Lorelei's School of Deviltry, Semester One: An Academy for Supernaturals Read online

  I opened my mouth and slammed it shut. If Samantha didn’t understand that those ideas were archaic and racist, I couldn’t help her. Instead, I pivoted on my heel and left the room.

  Rushing for the stairs, I climbed them two at a time headed for London and Sybil’s room. When I knocked, the latter opened the door.

  “If you’re looking for London, she’s not back from study hall.”

  I really, really wanted to speak with the redhead, but Sybil would do. “Can we talk?”

  “Sure. Come on in.”

  Crossing the room, I shirked off my blazer and plopped down on London’s bed.

  Sybil, already dressed in ripped jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, perched on the edge of her mattress. She stared at me for a moment before saying, “You’re welcome to raid the closet if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

  “Thanks.” But it would take more than a change of clothes to give me comfort.

  She smiled briefly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything.” I decided to come clean. “Milos asked me to be his girlfriend.”

  “Interesting. I had a feeling he was a bad boy.” Sybil’s head bobbed a few times as she crossed her legs. “I understand why you’re so troubled. Dating outside of our kind is forbidden here.”

  “But does that extend to friendship too?”

  Her eyes widened. “It shouldn’t. Who told you that?”

  “Samantha.”

  “She shouldn’t have said that. One, it’s not true. Second, Samantha Rivers is a throwback to another era.” Sybil leaned forward. “My question, which do you want more? A friendship with Milos or a relationship?”

  I wanted both. One day we’d leave Lorelei’s behind, and I wanted to be able to count on his friendship. In that moment, I wanted the relationship. Not because I was in love with him, but because no one should tell us who we could love.

  “Lilith?”

  “The relationship,” I blurted. “I want a relationship with him.”

  “There are ways to make that happen without Samantha or Mistress Lorelei knowing.”

  “How?”

  “He’s a vampire. He can coerce people to do or believe whatever he wants.”

  “Milos did that earlier.”

  “If he cares about you, he’ll continue to do so. You need to stop meeting him inside. Go down to the Healing Pond.” Her face brightened suddenly. “Better still, go down to the southern quadrant around the shifter and hybrid dorms. They don’t care about breaking the rules.”

  True. If somebody hadn’t broken a rule, none of the hybrids would have existed. Which made me think.

  “Sybil, why is it that the hybrids are allowed on campus?”

  “You don’t know the history of this place.” She stood and came over to sit beside me. “I only know because of my status. There isn’t much a Nakamura Demon doesn’t discover.”

  “Like?”

  “The fact that Mistress Lorelei is a hybrid.”

  “Wait!” I felt my forehead furrow. “How is that possible? I thought she was a witch.”

  Sybil smiled. “If you plan on staying here, you have to know this campus has tons of rumors surrounding it. Everyone has their version of a so-called truth.”

  “What’s Mistress Lorelei’s truth?”

  “She’s part legendary creature and part witch.”

  “Ah, the nugget of truth in the gossip?”

  “Yes. The creature half is a legendary bird from Japan called an Itsumade. She has a human-like face, a curved beak, pointed teeth, a serpentine body, razor-sharp talons, and a huge wingspan. The beast feeds on the souls of the dead. We’re fortunate never to see that version of the administrator.”

  “Eww.”

  “My sentiments exactly. I have yet to visit Hell, so I’ve never seen an Itsumade in action.”

  “That explains why the hybrids are here. Do they get to date across races?”

  “No. They aren’t allowed to date at all while they’re on campus.”

  “That’s cruel.”

  Sybil shrugged. “Apparently, Mistress Lorelei dislikes being a hybrid. She feels it’s her duty to make sure no other mixed species end up on Earth.”

  Forget cruel. It was wrong to dictate the lives of others. If the headmistress had issues being a hybrid, that was her issue. Nobody else’s.

  It’s not your concern either.

  My inner voice was dead wrong. Someone had to be an advocate for the downtrodden. I would gladly pick up the mantle.

  Pushing to my feet, I picked up my blazer and headed to the door.

  “What are you going to do about Milos?”

  “There’s nothing to do. I’ll meet him tonight. We’ll figure out how to go forward.”

  “I envy your bravery.”

  “Why? You’re a Nakamura. You can do whatever you like.”

  “No, I can’t. My family will keep me royal. They’ll make sure that I only marry another royal.”

  “What will you do in the meantime?” I knew she had a thing for Torin, but I didn’t dare bring it up. He wasn’t exactly the type of incubus the Nakamuras had in mind for Sybil.

  “Have fun while I can. Once I leave here, I’ll go to a series of Lilin Meet and Greets until I find the right male for me.”

  How perfectly boring! Mom used to attend the gatherings meant to hook up Lilin. She always said they were full of blowhards and males who were more interested in their appearance than finding a mate. After the last one, she swore she’d find a suitable partner on her own. Mom wasn’t looking for love. Just someone to sire more offspring and keep her company on long winter nights.

  Personally, I didn’t care for the lifestyle. I wanted love. It didn’t matter that Lilin weren’t supposed to fall in love. I wasn’t one to follow the rules.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Once I’d finished dinner, I headed toward the pond. Every few feet, I glanced back over my shoulder. It felt as if someone was following me, but each time I looked no one was there. Maybe it was guilt muddling my thoughts. If I’d met Milos back in Falls Creek, people might have turned a blind eye to our hanging out together. Sure, I would have received the what-the-crap-are-you-doing lecture from Mom. Sure; she would have expected me to cut ties with the vamp, but she wouldn’t have demanded it. Only at Lorelei’s was our relationship fuel for condemnation and possible expulsion.

  Milos made it to our meeting spot ahead of me. I came up behind him as he sat on a boulder beside the water. The vamp’s beauty was so profound in the moonlight. He had a classic profile with features almost too delicate for a male. His eyes were closed, but he knew I was there.

  “It’s nice to hear your thoughts,” he said before glancing over at me. “Just for the sake of argument, you’re not bad to look at either.”

  My cheeks heated. “Slide over.” I sat beside him. “We may have a problem.”

  “We’re supes. We always have problems,” he said flatly. “What’s the latest one?”

  “Samantha Rivers, my dorm advisor.” When Milos’s eyebrows knitted together, I added, “She knows that we’ve been hanging out together.”

  “Oh.” He stared into the distance.

  “Is that all you’re going to say?”

  “What more can I say? We’re breaking a rule—”

  “Whose rule?”

  Milos faced me, grimacing. “What do you mean?”

  On my walk, I’d thought about the situation and something just didn’t make sense. We had a headmistress who was a hybrid. She allowed them on the campus but worked hard to keep the species apart. Why? Was it self-hatred? Or was it something deeper? But then another, totally unrelated possibility came up. One that filled me with dread.

  “You’ve been here since your freshman year, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Did the rule against fraternization come from the administrator?”

  Milos tilted his head to the side and tapped his chin with a finger. “No. I believe it came from the Blood Bath H
all adviser. Why?”

  “How do we know it’s a campus rule?”

  “The advisers wouldn’t tell us something…” His words trailed off as his eyes narrowed. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  Whew!

  I’d only heard rumors about building walls around your thoughts. Honestly, I didn’t believe I’d be able to do it. Nice to know it wasn’t just a tall tale.

  “I suspect that our advisers are manipulating us.”

  “For what purpose?”

  Shrugging, I said, “I haven’t figured that out, but we have some work to do.” I glanced down at my watch. “We still have some time before curfew.”

  Confusion hung on his handsome face. “To do what?”

  “To go to the other dorms. Talk to the other supes and find out what they’ve been told.”

  “Lilith, we don’t have time to hit four dorms tonight. Besides, do you know anyone in the other halls?”

  Naturally, Milos was right, but we didn’t need to go to all of them. “We only have to go to the ones in the south quadrant.” I thought for a moment. “I do know someone, a shifter.”

  He smiled and reached for my hand, but we didn’t connect. He stared down at the space between us before dropping his arm. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

  As much as I would have loved to walk hand in hand, I saw his point. We couldn’t risk it. Not until we found out what was really going on at LSD. “You’re right.”

  §

  Metamorph Hall was tucked into the southwest quadrant of campus. The soaring tower was situated behind a copse of trees. From a distance, it appeared to be made of a light-colored stone, but as we came closer, the exterior changed twice. The first time it morphed into a dull metallic color, and then it transformed into a hillside without any obvious point of entry before returning to its original form.

  “Does that happen all the time?” I asked Milos.

  “Yeah. I heard it makes going back to your room interesting. Newbies are forever getting lost until they learn the coordinates.”

  Coordinates? It made me glad not to be a shifter.

  Before we could make it up the path toward the building, someone stepped out of the shadows. The familiar male voice asked, “Are you following me?”

  “No, Nico.”

  Milos glanced at me and then back to the hybrid Lilin. “You’re a Constantine, right?”

  Nico’s expression pinched as he folded his arms across his chest. “What’s it to you?”

  “No harm, man.” Milos held his palms out. “We’re just here to gather some info.”

  Not relaxing, Nico asked, “Like what?”

  It was my turn to jump in. After all, the excursion was my idea. “We need to talk to shifters and hybrids. I have a theory I want tested.”

  Nico stared at me.

  A chill snaked down my spine, forcing me to look over my shoulder. No one was there. Why couldn’t I shake the feeling of being followed?

  Milos leaned in and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Do you sense anyone else around?”

  “No.”

  Odd. Maybe my imagination was running overtime. I had to focus on what we came for. “I want to know what shifters and hybrids were told about fraternization with other species.”

  “It’s the same for everyone, Lilith.” Nico’s dark gaze darted from me to Milos. “Oh, I get it now. You’re trying to find the loophole.”

  “No, Nico. You don’t get it. We’re not trying to uncover a loophole but a conspiracy. What if it’s only Lilin and vampires that have been given the rule?”

  He shrugged and kicked at a few pebbles near his feet. “So? How does that spell conspiracy?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but we have to find out. Can you help us?”

  “You want me to involve Becca.”

  It wasn’t a question. The phoenix was someone who should know about any rules and regulations involving shifter types.

  “Yeah. We could use her help.”

  Nico turned his back on us and began pacing. An eternity seemed to go by as we waited for an answer. Just when I thought we’d better find someone else, Nico said, “Wait here. I’ll bring her outside.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t,” he said through his teeth. “Becca’s been through enough. If anything happens—”

  “It won’t,” Milos interjected. “We just want to ask her a question or two. Nothing more.”

  I waited until Nico had entered the constantly shifting building before asking, “What has Becca been through?”

  Milos sank his hands into his jean pockets. “She’s a phoenix. I don’t know her particular circumstances, but I know that it’s a hard life for her kind.”

  “If you want to know, you should ask.” The voice came from behind us.

  I whirled around. A beautiful girl with dark-brown hair worn in two long braids stood behind us. Her peacock-blue eyes widened as she took us in.

  Smiling, I said, “You must be Becca.”

  “Nico mentioned you had a question for me.”

  She definitely wasn’t friendly. Maybe we’d made a mistake, but I had to know the truth. Speaking to the ice-cold shifter was the only way to get to it.

  “Yeah,” I began. “When you came here, what were you told about fraternization?”

  “Nothing.”

  Nico, Milos, and me said, “Nothing?”

  “Nope. Nada. Zilch. Do you need it any other way?” Becca twirled a thick braid around her finger. “Is that it? Can I go now?”

  “Wait!” I reached out and touched her forearm. A golden glow lit up her eyes. Immediately, I dropped my hand. “I’m sorry, but I need to talk to a hybrid. Do you know anyone I can ask?” When Becca didn’t say anything, I added, “I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble. My goal is to find out if there’s a conspiracy on campus.”

  She sighed and the glow rescinded. “What kind of conspiracy?”

  “Vampires and Lilin have been told not to fraternize with anyone outside of our own species. I suspect that we’re the only ones who’ve been told this since it didn’t come from the headmistress.”

  “Nico, she might be right.” Becca dropped her hand from the braid. “I know some hybrids and demons. Nico and London know the mages. Let us talk to who we know, and then we’ll get back to you.”

  It wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t see any other options. “Thanks.” Since she was trying to be hospitable, maybe I could extend an olive branch. “I’m sorry about earlier. Milos isn’t to blame.”

  Becca swallowed hard, and a pained look crossed her face. “What do you know about phoenixes?”

  “Honestly? Other than you rise from the ashes? Not much.”

  “Figures,” she muttered. “I swear supes can be just as clueless as humans. We live for a thousand years and then die. Three days later we’re reborn.”

  “Normally,” Nico added as he intertwined his fingers with Becca’s. “Unless something intervenes.”

  “My mom died. We were waiting for her rebirth, but a creature prevented it. He made sure she would never rise again.”

  Her words made my throat ache. “Why…”

  “Why would someone do that?” Milos said.

  “My family has an enemy. A being that wanted my mother. He wanted to cage her and keep her his forever.” Becca’s voice broke, and she rushed back to the dorm.

  Nico ran a hand over his face. “Talking about her parents hurts her. She didn’t just lose her mother. She lost her father when he tried to stop the beast.”

  “Beast?” My curiosity chose the wrong moment to peak. I had no business prying into someone else’s life.

  “A dragon.”

  “Full blooded?” Milos asked.

  “No. He’s a shifter. After he killed Becca’s parents, he swore that one day he’d claim her for his own.” Nico glanced at the dorm door. “But I’ll never let that happen. I’ll kill him before I let him hurt Becca.”

  Wow! Nico’s devoti
on to Becca was admirable. His love for her was clear, but we were just teens. How do you make one person the center of your world at our age?

  “Hey, man, I’m sorry.”

  “No need. When we have something, I’ll contact you.” Nico pivoted on his heel and ran after Becca.

  I was frozen in place thinking about her story. Honestly, I wanted to know why a dragon shifter was mesmerized by a phoenix. Was it her appearance? Or maybe it had more to do with the tendencies for dragons to collect? They were known for loving pretty things. Perhaps her mother had been that item of beauty he coveted.

  “Lilith.” Milos tapped my shoulder. “We should go. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

  I nodded absently and fell into step beside him. “Could you see yourself that loyal to someone?”

  “No. I’m too young for it. But Nico Constantine is special.”

  “How?”

  “He doesn’t really fit in anywhere. You know the whole—”

  “Don’t you go there, Milos Petrovich!” I stopped walking and placed my hands on my hips.

  “What now?” He faced me. “You know Nico doesn’t fit in. It doesn’t matter that his father is an incubus. His mother is a demon hunter.”

  “Not his fault.” I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to calm down. “You can’t condemn him for that.”

  “I’m not.” Milos held his head back and stared into the dark sky. “I forgot succubi can be so difficult.”

  “You haven’t seen the half of it!” I stalked away from him.

  Rapid footsteps collided with the ground behind me. In seconds, Milos’s hand snaked around my waist and pulled me against him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Just how many succubi have you dated?”

  “You’re the only one, but I’ve known a few.” He leaned closer and said near my ear, “Cut me some slack. I’m learning.”

  Being nice was not on my mind. I hated when anyone made assumptions about me or my kind. Regardless of Nico’s dual nature, he was still part Lilin, and we stuck up for our own. Presumptions were based on ignorance. It was like dealing with humans. They embraced the myths—fiction of their own creation—without knowing the truth. There were so-called human paranormal experts who thought they knew everything and then some about supernaturals. Honestly, their knowledge would barely fill a thimble. We weren’t all blood-thirsty fiends hellbent on killing for the sake of the kill. A lot of us were sensitive souls who wanted the same things humans desired—acceptance, love, and a little peace and quiet at the end of the day.