15
Jarmiel lent me a satchel to lug my books back to the dorms after our session ended; bless him. The weight was fine, but the quantity was obnoxious. I couldn’t have kept them all together otherwise.
The bag banged around my legs awkwardly, reminding me of my sore muscles. What was so great about demon strength if everything still hurt?
Naomi’s shop had been stimulating but only to the senses, never physically taxing. I played various scenarios in my head of how a conversation with my aunt would go while walking back to the dorms. Would she avoid my questions as she always had? Would I still go with her if she refused to give me answers, or would I stay with Zak?
I wasn’t so sure.
When I entered the lounge it was already occupied by the wolves. Barrett sat in front of the tv and waved in my direction. The large bowl of popcorn in his lap smelled like it was drenched in butter. “Hi, newbie. You look beat.”
I received a passive leer from Max as he stomped out of the kitchen carrying a massive energy drink. The hostile aura could be felt from across the room. He wore his superiority complex around like an accessory. Was it just an alpha thing?
Max bumped into my shoulder as he left the way I came in. “You’re still here?”
It didn’t look like he was there to join Barrett. Guess he had other plans. I let out a long sigh and waited for the door to close. “Is he off to kill someone, or does he just hate me that much?”
“Can’t tell with that sour face of his, huh?” Barrett said with a small grin, “He’s just… going to the gym.”
His hesitation made it sound like Max was certainly not visiting the gym, but I didn’t question what that was. Not my business.
Although, a nap and a candy bar could help his shitty attitude.
I felt Barrett’s eyes linger on me like a child, or puppy, no ticing a new toy. He’d been friendly so far, but I didn’t feel cute or clean enough to entertain any socializing. With an awkward “See ya,” I tried hurrying toward the stairs.
“Need any help?” Barrett asked, appearing just behind me. He motioned to the heavy bag I had and started lifting it before I could even answer.
“Oh. Thanks.”
He wore a cheesy smile and waited to be escorted to my room. We skipped the elevator and hiked to the third floor to gether while making small talk. He raved about the movie he was watching and then asked what kind of movies I liked.
“Hey, so…” Barrett rubbed his nearly bald head before handing the bag back. “Sorry about Max. He’s a good guy, I swear, but he’s very, uh, passionate ?”
“Does he get any better?” I asked.
“Not really. But give him a good beating and I’m sure he’ll respect you. Not saying you owe him anything but it’s fun humbling people sometimes.” Barrett laughed. “I’d pay to see that.”
Watching Barrett defend his friend was almost cute. Too bad his friend was a douchebag.
“Alright, I’ll see you around,” I said, “Thanks, again.”
Barrett left and I could finally relax in my room. Not that class with Jarmiel had been tiring. Really, I could spend hours focusing on the World Soul. It was interesting and magical, but I had, as Jarmiel put it, “other priorities.”
I was becoming increasingly aware of the power differenc es between myself and the others, especially when I hadn’t taken any energy from Zak. With more training I could improve, but would it be enough? What I needed was power and that meant…
Souls.
The solution was simple, I just didn’t want to do it. How hard was it to touch someone? Zak made himself perfectly accessible. Easy and yet, I still couldn’t fully embrace it.
Instead of dwelling on self pity, I took a hot shower, put on a cozy sweater, and opened some chocolate candies before reading at my desk. Demonology hardly counted as escapism, but at least the material held my attention.
Evenings like that made me realize just how good I had it. Warm clothing and my favorite snacks wouldn’t have been provided in jail. Maybe it was as good as it would ever be, especially if Hell was all I had left to look forward to.
Instead of dreading my afterlife, I thought about Zak again. My feelings for the goofy angel blossomed brightly in my chest. I wanted to trust him, and I wanted him to trust me. If I could be anything like him, maybe I’d have a chance to escape my fate.
Wishful thinking.
I opened the first of Jarmiel’s heavy textbooks. Not all were part of the Demon Kingdom and that one in particular focused on various supernaturals. In the likely scenario that one of Blaxill’s children tried to eat me, I read up on vampires to be prepared.
Like most supernaturals, vampires began as myths or scary stories to tell children. According to the text, however, now their numbers competed with the humans. The only drawback; vampires lived half as long.
Vampires were stronger, faster, and more durable until they reached expiration. The cause was still unknown. Another myth was that it was part of a curse on the vampires. The next bit was interesting:
“Healing properties were discovered in vampire venom, but at this time, it has been deemed too dangerous for medical use. In a recent study, seventy-eight percent of the test subjects either perished or succumbed to vampirism.”
No wonder the protestors were upset about Roman Blaxill’s pharmaceutical movement. On the other hand, if he found a way to make the venom safe, it could save a lot of lives. It would be the end of cancer and pandemics.
The next passage highlighted ways a vampire could die before their expiration.
“Decapitation or the removal of heart…” I read aloud to myself. Well, that would do it for just about anyone, wouldn’t it? I closed the book, having no plans to cut off Mallory’s head anytime soon.
The demonology texts waited on my desk. Taunting me. They were simple in appearance; black leather covers and thick parchment. I expected cryptic symbols or for them to be hissing with magic. They must have been the censored editions.
I grabbed the book labeled “Avidus, Kingdom of Lust.”
Already, my fingers were shaking. Letters were printed in a maroon ink that seemed to dance off the page. The illusion hurt my eyes but I searched the list of names and references in the index.
Ah, yes . The succubus .
A chapter opened with illustrations of the sex-crazed de mons. The succubus and incubus, female and male bodies, were completely nude, colored in the same reddish-brown ink. Their faces were sculpted to be appealing to anything that breathed, but not in the same way as the angel’s beauty.
Zak made my heart race like a child excited for presents during the holidays. The demons, dangerously gorgeous and frighteningly monstrous, gave me more of a thrill. I felt cautious of how lovely they were. It could be because of their gargoyle wings, long tails, or sharp and devilish horns.
My gaze lingered on the chiseled incubus for too long. Their seductive powers worked even in 2-D! Before I could creep my self out further, I quickly flipped the page, and ran into a title called: “Kiss of Death.”
That didn’t sound fun but I continued anyway. The lust demons were notoriously powerful in their realm, able to steal life from their mortal victims through seduction, and without having to be right in front of them. Dreams?
I shuddered at the thought. The Incubi especially, the male demons, hunted while their prey slept; giving them dreams of fiery passion to keep them distracted. Poor, horny bastards wouldn’t see it coming. I wanted the text to explain how the demons were able to do that, but it wasn’t a Demons for Dummies or How To Eat Mortals guide.
It did make me wonder about my own parents, though. The phantom faces I’d grown to recognize from Naomi’s photos felt like strangers now. Humans couldn’t have made me and I don’t know why I ever believed that.
I skimmed the next section; searching for… something. Anything to explain my existence. The succubi were known for attempting to breed with humans and, sadly, not in the most consensual fashion. At least, no one thought they were going to wake up from a good dream pregnant .
If a succubus wasn’t looking to breed, then they were just gathering soul energy, like bees to a flower. The list of feeding methods made me blush all over again. “Good gods…” I winced at the drawing of a human woman wrestling with two incubi. Their limbs were entwined in a position I could only assume gave her pleasure, considering the drunk look on her face. Wouldn’t that hurt, or was I just a prude?
No wonder Jarmiel had wanted me to study on my own.
The success rate of demon offspring was nearly impossible, especially when a human vessel carried the child. I could have been a miracle baby but I didn’t inherit the horns. No wings. No tail. I liked my face okay, but I didn’t compare to the naked drawings and I couldn’t snoop on people’s dreams. Not that I ever tried.
But I had kissed Peter, and he had almost died. If I’d known better then…
Just as I thought that, I flipped another page and my heart sank. “In most cases, succubi visit their victims several times before killing them. Life force replenishes slowly over time. Long-term damage to victims includes loss of self, personality changes, depression—”
Thud.
Guilt weighed me down until my forehead met my desk. Was Peter alive but forever in pain because of what I did? Could I change anything?
Somehow, sitting like that increased my drowsiness. I fell asleep with the “Ritualistic Dismemberment” chapter pressed against my face.
That wasn’t the weirdest part.
I sensed something moving in my room. The pages from my book peeled away from my cheeks as I sat up. Everything was much darker than I had left it. If it was Tori and her teddy bear again I was going to bury her in my sock drawer until morning.
Heart pounding, I swiveled in my chair to catch any shift in the shadows.
An unnatural breeze hit my back and startled me out of my chair. The book was flipping its own pages on my desk. The window was locked. It couldn’t have been a draft but the pages moved too rhythmically anyway.
I took a second to catch my breath.
“Tori?” I asked. May as well get comfortable with the idea of poltergeists.
No response.
I was about to stuff the books back into their bag and return them to Jarmiel, but curiosity guided my eyes to the opened pages. No more naked demons. There was a bold name above the text and I leaned over to get a closer look. Asmo—
Lights flickered in my room. A power outage? Now?
I should never have opened the books.
The name lay flat on display, tempting me to read once more. The Great Demon Lord of Lust, Asmodai.
A blanket of darkness covered the room, save for a strange glow that brightened in one corner. Silver lights created the illusion of winter starlight. The heavy scent of magic settled in the air; its burning taste settled on the back of my tongue.
Someone used a spell. Here?
“Naomi?” I noticed one corner of the room that just looked… wrong. It bristled, like a photograph getting crumpled. Some thing cut through the scene, further giving it a paper-like effect. The sharp object ripped a wider opening, and a dark figure forced its way through. He wriggled in like a roach finding its way under a crack. My spine stiffened so hard I didn’t think I’d be able to move ever again. Who and what the hell was that?
His wild, ashen hair took refuge under a black shroud. He slowly turned his head in my direction. I could see his cracked lips pulling up into a grin. And those eyes …
Orange with a hint of madness.
The words he spoke crackled like burning wood.
“You’re getting warmer…”