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

  London rolled her eyes while Alistair shook his head.

  “What?” Nico ran a hand through his long hair. “What you do in private only muddies the waters.”

  “That is why nobody asked for your opinion,” Alistair stated. “Many politicians have been brought down by their actions away from the campaign.”

  “Human politicians,” Nico added.

  “Not entirely true,” said a voice from the front of the room. It was Damien Darko, our instructor. “Throughout history, especially with Lilin history, there have been many candidates who suffered defeat because of their lascivious undertakings.”

  A brown-skinned succubus with huge eyes and high cheekbones raised her hand. “Are you talking about the Colvyn Affair?”

  Mr. Darko smiled widely, and the corners of his twinkly blue eyes wrinkled. “I see someone remembers their history.”

  Unfortunately, Mr. Darko was long-winded. He spent the better part of an hour telling us about Bryan Colvyn, an incubus who infiltrated the world of human politics. The male made a run for the White House, but it was his lecherous actions that ended his campaign. Purists claimed he would taint the office and his cabinet would have been run by men with unscrupulous behavior and loose morals. Making matters worse, Colvyn didn’t have an ounce of political experience. Rumor had it the male ran due to a dare from a demon.

  Ordinarily, I would have been glued to Mr. Darko’s every word. I remembered reading about the Colvyn Affair, but in that moment, I wasn’t interested. My mind was stuck on those rumors. Anyone with a brain cell knew that all gossip contained nuggets of truth. It would only be a matter of time before students made the connections, and then I’d be back in the administrator’s office with a one-way ticket home.

  Even when we were given our assignment for Applications, my focus wandered.

  “Any questions?” Mr. Darko asked.

  Reluctantly, I raised my hand. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat the assignment?” Needing a quick excuse, I lied. “My pen ran out of ink.”

  “Miss Martin, perhaps if you had spent more time paying attention and less time daydreaming, I wouldn’t need to repeat myself.” He looked out over the classroom. “You’re dismissed.”

  Great.

  I would have to rely on someone else to get the work done. I packed up my gear and headed to the door.

  “Miss Martin, a word please.”

  Whirling around, I saw Mr. Darko leaning against his desk. “Yes, sir?”

  “Don’t think I’m oblivious to the gossip around campus.”

  Panic seized my gut, and my muscles froze. Drawing in a sharp breath, I waited to hear the words that might earn me an early trip home.

  He stopped in front of me. “Although I totally support your inclusivity agenda, do you think it’s wise to practice it on this campus?”

  My mouth opened and closed.

  “Did you think your absence this morning would go unnoticed? Coincidentally, Mr. Petrovich was missing from class too. Care to explain?”

  I shook my head. There was no explanation that would suffice. I couldn’t even craft a sufficient lie.

  Mr. Darko crossed his arms. “Do you know the legend of Keleva and Draven?”

  Finding my voice, I said, “Yes.”

  “Did you know that it was rumors heard by the sorceress that caused their downfall?”

  “No.” Mom never told me that.

  “Just a word of warning, Miss Martin. It’s not always our enemies that create problems.”

  What the crap did that mean?

  Before I could ask, Mr. Darko placed his belongings inside his briefcase and walked out of the room.

  I was trapped in my thoughts and didn’t hear anyone approaching. Suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder. I screamed.

  “Calm down.” It was Milos.

  Breathing heavily, I tried. “What are you doing here?”

  “Skipping Applications. Today’s assignment is compelling. I’ve been doing it since before puberty.”

  Adjusting my backpack strap, I said, “Well, I can’t skip any more classes. I missed the assignment in my applications class.”

  His thin lips raised. “Get it from London or your sister.”

  Yeah, I guess I could do that.

  Cocking my head to the side and grinning, I asked, “Why are we skipping?”

  “I like spending time with you. If you want, we’ll go to the library. Anybody asks, and we’ll say we’re studying.”

  “What about the cameras?”

  “I promise to keep my mouth to myself.” He waggled his eyebrows, making me laugh. “Shh. You’re going to draw a crowd.”

  “Let’s go.”

  At first glance, Milos and I looked like two students headed to the library. Our hanging out was innocent—on the surface.

  Sadly, I found myself drawn to the vampire, more so than the attraction I had for Austin Cartwright. That troubled me. It wasn’t as if anything could truly happen with Milos. After all, he was a vampire. One bite would activate the legendary curse. Did I believe it? Not really, but I wasn’t willing to risk it either.

  Sitting across from him, I tried hard to concentrate, but I couldn’t focus. My mind kept drifting back to the scene by the pond. What if Milos was playing me? I couldn’t let my heart sway me, no matter how cute the vamp was.

  “What’s going on with Kamila? Are you really spying for her?” I blurted out.

  Milos clenched his jaw as he strummed his fingers against the wooden table. “Why would you think that? I told you I’m on your side.”

  Actually, he never said it directly to me. I overheard Milos say he was supporting me. To Kamila. Didn’t that mean he was on my side?

  “Just answer me. Please.”

  He rested his elbows on the table and pushed the hair off his face. “Lilith, you don’t make things easy on a guy. Do you really want the truth?”

  My gut twisted for the second time that day. “Yes.”

  “Truth is, Maksim and Kamila thought it would be amusing for me to fake interest in you.”

  “W-why?”

  “To get you in trouble. You’d be called in front of the Tribunal for breaking the main rule of Lorelei’s. They’d find you guilty, and you’d go home.”

  Was I mad because Milos told me the truth, or was I mad because of the ugliness of that truth?

  “Why?”

  “Kamila could use your actions to get rid of all Lilin on campus.” Before I could ask, he added, “Her theory is that your kind are easily swayed by your emotions. Therefore, Lilin aren’t capable of scaring. They’re better relegated to a different category—maybe Night Dwellers.”

  My hand fisted.

  Reclassifying Lilin as supernaturals who only came out at night was something the councils were considering. Supporters of the act thought incubi and succubi only caused a little havoc in the lives of humans. Nothing really scary in that, right?

  At that moment my anger flared. Milos being on the side of the opposition didn’t sit well with me.

  “And you agreed to do it?”

  “Lilith, it’s not what you think.”

  “When?”

  “All of this happened before I saw you at the Meet and Greet. When I did, I knew I couldn’t go through with it. Not the way Kamila wanted.” He closed the textbook in front of him. “I wanted to get to know you. Then, when I kissed you in the library—”

  “Was that even real?” My lips tingled, reminding me the kiss was anything but fake.

  Milos sighed. “Listen to your heart, Lilith. What does it tell you?”

  That he was being genuine. He wasn’t lying to me.

  “Why me?” It was all that I could think to ask.

  “Seriously? You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit. You’re assuming that vampires only want to be around their own kind. Is that how it works with Lilin?”

  “No.”

  Most of us dated whoever we wanted—except vampires. That was the one species we didn’t me
ss with because of the curse. There were those, like myself, who tempted fate. Who simply wanted to have a little fun without crossing too far over the line.

  “Tell me,” he urged.

  “We do what we please. Some of us are lucky and eventually marry another Lilin.”

  “Royals?”

  “Yeah. They never stray. My father and Cyrena’s father were humans. That’s how it is for most of us—one parent is human. Which means the other parent is free to date whomever.”

  Milos scoffed. “For the most part, vampires don’t marry. When we do, it’s usually to another vampire.”

  The sadness in his voice touched me. What he described sounded clinical. “Do they love each other?”

  His head whipped up. “What do you mean?”

  “As a kid, Lilin are told we don’t fall in love. We’re told it complicates matters.”

  Milos stared at me. “In answer to your question, yes we do love. But it’s not a necessity. It’s more of a companionship issue. No one wants to spend eternity alone.” He exhaled loudly. “Whoever told you love is a complication lied. Love enhances. As a succubus you learn how to seduce. That’s how you snare your prey. Imagine how easy that job could be if you loved instead.”

  “It wouldn’t work. Mom said it would only—”

  “Spoken like a mother whose had her heart broken. Trust me, learn to love your victims, Lilith. You’ll be happier. Your children will be happier.”

  “Are you talking about yourself, Milos?”

  He gave me a thin smile. “My parents tried, but they come up short. They married because my grandparents forged a contract. They had me and my sister, Elisha, to fulfill an obligation. No love for anyone, I’m afraid.”

  Wow.

  More reason to practice inclusivity. If supernaturals were allowed to find love and not worry about upsetting some imagined balance, we’d all be happier. No one should have to suffer in a loveless family. I didn’t know my father. Neither did Cyrena. But our mother loved us more than life itself. She did everything to make sure we were happy. If anything bothered us, we could discuss it with her. Well… Almost everything. Coming to Lorelei’s was the one discussion we couldn’t have.

  I reached across the table and squeezed Milos’s hand. “I’m sorry. Maybe one day you’ll find your true love. Someone who won’t care about your heritage or what kind of creature you are. They’ll only see a male deserving to be loved.”

  He squeezed my hand back.

  Then the door banged open.

  “What’s going on here?” It was one of the librarians. Her black beady eyes darted from me to Milos and our conjoined hands.

  I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go. Milos stared at the female. Their gazes locked, and then he said flatly, “There’s nothing here to see. You have the wrong room.”

  She blinked. “I’m sorry. I seem to have the wrong room.”

  “You saw two faculty members having a meeting.”

  “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting.” She backed out of the room and closed the door.

  “What did you do?”

  “Practical application. Remember, I told you I had to do compelling today. Does it look like I need more practice?”

  “I guess not.” Finally able to withdraw my hand, I said, “I am serious about what I said, Milos. You deserve to find someone who could love you.”

  “What if I have already?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  My heart froze and swallowing became difficult. Immediately, I broke eye contact. What was Milos implying?

  He chuckled, and then his voice turned husky. “Something wrong?”

  Yeah, by leaps and bounds.

  It went without saying that I liked the vampire, but that was as far as it could ever go. Making out with him was cool—in a good way—but it could never go any further. A relationship between our species wasn’t possible. One misplaced fang, and our fates would be intertwined and doomed for eternity.

  Dramatic much?

  Maybe I was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps Milos meant somebody else. Playing dumb, I said, “Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend? I was assuming you were available.”

  Milos’s lips curled up on one side. “I don’t have a girlfriend, and I am available—not for long. It all depends upon how open-minded you are.”

  No, no, no.

  He didn’t mean me.

  He couldn’t mean me.

  I was the girl off limits to him. To all vampires.

  Milos knew about the curse. It didn’t matter whether or not we believed in it. If it existed, we screwed ourselves. If it didn’t? Well, the headmistress would see to it that nothing happened between us.

  The bottom line? We could be nothing more than friends.

  Why not?

  Suddenly, it dawned upon me I might be worrying needlessly. Of course, breaking the school rule would be enough reason to squash whatever was beginning between us.

  What if we were discreet?

  As long as Milos kept his fangs to himself and I behaved myself, we could keep a relationship quiet. Once we left the campus, then we could decide whether we’d continue seeing each other.

  It could work.

  It had to work.

  What other choice did we have?

  Milos cleared his throat. “You do realize I heard your thoughts?”

  Oh, man.

  Having him listen in on my private conversations was like totally craptastic. My cheeks heated as I lowered my gaze and tried hard not to think anymore.

  He tapped my hand. When I looked up, Milos said, “Lilith, I know it won’t be easy, but I don’t think you’ve ever taken the easy route. Take a chance. Will you be my girlfriend?”

  “I...” My mouth slammed shut. While my heart was super-excited at the possibility, my brain kicked in with a reality check. “Milos, how would we be together on this campus with its rules?”

  “Nothing to worry about,” he said with too much confidence. “The headmistress likes me.”

  But she didn’t feel the same about me. I’d already been warned. I could still hear Mistress Lorelei’s words. “If you so much as blink at the wrong time, I’ll send you home myself.”

  I was pretty sure dating Milos would count against me. “You’re going to get me expelled.”

  He reached across the table and grasped my hand. “I won’t let that happen. As long as you’re with me, you’re absolutely safe.”

  Safe? With a bloodsucking creature?

  That little voice of reason was having a good laugh at my expense. I hated to admit it, but she was right. There was no such thing as being totally safe with a vamp, especially one as attractive as Milos. What happened if he decided to test the boundaries? Let his fangs nip my vein?

  Disaster, that’s what!

  Honestly, I should have listened to my moral compass. I should have told Milos I was flattered and parted ways. But I didn’t.

  Despite the risk, I agreed to be his girlfriend. I must have taken leave of my senses, but I rationalized my decision with the thought that it was the ultimate in social experiments. I didn’t think that anywhere near Milos though. I was slowly learning the wisdom of not letting him hear my mental ramblings. Mom once told me about shielding your mind from bloodsuckers. Maybe it was something I should learn.

  Dumb decisions aside, somehow, we managed to get some studying done. It wasn’t easy with repeated breaks to make out.

  “Milos.”

  He ran a finger down my cheek as we stood beneath the camera. “Stop worrying. I’ll take care of the security footage. No one will know. Okay?”

  Slowly, I bobbed my head while I contemplated what form my embarrassment would take once the headmistress discovered our relationship.

  “Stop it.” He pecked my lips again. “What did I say?”

  “You’ll take care of it,” I muttered.

  “Right. Meet me tonight? By the pond?”

  “Okay.”

  We
kissed once more and then parted ways.

  I practically floated back to the dorm. Gravity reclaimed my feet when the door opened, and Samantha was on the other side.

  “Hello, Lilith.”

  “Samantha.” I tried to push past her, but she blocked my path. “Is there a problem?”

  “Not yet.” She quirked her finger, gesturing for me to follow her.

  Of course we were going to her office. Miss Vamptastic was spreading rumors, and they’d probably reached Samantha’s ears.

  “Have a seat, Lilith.” The redhead sat down and folded her hands on the desk. “How are your classes going? The campaign?”

  “Everything’s just fine.”

  “Really? Today, I received word from your professors that you’ve missed a few classes. Care to explain?”

  Why were my teachers reporting to Samantha? That was something I expected my mother to call me out on, but since she wasn’t on campus... “There’s nothing to explain. I had a project to work on.”

  My adviser shook her head. “I shouldn’t have to remind you that you can’t afford another serious violation.”

  Since when was skipping a few classes a serious offense?

  She continued, “Fraternizing with vampires would count as a violation. You could be expelled for it.”

  My gaze whipped up. “Are you kidding me? We’re not allowed to be friends outside of our species either?”

  Samantha’s eyes narrowed. “Are you just friends or something more?”

  Suddenly, I didn’t appreciate her intrusion into my private life. It didn’t matter that I was breaking the rules. Like Cyrena said, all of the rules and regulations were dumb. Friendship, or any other relationship, shouldn’t be dictated by race or species.

  I rose to my feet.

  “Where are you going, Lilith? We’re not finished here.”

  “No disrespect, Samantha, but we’re done. You told me that intimacy between species wasn’t allowed. You said nothing about friendship.”

  “It was implied.”

  “If that was the case, then why allow all of us to be on the same campus together? There should be individual schools for each species, don’t you think?”

  She laughed softly. “That’s a little extreme even for someone like you. It implies that we at Lorelei’s are discriminatory. We’re simply adhering to the purity dictates upheld by each Council.”