suitcase—as well as Dante’s—with a smile. “Sorry about that,” he said, “How about I show you inside?”

  I nodded, unsettled by what had happened but determined to not let it get in the way of my arrival; and yet it took a moment for the signal from my brain to reach my legs. Then again, in the face of something as daunting as stepping into this massive mansion in the middle of a forest, in the middle of Germany, I almost wasn’t surprised. The Keeper was dragging my suitcase into the building, but I still could’ve turned around and run, for all the good it would have done me.

  A cool breeze brushed along my back, chilling my bones and making my decision for me. I started to walk, and before I knew it I was through the large double doors at the front of the mansion and stepping into the most grandiose foyer I had ever seen in my entire life. The ceilings were vaulted, the furniture looked antiquated, but polished and clean—lots of browns, golds, and greens. A grandfather clock ticked away the seconds at the foot of a huge staircase leading to the next floor. A massive, gothic, black chandelier hung above, dominating the visual landscape. There were only two archways, one to the left and one to the right, but ahead of me and at the top of the stairs, there were more doors than I could count.

  “This way,” the Keeper said, dropping the bags off in the foyer before making a right turn by the main staircase.

  He led me to a huge lounge with drapes the color of moss, polished oak chairs and tables, and a roaring fireplace fighting to chase the chill from the room. The sun was beginning to set, darkness gathering outside. There was also someone sitting on one of the living room sofas, one arm stretched over the back, one leg across the other at the ankles. He turned his head when he heard us come in, then shut the book he had been reading and stood. My eyes widened a little at the sight of him.

  He had brown skin, and short but perfectly neat black hair. His blocky face was covered in day-old stubble across his lower jaw and chin, perfectly framing his lips and contouring his features. His eyes were an endless, deep brown, and when he smiled his entire face seemed to light up. He wore fitted designer jeans and a pale blue sweater that made him look like a Tommy Hilfiger model, and he was coming right at me.

  I stared at him, then looked at the Keeper, who had set my suitcase down behind the sofa and seemed ready to introduce us. “Lilith,” he said, “This is Vikram. Vikram, Lilith. She’s going to be joining us.”

  “Please, everybody calls me Vik,” Vik said, with a charming British accent.

  “Oh, hi,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it without a second thought, “It’s great to meet you.”

  “Likewise. I hope your trip was good?”

  “Yeah, it was actually. First time in this part of the w—”

  Another guy came into view as I was finishing my sentence, and I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was tall, with olive skin and a smile that could melt hearts. He had a mop of shaggy brown hair held up in a messy bun which, if loose, would have probably covered his playful eyes, the color of honey and hazel. Unlike his more formal colleague, Vik, this man wore a loose black t-shirt and baggy brown pants, his feet bare.

  A rogue to Vik’s rake.

>   “World?” Vik finished my sentence for me, smiling as he did so.

  “Yeah,” I said, “Sorry, I’m just taking this all in.”

  “It’s quite an impressive building, isn’t it? Three hundred years old.”

  The new guy approached, smiling and collecting loose strands of his hair and tucking them over his ears. His wrists, I saw, were covered in beaded, leather throngs and other bracelets.

  “Hola,” he said as he arrived, “I’m Raphael, pleasure to meet you.”

  “Raphael, this is Lilith.”

  Raphael didn’t stretch out his hand; instead he came in for a kiss on both cheeks, his lips warm against my face. I was almost too stunned to accept the gesture, but I regained myself enough to lean in for them. As soon as he touched me, my heart began to beat wildly, pumping liters of liquid warmth throughout my body in an instant. He smelled vaguely like coconut.

  “Are you… Spanish?” I asked, “That accent.”

  “Yes, I am,” Raphael said, “From Barcelona. I hope my English is good enough for you to understand.”

  “No, no, your English is fine. Who am I to say anything, anyway? I only know one language.”

  Raphael laughed, then turned to the Keeper. “Should I take the bag up to her room?”

  “Please, and find Liam and Aiden, let them know we have a guest.”

  “Muy bien,” Raphael said, “And… the cat?”

  Oh, shit! “Right,” I said, holding Morticia up, “Can she hang in my room?”

  “Of course,” the Keeper said, “Raphael will make sure you have everything she needs up in your room.”

  “Do you mind if I…?” Raphael asked, tentatively reaching for the cat carrier.

  “Sure, yes, thank you, Raphael,” I said, “Just let her run around once she’s in the bedroom. She’s probably sick of being stuck in this thing.”

  “Please… it’s Rafa.”

  “Rafa,” I nodded, “Alright, thanks again.”

  Raphael smiled, took the cat and my bag, and started on his way out of the room, leaving Vik, myself, and the Keeper to talk. This was already a lot to take in, the mansion, the guys—they were both way too hot for their own good. And there were two more? What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Lilith?

  “Well, Lilith,” the Keeper said, “I’m going to take my leave; I’m the only faculty here right now, and I’ve got a hundred things to do. Please, make yourself at home. Dinner will be at seven in the dining hall.”

  “Thanks,” I said, “I appreciate it.”

  The Keeper bowed out, then went back the way we had come in, leaving Vik—who smelled like expensive cologne—and I alone in the large living area. I caught the grand piano out of the corner of my eye, the dormant TV on the wall, easily sixty inches wide, as well as the sound system on the other side of the room. The house was old, but the amenities were new. Modern.

  They even had Wi-Fi.

  I scanned the room, catching the way the fading sunlight landed on the grand piano, listening to the fire crackle and pop in the fireplace, and smelling the fragrance in the air. “About that,” I said, “I don’t… I mean, I know this place is supposed to be a school for… you know…”

  “Supernaturals?” Vik asked, smiling that bright smile of his, “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Right, so… I mean, how does that even work?”

  “Well—” Vik turned his attention to a set of open drapes at the other side of the room, flicked his wrists, and the drapes shut, dimming the ambient light further.

  “Wow,” I said, almost jumping back not only from the surprise, but also from the strange almost psychic jolt I had just felt, as if a charge, or ghost, had passed through me as the magic happened. “That’s incredible.”

  Vik turned to look at me again. “Hardly,” he said, “Just a cantrip, a small display of power to prove a point.”

  “And what point is that?”

  “My point is that this is real, it’s all true. I know it’s scary. I was scared when I first came here too, but hopefully I can help ease that fear a little.”

  I nodded, and in truth felt something inside of me relax a little, even though I had just seen a man do, for lack of a better word, magic in front of my very eyes. No, this hadn’t been the first-time magic had happened in my presence, but it had been the first time someone had done it just for me, just to help me understand.

  I thought, maybe, I was starting to.

  “Alright, well, thanks… I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome. So, should I give you a tour?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Vikram

  There was music playing somewhere in the mansion, Coma White by Marilyn Manson. Not exactly the kind of music I had been expecting to hear in such an old place, but at least this song was a ballad, and not one of the heavier ones. The music had been with us while Vikram showed me the mansion’s extensive kitchen, the dining hall—with seating space fit for a Royal court—and the conservatory; a massive, wide, open room with a huge bay window overlooking the rear grounds, but it fell away as we climbed the grand staircase.

  “Is this where all the bedrooms are?”

  “Not all of them, but most. There are also rooms downstairs, and some in the basement.”

  “People sleep in the basement?”

  “Yes, for our more… reclusive, or solitary students.”

  I looked over at him. “Reclusive? You’re going to have to explain that one.”

  “Well, some of the individuals who have come through these doors have slightly more… bestial tendencies. Others have powers that could hurt people at times of high emotional stress.”

  “Is there anyone there right now?”

  “No, not at all. There are only five students in the school right now, including you.”

  “Right, the Keeper said as much.”

  “We also each have a mentor, someone who teaches us the disciplines of our particular supernatural heritage. I, for example, am a mage, which is just a fancy way of saying I make things happen with my mind, like what I did downstairs.”

  “That was pretty cool. So that means there’s… how many people here exactly?”

  “Let me see,” Vik said, “There are four students, not counting you, so that means there are eight including mentors, nine including the Keeper, and ten including Dante. Only the mentors aren’t here, they left a couple of days ago, so there’s technically six of us.”

  “Where’d the mentors go?”

  “I’m not sure. Some emergency somewhere. They should be back soon, though.”

  “Wow. Six people in a place this big… doesn’t it get lonely? Do you miss your family?”

  “Sometimes, yes, but we make do. And I do miss my family, but I grew up in boarding schools so I’m used to the distance. In many ways, we are like a family here."

  “How long have you all been here?”

  “Different lengths of time. I’ve been here 9 months next week. Rafa is going on his fifth month. Liam arrived around the same time Rafa did. Aiden, I believe, is the one who has been here the longest—over a year at least.

  “You aren’t sure?”

  “He tends to keep to himself.”

  I caught him looking at me then, smiling. His was the kind of smile I couldn’t help but return, so bright, with teeth so white, perfectly contrasting the color of his skin. My chest filled with warmth, and I had to turn away for fear of accidentally letting him know his stare had made any impact on me whatsoever.

  A door opened about halfway down the hall, and Raphael came running out of the room startled. Immediately, I thought of Morticia and quickened my step.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” he said, “I just had to close the door quickly. The cat wanted to get out, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” He showed me his forearm, sporting three open scratch marks ebbed with tiny dots of blood where Morticia had raked him.

  I sucked air in through my teeth. �
��Ouch,” I said, rushing up to touch his arm but immediately pulling my hands away, even if I didn’t exactly know why. “I’m so sorry; that looks like it hurts. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m okay,” he said, smiling, “I have been scratched by worse.” He cocked his head to the side and stared at me for an instant that seemed to stretch, narrowing his gorgeous, hazel eyes.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked, wondering what he was looking for.

  He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, still holding his smile. “Never mind. Anyway, your things are ready, your cat is… settling… Here is your room key.”

  Raphael dangled the key out in front of him. Warily I opened my palm beneath it, and he dropped the key into my hand. “Thanks…” I said.

  “De nada. Now, I’m going for a swim. Liam is down in the library.”

  “Swim? It’s freezing out!”

  “Indoor pool,” Raphael called out as he jogged down the hall, “You should come down sometime.”

  “Do you want to go and rest in your room?” Vik asked, “Or would you like me to show you to the library?”

  I looked at the key in my hand. “You know,” I said, “I think I want to see the library.”

  “Alright, this way then.”

  I pocketed the key and followed Vik down the corridor, and then down one of the many staircases. Evidently there was more than one way to get to the first floor. That was good to know. The library, also, wasn’t far from this small stairwell, which was good because it was also close to my room. I liked watching TV, but I liked books too, and figured I’d probably have more time to read while I was here than watch TV.

  The library door was already open when we arrived. Inside, the place was massive. It had a domed ceiling, shelves running along every wall, and more books than I could count. Not only that, but there were also stacks lined up in the center of the room, in front of a set of oak tables on which to sit and study. This looked a lot like the municipal library back home, only it was much cleaner, and way more elegant.