by Dante King
“She’s an evil cow,” Maddie said, interrupting both Headmistresses. “Which means she’ll fit in at the Infernal Academy perfectly.”
Mareth grinned. “I say you throw her to the wolves,” the succubus said lustily, smoothing down her skirt. “Let her fight for her scholarship the way Maddie had to. Only without a demonic hunk to take care of her.”
Judyth’s eyes lit up. “Actually…”
Oh no, I thought. Mareth, what idea did you just put in this woman’s head?
“I will approve Raquelle’s admittance to the Infernal Academy,” Judyth said, crossing her arms beneath her ample breasts. “On one condition.”
Lilith shrugged. “Name it.”
“Hey, wait,” I protested. “This was all my idea—”
But the Headmistresses had moved past me already. They played a game far beyond my understanding, using myself and the rest of the student body as chess pieces in some perverse competition whose rules only they understood. A spark passed between the two Headmistresses, and I instantly knew whatever bickering they were about to do was just for show. They’d already agreed on the plan.
“Luke will be Raquelle’s shadow,” Judyth said, nodding at me. “In the same way that you Infernal types typically assign a demon to show a new student around and get them acclimated to the school, Luke will do that for Raquelle. In addition, she’ll be his responsibility.”
“You mean like a pet?” Lilith purred, making a show of examining her long nails. “Feed it, play with it, make sure to clean up its messes occasionally?”
Judyth had the temerity to look offended. “My student is not a dog,” the Headmistress protested. “And she will not be treated like a dog!”
I sighed. It seemed the choice had already been made for me. “I’m fine with that,” I said, nodding at both women. “I’ll take care of her—like Xora did for me when I first got to the Infernal Academy. I’ll make sure she fits in and doesn’t get into trouble.”
“Too much trouble,” Christina added, giving me a spank on the butt.
I rolled my eyes. “She’s going to have to get cool with a lot of things pretty fast, though,” I said, gesturing toward my girls with my head. “Because I’m not about to deny myself anything on her account.”
“Yes, I’m sure she knows all about your... bedroom activities,” Judyth said, sounding scandalized.
“And your backseat activities,” Mareth whispered. “Not to mention your ‘stairwell behind the lecture hall’ activities…”
I flicked her between the horns, which just turned her on even more. “Stop. I’ll take the responsibility on.”
It would be tricky, sure. But Raquelle’s evil deserved to be cultivated. Besides, it would give me another in within the Celestial Academy—and I got the distinct impression I was going to need it.
After all, the Headmistress was a murderer. And she knew I was the only one who knew about it.
“Well, if that’s all settled, I’ll be on my way,” Judyth said, opening a portal in the air. Golden light beamed through the rent, showing a tiny sliver of the Pearly Gates. “I’ll let Raquelle know when to arrive at Hell for her first day of classes. It’ll be a gesture of concord between your realm and mine.” The two Headmistresses shared a nod. “In that spirit, I’d like to let you know you’re all invited to the Alpha Omega frat mixer tonight.”
Aztomund’s eyebrows rose. “An angel party?”
“Luke and Maddie already had invitations,” Judyth explained smoothly. I’d heard about the party several times, but had always sort of dismissed the idea—angels were such sticks in the mud, after all. Their parties were probably as boring as they were. “But in the spirit of cooperation, I’ll extend that invitation to everyone who helped both sides seal the incursion against the Fae. That means the rest of your, ah, group will be most welcome,” she added with a wink.
I glanced over at Christina and Mareth, gauging their temperature. They didn’t seem overly jazzed about an angel frat party, but they didn’t look like they’d say no, either.
“We’ll think about it,” I told Judyth. “I’ll be seeing you around campus, then.”
Right before she disappeared into the portal, the Headmistress suddenly grabbed me and held me close. “Don’t forget,” she whispered, her tone so lusty that it almost put Lilith’s to shame, “about our special arrangement, Luke. I’ll be expecting regular reports from you in my office—privately. Don’t worry, I’ll provide you with the means to access my office when you need it.”
Before I could respond, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. A trumpet blew a crescendo from somewhere far off, announcing an angelic departure.
“What was that about?” Christina asked, staring at the place where the Headmistress had been. “She seems kinda into you, doesn’t she?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Mareth slipped an arm around my waist. “Luke’s awesome. Can we please go home now, Master? I want to give you the battle hero’s welcome you deserve!”
I would have gladly slipped right back to subspace and had my way with my harem. There was only one problem—my subspace didn’t work in the liminal zone. And I had no idea how to get out of here. Judyth had some power that let her do just that, but she’d failed to share it with us.
“My car,” I realized, glancing at the mouth of the cave. “It got banged up making the journey here. I don’t know if it can take us home…”
Lilith dismissed my concerns with a wave of the hand. “Your automobile will make its way back to the Infernal Academy in time,” she said breezily, all danger forgotten for the moment. Now that she was no longer in full-on demon mode, the lusty, flirty manner Lilith used for everything had returned. “In the meantime, I’d be happy to open a portal to see you and your friends safely home. Follow me.”
With that, Lilith led us into the woods. I didn’t understand what she was doing, until I saw a structure hidden in the trees. It was tall, tapering to a point near the top like an observatory or lighthouse. Only what someone would be observing all the way out here in a liminal zone, I had no idea.
“Unlike the Headmistress of the Celestial Academy, I did not anchor myself back to the Infernal Academy when I made the trip,” Lilith explained. “This particular zone has a shrine I’ve made into something of a nest for some of my arcane experiments. There’s a device inside I can use to send us all back to the Infernal Academy.”
“Ah.” Aztomund looked curious. “That’s alright, then.”
As we drew closer to the strange structure, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. The more I looked at it, the more certain I became that I knew this place. Like Maddie and her childhood dreams, I felt some strange echo as I looked at the misshapen lighthouse. Or the arcane observatory, whatever it was. Why did I feel such a connection to it?
Lilith led us inside. It resembled Eiko’s divination wing to a strong degree, from the strange books on shelves around the walls to the magical devices whose purposes students like me could only guess at. I took three steps into the room, the strange feeling of deja vu growing stronger and stronger.
Then I looked up, and the realization slapped me in the face. My blood went cold.
“It’s right here,” Lilith said, pulling a table covered in runes to the center of the room. She looked up and gave a start at the expression on my face. “What’s wrong, Luke? You look uncomfortable all of a sudden.”
This was the room. The room. A vision flashed through me, almost as powerful as it had been the first time I’d felt it. Lilith hanging upside down, suspended from a mass of tentacles hanging from the roof of a circular, high-ceilinged room. Her flawless skin completely naked, fucking herself with the tentacles in her pussy and mouth while I pounded her ass like a beast.
Harder, Luke! Ah, fuck, you feel so good…
This was the room where I had filthy, primal sex with Lilith in my vision.
Not only was I destined to claim Lucifer’s ex-wife... I was going to do it right next to the Fae Realm!
Lilith leaned over and sniffed me. “Hmm. Well, try not to faint. You’ll be back home presently.”
I clung to Maddie as a wave of energy rippled through the building, melting away the world. What did it mean that Lilith was doing creepy experiments inside a zone a single portal away from the Fae Realm? What the hell was Lucifer’s ex-wife up to? She couldn’t be a spy for the Fae, could she?
As my vision dissolved, I met Lilith’s gaze one final time. Oh yes. If she felt she was wronged, Lucifer’s ex-wife could absolutely betray both Heaven and Hell. This was not a woman to be trifled with.
And apparently I was going to fuck her. In the ass. While she writhed and moaned and begged me to pound her even harder.
I’m either the luckiest son of a bitch in the universe or the most doomed, I thought as the ritual sent us back to the Infernal Academy.
I was looking forward to finding out which.
Chapter 18
“I’m just about ready to pack it up and go home,” Christina muttered, sipping at her drink. “This place is bo-oring. Not that I expected much different…”
I yawned explosively, catching myself with my hand in the nick of time. The first official mixer of the Alpha Omega fraternity had been in full-swing for an hour, and just as the flyers distributed around the Celestial Academy had said, it went on until question mark. Only ‘question mark’ felt like it probably should have been about thirty minutes ago.
At least the frathouse was nice. Alpha Omega owned an entire building on the edge of the Celestial Academy, with a top-floor penthouse overlooking the rest of the campus. From up here, you could see all the way to the Pearly Gates, and catch a glimpse of angels in the middle of an evening pickup game of Viceroy. I still needed to learn the rules to that—I felt like I could probably be pretty good given half a chance.
“We won’t stay much longer,” I told my demonic girlfriend, giving her thigh a squeeze. At the request of Judyth, Christina had assumed her human form before showing up at the Academy, and she wore a tight sapphire dress that would’ve been right at home on her body back when she was a fitness instructor. A string of pearls hung from her neck, delving deep into her cleavage as if she were giving me a mental reminder of what she wanted me to do to her once we got back to subspace.
As if I could forget.
“At least Maddie is having fun,” Christina said, taking another sip of the golden liquid. I’d had a sip myself and it tasted amazing—almost like mead. On the other side of the room, Maddie excitedly chatted with a gaggle of angelic students. She’d fit right in, despite her boyfriend and his demonic nature. Whatever frosty reception there’d been between the Celestial and Infernal schools had begun to melt, thanks to our cooperation against the Fae. Even Christina and Mareth hadn’t been shunned the way I’d been upon my arrival here.
Mareth put a fresh drink in my hand, then leaned over and gave me a long kiss on my neck. Her tongue did amazing things, and suddenly I swelled in my pants, making both girls giggle.
“So where’s the transfer student?” the succubus purred, looking as bored as Christina felt. “She didn’t show up?”
“Raquelle? Word on the street is she’s too ‘humiliated’ by what I did to her at the Justice School to show her face at any Celestial parties. Ironically, she’ll probably be more comfortable down in Hell than she is in Heaven for the time being.”
Mareth scoffed. “That girl needs someone to teach her how to not give a fuck,” she said, swaying slightly on her feet. As a succubus, Mareth casually drank from the emotions and energy of those around her—and that included inebriation. She was far more wasted than anyone else here, as she felt everyone else’s drunkenness. Normally that meant she was totally wild at parties, but here, it left her just a little shitfaced.
“Good thing she’s got the perfect tutor,” Christina said, clinking glasses with Mareth. “To our first semester!”
I gladly pressed my glass against theirs, drinking deeply. “Hell yes.”
Movement in the crowd caught my eye. I hadn’t realized that Judyth would be present at the party—from what Mareth had told me, it wasn’t the ‘in’ thing for instructors to show up at shindigs down in the Infernal Academy. From the looks the other angels gave her behind her back, they hadn’t expected her to be here, either.
Once she saw me, Judyth made a beeline for my group. Christina and Mareth tensed up next to me, expecting the worst.
“Just stay cool,” I said, flashing the winning grin I’d used in customer service a lifetime ago. “We’re having a great time. Everyone’s getting along.”
Judyth stopped in front of us, a complicated mixture of emotions on her face. “I’m so glad you decided to come, Luke. You as well, Christina and Mareth.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Christina said wryly, downing the rest of her drink.
Judyth clucked her tongue. “I know the atmosphere is far from celebratory,” the Headmistress said, her hands clutched before her. “The student body has been quite shaken by the news of dear Holofernes’s disappearance. We all pray for the safe return of the Angel of Vengeance from the Fae Realm, but of course we expect the worst…”
He’s dead, I thought. You made damn sure of that when you stranded him on the other side of a portal with an entire army at his back. Even a being as strong as Holofernes couldn’t have escaped that.
Could he?
The question gave me pause—which allowed Judyth to slip closer and drop her voice. “Good luck balancing two course loads,” she said, giving me a knowing smile. “And don’t worry—I haven’t forgotten my end of our arrangement.” She looked past me, to where Maddie continued conversing, beaming like the belle of the ball. “As long as you give me what I need, Luke, Maddie will never need to worry about being expelled. This place will be her home.” She paused. “You do want to protect dear Madeleine, don’t you?”
Of course I did. Judyth knew that—and she exploited it mercilessly.
“We won’t have a problem,” I told Judyth through gritted teeth.
“Capital.” She stepped back, raising her voice. “I’ll be leaving you all now. Please enjoy the rest of the evening’s festivities. Remember: I see nothing.”
Judyth did a complicated motion over her face as she said this last part. The rest of the angels copied her, which chilled my blood. Knowing chuckles rose through the room, and I realized me and the rest of my group were the only ones not in on the joke.
As Judyth exited, the atmosphere in the room began to change. Angels left, throwing open the doors into other rooms and pulling the doors of closets and dressers. I had no idea what they were doing—was this some kind of angelic party game?
Maddie came to my side, beaming with excitement. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” she purred, giving my hip a squeeze. “I’m so glad you brought me to this party, Luke—and I’m even happier Christina and Mareth came along, too! I can’t wait for you all to experience a real angelic party!”
Wait. Was that angel coming in from the other room with a whip?
“What the fuck…” I muttered, watching as the crowd of revelers gave the room one hell of a makeover. Angels carried in long benches with leather restraints, and one brought in a giant ‘X’ with chains hanging from the tips. With a start, I realized I recognized the gear they carried.
I’d seen it in my subspace.
Maddie’s grin grew wider. “You really didn’t figure it out?” she said, the picture of innocence. “I thought for sure when you guys busted out the bondage gear in Luke’s bedroom it would click. I guess not though, huh?”
“The angels,” Christina said, her cheeks flushing with sudden heat. “They’re…”
A cry rang out. One of the angels—a b
ig guy with longer wings than most—had just finished tying up a slender blonde angel to the big ‘X’ in a corner of the room. He drew the whip down right between her wings, leaving a slender red welt that contrasted with her creamy white skin. The female angel groaned like she’d just came, juice staining her bare thighs.
“They’re into BDSM,” I said, my jaw hitting the floor.
“Duh,” Maddie purred. “They’re college students, guys! They’re totally into sex and drugs and all that—it’s just different up here! It has to come with rules, and regulations, like everything in the Celestial Realm.”
Mareth and Christina looked at the debauchery breaking out all over the room like someone had just taken off their blindfolds to reveal a surprise party.
“You’re kidding me,” the succubus slurred, the sexual energy in the room hitting her like a slap on the ass. “They’re kinky! Holy shit they’re kinky as fuck!”
“They’re TOTAL freaks,” Maddie agreed with a giggle.
“Well,” Christina said with a broad smile. “When in Rome, right?”
Hell yes. There was just one thing I had to do first.
I climbed onto the nearest bench, spreading my arms. “I just want to make one thing clear,” I said, heads turning around the room. No one seemed surprised—just eager to get down to business. “My group from the Infernal Academy will be happy to participate in your... party games tonight.”
Cheers rose from this proclamation. The female angel got whipped again, on the wing this time. She moaned even louder.
“But these women—they’re bound to me,” I said, getting firm with the crowd. “They’re not playing with any other guys. An ancient and powerful magic connects me to them, and nothing up here is going to be allowed to get in the way of that.” Then I grinned. “If some angel girls want to get whipped by a demon boy, though, I’d be happy to oblige…”
Laughter filled the room.