Penny and I silently filled our trays with cereal and a few cups of coffee. I wasn’t expecting the dining hall to be so crowded this early in the morning. Luckily, our table by the window was open.
I swear I could feel eyes on me, but I shrugged it off. They’re probably just trying to get a good look at Abaddon’s daughter.
Penny obviously got the hint that I refuse to engage in conversation until I’ve had a cup of coffee. As soon as I put my empty cup down, she began filling me in on the latest gossip. I wasn’t expecting dorm one to be so scandalous.
Loud laughing pulled my attention away from Penny. I looked up to see a group of demons being assholes to a male angel. The guy was probably asking if he could sit with them since the dining hall is so crowded.
The angel looked completely taken aback. I didn’t see what was funny with the situation either. Who do these people think they are? I saw red as I got up and made my way over to him.
I took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Hi! My friend and I have an open seat at our table. Why don’t you come and sit with us? I’m Eve. The she-demon with the short hair over there is Penny.”
Penny gave him a quick wave. The blue-eyed angel couldn’t contain his smile. He held out his hand. “I’m Jacob. Thanks for letting me sit with you guys. This place is mobbed.”
I was just about to introduce Penny to Jacob when a tall she-demon from the other table came storming over. She could pass as a brunette Barbie doll with her long brown hair and expertly applied make-up. She slammed her manicured hands down on our table, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Shoo angel-boy. Like I said before, stick to your own kind,” the girl sneered. I immediately stiffened. She did not just say that.
“Oh fuck,” Penny muttered under her breath. Jacob started to stand, but I quickly put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. He’s not going anywhere.
My eyes turned red as I glared at the she-demon. I was vibrating with anger. “What kind of bigoted shit are you spewing, Barbie? Any being can sit wherever they choose to sit. It doesn’t have to be approved by you or anyone else for that matter.”
Shoot, I could feel my hellfire start to lick my palms. Hellfire is something that upper-level demons can conjure and wield as a weapon. It tends to show up when you’re really pissed. I need to calm down before I barbecue this chick.
Looking at my hands, bitchy Barbie took a step back. “Big mistake,” she hissed. I couldn’t hold back the laugh that slipped out. I was just about to jump back into a conversation with Penny and Jacob when I caught a glimpse of bitchy Barbie’s table.
The guys were all annoyingly hot, and the girls were all Barbie-clones. Figures. Each one of them looked furious, and their eyes were pinned on little ole me. I blew them a kiss before turning my attention back to my friends.
“Holy hellfire, I cannot believe you just did that,” Penny whispered in disbelief. “Do you even know who they are, Eve? They would be idiotic to retaliate against Abaddon’s daughter, but still….” She trailed off.
Jacob dropped his spoon mid-bite and looked at me with wide eyes. “You’re his daughter?” I rolled my eyes in response.
“I’m many things, but a pushover isn’t one of them. I don’t care who they are. Bitchy Barbie was wrong, and someone needed to call her out on it.” I chatted for a few more minutes before leaving for my Demonic history class.
Luckily, the classroom was easy to find. I took a seat in the front row and turned my phone on. I had about ten new texts from my favorite three-headed hellhound. I was about to text Cerberus back when someone plopped down in the seat next to me.
I looked up to see an extremely hot incubus with inky black hair and dark blue eyes. An incubus is a male demon who feeds off of sexual energy. A succubus is a female equivalent.
He rested his arm on the back of my chair. “I enjoyed the performance this morning, kitten. I’m Nick.” He gave me a crooked smile. “I’m Eve.” The guy must be sending out some seriously strong sex vibes because our class was about to turn into an orgy really quick.
I leaned in close to him. “Pull it back, Nick. Unfortunately for you, I’m immune to your incubus charm,” I giggled. I sat up straight and saw his mouth hanging open. I inwardly groaned. Only extremely powerful demons and angels can resist an incubus.
In retrospect, I probably should’ve pretended to have been a little affected by him. Oh well, I guess it’s too late for that. Thankfully, Nick pulled back his power just before the professor strolled in. That would have made for an awkward first class.
The professor jumped right into the lecture. “Welcome to Demonic History. I’m Professor Blackburn. We’re from all walks of life here at Trutina, so this course has been designed to ensure that you all receive the same historical foundation. This class may offer new information to some of you. For others, it will be a refresher course. Our focus will be on the Four Kings of Hell for the next few weeks.” My dad would love this class.
“Today, we’ll start at the very beginning. Angelica, please raise your hand. Tell us the names of the kings.” An angel in the back of the class raised her hand. “The kings are Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan and Belial.”
The professor nodded his head in agreement. “Correct, Angelica. The four kings, along with the four Archangels, make up the Divine Council. Nick, please tell us who True King of Hell is?”
Nick waved his hand and gave the class a killer smile. “No one knows who the True King is yet, but there are some rumors downstairs that it’s Abaddon or Legion,” Nick answered as he tilted his head in my direction. Everyone in the class was looking at me, including Professor Blackburn. Thanks, Nick.
“Correct. The True King has yet to be revealed. However, it’s said that it will be one of Hell’s Four Kings. The kings battled for centuries over this title. Our numbers in Hell were quickly dwindling due to the constant warring, which caused the gates of Heaven and Hell to weaken. Unfortunately, it was Terra or Earth that suffered the consequences,” the professor explained.
“A number of disgruntled demons and fallen angels started running amuck on Terra, causing destruction and devastation in their wake. This is why most humans have the misconception that all demons and fallen angels are bad or evil. As a result of this imbalance, a prophecy was born. Noah, can you please tell the class what you know of the prophecy?” Blackburn asked.
“I think the prophecy is just something someone made up to make the kings stop battling,” Noah answered. The professor laughed. “That has yet to be determined. The exact wording of the prophecy has been lost over time, but it was foretold that the True King of Hell would sire a she-demon. As Noah alluded to earlier, this prophecy did indeed stop the battling in Hell. It also drew the four kings closer to one another.”
I don’t think that I’ll ever get used to hearing other beings talk about the True King and the prophecy. As much as I’m enjoying the conversation, I kind of feel like I’m eavesdropping.
Would my classmates and professor talk this freely if they knew that I was Hell’s Princess? I’d like to think they would. Title or not, I’m still their classmate.
Before I knew it, my first college class was wrapping up. “Your homework assignment is to write your interpretation of the prophecy. I want you to explain what it means for Heaven, Hell and Terra. Your paper can be one sentence or ten pages. The length doesn’t matter as long as you get your point across,” Blackburn called out before dismissing the class.
5
Locke
Cade called it. This girl is trouble. I can’t get her out of my mind, and it’s pissing me off. My eyes were glued to her as soon as I spotted her in the dining hall this morning.
She’s so fucking beautiful. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Guys were practically salivating over her. I wanted to rip them to shreds for just looking in her direction.
What is going on with me? I don’t even know this girl, and she’s making me feel things that I’ve never felt before. There’s no doubt in my
mind that she’s been sent here to test me.
This little hellion is pure temptation. I don’t want just a bite of her apple; I want to devour it. The way she called Hannah out on her bullshit just now was so hot but completely reckless.
Hannah’s been on our asses about only hanging out with demons. In her warped mind, demons are superior to angels and humans. Last year, she wanted us to alienate the humans. Now, she wants us to ice out the angels. It’s bullshit, but my brothers and I have to pick our battles.
Hannah stormed back to our table after her showdown with the blonde. I inwardly groaned. She was furious. We’re never going to hear the end of it.
“Can you believe that bitch? Who the Hell does she think she is? Pack up, guys. We need to talk in your room,” Hannah snapped.
The guys and I headed to our room with Hannah hot on our heels. The school hooked us up with a pretty sick room. It takes up the top floor of one of the dormitories.
It has a full-sized kitchen, dining room and a massive common room. We each have a large bedroom and a private bathroom. The best part is that it’s in a completely different building from Hannah’s room.
We made ourselves comfortable in the common room and waited for the shit show to begin. Hannah slammed the door behind her. “I can’t believe she invited that angel to sit with her after I turned him away. Who does she think she is defying me like that?”
I tuned Hannah out, and my mind wandered back to the blonde. I was surprisingly proud of her for standing up for the angel. She has strong convictions and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. It just adds to her appeal.
“Are you even listening to me, Locke?” I lifted my gaze to Hannah. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me. “I asked if you know that girl.” I raised an eyebrow. That’s as good of an answer as she’s going to get.
Miles cleared his throat. “None of us have been introduced to her yet.” Cade looked up from his phone. “I heard that her dad is Abaddon. She must be pretty powerful.”
Hannah huffed in annoyance. “He’s not even a king, Cade.” Does she even know our history? “Abaddon isn’t a king because he turned it down. You shouldn’t underestimate him or his daughter.”
Hannah sat on the arm of my chair. “No, she shouldn’t underestimate me. I want you guys to find out what you can about her. Let’s invite her to sit with us at dinner tonight. I want to make an example out of her. No one disrespects us and gets away with it.”
This is precisely the type of shit that my brothers and I hate. We should be focusing on more important things than this little hellion. Hannah won’t let it slide, though. The blonde sealed her fate this morning as Hannah’s newest target.
We dispersed after listening to a few more minutes of Hannah’s scheming. I was walking into my room to grab my backpack when I felt a small hand on my arm. Doesn’t this girl have a class to get to or something?
“Baby, I missed you so much over the summer break. Why didn’t you answer my calls last night? I even stopped by your room,” Hannah pouted. I also didn’t respond to her fifteen texts, but there’s no sense in pointing that out.
Emmett snickered as he walked into his room. We purposely got lost last night to avoid her. It was our final night of freedom, and we weren’t going to waste a second of it. I let out an exasperated breath. “The guys and I had shit to do.”
She put her hand to my chest and pressed her body against mine. “Where did you go? I would have gone with you. We have a lot of catching up to do, Locke.” She bit her lip in a sad attempt to look sexy.
“We went to a bar.” I stepped away from her and continued into my room. Unfortunately, Hannah followed me in. Why couldn’t she have found some poor soul to sink her claws into over the summer break?
She slammed the door behind her. “What’s going on with you, Locke? You seem very distracted. You haven’t even kissed me yet. Did you meet someone?”
Maybe Hannah isn’t as unobservant as I thought. I ran my hand through my hair. “There’s just a lot on my mind. I have to go. I don’t want to be late for class.”
Without waiting for a response, I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door. My brothers were already waiting for me in the common room.
Hannah walked out of the building with us and headed toward her dorm. “I’ll see you guys later. Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” she yelled from over her shoulder. Like we could forget. The guys and I stayed silent until she was well out of earshot.
Emmett slapped me on the back. “You’re lucky Hannah didn’t notice you staring at the blonde throughout breakfast, man.” I grunted in response.
Cade handed me his phone. There was a text from Hannah asking if I hooked up with anyone over the summer break. I shook my head in frustration.
“Hannah’s going to be watching you like a hawk. You need to forget about the blonde, Locke. This girl is a distraction that you don’t need right now,” Cade warned, slipping his phone into his pocket.
He’s not saying anything that I don’t already know. I nodded my head anyway. “You focus on keeping Hannah happy, and we’ll handle the blonde,” Miles recommended.
That’s the last thing I want to do, but I held my tongue. The guys already sense that I feel too much for this girl. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’m so fascinated by her. She makes me feel.
I have to let them run the show tonight. Miles is right. I need to focus on Hannah. As much as I hate it, I need to accept that she’s my future.
The little hellion can never me mine. She’s just a dream. I need to push her from my mind, but I need to try and talk some sense into her first.
6
Eve
I left the class with a sense of unease. What do I really know about this prophecy? I always assumed that the prophecy was about my dad. What’s my role in all of this, aside from my birth?
I never even thought about how it would impact Heaven and Terra. It’s time to get some answers. Lost in my thoughts, I began to walk across the quad toward the library.
I was brought out of my musings when someone grabbed my arm. Spinning around, I came face to face with one of the douche lords from breakfast.
I willed my hellfire to lick up my arm. As if anticipating the move, the guy quickly let go of me before getting scorched. I couldn’t hold back my smile as I slowly took him in.
Even with his icy glare, this demon is unbelievably hot. He is well over six feet tall with intense, stormy gray eyes and dirty blonde hair. I’m usually into clean-shaven guys, but his short beard only adds to his appeal.
There’s strong, and there is this guy. His broad shoulders were straining against his uniform blazer. He could easily pass as some sort of Nordic god. Hmm, I wonder if this god has an Adonis belt.
This guy is unfairly gorgeous, but that isn’t the only thing that makes him stand out. He has a presence. There’s just something about him that calls to me.
“Are you finished?” Busted. I could feel my cheeks turning pink. “Wrong move pissing Hannah off this morning, little hellion. You are way out of your league stepping into the ring with one of us.”
The Nordic god just had to open his beautiful, kissable mouth. I tilted my head to the side. “Hannah,” I repeated. “Nope, I think I’ll stick with bitchy Barbie.”
Anger radiated off of him. “Who. Are. You,” he demanded through gritted teeth. Oh hellfire, he’s even hotter when he’s angry.
I gave him a wicked smile. “I’m Eve. I would say that it’s nice to meet you, but I’m a terrible liar.” I just can’t help myself. His hellfire began sparking from his fingertips.
I motioned to his hands. “You may want to take care of that, buddy. Your emotions are showing.” I love the fact that I’m getting under this stony guy’s skin.
“My name is Locke, and I’m not your buddy,” he growled. Hum, Locke. His name is very fitting. I can tell that this guy doesn’t like beings to see through his mask of indifference. He’s like a vault, impenetrable and wel
l-guarded.
He stepped closer, and I breathed in his citrusy scent. Our eyes locked. He was trying to be intimidating, but I was intrigued. Very intrigued. There was a flicker of emotion behind his stormy grays. It was quick, but it was there.
My heart started pounding in my chest. Goosebumps traveled up my arms. What is this guy doing to me? My eyes dropped to his full lips, which began to pull back into a sneer.
“I don’t give two flying fucks who your daddy is, little hellion. You better fall into line and show us some respect,” he snapped.
Now, that made me laugh out loud. I want some of whatever this guy is smoking because he has to be high. I was about to tell him as much when I noticed Locke stiffen.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” A smile stretched across my face. I turned around and jumped into the arms of my favorite curly-haired Archangel.
“Gabe! What the Hell are you doing here?” Of the four Archangels, I’m the closest to Gabe. He’s like a brother to me. He’s hilarious, wildly inappropriate and impossible not to love.
Gabe gave me a tight squeeze before setting me back on my feet. “I missed you, spider monkey. I was heading to a meeting with the Dean but noticed this asshole getting in your face. Who’s your friend?”
I looked back at Locke. His friends from the dining hall joined him. “Oh, we are definitely not friends. He was just threa….” Locke interrupted me before I could finish.
“I was just inviting Eve to join our table at dinner tonight. We didn’t get to introduce ourselves this morning properly.” I rolled my eyes. Could he be any more of a brownnoser?
“Archangel Gabriel, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Locke. Let me introduce you to the other three heirs, Emmett, Cade and Miles.” Locke gestured to the three intruders.
My stomach dropped. I could feel the blood draining from my face. This must be some sort of cruel joke? There is absolutely no way in Hell that these four idiots are the chosen heirs.
Unlocked (Hell's Throne Book 1) Page 3