Chapter Three #3
“Because,” she began, heaving a sigh like I annoyed her. “Red eyes—truly red eyes—are the mark of a demon. That creature is not a demon. He is a werewolf.”
My eyes bugged. “He’s— He’s a what?!”
“You heard me. He’s a werewolf, and before you ask, those pale-eyed creatures are vampires, and the winged creatures are fae,” she stated like she didn’t just implode everything I thought I knew.
“Werewolves, vampires, fae, and demons are the only beings allowed to enroll in the academy,” she said.
“Well, the male academy. The Abaddon Academy for Women also allows succubae and sirens.”
“But what—?”
“Silence. I’m going to sleep.”
I held back my questions, shaking my head. I didn’t know how much sleep snakes needed, but I guessed it was a lot. Sabrina had been up for hours—barking at me and all-around grinding down my self-esteem. Of course she needed her rest after all that.
One after the other, our group arrived at the gates of Abaddon Academy and stepped inside. It likely came as no surprise that the castle housing the school looked like an old, haunted Gothic mansion.
The biggest one I’d ever seen.
My head tipped back, and further back, following the east and west towers to the sky.
The entire scope of the place stretched miles up and miles wide.
The pointed arches, rose windows, and weathered stone were so black they sucked the little light right out of the air, making it hard to know for sure if there was even more of the castle that you couldn’t see.
For all that Lucifer explained this was neutral ground, I didn’t understand why those demon kidnappers would take my sister to a busy school if they didn’t want anyone to know what they were doing.
One look at the place, and I understood. A dark, drafty mansion this big would have endless secrets, and even more places to stash them.
“You could be anywhere in there,” I whispered, voice trembling. “But I will find you, Dora. I promise.”
A shadow fell over me.
Craning my neck around, I almost broke rule one.
Walking beside me like it was no big deal was definitely a demon according to his bright ruby eyes, but he was one who appeared before me to show that werewolf Adonis up. This time when I assumed the astonishingly handsome man crowding my space was a demon, I’d be right.
My jaw unhinged taking him in—brows blowing up my forehead. Where the Golden Adonis was a rugged, wild mountain man, that was not this newcomer at all.
There was something sleeker, sharper, and, dare I say, delicate about him.
Thick raven hair was slicked back, allowing two black iridescent horns to poke through.
His eyes were two downcast, almond-shaped jewels.
His skin was breakable porcelain. His jaw smooth perfection.
His lips small little puckered things, and his nose long and hooked.
He looked like he just stepped out of a Renaissance painting... if they painted pinup models during the Renaissance.
I shook myself, clearing my throat. Come on, Charlotte, you can’t stare at someone that long, and not introduce yourself.
“Uh, hi,” I began. “We’ve never met, but would you happen to know a demon with a frog’s head, one with a scorpion’s tail, or one with—?”
Someone tapped me on my left shoulder.
I turned around, and felt something tear from my chest on the right side. “What the—!”
The beautiful stranger strode off, flipping my academy badge on his palm. “Intruder,” he called, squeezing my heart to paste. “Come quick. Intruder alert.”
“No!”
A noise like thunder filled the air. Shadows moved across the barren courtyard, closing fast on me and heralding my death like trumpets. I snapped my head up and saw them—a growing, looming, murder of crows—each one of them one hundred times bigger than any earthside crow I’d ever seen.
“Ahhh!”
I ran.
Beating it across the courtyard, I ran for cover—my leather-soled feet clapping against the stone.
Up ahead there was an arched, covered tunnel leading to nothing but inky blackness.
I didn’t know what was on the other side of that tunnel, but it had to be better than what was on the other side of this one.
“Sabrina? Sabrina!” The flapping, shifting shadow swallowed the burning firelight of hell, plunging me in darkness. “What do I— Ah!”
A vicious pain sliced through the back of my neck. I barely had time to register that one of the crows had pecked me, before three—five—ten more pecks bruised and broke my skin. Blood dripped down my back as claws gripped my shirt and ripped it clean off my body.
I lost it.
“Ahhhh!” Terror seized my mind—shoving out all sense of reason or control.
They were everywhere. Flapping, pecking, scratching, cawing, stamping out the dark. I ran blindly through the swarm—flinging my arms wildly, screaming my lungs raw.
“Ugh!” A sharp tug lifted me off the ground, then released me just as suddenly.
It was Sabrina being ripped off me, but which bird took her or where, I didn’t know—because she didn’t scream.
“Sabrina! Sabrina, no!” The pecking increased with vicious fervor. “No! Doooorrraaa—”
“In my name, girl,” a familiar voice barked. “Can you stay out of trouble for longer than an hour!”
I spun toward the voice—or tried to. “Help me! Hel—!”
A hard peck to the head knocked me sideways.
I was out before I hit the ground.