Foreseen (Suoja Guild Book 2)

by AJ Anders

  This whole time, Caleb followed them silently. A man of few words.

  Surprised when the door spat them out into another café, Evie stared around. This one, easily three times the size of the other, was filled with mostly Surmata patrons. This must be why Evie hadn’t spotted any Surmata on the other side. They had their own dining hall.

  Evie tugged her hand out of Max’s grasp as nervousness hit her. “Sh-should I even be here?” Evie asked anxiously, afraid she overstepped the rules. She didn’t want to cause more trouble.

  “Relax, sweetie. You’re welcome on the Surmata side. Most humans are restricted to the first half of campus, but not you. Didn’t you realize your next two classes are on this side of campus? The rest of your human counterparts only received a map detailing the areas they’re allowed in. The Surmata side is grayed out and the words, No human admittance, are printed on it.”

  “Why?” Evie shook her head. “I mean, why am I different?”

  Max stared down at Evie in exasperation. Grumbling something under his breath, he grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her, not hard, but enough to grab her attention. “You found out less than a day ago I’m half demon. Yet here you stand before me. No fear. Why?”

  “I don’t know. Because you’re my friend?”

  “Wrong, sweetheart. You always knew there was something different about me, knew I wasn’t human.” Evie opened her mouth to deny his accusation, but he held up a hand to forestall her. “You knew, but you would never admit it. Not even to yourself. You are sensitive to magic. You see through the veil of denial most humans suffer from. That’s the main reason you never believed in your father’s cause. You knew the supernatural existed. You witnessed it. In fact, you’ve seen me in my true form. You just don’t remember it.”

  “Max. I think if I’d seen you transform into a demon I would remember it,” Evie scoffed, knowing for certain he must be mistaken.

  “I’m telling the truth. It was right after I came to live at the camp. You couldn’t sleep one night and decided to take a walk in the forest with nothing more than a flashlight and an old denim jacket.” He paused to search her eyes. “Do you remember the small pond in the forest you liked to visit?”

  Evie nodded her head.

  “Well that night, you headed to the pond, but I was already there. I was having a few issues, issues I won’t go into, and I switched forms. You came upon me and shocked the shit out of me. You never once screamed. You stood there staring at me while I transformed back into my human shape.”

  Evie searched her mind, but couldn’t recall any of the events Max described. He had to be wrong. She spoke gently, “Max, I think you might be confused. I have no memories of anything like that.”

  Eyes sorrowful, Max gripped Evie’s face lightly within his hands. “Something happened, and I had to take your memories away. That’s why you don’t remember. But Evie, I promise you, you asked me to take the memories.”

  “What? You...” Evie sputtered, jerking her head away, her heart racing with hurt and fear.

  “It’s one of my abilities, sweetheart. Trust me, the decision was not made lightly, but it was done with your full consent. Otherwise, I would never have messed with your mind.”

  “What happened? What was so bad you were forced to take my memories?”

  “You were attacked by a demon. His influence was driving you insane. I can’t give you any more details, sweetie, but know it was necessary at the time.” He pulled on the chain around his neck, exposing a small medallion. Round in shape, no larger than a quarter, it was made from some type of colored stone. “I placed your memories within this stone. It has never left my neck since.”

  Evie stared at the necklace, apprehensive.

  He lifted it off over his head and stared down at it for a moment. “I’m only half demon, though, and when I placed the spell on the stone, your memory intermixed with the only other one I held. I can’t give back your memories without giving back the other. And the person it belongs to is not ready for the truth.”

  At Max’s pronouncement, Max and Caleb exchanged a mournful glance, their eyes haunted by the past.

  Something Evie wasn’t privy to. “It’s okay, Max. I trust you.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart. Now, let’s go get some grub. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”

  ~

  “When a Surmata is hit by a strong emotion, usually rage or lust, his pupils bleed black. Since you’re human, if you see this, you need to run. Because if you don’t, either way, you’re dead. If there is a hint of color, you should be safe as long as you retreat. But if they are completely black, you better start praying that whatever set them off isn’t directed at you. Once those bad boys are black, their full predator instincts are on alert and their conscious mind is pushed back. They are running on pure instinct. They stalk their prey, corner it, and then go in for the kill. All without emotion.

  “Now if it’s lust, the same thing happens, but it’s full of emotion. One emotion only. The urge to fuck. Most Surmata males can maintain a semblance of control in this scenario, except when it comes to a mated pair. If you ever see Caleb like this with me, walk away and leave us alone. He would never hurt me. But if you stayed, you would be getting a sex education class that I’m not sure you’re ready for. Capisce?”

  Evie forced her mouth shut. In line, while waiting for their food, Max said he would share some of his expert knowledge with Evie, but she never expected this. She thought it would be more textbook worthy stuff, dull, mundane things.

  Scrambling for something to say, she mentally grasped onto the safest topic he mentioned like a lifeline. “You keep mentioning mates. What is that exactly?”

  “What do you know of Surmata males?”

  “Not much yet. Just a few things we covered in class today.”

  “Okay. Well, all male members are born with a Merkki. It’s a tattoo of sorts that starts somewhere on their body, usually their shoulder blade. As they age and grow, the Merkki grows as well, creating a unique and intricate design on their bodies. The closest thing I can think of to describe it is the tribal tattoos that some humans like to have placed upon their bodies. But unlike those tattoos, these markings mean something. When the Surmata male reaches maturity, he starts his journey into manhood by finding his Kaveri.

  “A Kaveri is a brotherhood. Your family, not by blood, but by destiny. Each member of a Kaveri bares the same exact Merkki. When they meet, they recognize each other on a cellular level, and the Merkki starts to change, adding more details. The more members of your Kaveri, the more intricate your Merkki.

  “The lines of a Merkki are made up of smaller vines. The number of vines represents the number of Kaveri members. As each member meets, those lines combine into one, thickening the markings and bonding the males together. When the Merkki drawings fill into one solid color, the Kaveri is complete. The males become a bonded unit. This bond is strong, unbreakable. It’s said not even in death can it be broken.

  “Up until the Kaveri is complete, each member carries their father’s surname, but once the Merkki is solid and the bond is closed, the members take the same surname of their Soma.”

  Evie was fascinated. “So they marry each other?”

  “No, sweetheart. There is usually nothing sexual about a Kaveri. Most view each other as brothers. They would die for each other. Caleb and I are different. Our Kaveri bond and our soul mate bond intertwine. It’s not common, but it does happen.

  “Now, onto mates. As you know, a Surmata male is born with a soul mate, usually only one. We refer to them as Toinen Puoli. Someone meant for them, their other half. When a male meets his mate and they bond, a similar Merkki starts to form on their mate’s body, a smaller version with only the vine of their mate present. When a Surmata male meets and bonds with his mate, his powers are amplified. They become stronger, faster, and are possessive as fuck. Their soul mate’s power increases as well, but it’s the possessiveness of a mate you need to watch
out for. They are crazy as fuck when they think someone is moving in on what is theirs. Don’t ever get on the bad side of someone’s mate. Now, each member of a Kaveri can have a soul mate. That is, unless they are Sidottu.”

  “Sidottu?”

  “It means blessed by the goddess. All members of the Kaveri share the same soul mate. And instead of a single power boost, that number is multiplied by the amount of members within the group. So, if a Kaveri is three members, each member receives three times the boost in power. Being Sidottu isn’t common. In fact, I can only name a few Kaveri throughout history that received such a blessing. Caleb and I are one of those few. Even though our Kaveri bond is sexual and not the norm, we are Sidottu as well.”

  “What do you mean by share a mate?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like, sweetheart. She or he would be bonded to the entire unit and would take on the full Merkki. The bond mate would grow in power as well, like the brothers. Kaveri are always male. Females can be warriors, but they do not form units. Instead, if they bond with a male, they join their mate’s Kaveri.”

  “A mate can never be human, right? But it can be someone from another supernatural species?”

  “Correct, for the most part,” Caleb jumped in at this point, taking over the lecture. “Usually, a Toinen Puoli is Surmata or another supernatural. But as you know, magic is flexible. Sometimes tendrils of magic reach out to the human population, changing the very destiny of an unborn child on a whim. That tendril of magic breaks apart, leaving a small spark encased within the human, changing them at the cellular level.”

  He stopped for a moment to allow Evie to absorb this news.

  When she nodded her understanding, he continued. “The soul of this child then becomes bondable to our kind. Once a bond is fully formed, the person will transition from a human to Surmata. Once they have completed their transition, they will be stronger than any female Surmata and, in fact, can easily rival our males.”

  Max expanded on Caleb’s story. “These human mates are even rarer than a Sidottu Kaveri. I’ve only heard of them in legend. A human born to be a Surmata mate is so unlikely that most Surmatas have forgotten the existence of the possibility, thinking it’s just a fairy tale to share with the young.”

  Awe filled Evie at this unexpected revelation. Details like this would never be shared in her class. She couldn’t wait to learn more about the Surmata’s culture.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Evie entered the classroom for Demonology with Max and Caleb beside her, she received a surprise. Instead of leaving, Max took a seat beside her. Excited, she blurted out, “Are you taking this class, also?”

  Max chuckled at her, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Caleb teaches the class. I’ve missed him and want to spend as much time with him as I can. The last three years have been hard, more so for him. He was forced to stay here when I left. Besides, no way in hell am I doing the homework.” He snickered, wagging his eyebrows in exaggeration. “I have an in with the professor.”

  Evie’s heart ached at the sweet sentiment, but in a good way. She hoped one day to find a love as special. Too bad humans didn’t have destined mates.

  Caleb sent Max an almost identical smirk as he strode to the front of the room and placed his stuff on the desk. He waited for all the students to arrive before shutting the door. He didn’t bother to introduce himself since Evie was the only new student in class. Everyone else started together at the beginning of the semester, leaving only her to flounder while she caught up.

  Her hands shook with excitement as she took out her notepad and pencil from her bag. Even though Demonology was held in a building located on the Surmata side of campus, she hadn’t realized Surmata students would make up the higher percentage of the student body. She was the minority in class. Out of the fifty students in the room, only a handful were human, and Evie didn’t recognize any of them.

  The class was also predominantly male with six Surmata females in attendance. Evie tried not to stare. She’d never seen a female before and found them fierce and breathtaking, a lethal combination attested to by the drooling human males who stared at them. Female Surmata had flawless skin, but their eyes didn’t have the depth of color their male counterparts displayed. With a deeper pigment than a human’s, they still lacked the vibrancy of a Surmata male.

  The students quieted, and Caleb began his lecture. “Today, we are going to review the different types of demons and what techniques a warrior utilizes to kill them. The demon hierarchy is made up of four levels, or types, of demons. Can anyone tell me what those are?”

  Hands went up in the air, and Caleb called upon a younger Surmata male seated in front of the room. “Go ahead, Hampton.”

  Hampton answered clearly and precisely at first, “Alempi, Vasilla, Korkeampi, and uh…” The male hesitated, peeking over his shoulder at Max. Turning back around, his voice pitched a little higher, projecting his sudden nervousness. “And the Puoli Demoni.”

  “Correct, Hampton. Thank you.” Caleb portrayed an authoritative attitude as he moved in front of his desk, leaning against it with his bottom perched on the edge. He placed both of his hands on either side of him, relaxing as he started his lecture. “The Alempi are the lowest demon level. They’re commonly referred to as minions. They are mischief-makers, able to manipulate matter around them. They feed on emotion, or more precisely, the fear that manifests from scaring individuals. They are usually weak and cannot maintain a physical body on this side of the veil for longer than a few hours. Usually, only a short period of time passes before they must return since the energy needed to sustain them on this side is too great.”

  “The Alempi are not able to physically harm their victims unless they can manufacture enough energy to move major objects, which in most cases is an impossibility. They would need an energy bleed from a higher-level demon in order to accomplish such a feat.

  “Next, we have the Vasilla. They are mid-level demons in strength. They are also the most common form of demon the Surmata fight against. The greatest threat a Vasilla poses is the ability to evolve into a higher demon if they are able to generate enough energy. A higher-level demon on the earthen plane would spell disaster for the world around us. If a Vasilla demon is detected on the earthen plane, a hunting team is immediately dispatched.

  Evie interjected, failing to raise her hand in her impatience, “Why a hunting team? Why not inform the human authorities? Surely they could assist?”

  Caleb sadly shook his head. “A mid-level demon takes on a human appearance. They are able to mask their demonic essence from the Surmata to a point. A Vasilla’s greatest strength is their ability to influence. Even the Surmata are susceptible to it. They lure their victims into a false sense of security, altering the victim’s mental state, and then they move in for the kill. They are illusionists, able to identify your worst fear and use it against you. Humans wouldn’t stand a chance against one.”

  Caleb paused, waiting to see if she had any further questions. She remained silent. If a human couldn’t fight a Vasilla, then her father lied to her and the others about the demon raids he sent soldiers on. “Let’s move on to the Korkeampi. They are the highest level of demons and the toughest to kill. It’s rare for a single Surmata warrior to have the ability to kill a Korkeampi. It takes a Kaveri. For those who aren’t as familiar with our terminology, a Kaveri is a bonded unit made up of two or more warriors.

  “If a Kaveri is strong with multiple members, then usually only one team is needed. But if it’s a smaller Kaveri with only two members, then multiple units could possibly be called into action. All Korkeampi in the demon realm are restricted there. They cannot pass through the veil unless a seal is broken between planes. But a Vasilla who evolved when on the earthen plane would not have the same restriction.

  “Korkeampi do not work together well, but they do respect ownership claims. If a demon has laid claim to a human, the human is considered off-limits to all others. To interfere with a claim is co
mparable to an all-out declaration of war in the demonic world.

  “The last type of demon is the Puoli Demoni. This type of demon can be a curse or a blessing, depending on whose side they fight for. A Puoli Demoni is a half demon. One-half Vasilla or Korkeampi demon, and the other half, well, it could really be anything. But unlike their demonic fathers or mothers, they are not born evil. They are born with the freedom of choice. And, the decisions they make in life determine whether their soul is light or dark. They can be our greatest threat or our most valued ally. A Puoli Demoni can walk through both planes of existence, able to pass through the veil at will.”

  Evie turned to stare at Max in shock. He never mentioned having an ability most would envy. Her best friend offered her a smug smile but didn’t say anything. Caleb cleared his throat, and they both returned their attention back to the front of the room.

  “Let’s segue for a moment and discuss the Demoni Kosketti. A Kosketti is a marked human. A mark is an imprint left on the human aura from either a Vasilla or a Korkeampi demon. There are two different types of marked. Those with a lighter imprint have their decisions influenced by the demonic mark but never achieve the full pinnacle of evil some are capable of. Then, there are humans imprinted with a darker mark. These humans are pure evil, no light left in their soul. The darkly influenced have been responsible for some of the most atrocious crimes throughout history. Elizabeth Bathory, Adolf Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, and Nero are a few examples of darkly tainted humans. They do not have a conscience and are almost as physically strong as a Surmata warrior.”

  Evie shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the turn in subject matter. Her heart ached at the thought of her mother facing a being so evil, only to die at his hands.

  Caleb let the class soak up the information before inquiring, “Any questions so far?”