Demon Marked: Shadowguard Academy Book 2

by Samantha Britt

  “He should’ve never been able to sense you,” he continues as if I hadn’t spoken. “I am so sorry, little mountain.”

  Belial’s defeated tone is more alarming than his sadistic brother’s presence. “Sense me? What do you mean?”

  “The block on your mind isn’t completely repaired. Some of your power’s signature is detectable. That’s how Az saw through my illusion.”

  “What?” I blink. “Really?” I don’t know if I’m excited or terrified. An incomplete block means I have a better chance of accessing my magic again, but I don’t want to draw attention from the likes of Azazel.

  Belial lifts a hand. I tell myself fear and shock prevent me from leaning away when he presses a hand against my cheek.

  “Yes, and I fear he knows who you are.”

  My head spins as my stomach clenches. “What do you mean? He already knows I’m a Guardian…”

  A distant look enters Belial’s gaze. “You are so much more my little mountain. So much more.”

  “BROTHER!” Azazel roars, pounding against the barricade around us. “You cannot keep her from the rest of us. She is the key. We must use her.”

  Use me?

  Indecision wars with unease. Belial’s never shown such insecure emotions before, and my fear amplifies as a result.

  “What’s going on?” I whisper, unable to project my voice any louder. “Tell me the truth.”

  “I’m sorry, Aspen,” he murmurs in reply. The trees begin to blur, and I feel the moment he shoves my mind out of the dream.

  Azazel shouts one last time, but I’m already falling out of the dream and back into the real world before I can respond.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Aspen? Oh man. I’m glad you’re awake. I was about to call the healers. You were screaming like crazy.”

  My eyelids flutter open. I’m disoriented. The bed beneath me is uncomfortable with very little cushion to speak of.

  I turn and see Peter leaning beside me.

  On a pristine white bed.

  In the healing wing.

  It takes me a minute to remember what happened.

  Belial!

  I bolt upright, and my head immediately pays the price. My temples throb, and the room spins. Still, I can tell Peter and I are alone. Though, a steaming coffee mug sits on the table across from my bed. Someone else was just here.

  “Whoa!” Peter reels back to avoid a head butt. “Take it easy, Aspen. You’ve been out for almost three weeks.”

  Three weeks?

  Has more time passed since Belial shoved me out of the dream, or did I wake up the moment I left?

  A quick glance confirms no IVs or wires are attached to my body. I’m dressed in a pair of my sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, and my skin feels fresh and clean. Someone’s been changing my clothes and bathing me. I can only hope it was one of the healers and not a friend. Talk about embarrassing.

  “What time is it?”

  Peter glances at the phone in his lap. “One fifty. Mrs. Van der Klay just stepped out to call Mr. Van der Klay with an update… Hey! Where are you going?”

  I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand. My limbs are wobbly and weak, but they’re way better than I expected after three weeks of disuse. I wonder if someone exercised them for me while I was unconscious.

  “Aspen!?”

  “I need to find Logan,” I tell him, earning a disapproving frown. “It’s important, Peter. Really, really important.”

  “At least let me go with you.”

  “No,” I say too quickly. A flash of hurt crosses my friend’s face.

  “I mean, this is a private matter, Peter. I need to do it alone. I promise I’ll come back the moment I’m done talking to him.”

  I mentally cross my fingers, hoping my friend will let me go without a fuss. I know it’s a lot to ask, seeing as how I’d been unconscious moments ago, but I just can’t bring myself to tell Peter all that’s happened.

  First my rogue mother, and now Azazel saying I’m the key to something… it’s too much. Until I figure out what it all means, I want to limit the number of people who know about it.

  Peter’s frown remains. He disapproves, but seconds pass and I see resigned acceptance. I exhale a sigh of relief. I’m truly lucky to have such trusting friends.

  “Fine,” he states. “But hurry. Your mom is going to tear my head off if she comes back and learns I let you leave without the healer checking you out.”

  I resist the urge to say Vivian is not my mom.

  I bob my head. “I won’t be long.”

  Without wasting another second, I rush out of the healing wing and through the academy like a pack of wolves is on my heels. I combat the lingering weakness in my limbs, but I’m a little clumsy.

  I take a turn too fast, and my feet stumble beneath me. I crash into a group of girls dressed in athletic wear.

  “Ugh. Watch where you’re going, freak.” Lauren shouts with a sneer. Her posse snickers. Lauren’s eyes go wide when she recognizes me. “Wait. Van der Klay? Aren’t you supposed to be like… dead or something?”

  I don’t waste time with a response.

  I keep running to my destination, praying Logan is actually in his office. I don’t know what he’s been up to these past three weeks, but part of me suspects he wouldn’t leave my side for long. Not when I’m in a coma after unleashing powerful magic.

  No, as my mentor, he’d want to stay close for when I woke up. I’m a little surprised he hadn’t been in the healing ward just now, but I suppose people were bound to take shifts watching over me.

  I leap up the stairs two at a time. When I reach the third floor, I’m breathing heavily, my weakened body protesting the strenuous activity, but I don’t pause to rest.

  The office door comes into view, and it takes all of my self-restraint not to fling it open. I knock loudly then bounce on the balls of my feet while I wait.

  I’m glancing down both sides of the hall, watching to see if Logan might make an appearance that way, when the door knob turns.

  Words are ready to spill out of my mouth, but I swallow them back when I realize it’s not Logan who’s answered the door.

  Andrew Legrand greets me with a shocked expression, which morphs into a wide smile. “Aspen! You’re awake!”

  I nod and quickly stumble past him. A swift scan of the office confirms Logan’s not here.

  Great.

  “Whoa, where’s the fire? Should you even be out of bed? How long have you been awake?”

  “Where’s Logan?” I ignore his questions.

  Andrew takes in my shifting feet and the panic in my eyes, and his easy demeanor instantly fades away.

  “What’s going on?”

  You mean, besides the fact I just woke up from a three-week coma and an evil original demon is hunting for me for God knows what?

  I bite my lip and jerk my head to the side. “Nothing. Just looking for my mentor.”

  I step to leave, but Andrew extends a hand, making me pause.

  “Wait. I’m a Guardian, Aspen. I know what happened at the gala. If something’s wrong, you can trust me to help.”

  His words grab my attention.

  Logan and Andrew are friends, and he knows we were at the gala without the Shadowguard’s permission, but I doubt Andrew knows anything about our covert mission or my dreams will Belial. If he has any information, it’s the Shadowguard-approved version of what’s happened to me. Or whatever lies Logan’s fed him.

  But the way Andrew looks at me, with a furrowed brow and worry shining from his eyes, I can’t help but wonder if my mentor broke our vow of secrecy.

  Andrew and I stare at each other, neither one saying a word or moving an inch. Finally, he’s had enough.

  With a heavy exhale, Andrew lowers his arm. “Look. You don’t have to tell me anything, but at least sit down and rest. You look pale, and you’re panting.”

  I’m prepared to turn down the offer when he adds, “Logan went to grab a late
lunch. He will be back any minute.”

  I press my lips together and give a curt nod. “Okay.”

  I move to the unoccupied side of the room and sit in Logan’s desk chair. Andrew leaves the door open and walks to his desk, folding his tall frame into the leather seat.

  True to his word, he doesn’t try to dig for information. He picks up a thick manila folder and a pen. Crossing an ankle over his knee, he leans back and begins flipping through the folder. I sit in silence, watching his expression as he reads, pauses, scribbles a note or two on a page, and then continues to read.

  Five minutes pass.

  Then ten.

  Peter’s probably worried where I am. I should just go back to the healing ward and talk to Logan later, but I can’t ignore the nagging feeling that what I have to tell him is too important to wait.

  “Can you at least try to relax?” Andrew asks me out of the blue.

  “What?”

  He gives my leg a pointed look. “You’re distracting me.”

  I look down and realize my leg is bouncing a mile a minute. I press my heel to the floor. “Sorry.”

  “No problem.”

  He resumes his reading, and my anxiety moves to my fingers, tapping them against my thigh as I continue to wait.

  Less than one minute later, Andrew releases an exasperated sigh.

  He lowers the folder. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what’s going on?”

  I do… just not with you.

  “It’s personal.” I give him the same line I gave Peter.

  “Personal?” He quirks a brow. “And you need to talk to Logan about it?”

  “Yes.”

  Andrew snorts. “If you say so.”

  I turn and stare out the window. It’s a gloomy day with dark gray clouds blocking out the sun. I picture Belial’s beautiful lakeside manor, and I have to remind myself the memory is not real. It’s from a dream—a manipulation of a dream. For all I know, Belial lives in a run-down mansion with a leaky roof and creaky floors.

  But I doubt it.

  Belial’s too flashy to live in squalor.

  “Will you at least tell me you aren’t in danger?” Andrew asks. Once again, concern is evident in the set of his eyes.

  “I—” I pause to lick my lips. “I don’t know.” As much as I want to, I can’t lie to someone who’s so worried on my behalf.

  Andrew shakes his head. “That’s ominous.”

  I squeeze my eyes closed. “Look… I can’t really talk about it. Whether or not you believe me, it is personal.”

  “But you can talk to Logan?” There’s an underlying question there.

  I open my eyes. “Yes. As my mentor, Logan knows about what I need to talk about.”

  Andrew holds my gaze, then shocks me when he says, “Does this have to do with the higher demon who’s obsessed with you?”

  My mouth falls open. I consider faking confusion, but I decide against it. “You know?”

  “Not everything, but yes… Logan’s told me a bit.”

  “Why?”

  Logan and I had promised each other not to say anything. Why would he break his word?

  “You forget, Aspen.” Andrew crosses his arms. “I was there. I saw what happened at the junkyard. Did you really think I bought the council’s subpar explanation? Did you think I wouldn’t have questions?”

  That’s exactly what I thought.

  I take a breath. “You didn’t say anything.”

  “To you, no. But trust me… Logan didn’t get off so easy.”

  I begin to feel defensive. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Logan would’ve told me.”

  “Would he?” Andrew gives me a questioning, almost sympathetic, look.

  The truth is, I don’t know for sure if Logan tells me everything. But I trust that whatever Logan did or didn’t tell Andrew, he wouldn’t talk about my dreams. He wouldn’t violate that trust. I just know it.

  “If you have something to say, Andrew, just say it.”

  “Hey. You’re the one who busted in here like you were being chased by demons. Excuse me for wondering if the two might be related.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek and avert my gaze. Little does he know, Belial’s just a small part of this mess now. It’s Azazel I’m worried about.

  Despite knowing the risk of continuing this conversation, curiosity is getting the better of me. “What did Logan actually tell you?”

  Sensing the shift in my demeanor, some of the tension eases out of Andrew. “I know the higher demon has protected you twice. Once after the attack at the bar and the other I witnessed for myself in the junkyard.”

  Actually, Belial’s saved me three times. Azazel had wanted to take me from the dream, but Belial stopped him. I don’t know what that would’ve done to my body, but I’m glad I didn’t have to find out.

  “Why would Logan tell you about that?”

  “Because he needed someone to talk to? Because he was trying to figure out why you caught the attention of a higher demon? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is he’s my friend, and he’s been extra tense as of late.”

  “Tense? How?”

  “Logan puts on a good show, but he feels more than he lets on.” Andrew shakes his head. “I know he’s worried about something, and my instinct says it’s more than the fact you were unconscious for so long. I think his fear has to do with you and that original demon.”

  My palms grow sweaty.

  Did he just say original demon?

  Trained to notice such things, Andrew detects my reaction immediately. His lips twist, realizing what he’s said. “Yes… I know Belial is an original demon.”

  He even knows his name?

  I jump out of the chair and head for the door.

  “Aspen, wait. It’s not what you think. Logan didn’t tell me. I guessed on my own.”

  One foot is out the door, but his words give me pause. I look back over my shoulder. His expression is sincere, but it could be an act.

  “How?”

  He releases a breath. “The Legrand family prides itself on our extensive knowledge of demons, that includes their lineages. My family owns hundreds of texts documenting the lives of the originals, drawings and paintings included. I recognized Belial the moment I saw him on that roof. Azazel took longer, but that’s because his history is not as well documented. Belial is more famous, for lack of a better word.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I turn around, almost stumbling when my legs threaten to give out. I lean my weight against the doorframe for support.

  “Did anyone else recognize him?” I’m wondering specifically about Master Donohue, my sigil’s instructor. He’d been at the junkyard with several other Guardians, too.

  “If they did, they didn’t say so.”

  Of course not. Especially not when the Shadowguard Council lied about what really happened. I wonder if the other Guardians knew they were being played, or if they trust their bosses so completely that they never question their words.

  But Andrew knows it was all a lie.

  “What can you tell me about Belial?” He’d said he was famous, but famous for what?

  Andrew tilts his head to the side. “What do you want to know?”

  I abandon my position by the door and return to Logan’s chair. I watch Andrew with a tiny feeling of hope. “Everything.”

  Andrew chuckles half-heartedly. “Everything is a lot, and I don’t know when Logan will be back. It might be best to ask specific questions.”

  “All right.” I take a second to think. “Is he evil?”

  Andrew scowls. “All demons are evil.”

  “I mean, compared to the other original demons. Azazel seems… worse somehow.”

  “Hm.” Andrew leans back and ponders my question. “I suppose the stories of Belial’s crimes are less… monstrous than his fellow originals.”

  The confirmation that Belial isn’t as horrible as the other
s is a relief, but I tell myself it’s stupid to feel that way. He’s still a demon. A powerful, influential demon.

  “They call each other brother. Are they really related?”

  “In the sense that all original demons transitioned around the same time, yes.”

  “Are you saying they were once human?”

  He nods. “Original demons are the only higher demons who once walked the earth as men and women. They were changed by Lucifer himself.”

  Hearing the devil’s name makes my skin break out in goosebumps. Thank goodness Lucifer no longer visits this world. His minions to do his dirty work for him.

  “What about the other demons?”

  “Mundanes came straight from Hell itself,” Andrew tells me with no emotion, just fact. “Lesser demons were born out of the human race when demons mated with mortal men and women.”

  “Wow.” That should’ve been part of the first lesson in my Intro to Demonology class.

  Another thought hits me. “So Belial was once human. Did he know the original Guardian family?”

  “You mean Thaddeus’s family?” Andrew asks, looking somewhat taken aback by the sudden question.

  “Yeah.”

  He seems hesitant to answer. “Why do you ask?”

  I chew my lip. I don’t want to tell him about sharing dreams with Belial, but I can skirt around the fact to get the information I want. “Belial’s asked me to research into Thaddeus’s family.”

  “He has? Why?”

  I take a steadying breath and hope I’m not making a mistake. I tell myself if Logan can trust Andrew with some truth of what’s happened to me, I can too. “He said if I look into Thaddeus’s bloodline, a lot of questions about my past will be answered. He knows something about them.”

  Andrew digests what I’ve said. “Why doesn’t Belial just tell you what you want to know?”

  I shrug. “He says he can’t, but he didn’t explain why.”

  Andrew’s brows draw down in thought. Gradually, his expression shifts from confusion to understanding to disbelief… landing ultimately on fear.

  “Oh my god,” he mutters under his breath. “He called you little mountain…”

  Alarms ring in my head. “What? How do you know that?”