by Ember Hollis
I pick up the little doll that’s been wedged into the space instead, and hold it out to Sibyl. It’s small and earthy, with patterns all over it. Sibyl takes one look at it, then stiffens into full alertness. Without a word, she raises her glasses and zaps the doll into solid stone so suddenly that I yelp and drop it to the floor.
“What the—” I exclaim. “You almost hit me! Why did you do that?”
“That was a Kolossos,” she replies grimly. “It’s something like a Greek voodoo doll. I’ve seen old ladies using them in our village whenever they want to do bad magic.
She slithers over to the pneumatic tube on her desk and opens it, then grimaces at the sight of another doll.
“See here?” she says, gingerly retrieving it and pointing to a set of scribbles on the clay body of the doll. “This is its Katadesmos, or instructions, which tells it what to do. Someone probably snuck into our rooms and placed it in our mail pipes. That’s probably how they managed to send all those pictures of you and make it look like they came from here. It’s also probably been forwarding our cylinders too, so that we wouldn’t receive any mail. There’s no telling how long its been here, working for its Master or Mistress.”
She starts to lift her glasses to petrify the second doll, but I snatch it out of her hand. “Tell me, can whoever made this use them to listen to us?”
Sibyl shakes her head. “No, they have specific instructions and that’s not written on it.”
“Good. Because I’m pretty sure these are from Briley and Vivette. It seems like the sort of underhanded thing that they’d do.”
“I agree,” Sybil nods. “Though I didn’t think they were that good at magic.”
“They must have gotten someone to help them then,” I say.
“Here, let me destroy it,” Sybil says. “Such a disgusting thing should be gotten rid off immediately. Plus, I need to be able to receive my mail.”
“Not yet, it’s proof of my innocence,” I say. “Headmistress Pandora will have to believe me when she sees this.”
“Except that it would be better if we could also be sure who made it, just in case” Sybil says thoughtfully. “You know what, if this is diverting our cylinders, it’s probably sending them off somewhere specific.”
“Oh my God, Sybil, you’re a genius!” I exclaim. “All we need to do is put in a cylinder and see where it goes.”
“And as soon as we do find out, we’ll have our culprit!” Sybil grins mischievously. “But what should we put in it to track the cylinders?”
“Something that will make them sorely regret messing with us, of course,” I reply with my own evil grin. “I think it’s time for some pay back, don’t you agree?”
* * *
“Are you sure about this?” Sybil raises her brows at me a half hour later. “I don’t mind helping you get back at Briley or Vivette, but I thought you were afraid of Falling.”
“I was,” I admit. “But after Pandora’s insistence that everyone join in the festivities, I spent the whole of last night in the library, looking up whether joining in the debauchery will make me Fall. And I found out something really interesting,” I tell her.
“Apparently, an angel-blood can’t truly Fall unless he or she has already achieved Grace, which is incredibly rare for us, though it happens more often with half-bloods like me. To achieve it, we need to be incredibly good or heroic. So, given what I’ve already done, it’s quite doubtful if it was ever going to be possible for me anyway.”
“That can’t be true,” Sybil says in dismay. “Mikael had Fallen, you were forced to fight him!”
I shrug. “I already have my wings, and angel-bloods can develop a few other powers too, like strength and healing. I don’t need anything more. Anyway, it’s hardly evil to play a little trick or two. Don’t worry about it.”
I don’t mention it to Sybil, but after I realized I couldn’t Fall without first achieving Grace, I’d felt incredibly relieved. So relieved that I’d decided to never try to achieve Grace in the first place. Becoming a Nephilim sounds grand, but if it comes with the risk of turning into what Mikael did… well, then, I don’t want it. Not that I could have achieved it even if I’d wanted to. Not after abandoning my mother and killing my own father.
I smile brightly at Sibyl until she stops eyeing me and nods. “Okay, if you’re that sure. Are you ready then?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say. I hold out a cylinder and she very carefully places a thinly wrapped bundle into it. Quickly, we shove it into the pneumatic tube and into the tiny arms of the Kolossos doll. As soon as we hear the clanking sound followed by a whoosh, Sybil removes the Kolossus, then I grab her hand and we burst out the door and into the hallway.
“How far do you think it’ll go?” she whispers to me.
“Shh, I don’t know,” I whisper back. “Come on!”
We dart down the hall and hide behind some potted plants in a bay area with windows that open up to the whole quadrangle. From here, we can see all the dorm rooms for the girls in our year, plus the years above it. I track the pneumatic tube lines with my eyes, following their spidery lengths up and into the shadowy nooks and crannies of the stone walls as we wait on tenterhooks.
“Anytime now,” I mutter quietly after a few moments.
A second later, we hear a loud, popping sound followed by angry buzzing. A hair-raising shriek that could’ve raised the dead reaches our ears even through the thick stone walls, and a door slams open down the hall.
Sibyl and I grab each other and shake with laughter as first Briley, then Vivette stumbles out of their room with a whole hive of wasps on their tail. Briley tries to swat them with her wings, but all that does is make them angrier, so that they form into a buzzing cloud that envelops her head. A minute later, she’s on the ground, sobbing and screaming, while Vivette gets identical treatment. Soon, both harpies are moaning and groaning in pain on the floor, with welts all over their bodies and their feathers floating loose in the air as they desperately try to use their wings to hold the wasps back.
They look so pathetic that I almost feel sorry for them. Except that I don’t… not really. They deserve it. Meanwhile, all along the hall, doors start to slam open as girls come out to see what the commotion’s about.
“Let’s split up and get out of here before anyone sees us,” I whisper to Sybil, barely able to contain my giggles. “Go find someone who can be an alibi.”
“Yeah, and remind me to plug up our tubes later so they can’t play the same trick on us,” she whispers gleefully, before slithering straight out the nearest window and into the quadrangle.
I turn to run too, but one of the doors between me and the other end of the hall opens. I barely manage to avoid crashing into it, when a strong hand grabs me by the back of my collar and hauls me into the room.
Chapter 10: Heaven
Before I can see who’s got me, I’m being neatly thrown across the room to land right in the middle of a large, four poster bed. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m already out of breath from running, and the impact of the fall knocks the rest of the air out of my lungs. Feeling like a fish out of water, I stare at the ceiling and wait for it to stop spinning, while I suck in huge gulps of air and try not to pass out.
“My, my, my, look who’s fleeing the scene of the crime.”
When I finally regain my breath, I sit up on my elbows to find none other than Christian, lounging in a deep purple dressing robe at the foot of the bed. His honey gold hair is tousled and his robe is so loosely tied, it reveals a deep slice of his sculpted torso. As if he knows exactly where I’m looking, he places a hand on his hip, widening the gap so I catch a delicious glimpse of the v-line of his Adonis belt.
“Wha—what are you doing here?” I pant, forcing my eyes back up to his face.
“My usual rounds,” he says with an easy smile that tells me he knows I looked.
I purse my lips and glance around. The room is larger than Sybil’s and mine, and the text books are also more adva
nced, which means it’s probably an older girls’ room. There are triangular flags of sports teams pinned on the wall beside the bed, which makes me think ‘sportswoman’, but it’s the row of gleaming gold trophies on the far wall, so numerous that they’re spilling over onto the floor that informs me of exactly where we are.
“This is Priya’s room,” I say, recognizing the collection as belonging to the star player of Pandorax’s girls’ lacrosse team. She’s one of the few Amazonians who’s chosen to study outside their hidden kingdom, and I’d noticed her almost immediately in the hallways. She’s a tall, dark-haired beauty who’s one of the popular girls in school but who also hasn’t once harassed me, which makes me slightly disappointed to find out that she too has succumbed to Christian’s wiles.
“The one and only,” Christian replies with a nonchalant shrug. “She’s quite the energizer bunny in the morning,” he smiles. “Already left for practice, but somehow I get the feeling that she’s not the busiest bee around here, hmm?” He eyes me with a smug look. “I wonder what Pandora will say when she finds out you’ve just inflicted grievous wounds on the daughters of two of Pandorax’s wealthiest donors?”
Of course Briley and Vivette come from rich, old supernatural families. With all the luxurious makeup and clothes those two feather dusters parade in down the halls every day, I wonder why I hadn’t realized it sooner.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, with a perfectly straight face.
“Really?” he replies. “Because I’d be willing to repeat the exact same thing… in return for a dance.”
“A what?” I frown at him.
“A dance at the Ball.” He strolls forward and kneels onto the bed, then reaches across it to curl a lock of my hair around his index finger. “For Bacchadelia. You know what I’m talking about.”
I have no idea, but I don’t need to know more to figure out my answer.
“No. I told you, leave me alone!” I shove his hand away and slide across the bed to get off. Then someone flings the door open and rushes into the room.
I get a glimpse of a swollen face with hardly any distinguishable neck underneath thousands of red, swollen spots all over its skin. It barely looks human and I can’t help but gasp in shock. Then, before I realize just how doomed I am, Christian jumps up and neatly trips me back onto the bed, rolling me so that I’m buried under the rumpled covers, while he settles on top.
“Hello Briley. Fancy you being up so early. I’d ask you to join Priya and I for a threesome but she already left, plus… that looks rather painful. Is it something contagious, or just a new makeup you’re trying? If it’s the latter, I really can’t approve of it.”
For a moment, I’m utterly sure we’re not going to fool her. But I guess the swollen skin near her eyes obscured her vision too much to see me, because Briley doesn’t even react to what Christian just did.
“Of course it isn’t make-up!” Briley screams, her voice garbled from what I guess is a swollen tongue. “Someone sent wasps after us! I bet it’s that slut of an angel, just wait till I get my hands on her! Quick, help me get rid of it all, Christian! It hurts, and I had to knock on half the doors in the hall to find you. I thought you were with Chelsea last night!”
Vivette barges in behind her and I hold my breath as the two of them march right up to Christian. If they find me here… if Christian decides to give me away… I’ve a feeling that I’ll soon find out what it feels like to have my flesh stripped clean off of my bones.
I see Christian smirking. “You know what they say, no rest for the wicked and all that. But what were you just saying? The angel slut did this to you? Why, how could she?” he gasps theatrically, his eyes sliding over to meet mine though a tiny gap in the bed covers. “You absolutely have to find her and make her pay for this!”
Oh no.
I mouth ‘Please don’t!’ and stare at him fiercely. Christian just blinks and cocks his head thoughtfully.
“Yes, we will, in good time. But first, what are you waiting for?” Vivette whines even louder than Briley. “It hurts! Hurry up and heal us!”
Briley echoes her demand while Christian just smiles down at me. “You know what,” he says. “I’d love to help you, but first, don’t you think that it’s more urgent that you don’t let the cul—”
I place a hand on his thigh where it’s close to mine and mouth, ‘Okay. I’ll do it!’
“—mination of all this petty fighting get to you, Briley?” Christian finishes with a smug glance in my direction.
I close my eyes and exhale slowly as my panic slowly subsides. So much for being left alone. Whatever this dance is about, I hope it’s a short one.
“You and Vivette are the most popular girls at Pandorax, but even so, Pandora won’t be happy if you stir up trouble with the angel before she can perform her duties for Bacchadelia,” he continues. “Maybe you should wait to go all out on your revenge.”
Just like that, my calm evaporates. Duty? Pandora? Bacchadelia? What on earth did I just agree to?
Whatever Briley and Vivette says in reply is lost to my hearing as I ponder the issue. Meanwhile, Christian begins to heal their skin, until he’s removed all but the most vicious stings on their foreheads, which I decide when I finally start paying attention to the harpies again, looks distinctly like a collection of cursive letters that spell out… ‘Liar’.
“Sorry, I can’t remove all of them,” Christian says. He gets up and starts ushering the two protesting harpies out of the room. “I’ve done all I can. You know what happens when I overuse my powers. But don’t worry, you can sooth the rest with some cold cream and cover them up with bangs.”
The door slams shut behind them and I throw the covers off to see Christian grinning like the cat that’s got the cream.
“You left those on purpose,” I frown at him. “Why?”
“Well, I happen not to appreciate fake news,” he replies, picking up a rolled up parchment from a nearby bureau and holds it up in front of me. I frown when I see it’s the picture of me with the three vampires, and jump off the bed to snatch it from him and rip it in pieces. “Plus, those two take for granted that I’ll heal everything they ask me to. I’m not at their service, to come at their beck and call. Though you will be… at my service, that is.”
I gasp as he loops a hand around my waist, bringing me up against his chest. He tries to kiss me, but ends up just brushing his lips against my cheek when I dodge sideways.
“Do you ever get tired of harassing girls and blackmailing them into spending time with you?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. Christian’s face darkens, and I immediately regret saying anything. What if he calls those two harpies back? They can’t be that far yet.
But the Horseman just gives me a sharp smile. “For the record,” he stresses, “The girls come after me more than half the time. Take Priya for instance. I thought she just needed me to help with an old injury with a healing massage, but then…” I fight not to moan as Christian starts kneading my arms. “One thing led to another, and..” His hands travel up to my shoulders and neck, skillfully releasing the tension that had gathered in knots in my muscles. Before I know it, I’m tilting my head back, and his mouth is closing in on mine.
We kiss… at first slowly, then more passionately, until I find myself turning my head to the side to deepen it. Christian’s lips sets my nerves on fire, and the feel of his tongue brushing against mine makes me want to press myself against him and melt into his arms. I can barely remember why I’m supposed to be mad at him while my head is swimming from lack of air… or perhaps it’s really from how good it feels to have his arms around me. When we finally break to breathe, I’m gasping and shaking all over. I stare at the top of his tousled hair as his arms move lower to grind my hips against his, and he dips his head to kiss the skin just under my ear. My throat is as dry as sandpaper and a little voice in my head starts begging me not to resist.
“Before we knew it…” Christian continues in a
low whisper, “We’d torn each other’s clothes off… and started fucking like we were in heat. Do you want to feel what that’s like, Heaven? Do you want me to take you… right here and now against this door… so that everyone out there will hear you screaming in ecstasy… and wish that they were in your place… with me, so deep inside you…?”
The dirty words and the way he purrs my name while kissing down my throat makes me want to slap him and come all at the same time. But I force myself to shake my head. “No, I—”
“Briley and Vivette would definitely know,” he adds slyly, “And you can be sure, that it’s the best way to get back at them. Nothing eats them up like a hefty dose of jealousy.”
Okay. I’ve heard enough. I summon my wings, using the force of their emergence from my back to shove him off of me.
“If you want me, just grow some balls and say so, Christian,” I say firmly as he stumbles back. “Because I’m not going to sleep with anyone for any other reason than that I want them and they want me to.” As much as I detest those harpies, getting back at them by sleeping with Christian would be a truly pathetic thing to do.
Christian’s eyes narrow into slits. “What makes you think I actually want you, little lamb? Don’t you know I—”
“You’re Conquest, I get it,” I swipe a hand through the air. “But I’ll be damned if I lose my virginity to you to satisfy your ego. And no amount of threats, blackmail, cajoling or bribery is going to change my mind, so thank you for your help today, and I’ll save a dance for you to pay you back, but that’s it. We’re done.”
I turn around and yank the door open, while Christian gazes quizzically at me. He seems more affected by my calm words than if I’d yelled or hit him.
“You’ll change your mind, Heaven,” he calls after me as the door closes behind my back. “You’ll see. Nobody can resist me for that long.”
Chapter 11: Heaven
