A Demonic Year Two: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Bully Romance (Academy of the Devil Book 2)

by Eva Brandt

  “Thank you, Sir,” I replied, feeling numb. It hadn’t occurred to me that I still had the familiar bond to worry about. God, I was so stupid. “I appreciate the help.”

  “Don’t thank me. I wish things had been different. But remember, Ms. Michaelis, I’m a demon too. I have my own interests.”

  His eyes glinted with dark power, and he leaned forward, invading my personal space. My breathing accelerated. My heart started hammering in my chest.

  It was so easy to remember the way he’d touched me in the office, when I’d been in detention. God, no, I couldn’t think about that now. I had other priorities, damn it.

  I couldn’t allow myself to fall into this trap again. Mephistopheles had known what my lovers had been doing and had allowed it. Through his inaction, he’d encouraged their behavior. Yes, I had to focus on that, and not on the fact that I really wanted to see him naked.

  The door burst open before Mephistopheles could test my resolve further. It was Shiro, and he let out a woof of happiness as soon as he saw I was awake. He jumped on the bed and licked my face, and I laughed, his presence and enthusiasm making the burden that had settled on my heart a little lighter.

  “Shiro! Good boy! Who’s my good boy? Did you miss me?”

  “Yes, Lyssa,” he replied. “I was so worried.”

  His voice was getting a little clearer, and I was relieved that this, at least, I could always rely on. Everything else was changing so quickly, but I still had Shiro, and no matter what, he’d always be by my side.

  Unfortunately, Shiro had not come alone. My former roommates, Yolanda and Lena, had decided to accompany him.

  “We heard you’d recovered from the attack of the angels!” Yolanda said with a bright, enthusiastic smile. “Welcome back, Alyssa!”

  “We’re so proud of you!” Lena added. “Good job kicking the asses of those divine bastards!”

  I appreciated the well-wishes, but I had no idea what Lena was talking about. I took one look at her face and decided that in this case, discretion was the better part of valor. I didn’t want to address it, not right now. “Err… Thanks. It was nothing.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true!” Yolanda enthused. “You have to—”

  “You can ask Ms. Michaelis about that another time,” Mephistopheles cut her off. “For the moment, she still requires rest. Such incidents aren’t easy to handle.”

  Yolanda and Lena both pouted, but didn’t seem that surprised at being chased off. “All right,” Yolanda agreed. “But before we go, Alyssa, Mikael said to bring you this.”

  Without another word, she walked up to my side and passed me my phone. For a few seconds, I could do nothing but stare. I’d expected anything but that.

  It seemed like forever since I’d seen my faithful Samsung. Prior to my arrival to the school, I didn’t go anywhere without it. In that respect, I was no different from any other millennial. Today, I couldn’t even recall where it had been. I wasn’t sure I even remembered the PIN number.

  The device shouldn’t have meant as much as it did, but it was just another reminder of how fucked up this entire situation was.

  Still, I forced myself to take it, knowing I couldn’t afford to show how upset I was about the recent revelations. “Thanks,” I said with a weak smile. “I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t mention it, Alyssa.”

  Mephistopheles ushered the two girls out of the room, leaving me alone with Shiro. I slid my thumb over the touch screen of the Samsung, half-expecting it to not work, since I’d forgotten to charge it.

  The device responded just as easily as it always had. The battery was at ninety eight percent. I almost burst into hysterical giggles. It was as if, for the phone, time hadn’t passed at all.

  If only that had been true for me too.

  Pushing away my useless musings, I speed dialed my mother. She picked up in less than ten seconds. “L-Lyssa? Is that you?”

  Tears started flowing down my cheeks as I heard my mother’s voice for the first time in over a year. “Yes, Mom,” I answered tremulously. “Hi. It’s me.”

  The words sounded lame, but they seemed enough for my mother. “Lyssa! Oh, thank God! I can’t… I can’t believe it. How are you, darling? Are you okay? Why didn’t you call?”

  “I’m sorry about that,” I whispered. “There were… circumstances.”

  “Circumstances?” my father repeated. His voice sounded a little weird, and I assumed my mother must’ve put the phone on speaker. “What circumstances? What did those bastards do to you?”

  I didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell him the whole story, so instead, I lied. “It’s complicated. I wasn’t on good terms with everyone at the school from the beginning. I had to get permission to use my phone.”

  “Are things that strict at the academy?” he inquired. “They’re not hurting you, are they?”

  “No, not at all.” Another huge lie, but I couldn’t turn back now. “I promise I’m fine. And I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

  My mother let out a choked cry. “When, dear? When can you come home?”

  That was a good question. I now knew I had a contract with Lucifer, one I presumably needed to fulfill. It was unclear what my parents had done to reach out to the angels, but whatever it was, it might be too dangerous to get them involved again.

  “I’ll try to get permission for this summer,” I finally said. I couldn’t promise more, not when I had no idea what was in store for me.

  “This summer?” my mother protested. “But that’s ages away, Lyssa!”

  “Yes, I know.” I bit my lower lip, feeling stupid, inadequate, and cruel. “I wish things were different too. But don’t worry. It’s not forever. Just one more year, and I’ll be able to come back home.”

  “You’ll graduate in your third year then?” my father asked. “What a relief.”

  “It’s not a graduation per se. It’s more like… the minimum I need to take before I get out of here and return home where I belong.”

  “That makes sense,” my mother answered. “But… You’re healthy, aren’t you? You are still taking your meds. Didn’t you run out?”

  Remembering the whole episode with Lilith burning my medicine, I flinched. I’d never mention it to my mother. “I did, but the school was pretty accommodating. It turns out there are potions that can help me with my problem just as well as regular pills.”

  “Oh, Lyssa, I’m not sure…”

  “It’s fine, Mom. Trust me on this one. I know I’ve occasionally been careless in the past, but give me some credit.”

  My mother sighed. “It’s not you I don’t trust, dear. I just wish there had been another way.” She paused slightly and lowered her voice. “We’ve been looking into some things, options to—”

  “Don’t,” I interrupted her.” I have everything in hand, okay? I don’t want you to get involved in anything dangerous.”

  I debated telling them about my contract with Lucifer, but it took me about two seconds to realize that would be a terrible idea. It would likely result in them intensifying their efforts to free me, which wouldn’t end well. No, they needed to believe I was safe. We could continue with the previous plan. Archangel Michael might’ve said that my parents had been part of the reason why he’d been able to send the snake after me, but I was reluctant to trust anyone right now.

  Not wanting my parents to suspect anything was amiss, I hastily added, “The truth is the school isn’t so bad. I’m learning a lot of new stuff and I think this might help me in the future. It might not be a total waste of time, if it keeps me from having further seizures.

  “And the people here aren’t all bad. I mean, I know what the stories say, but demons aren’t that scary once you get to know them.”

  “Really?” My father sounded skeptical. “You’ve made friends then?”

  “A few, yes.” More lies. The only real friend I had here was the one I’d come with, Shiro. Everyone else was untrustworthy, and even the men I’d despe
rately wanted to believe in had stabbed me in the back. “They have houses here, kind of like at Hogwarts, and a lot of the people in my house have been welcoming.”

  I could tell they still didn’t believe me, so I decided to take a different approach. “It’s so funny,” I said. “There’s a dragon here, and he’s super friendly and we learn Sanskrit together. And two of my teachers are actual deities.”

  As I rambled on, peppering the glum truths of my current existence with the occasional fun anecdote, I prayed they wouldn’t question all the inconsistencies in my story. I suspected that if they did, if they continued trying to free me, they’d be the first to pay the price.

  * * *

  In the weeks that followed my brush with angelic death, life at the academy took a turn for the surreal. Overnight, I became the most popular girl in school. I’d have never in a million years expected it, but apparently, rumor had spread that I’d spurned Heaven and chosen to return to my demonic existence. Between that and my confrontation with Professor Jones, the students somehow seemed to have decided that I’d had this epic battle with the angels who’d tried to kill me and had come out the victor.

  It was befuddling, and if I could’ve been bothered to care, I’d have tried to clarify their misconceptions. Instead, I shamelessly took advantage of it, since it meant that, for once, I wasn’t being bullied. I didn’t know how long this respite would last, but for the moment, I’d embrace it.

  From time to time, I called my parents, careful to not leave them hanging like I had in the past. They still weren’t fully convinced I was as comfortable at the academy as I claimed, but there was nothing I could do about it.

  On the bright side, Mephistopheles had finally given me a potion that provided me with the medical aid I needed. “It’ll make sure your brain doesn’t get overwhelmed by any electrical impulses. It should also help you control your magic. One dose, every night.”

  I didn’t ask him why he’d never given it to me before. He must’ve believed—and rightly so—that Callum and Mikael were taking care of me, and hadn’t deemed it necessary.

  My new popularity came in handy, since now that I’d rejected my former lovers, I no longer had any convenient private tutors. But other students were suddenly vying for my attention, offering their aid for certain classes.

  It was through this peculiar turn of events that I ended up being tutored by my worst frenemy, Gemma Grimm. At this point, I had no idea how to describe her any longer, and I had very little desire to spend time with her. However, Dean Mephistopheles insisted she was proficient in mind magic and the teachers seemed to agree. I couldn’t attend the Psyche Manipulation classes myself, since the curriculum was much too advanced for me. While Dean Mephistopheles had agreed to give me private classes, he had countless responsibilities that didn’t allow him to be my personal teacher for every single thing. Gemma was supposed to replace him in the field of mind magic.

  While shocked at the news that I possessed such skills, she did help me. But the knowledge came at a cost.

  “What’s your problem with Callum, Stefan, and Mikael, anyway?” she asked me, after one of our tutoring sessions. We were in the library, and we’d just been discussing methods to understand and overpower human emotion. “You were taking lessons with them and now you’re treating them like they have the plague or something.”

  I had no desire to explain my romantic life to Gemma, but she was staring at me expectantly, so I had to say something. “We… uh… had a fight.”

  “A fight? But why?”

  Unbidden, the words spilled from my lips. “Because they were dicks and thought that love is demonstrated by brainwashing someone to forget their parents. That’s why.”

  Gemma stared at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. Then, much to my annoyance, she burst into laughter. “Whoa. Really? Ouch. That is a little nasty.”

  “That’s not the way I’d describe it, Gemma,” I shot back at her. “They manipulated my memories and my past.”

  “Right, I keep forgetting you’re human and you have these weird sensibilities.” Gemma wiped a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye. “But you do realize you’re taking a class to do just that, don’t you? To learn how to manipulate memories, among other things?”

  “No, I’m taking a class to control the powers that might allow me to do that if I’m not careful,” I told her. In truth, I wasn’t convinced of my own argument, but the fact remained that I did need to learn this if I wanted to ever leave the academy.

  Gemma looked skeptical, but let me get away with it anyway. “Okay, but, if you’re so pissed at them, why don’t you get even?”

  “Get even?” The notion hadn’t occurred to me. I’d been too busy putting my conflicting thoughts and feelings in order to consider something like revenge.

  “Of course. You’re obviously angry, and that’s fair enough. But they won’t be punished for something like this. So take matters in your own hands and teach them a little lesson.”

  “Like what?” I asked. “I don’t actually want them hurt.”

  I didn’t. I’d yet to decide what to do about the contract with Mikael. And even if I did give up on him—on all of them—completely, I didn’t want them to physically suffer.

  As it turned out, Gemma’s suggestion didn’t involve that kind of pain. “Hit them where it hurts,” she offered. “Start dating someone else.”

  In hindsight, the idea was obvious. They’d made it clear that I belonged to them and they’d displayed jealousy even toward one another. While they’d set it aside on my request, I had no doubt that it would be much tougher now that I’d rejected them. Mikael himself had admitted it, in a way. He’d said he’d have no problem with me sleeping with someone else, but a genuine bond would upset him.

  A memory of Dean Mephistopheles flashed through my mind, the way he’d been when he’d touched me in the office. He’d come very close to fucking me that day, and he undoubtedly would have if I hadn’t said no out of loyalty to them. I secretly found the whole episode still questionable, since those strange manifestations of his magic had touched me sexually and, together, they’d made me come.

  My lovers hadn’t minded at the time. But would it be different if I reached out to the dean now?

  The mere idea made me squirm in my seat in incipient arousal. He’d lied to me too, but I didn’t feel he had betrayed me the way they had. I’d wanted him even at a time when I’d thought I shouldn’t. It was stupid and I might be setting myself up for heartbreak again, but I couldn’t help but crave him anyway.

  “You can think of someone, can’t you?” Gemma said, interested. “Who?”

  “I’m not going to tell you,” I replied, my face heating. “You’d just use the information against me. Besides, I haven’t decided if I’m going to do anything about it or not.”

  Gemma didn’t seem offended by my distrust. “Look at that. You’re learning. Good job. Maybe you’re making progress in understanding demons, after all. Then again, considering the reason why you’re angry at those three, maybe not.”

  Feeling extra bitter, I stuck my tongue out at Gemma. “Just forget it and let’s study, okay? Believe it or not, I actually do want to learn this.”

  “Sure thing. I’d hate to disappoint you, after you went and turned away the angels for our sake. But tell me, how are they like? Are all of them as hot as Mikael?”

  I abandoned all hope of ever understanding Gemma. “I only met one and yes, he was hot.” He was also Mikael’s father, and I refused to think of him in a sexual way. I hadn’t gotten a good enough look at the other two, so I didn’t mention them at all. “Now, can we go back to the lesson, please?”

  “Well, if you want to be boring.” Gemma let out a theatrical sigh. “Okay.”

  I didn’t have the courage to approach the dean about Gemma’s suggestion. Instead, I decided to focus on more practical matters, like reading up on demonic law and learning how to control my magic. A part of me did want to get some kind of reveng
e on Mikael and the others, but I feared that making hasty decisions would just worsen an already unbearable situation.

  It was at the end of the month that I finally discarded all my fears. We had another Battle Magic class, and this time, I was standing next to Morrigan. Mikael, Callum, and Stefan were on the opposite side of the circle of standing stones, and they never once looked away from me during the lesson.

  Instead of going for the battle royale approach, Morrigan picked individual students and had them all demonstrate separate techniques to fight. It wasn’t as quick and efficient as her previous method, but she wasn’t willing to have a repeat of the episode with the snake.

  After class, she asked me to stay behind. Once everyone else left, she sat down on the grass and gestured for me to join her. I did, and Shiro padded to my side, as always my faithful companion.

  “I still feel I failed you by not protecting you while you were in my class,” she said as I leaned against him. “I should’ve sensed the snake the angels sent, and I should’ve been able to keep you here. I apologize for not being able to save you.”

  “You don’t have to apologize to me, Lady Morrigan,” I replied. “It was for the best. At least, now I know where I stand with the people I care about.”

  “Do you?” Morrigan asked me. “I don’t think so. If you had, you’d have cut off the familiar bond between you and Mikael already.”

  “Is that what you think I should do?” I asked in a soft voice. I’d been studying the possibility since I’d woken up, but I still wasn’t one-hundred percent certain.

  Morrigan twisted her wrist and a murder of crows swept over us. Unlike during my first meeting with Morrigan, they made no attempt to attack us. Some landed on the standing stones, others on the ground. One came up to Morrigan, and a few bolder ones made their way to Shiro, inspecting him curiously.

  Morrigan caressed the feathers of the crow now standing on her arm and said, “It’s not anyone’s place to decide what you want to do with your life. You’re the only one who can understand the meaning of your own heart.