I opened my closet and pulled out my uniform. “We have a meeting with the Dean in an hour about having extra security on campus. Raphael asked us to drop off more tea. We weren’t expecting you to have company,” Uncle Mikey growled.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s plotting Locke’s death in his mind right now. “Oh good, I’m running low on Raph's pot tea.” Locke raised an eyebrow at me and stood up. I watched as he approached the guys.
“Michael, I need to fix this mess that we made with the humans on campus. Can I join your meeting with the Dean? I think it would be good for me to be involved with the security discussions too. I may have some ideas.” They haven’t killed Locke yet, so I’ll assume that it’s safe to get ready for class.
“I’m going to get dressed. You guys can chat it up.” Grabbing my stuff, I ran into the bathroom. After washing my face, I tossed my hair up in a messy bun on top of my head.
I quickly brushed my teeth and slipped on my uniform. Thank goodness I had some concealer. It’s probably two years old, but beggars can’t be choosers. There’s just no way that I could leave my room with this huge mark on my neck.
Just as I stepped out of the bathroom, Mikey and Uri were getting ready to leave. “We’ll text you later. Stay safe, baby girl,” Uri said, giving me a kiss on the head. I turned toward Locke as soon as they left.
“Are you going with them to the meeting, or do you want to get breakfast?” I asked. Locke bent over to kiss the mark that I just covered up. With a frown, he began wiping the makeup away with his thumb. Once he was satisfied, Locke kissed it again. He is absolutely insane.
“Much better. I’m going to the meeting, but I’ll see you later today. Okay?” I nodded my head but couldn’t help feeling a bit self-conscious. “Why are you upset?” he asked.
I sighed. “I’m not upset. I just realized that you still haven’t actually kissed me,” I admitted, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable. Locke pulled me close and gave me a lopsided smile.
“You’re right. There’s a reason why I haven’t kissed you yet. I want to take my time with you, little hellion. Once I have a taste, I’m not going to stop for a very long time. I need to get going, but I’ll see you later on.” Locke nipped my neck one last time before popping out of my room.
23
Locke
I know Eve expected me to book it when a fuming Michael and Uriel showed up, but that’s not how I do things. I face issues head-on. My blood was boiling when Uriel thought that Remiel was in her room. I don’t care if I’m being a hypocrite, just the thought of another guy being with Eve has me seeing red.
Remiel better pray to God that I never get him alone. I’ll teach that fallen angel a lesson for running his mouth. Even though it was piss poor timing, I'm glad that Michael and Uriel showed up today. Getting a meeting with the Dean is always a challenge, so I’d be a fool not to tag along. I need to get things straightened out for the humans.
After saying goodbye to Eve, I popped back to my room to take a quick shower. My thoughts kept traveling back to last night. I’m so glad that I took Lucifer’s advice and talked to Eve. I needed to lay it all out for her.
Now that everything’s out in the open, I feel like an enormous weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I quickly towel dried my hair, put on my uniform and headed toward the quad. Michael and Uriel were waiting for me by the library.
I gave them a nod as I approached. “I appreciate you guy letting me come to the meeting.” Michael straightened to his full height and narrowed his purple eyes at me.
“And I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t put a fucking hickey on Eve’s neck,” Michael snapped. I shrugged my shoulders and put my hands on my pockets.
“She’s mine. My mark makes it clear to all these other fuckers that she’s off-limits. I won’t apologize for looking out for my girl.” She also looks insanely hot with my mark on her, but I’ll keep that to myself.
Uriel glared at me. “Good luck explaining yourself to Luc and Ab. Let’s get to the Dean’s office before he decides that he has something better to do.” We walked to the main building and were ushered into the Dean’s office right away.
The Dean is a pompous dick with a cushy job. He thinks he’s the shit because the most influential beings in Heaven and Hell send their kids here. I can’t stand the angel, so Miles usually gets stuck having to meet with him.
The Dean stood up from his oversized desk and was fixing his gold cufflinks. “Archangels Michael and Uriel, please come in. Locke, I’m afraid we’ll be discussing things that will be of little interest to you.”
I strolled in and made myself comfortable in one of the armchairs. “Believe me. I have a vested interest in our security measures, especially since Hannah was able to enroll posing as the princess without raising any red flags.” The Dean’s face turned bright red. I guess he didn't like me calling him out - tough shit.
“While Hannah was playing princess, she put our relationship with humans at risk. We’re working on getting the restrictions lifted, but I need you to talk with the department heads about letting humans back into our core classes. There is to be no more separation,” I explained. The Dean stiffened in his seat.
“I’m not sure that will be possible, Locke. There’s no need for them to be in those classes anyway. We should move on now.” Is he seriously trying to dismiss me? Yeah, that is not happening.
I crossed my legs and leaned back in the chair. “The humans are our future liaisons. They need to know our history and develop relationships with other beings on campus. You have two options. You can fix this now, or I'll be happy to bring it to the attention of the entire council,” I said.
He can kiss this job goodbye if this turns into a council issue. There are too many strikes against him with Eve getting drugged on campus, Hannah getting through security checks and the most recent problem with the humans. The Dean was fuming, but he was trying to mask it.
“Yes, you’re right. The humans are important to this campus. I’ll make sure they are accepted back into core classes right away. Now, the Archangels and I need to discuss security measures. You are dismissed, Locke.” My hydra came close to the surface, not appreciating the Dean’s tone.
“Locke is a successor as well as a student here. He can easily tell us where there are gaps in security. He stays. Dismissing him from this conversation would be imprudent,” Michael snapped.
The Dean simply nodded his head, and we began talking about the need for additional guards. About an hour later, I left the Archangels and headed to class.
On my way to Eden Hall, I spotted a group of humans hanging out on the quad. They seemed to be in the middle of an in-depth discussion, likely talking about what happened last night. As soon as they spotted me approaching their faces paled.
“I wanted to apologize for the way that my brothers and I have been treating you. We were completely in the wrong. I want you to know that we’re going to make it right,” I promised.
They were all just staring at me openmouthed, so I continued. “All restrictions will be lifted soon, and I just spoke to the Dean about your attendance in core classes. Please reach out to any of the heirs if someone gives you a hard time. We’ll take care of it.”
I didn’t have to ask them to spread the word. By the time I walk into class, half the campus will be talking about the lifted restrictions.
I ended up being late for class, but the professor would never say anything to me about it. She knows that attendance is always high because students want to say that they have a class with me. Ignoring the stares, I took my usual seat and focused on the lecture. Thankfully, class flew by.
I was checking my phone when I heard a high-pitched voice calling my name. You have to be kidding me. This girl is shameless.
I slowly turned around, coming face to face with Hannah. “Locke, you haven’t been returning my texts and calls. We need to talk,” she pouted.
“Lose my number, Hannah. I have nothing to say to you.” I started to wa
lk away when she tried to grab my arm. My hydra immediately rose to the surface. This girl needs to get the Hell away from me before she becomes my hydra’s next meal.
“You don’t mean that, Locke. We’re amazing together. Don’t let that girl come between us. She will never love you like I do.” I looked down at Hannah with absolute disgust. We had an audience, so I made sure to project my voice.
“Let me make this very clear to you, Hannah. We were never together. I never liked you, and I never will. You’re nothing but a nasty, manipulative, self-absorbed snake. Now, get the Hell out of my face and leave me the fuck alone.”
I gave her my back and continued on my way. I seriously can’t stand her. As long as she’s allowed on campus, Hannah will continue to be a problem. I need to talk to the Dean about having her expelled. Let her be some other college’s problem.
24
Eve
I walked into the dining hall and made a beeline to the bathroom. This monstrosity on my neck needs to be covered up stat. Once my makeup was in place, I made my way toward the dining hall’s breakfast station.
I grabbed a bowl of cereal, a banana and an extra-large cup of coffee. I almost forgot about the whole debacle from last night until beings kept introducing themselves. I really tried to be nice, but I was getting hangry.
I sat down at an empty table and pulled my phone out of my backpack. I was about to check my text messages when I heard raised voices. I looked up to see a group of beings shouting obscenities at Emmett, Cade and Miles. I let out a frustrated breath. Why can't people just be cool with one another?
Without a second thought, I marched over to the group of angry beings. “Are you seriously bullying the guys that I chastised last night for doing the same exact thing? This is absolutely ridiculous! Are you perfect? Have you never made a mistake?” I asked in disbelief.
“I get that you're upset, but you have to realize that this is a learning experience. There isn’t a manual that explains how to be perfect successors. Give them a chance to right their wrongs and to earn your respect. For now, you guys need to go back to your table and cool off.” The group dispersed after muttering a few apologies.
I sat back down at my table and took a sip of coffee. Thank hellfire, it’s still hot. I was just about finished with my cereal when three demons sat down at my table.
Cade cleared his throat. “Thanks for having out backs, Eve.” The normally preppy heir looked utterly disheveled. Why did that bother me so much? I nodded my head and took another sip of coffee.
Emmett ran his hand through his short faux hawk. He looked pained. “We’re sorry for being such dicks to you. We honestly thought that you were trying to get under Hannah’s skin and stir up trouble. Here you were just trying to get us to see some sense. We feel like fools,” he admitted.
“We had no clue what was at stake when we targeted humans. We were completely played. We’re going to fix this, though,” Miles added. I could hear the sincerity in his voice.
Cade nodded in agreement. “We’ve already met with the people in charge of the gym, library and dining hall to make sure the rules are revoked. We’ll make this right.”
As much as I want to hate them for being assholes, they deserve a second chance. We could never work together if we’re always at each other’s throats. Plus, I know they were only taking direction from bitchy Barbie.
“Apology accepted. I really appreciate you guys fixing things with the humans,” I said. Checking my phone, I saw that it’s almost time for class. I began to pack up when Emmett wrapped his tattoo clad hand around my arm.
“Who the Hell put that on your neck? I want a name, Eve. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for weeks, and we never saw you with any other guy except for Jacob.”
Emmett looked positively irate. Frowning, I pulled my arm back and covered the mark with my hand. I need to order better makeup. Then I’m going to kill Locke.
“I bet it’s that fucking incubus. That guy is obsessed with Eve. Locke is going to kill him,” Cade snapped. I rolled my eyes. “I can assure you that it wasn’t Nick. Just drop it, okay? I have to go and cover this thing before class.”
I grabbed my stuff and darted to the bathroom. After fixing my makeup, I pulled out my phone to send a scathing text to Locke. As I began typing, I plowed right into a hard chest.
“Much better,” Cade mused as he lifted my chin to inspect my handiwork. “Come on. I’ll walk to class with you.” I narrowed my eyes at him as he held the door open.
“What’s going on, Cade? You’re not acting like yourself. Ugh! Don’t tell me that you’re going to kiss my ass now that you know who I am. Believe me - I rather you act like a jerk,” I grumbled, bumping into his shoulder.
He let out a laugh. “I can be an asshole, but the way I acted toward you wasn’t right. It was a show to get Hannah off my back. She was pissed that Locke showed interest in you and wanted us to push you away. It was just easier to be a ‘douche lord’ than to hear Hannah’s constant bitching.”
I laughed. “She’s a horrible excuse for a she-demon. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you guys who I was earlier. I probably could have saved you a few Hannah induced migraines,” I told Cade. He smiled and ran his hand through his dark brown hair.
“I just want you to know that Locke wanted nothing to do with her. She always tried to make him jealous, but he couldn't care less. I’ve known him for my entire life, and you’re the only girl that he’s truly wanted.”
Cade stopped in front of the classroom and put his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know who you’re hooking up with, but please be honest with Locke if you’re not interested. Seeing your hickey is going to kill him, and then he’s going to obliterate whoever was responsible.”
I smiled up at him. It was probably the first real smile I ever gave him. “You’re a good friend to him, Cade. Don’t worry about Locke’s reaction, though. He already saw it this morning.”
I was about to say more when I heard my name being called from the back of the class. I turned to see a beaming Jacob. I blew him a kiss and then took a seat next to Cade.
“You guys were so quick to blame Nick for the thing on my neck, but completely bypassed Jacob,” I whispered in Cade’s ear. He looked at me like I was absolutely crazy and leaned in close.“I thought he was one of your best friends. Do you ever ask him about his personal life?”
I leaned back in my seat. Oh. My. Hellfire. I have been so consumed with my drama that I’ve neglected my only friends at school. “I’m the worst friend ever,” I whispered.
Cade shook his head. “I’m sure Jacob doesn’t think that.” I looked back at Jacob, who was laughing with a cute demon beside him. I couldn’t help but grin. Hopefully, Jacob will talk to me when he’s ready.
I said goodbye to Cade and Jacob after class and headed for the library. Why do homework when you can research a mythological creature? According to most myths that I found, if one of the hydra’s heads was cut off, then two or three more heads would appear. I’d prefer not to find out if that theory is correct.
Some myths said that the beast could only be killed with Athena’s golden sword. Other tales claimed that fire could destroy the creature. Locke can wield hellfire, so I highly doubt that fire could harm his hydra. I couldn’t find any overly helpful information, so I decided to text the guys.
Me: I only have five unread texts. Should I be concerned?
Dad: Locke is the one who should be concerned, my love.
Raphael: What happened?
Gabe: Mike and Uri caught Eve taming Locke’s dragon this morning.
Me: Gabe! WTF! Nothing happened!
Uriel: Says the girl with a fucking hickey on her neck.
Ab: I’m going to kill him.
Dad: Get in line.
Ceb: It’s a shifter thing. Give the guy a break.
Me: Who are you, and what have you done with Cerberus?
Uncle Mikey: Uri and I need to give you guys a recap of our meeting with the Dean today.
Ab: We also need to discuss the fallen watcher.
I was about to respond when I felt someone’s hands squeeze my shoulders. I automatically tensed. Just in case I was in trouble, I texted gibberish to the guys before looking over to see Zane.
“Someone missed my class this morning. You only get one unscheduled absence in my class, Evelyn,” he whispered in my ear, continuing to touch my shoulders. He was seriously making me uncomfortable.
I was about to ask him to get the Hell off of me, but I suddenly felt exhausted. I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Something is seriously wrong with me.
“Is everything okay over here?” a voice asked, menacingly. I tried to say something, but I was just too sleepy. “Eve told me that she was exhausted. She can barely keep her eyes open. I’ll help her back to her dorm,” Zane explained. Why is he lying? What’s going on?
“No, I’ll take her. I’m going to her dorm anyway.” The other voice snapped. A few minutes later, I was picked up and carried somewhere.
25
Eve
I was so comfortable that I didn’t want to get up. I moved and realized that I was laying on top of someone. I was too scared to open my eyes. I tensed right before a feeling of comfort washed through me. Relaxing, I snuggled closer to Locke and breathed in his citrusy scent. He smells so good.
“She’s starting to wake up now. I know. I’ll call you back on speakerphone when she’s fully alert,” Locke muttered to someone on the phone.
Unlocked (Hell's Throne Book 1) Page 12