by Eva Brandt
“That’s the whole point. I get that you might not be completely comfortable taking our relationship to the next level, but I also don’t want you to feel bad because of that. Does that make sense?”
It did, and it was sweet of him to say. It was a shame that I didn’t believe him. He might not be a cambion like he’d originally claimed, but I was pretty sure he was still half-incubus, and therefore, a very sexual creature. While he might not look down on me for my personal choices, it wasn’t what he wanted.
“I don’t have an answer for you,” I told him. “I think right now, we should follow Dean Mephistopheles’s advice and prepare for our next year. I’m sure that when it starts, things will get even tougher.”
Mikael shrugged and waved a hand, dismissing my words. “I’m not worried. I’m prepared for that.”
I wasn’t. I had no desire to see him suffer because he’d helped me. Last year had been bad enough. It was too easy to remember the way the teachers had turned on him, his pallor as he’d faced Professor Jones’s enchantment, the utter resignation on his face when he’d told them he would pay the price for his existence. The students hadn’t gotten the chance to do too much damage, but as Dean Mephistopheles had said, it would happen.
“Somehow, I’m not sure that’s true,” I told him.
Mikael shook his head in exasperation. “Seriously, Lyssa, stop being so concerned. I’ve lived at The Academy of the Devil for years. I know how the people here are like. I understand they’ll try to hurt me. But I’m not helpless, and my status as your familiar does give me some protection.”
“Yes, but I’m not exactly popular either, you know.”
“That’ll change,” Mikael answered, his voice as sharp and fierce as the blue of his eyes. “You’re a very powerful woman, Lyssa. The students at the academy respect that. After the episode with Professor Jones, they won’t risk pissing you off.”
“Gemma did,” I muttered, remembering our last confrontation. “She tried to attack you.”
“Yes, but it didn’t work out too well for her, did it? Relax.”
As he spoke, TB crawled from underneath his sleeve and slid down onto the ground, disappearing into the tall grass. Shiro padded after her, although he seemed to be more concerned with the butterflies flying around his head than the magical snake on the hunt.
There was something truly peaceful and comfortable about watching our familiars play and interact like this. I hadn’t forgotten those dreadful hours when I’d thought Shiro was forever lost to me, and that made the tranquility of these moments even more perfect.
It was Mikael who shattered the silence. “Lyssa, I have a curiosity. It’s important and while I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I’d appreciate it if we could address it.”
That sounded alarmingly serious. “Sure, Mikael. What is it?”
He took my hand and threaded our fingers together. “Tell me something, Lyssa. You and the dean seem uncommonly close. I mean, I can’t help but notice that he pays a lot of attention to you.”
“Does he?” I remembered the first meeting between me and Mephistopheles and felt my face heat. I tried to push back the memory and forced a smile. “I don’t think he treats me that differently. The circumstances are unusual, that’s all.”
Mikael narrowed his eyes at me, and I knew without being told that he didn’t believe me. “Is that a fact? You know, it’s not unusual for a teacher to fuck a student. But Mephistopheles is a High Lord of Hell. You don’t want to get involved with him.”
I wanted to tell him that I didn’t intend to get involved with any teacher—Mephistopheles included—but Mikael didn’t give me the chance. He slid his hand underneath my dress, over my leg. “All you need to do is ask, and I’ll give you everything you need. We don’t have to go all the way if you’re not ready. I’ve been told I’m very good with my mouth.”
He licked his lips and heat coiled in my stomach. Arousal surged through me and I wanted to scream at my inability to maintain the slightest amount of control.
Mikael wasn’t only bad for my state of mind, but also for my panties. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I was constantly wet around him. Today wasn’t an exception, even if we’d both decided we’d try to cover the material I’d missed while day-dreaming in Mephistopheles’s class.
It was so tempting to succumb to his seduction, but somehow, I refrained. Shaking myself, I pulled my leg out of Mikael’s reach. “Mikael, no. I need to learn this. I owe it to you and Shiro to do better.”
I still had no idea who’d attacked Shiro and tracking the spell down to its source seemed impossible. If Dean Mephistopheles knew the identity of the culprit, he’d refused to share it with me. But I couldn’t let the matter go, not when I’d come so close to losing Shiro. And if the person had attacked my canine familiar once, it stood to reason that he or she was still dangerous and might make a second attempt in the future.
Mephistopheles might’ve let Mikael get away with using his angelic abilities during the first incident, but I couldn’t rely on that.
Mikael scowled but didn’t push me. He released my hand and pulled away. “I can’t argue with you there. Sorry. I just can’t seem to control myself when I’m around you.”
“It’s fine,” I replied. I couldn’t hold his insistence against him, not when I wanted the same things he did and would’ve happily spread my legs for him under any other circumstances. “I promise I’ll give this a little more thought, once I’m done with a couple more lessons.”
The sound of female laughter interrupted our conversation. My gaze shot toward the source of the sound, and I gaped when I realized that, at one point when I hadn’t been paying attention, a strange woman had appeared next to the apple tree.
She wasn’t wearing much at all. Her breasts were shielded from view by a mild scattering of feathers, but I couldn’t tell if they were an item of clothing or something her body grew naturally. Her abdomen was exposed, but a short long black skirt shielded her nether regions. She was barefoot, and she had a sword strapped to her waist.
None of this was surprising in itself. I’d seen plenty of strange people at the academy, and after witnessing two of my teachers screw fellow students, I’d learn to take almost everything in stride. It was the fact that I couldn’t quite focus on her that took me aback. Her face kept flickering as if it was a poorly transmitted video signal, cut off by electrical interference.
I rubbed my eyes, and she completely solidified into something I could process without getting a headache. Her long black hair matched the feathers that covered her chest and when she looked at me, her dark gaze made me feel like prey, like a lamb facing a wolf. “Well, well,” she drawled slowly. “I never thought I’d see the day when the ice-cold prince Mikael knelt in front of someone. How the mighty have fallen.”
Mikael got up and bowed, and the tension in his stance alarmed me. “Lady Morrigan,” he said, “I didn’t know you’d be back this year.”
Morrigan? As in the Celtic Goddess of war, birth, and death? She’d be an interesting addition to the school staff, assuming that was, of course, the reason for her presence.
She glided closer to us on silent footsteps, and the grass gained an almost metallic sheen where she touched it. “I couldn’t have possibly stayed away, darling,” she replied. “I happened to hear what happened. A nephilim, eh? How unfortunate.”
Irritation surged through me at her comment. Yes, it was unfortunate, but not because there was anything wrong with being a nephilim. No wonder people treated Mikael like shit if even the teachers didn’t have enough sense to understand such a simple concept.
A goddess of such wisdom should’ve known better.
I stood up as well and hooked my arm through Mikael’s, providing him with silent comfort. Right now, his wings were hidden inside his body, but I could still feel them brushing against my skin, ever so slightly. “Being a nephilim isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, Mikael has a gift, and the fact that he can use both infern
al and celestial magic is an advantage. I’d think that you, out of all people, should understand that, Lady Morrigan.”
I tried to keep my tone level and polite, but my frustration still showed, and by the end of my little speech, something bright and fierce was burning in my chest, very similar to the fire that had caused me to attack Professor Jones at the end of the last year.
If Morrigan was intimidated, she didn’t show it. Instead, she laughed. “Oh, you are intriguing. I see now why you’ve drawn so much interest.” She cupped Mikael’s cheek with a sharp-nailed hand, never tearing her eyes off my face. “I agree with you, but things aren’t so simple in the demon world, as I’m sure you know by now.”
Yes, I did know, but I also wished every single teacher at the academy hadn’t decided to make the situation more complicated than it already was.
As it turned out, in this instance, I should’ve worried more about myself than about Mikael. “In any case, as much as I’m enjoying catching up with my dear former cambion, I’m not here for him,” Morrigan said. “It is you I wanted to talk to, Ms. Michaelis.”
“Me?” Oh, dear, I didn’t like the sound of that. “Why?” She and I had never met before, but past experiences told me that whenever I met someone new here, I was unavoidably going to be hit by an unexpected, inexplicable disaster.
“Yes. As Dean Mephistopheles must have told you, to be admitted into your next year in a higher level of course work, you need to pass a test. I’ll be in charge of administering that—”
“No!” Mikael cut her off before she could finish the sentence. When Morrigan turned toward him and arched a brow, he quickly added, “I mean… We haven’t finished catching up with all the material yet.”
“Protective, are we?” Morrigan’s full lips twisted into a knowing, smug grin. “Don’t worry so much, Mikael. I won’t harm her. I know how to control my strength.”
That didn’t sound encouraging at all, but I’d never been one to back out from a fight, and I had indeed promised that I’d go along with this insanity. “Excuse me, Lady Morrigan, but what does this test involve?” Also, why had it been necessary for her to do it when there were already plenty of teachers at the academy who could’ve handled it?
“It’s quite simple. You see, Ms. Michaelis, as you so kindly pointed out, I’m a complex deity. But here at the academy, I specialize in battle magic.
“As a student, you are still largely untrained. Even so, I’m told that you managed to knock David out while he was in the middle of casting a very powerful elemental enchantment. That means your potential may be limitless, and it needs to be assessed as soon as possible. Studying categories of herbs and demons is all well and good, but it might turn out useless if you blow yourself up.”
She frowned and extracted a feather from her strange garment. It glimmered in the dim sunlight, and when she brushed it over my forehead, my skin vibrated with magic. “And then, there’s your affliction to consider. Everything in the body of an individual is dictated by the brain. You were unfortunate enough to be born with one that can’t keep up with the power you carry.
“Mephistopheles tells me you already had trouble last year when the other students were showing their displeasure over your condition. If we’re not careful, they might be the least of your concerns. We wouldn’t want you to drift into status epilepticus.”
My breath caught at the latter two words. As a rule, the teachers of the school didn’t discuss the specifics of my condition with me, and half the time, they didn’t seem that aware of how it worked. That dreaded concept had never been brought up, but in my heart, I’d feared it.
When my condition had been medically controlled, my seizures had always lasted less than three minutes—well within acceptable parameters. The possibility of status epilepticus had never been an issue. But with the increasing strain The Academy of the Devil was putting on my mind and body, it wasn’t out of the question that it might happen.
It hadn’t occurred to me until now that my power might ultimately be my downfall.
“A-And you can help me?” I stammered, unable to suppress the surge of anxiety.
“It’s not in my character to make promises I can’t keep, little witch,” Morrigan answered, not unkindly, “but I can say that I will do my very best.”
I appreciated her honesty. I far preferred it to empty vows and pledges of loyalty that never materialized when you most needed them to. Here at the academy, I didn’t have a lot of friends, but still, I’d hoped that at least Gemma and Darling would support me. They hadn’t, and that still burned.
But Morrigan was said to be a deity of motherhood too and maybe it was worth it to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, Mephistopheles truly had said that I needed to take this test to advance into a superior level of classes. And so, although I still had some doubts, I agreed. “Thank you. Whenever you feel it’s appropriate, we can go for our test.”
“Excellent, Ms. Michaelis. Please, follow me.”
Without another word, Morrigan retrieved her sword and buried it in the ground. The earth splintered, but the crack didn’t stay natural and linear. It widened until it became very similar to the strange portals Mephistopheles had used to summon his shadowy creatures.
Winking at me, Morrigan sheathed her sword and jumped into the portal. As she disappeared inside, I shared a look with Mikael. “Where is this going to take me?”
“No idea,” Mikael admitted, “but if it helps, I don’t think she intends to hurt you.”
I let out a resigned sigh. I was going from hentai anime to Alice in Wonderland and I really wasn’t surprised. “I guess there’s no point in waiting then. Shiro! Come on. We’re going.”
Taking a deep breath, I approach the portal and braced myself for what would undoubtedly be yet another insane experience. With Shiro and Mikael by my side, I jumped in. I hoped like hell that I’d pass whatever test Morrigan had in mind for me. The alternative was unthinkable.
The Test
“So let me get this straight. A series of monsters will come rushing at me and I’m just supposed to… hit them?”
We were in Morrigan’s sanctum, or battle arena as she liked to call it. It wasn’t an actual room, but rather, a ritual circle that reminded me a bit of Stonehenge. Twelve megaliths surrounded me, emanating a diffuse, black light. The energy that came from the standing stones echoed into the ground, making it vibrate underneath my feet.
I was at least ninety-nine percent sure we were in the mysterious forest I’d crossed when I’d first arrived at the academy, and which was supposedly dangerous enough that I should’ve never braved it on my own. That alone would’ve made the sanctum intriguing and interesting. The standing stones were beautiful too, the ancient engravings on them tempting me to look closer, to see if I could decipher any secret message.
But since the whole business with Shiro, I’d regained some of my self-preservation instincts, so instead, my priority was finding out how much danger I was in. “What kind of monsters?” I prodded. “I don’t think I’m ready to face one of those strange shadowy creations the dean likes so much.”
“I disagree.” Morrigan crossed her arms over her generous breasts and shook her head. “Shadow magic isn’t that difficult to counter if you know what you’re doing. But you don’t need to worry about that now, or about the nature of the monsters. Simply allow your magic to flow through you. Let yourself be guided by your instincts. Don’t overthink it. The purpose of this test isn’t to judge how much you’ve learned, but how much you still need to.”
That made sense, but it also filled me with renewed anxiety. I’d never been in an actual battle before. Blasting Professor Jones away didn’t count, since I’d knocked him out before he could do anything, and his allies hadn’t attacked me after that. Could I handle this test of hers, especially when she was refusing to give me further details?
“It’s all right, Lyssa,” Mikael said from his assigned spot next to the largest standing stone in the area. “Y
ou can do this, and we’ll be right here if something happens.”
Shiro barked in encouragement. Now seated on Shiro’s back, TB waved at me with her wing.
I still didn’t feel very confident, but I reminded myself I couldn’t fail them. If Mikael could defeat his natural aversion for the angelic magic he possessed, I could take on Morrigan’s test. “Okay,” I said to myself. “I can do this. Everything is going to be all right. I won’t let a few monsters get the better of me.”
“That’s the spirit!” Morrigan said. She withdrew from the circle, joining Mikael next to the massive standing stone. “Begin!”
When she spoke that final word, she brought her hands together and clapped. The sound echoed over the sanctum like thunder and the megaliths started to glow even more brightly.
All of a sudden, it felt like a thousand different eyes were watching me. I licked my lips nervously as I waited for Morrigan’s beasts to appear.
When the creatures did show up, there was nothing monstrous about them. A murder of crows descended upon me, appearing out of nowhere, screeching and targeting me with alarmingly sharp beaks and talons.
For a few priceless seconds, my mind went blank. I couldn’t even blame my epilepsy for it. The attack just shocked me, because I’d expected some twisted monstrosity to appear. Compared to what I’d seen so far at the academy, birds seemed plain, mundane.
But the moment the first crow reached me, I realized my mistake. I managed to evade its attack at the last moment, but its talons still raked over my exposed arm.
An animal didn’t need the ability to petrify you with a look to be dangerous. Appearances were very deceiving, and enraged crows could be just as lethal as angry demons. After all, there was a reason why Hitchcock’s classic The Birds was still considered a remarkable thriller, more than fifty years after it had come out.
With a dose of hysteria, I thought that sometimes, the weird things about the English language were completely justified. A few hundred years ago, some random dude had thought, ‘hey, crows are bad news, we should call a group of them a murder’. Whoever the guy had been, he should’ve received a prize for his genius, because the birds certainly seemed murderous now.