by Cara Wylde
The ground was slipping from underneath my feet. The world was spinning. I started running up the abrupt slope as fast as I could. I didn’t look back. I heard Francis calling after me, but I ignored him. He’d said enough. He’d done enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I burst into Headmaster Colin’s office, paying no mind to his secretary, who jumped out of her chair and ran after me. She caught me when I was already through the door. I must have looked like hell, because when he saw me, he motioned for the woman to leave us alone and close the door.
“Miss Lazarov, how may I help you?”
“Practice starts in May.”
“So it does. Right after the finals. One more month, and you’ll be assigned to one of the twenty-two Grim Reapers. I thought you were looking forward to it, just like everybody else?”
“You’re going to assign me to Valentine Morningstar.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact, and when I saw him go livid and clench his jaw, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head. Francis had told the truth. Hell! Lorna had told the truth! “It doesn’t matter how I do at the finals, it doesn’t matter how many worth points I have. You will assign me to Valentine Morningstar because you believe in the prophecy. Because I’m his daughter. His human daughter.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, I could tell he’d accepted that his initial plan hadn’t worked, and now he was ready to adopt a new one. I could only hope this one would also come with some much-needed honesty.
“That is right, Miss Lazarov.”
I waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. He placed his hands behind his back and looked at me curiously, studying my every move and reaction. What was he doing? An impromptu assessment of my character? Which made sense, really, since he was teaching Psychology and we had one class a week with him.
“You can’t do this. You won’t,” I finally said. “I will take my finals, I will keep working for worth points all through the semester, but you can’t force me to go to practice. Not yet. I can’t…” I swallowed heavily. I almost couldn’t believe the words I was going to say. “I can’t meet my father. I’m not ready.” I took a step toward Headmaster Colin, as if I was ready to jump at his throat and tear him to pieces if he refused to grant me my wish. “You kept me in the dark! You knew who my real parents are! You know more about me than I know myself, and it just isn’t fair. I have this right. I have the right to say no, I will not play this sick game of yours anymore, and I will not go to practice.” I was panting. After all that had happened in the past hour, I was feeling lightheaded, too. “I will do it when I’m ready,” I added. “I will meet Valentine Morningstar when I’m ready.”
To my surprise, he nodded.
“Good,” I said. I straightened my back and made to leave the room.
“On one condition,” he stopped me.
I turned to give him the deadliest look I could muster.
“I understand your distress, Ms… Morningstar.”
My heart jumped and my stomach twisted at the sound of that name. That name that had no place being associated with me.
“Don’t call me that.”
“It is who you are. Mila Morningstar.”
I rubbed at my aching temples. “What’s your condition?”
He closed the space between us and placed a warm, heavy hand on my shoulder. His voice was soft and gentle.
“That you spend the end of this semester and the summer vacation here, at the Academy, and you study Valentine Morningstar. No Reaper has been able to retire him, and he must be retired. Sooner rather than later. Each decade, he gains more influence and power. Each two hundred years, someone fails to take his place, and his ego grows, his abilities expand, and he’s becoming the most powerful and dangerous Grim Reaper that has ever been. No one can say what he might decide to do with that power one day. He might even become delusional enough to call himself Death. The actual Death. Not a personification, not a concept. Death. And if that happens, the world as we know it will collapse. The prophecy…” He sighed deeply. “It’s not much, but it’s all we have. Prophecies can be misleading and unpredictable, but sometimes it’s better to have one than to not have any hope at all.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“I believe you do.”
“Well, it’s not like I can go home for the summer holiday,” I said bitterly.
He smiled kindly. “So, stay. The Academy needs you.”
I sighed. It was the kind of deep, heavy sigh that made my chest rise impossibly high and drop like a rock.
“How about you give me a better room, then?”
“I could, but I don’t think that’s what you want.”
I laughed. A bit hysterically, but at least it was a laugh and not tears of frustration.
“Mila, the room we gave you used to be Valentine’s room. We thought that if you lived where he lived, maybe you’ll feel something. Maybe you’ll discover something that has eluded us all this time. The room comes with the one condition that can get you out of this year’s practice. Study Valentine. Learn his secrets. Figure him out. When the time comes, we’ll need you to retire him.”
Kill my own father, that was. I didn’t say it out loud, but Headmaster Colin knew I was thinking it. I nodded and left his office. I walked down corridor after corridor in a daze. I crossed the inner courtyard, passed the dining hall, but didn’t stop. Sheer inertia was taking me up to my room. The room that used to be my father’s. My real father, the nephilim. Just as I was climbing the last few stairs of the north tower, I saw Sariel waiting for me up on the landing. I sighed. Nothing that he could do now would shake me more than what I’d just found out. He’d tried to kill me a second time. He could try it a third time by pushing me down the stairs. Whatever, I didn’t care. Old news.
“You suck at murder plots,” I said boringly. “Francis’s god swallowed me up and spat me back out.”
He dragged in a breath but didn’t say anything. He just looked at me. His wings were spread out. With that blond hair of his and those blue eyes, that perfect jaw, and that straight, noble nose, he looked divinely handsome. Too bad he was a devil in disguise. Pazuzu was more innocent than him, and Pazuzu was a demon. That said a lot.
“Are you going to move, so I can pass?” He was blocking the way, of course. “Are you going to push me down the stairs? Just make up your mind sometime today, because I don’t have time for this.”
“Do you know why I hate you so much?”
“No! Please enlighten me! I’ve been waiting for the moment of truth for so long!”
“Because you’re a Violent Death. A true, textbook Violent Death.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “That makes no sense. So are you.”
“But you see… I’m not. I try so hard, I pretend so much. I play a part every minute of every day. A part that’s just not me. But I have to play it. I have to wake up every morning and slip into my Violent Death persona, because otherwise…” And that was the first time when I could swear I saw Sariel drop his act and become his real, raw self. “Otherwise, my parents would disown me. And do you know what happens when an archangel is disowned, Mila? He’s thrown out of Heaven.”
“Sariel, you’re saying words…” If I had to say that one more time to make the Mighty Jerks understand they weren’t making any sense…
“I was never VDC. I am and will always be MDC. Merciful Death. But my parents wouldn’t have it. So, I cheated on the test and pretended since day one. There. Now you know.”
“Is this why you’re being so cruel to me?!”
He laughed. “You’re everything I will never be. You’re the one true Violent Death in our cabal. The others? Posers! And now you know my secret. Do with it what you will. I’m exhausted. I can’t do this anymore.”
I bit my lower lip. What the hell was happening? Sariel was being honest for the first time in his life, and I actually felt… sorry for him? If I could feel compass
ion for the guy who’d tried to kill me twice, then maybe I wasn’t VDC either.
I reached out and touched his arm briefly. He jumped in surprise but didn’t pull away.
“Sariel, I have to go now. Will you let me go?”
He nodded and stepped aside. As I walked past him, a feather fell from his left wing and followed me down the corridor. I went into my room, closed the door, left the feather outside.
END OF BOOK ONE
Exclusive Story:
Prom Night
CHAPTER ONE
I was in my room, jittery with excitement. I’d taken a long shower, then rubbed milk and honey body lotion into my skin. I would have preferred a hot, foamy bath, but alas… my room wasn’t equipped with such luxuries. I was clean, fresh, soft, and ready for them. GC Apis and Pazuzu Eremus. My two boyfriends. I’d started thinking of them as my boyfriends, calling them that in my head. Was it wrong? Was I in trouble? Most likely…
I’d skipped practice this year. I really shouldn’t have. My first year at Grim Reaper Academy, and I didn’t even have the courage to go out on the field and actually take my scythe for a run. But that wasn’t it. I wasn’t scared of reaping, and I was pretty sure this first practice session was mostly about shadowing our mentors and taking notes. What I was scared of was meeting my father. My real father.
Valentine Morningstar.
I’d found out I was the daughter of the nephilim in the middle of semester two, right before practice, and even though the circumstances had been more than bizarre, I was glad it had happened. Francis Saint-Germain had told me. And it was weird and unsettling to know that this shy guy who’d first been my friend, and then had almost sacrificed me to the monster god he served, knew more about me than I knew myself. He’d known all along, and he’d told me only recently, because he’d felt guilty that the Great Old One dwelling underneath the Academy had wrapped its tentacles around me and scarred me for life. His father and his grandfather were important in the supernatural community. They were close with the Council - some sort of advisors, - and they’d also donated to have Grim Reaper Academy built, back in the old, old days. Or had that been Francis’s great-grandfather? Too many family members to keep track of… I still didn’t know what sort of supernatural Francis was, but since his great-grandfather was still around, it was safe to guess they were all some sort of immortals. And immortals knew many things. Such as the identity of my real father.
Valentine Morningstar. I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years. As it turned out, Headmaster Colin had known, as well. I didn’t even know how I felt about it anymore. All I knew was that I wasn’t ready to meet the sperm donor who’d left my mother pregnant and then vanished, and that meant I had to skip practice this year. Headmaster Colin had allowed it. He owed me that much.
So, here I was, at the end of year one, one week before prom, waiting for my two boyfriends to return from practice. I gotta stop calling them that! This is just a fling. Temporary. It can’t last. Because I couldn’t trust them yet. They’d bullied me all through the first semester, and even though we were fine now, I still wasn’t quite sure… Could it last? Such a sick, twisted relationship… And with two guys, not one! But everything in my life had turned upside down, and I needed someone to support me. I’d told Patty and Klaus about Morningstar, and they’d been incredibly supportive, but it just wasn’t enough. I needed someone to… hold me tight and tell me everything was going to be alright. Kiss me tenderly and reassure me that being the daughter of the most powerful and feared Grim Reaper alive didn’t meant anything. That I was still Mila, their Mila, and they…
I shook my head harshly. All this daydreaming about love and promises will get my heart broken.
Sounds of laughter and the usual friendly curses the VDC guys threw at each other came from down the hall. My heart started beating faster. Would they come to see me before dinner? Would they knock on my door? I sat up in bed - where I’d been lying for the past two hours waiting, - and listened carefully. They had all returned from practice. The RDC, the NDC, the MDC, and my VDC classmates. I’d get to see Klaus soon, and maybe I wanted to talk to Francis about what had happened, but I wasn’t sure yet. Sariel… I think I want to avoid Sariel. For now, and forever. The archangel had tried to murder me twice.
Steps down the corridor, approaching my room. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and smoothed down my strappy dress. It was only June, but it was hot as hell. Or maybe I was feeling hot for no reason at all… A knock. Should I go open the door, should I call him in? Who was he? GC, or Paz? Who’d missed me the most? A commotion on the other side of the door snapped me out of my thoughts. A curse, a bit of a struggle, then GC’s voice shouting at Paz.
“Move!”
“I was here first!”
“I don’t give a shit!”
The false god knocked loudly, and immediately burst in, not even waiting for an invitation. His blond, curly hair was ruffled, and his blue eyes sparked with joy.
“My normie goddess!”
Behind him, the demon was fuming, but keeping it together. Sometimes, Paz would stoop to GC’s childish level, but sometimes he wouldn’t. I liked him more when he was calm and mature, like now, so sue me for wanting to jump into his arms first, just to piss GC off some more. The false god was silly and cute when he was pissed off. And a little dangerous.
“Did I tell you that you could come in?” I said, faking grumpiness. In reality, my heart was running a marathon, and my stomach was trying for the gold medal in gymnastics.
“No.” He wiggled his brows. “But you were thinking it. And I’m here to make your wishes come true before you even speak them.”
He was irresistible. A smile tugged at my lips, and I couldn’t hide it. He opened his arms and strode toward me. I stood up without even realizing it, and the next thing I knew, GC’s hands were all over my body, touching, groping, and pulling lustfully, his lips on mine, his tongue seeking entrance. I sighed loudly and let myself melt against his hard body. I’d missed him so much. I’d missed this so much.
Paz cleared his throat, and even though I wanted so much more of GC, I pulled away and smiled at the demon. Unlike the false god, Paz had taken a moment to change his clothes and make himself presentable. His longish black hair was tied in a loose ponytail, strands falling out as if carelessly to frame his handsome features. But there was nothing careless about my scorching hot demon. He knew exactly what he was doing, what he looked like, and the effect he had on me.
“Welcome back,” I whispered.
When it came to GC, things were straightforward. The false god wanted to get into my pants. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and I knew where I stood with him. Push and pull. It was a game I was getting good at.
Pazuzu was another story. He’d broken off his engagement to Pandora to be with me, and he’d already tried to tell me a few times that he loved me. I hadn’t let him, and I hadn’t said it myself. I couldn’t, because I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to rush into things. I didn’t want to say something I’d regret later.
I love you… These three words didn’t just mean what they meant. They implied so much more. Saying “I love you” was like saying “I trust you”, or something even more powerful and scary: “I am ready to enter this relationship, naked and vulnerable, and I’m assuming the risk that you might not do the same, that it might all end one day.” Oh my God, I’m turning into a sappy bitch.
He pulled me into his arms. His hand sank into my long blue hair, he forced my head back, and we locked eyes for a long, lust-charged moment. I could see the longing in his deep green orbs.
“Did you miss me?” he asked huskily.
I almost teared up, because I couldn’t lie.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He leaned in, and I closed my eyes, savoring the passionate kiss like a starved wanderer in the desert. I’d been chasing mirages, and finally one had proved to be real. Yes, th
at was the word. Pazuzu felt real. GC was too unpredictable to tell whether he was real or not, whether he was here today and might run off tomorrow. What I knew for sure was that they both wanted me. They both wanted to throw me onto the bed and fuck me. Would they vanish in the morning? Would at least one of them stay? And, oh, I wanted to give myself to them just as much as they wanted to take me, but the risks were too high. If I gave them just a little, a kiss here, a bare breast there… If I let GC bite my nipple, and Pazuzu sneak a finger under my soaked panties… I could keep them interested, and hope they didn’t get bored too soon.
GC stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me away from Paz, but not enough to make us break the kiss. He caressed my neck with his nose, breathing hotly against my soft skin. I trembled and moaned. I could feel him smile as he took my earlobe between his lips and pulled slightly. I bucked my hips against his crotch, and felt him grow hard.
“Why didn’t you come to practice?” he asked me gently.
I froze. Paz felt something was wrong, and pulled away. He caught my gaze for a second, but I quickly averted my eyes. I was turned on, hot, wet, and needy, and I wasn’t thinking straight. Such an innocent question…
“Well?” the false god pressed on. “We missed you like crazy. We had different mentors, and I for one just kept wondering… if you’d come to practice, maybe you’d have been with Raziel and me.”
“Or with me, Caspian, and Sariel,” Paz said.
“Was any of you in Valentine Morningstar’s group?”
There were only twenty-two Grim Reapers, and one hundred students. For field practice, the mentors had between two and four students to shadow them. Sometimes, even five. Who’d been in my father's group? Had GC and Paz met him?
“No,” Paz said. “Morningstar had Francis, Merrit, and two more.”
“Lucky bastard Francis,” GC mumbled, annoyed. “I bet it’s because his dad talked to the Supernatural Council and arranged for him to be in Morningstar’s group.”