Demon Born (Hellfire Academy Book 1)

by C. L. Coffey

  “Kennedy …”

  I shrugged. “I think your brother is a tool, but I don’t want him dead. He’s still your brother. Don’t we need to do everything we can to save him?”

  Slowly, Leigh-Ann nodded. “You’re right.”

  We’d gone to Dean Pinnosa’s office first, but it was empty. I figured because it was a weekend, the Dean was hiding in her home—wherever that was on campus.

  Leigh-Ann was certain it was because Pinnosa was busy doing something involving the Spring Dance. I didn’t want to waste time tracking her down, so I led us out to the gym. It might have been a weekend, but Gabriel was always in his office. And if he wasn’t, I knew where he lived.

  I pushed open the door to the gym, but the person on the other side wasn’t Gabriel, it was Pinnosa. She turned on her heel and looked at us, her eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here?” Her gaze narrowed in on me. “Or maybe I should be asking why you weren’t here, Dora?”

  “I have today off for the dance.” I looked past her towards Gabriel’s office. “Is Gabriel here?”

  “Professor D’Angelo is currently unavailable.”

  Then why the hell was she complaining about me not being there?

  “That’s okay because we needed to speak to you, too.” I ushered Leigh-Ann beside me.

  The Dean folded her arms and gave Leigh-Ann an unimpressed look. “If this is you two asking me again about having different rooms, the answer is still no.”

  I hadn’t asked her that since I got here. “We think there’s a chance the college is going to be attacked by fallen angels next weekend.”

  “That’s a very specific fairytale,” Pinnosa said, giving me a pointed look.

  “I know you’re a saint,” Leigh-Ann told her. “And I know Kennedy is nephilim. I’ve been having nightmares, but we think they’re visions.”

  Pinnosa looked between the two of us. “You are suggesting that Ms. Sinclair is a psychic?”

  “Actually, I was going with a prophet.” I offered with a shrug.

  The Dean pursed her lips. “Prophets are rare. There hasn’t been one in thousands of years, and you’re suggesting that an eighteen-year-old girl is one?”

  As Leigh-Ann shifted uncomfortably beside me, I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Dora, a prophet must provide a prophecy. And a few bad dreams do not equal a prophecy.”

  “Cave custodes. Daemon petunt. Et ego daemonium perdere.”

  Pinnosa took a step towards me. “What did you say?”

  “Cave custodes. Daemon petunt. Et ego daemonium perdere.” I had no idea what a prophecy sounded like, but reciting Latin was a fair shot. “That’s what Leigh-Ann said while she was having her vision.”

  Something flashed through Pinnosa’s eyes, and then she shook her head. “Do you even know what that means?”

  I was ready to lie and tell her I did, but Leigh-Ann blurted out a no, and I sighed. “Something about demons.”

  “You might think you know about saints and nephilim, but that refers to demons, and they do not exist. If anything, I would say that makes it even more unlikely that Ms. Sinclair is a prophet.”

  “What does it mean?” Leigh-Ann asked her.

  “The demon is coming.”

  “That’s it?” I asked in disbelief. It had sounded like a lot more than that.

  Pinnosa waved her hand dismissively. “Beware. The demon is coming. The demon is dangerous. The point is, it’s inaccurate. There are no such things as demons.”

  “Kennedy, let it go,” Leigh-Ann said, tugging at my sleeve. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Leigh-Ann.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said again, this time through gritted teeth. “Let’s just go get ready for the dance.”

  I followed her outside and waited until we were halfway back to the dorm before launching into a tirade of expletives. “I can’t believe she dismissed that so easily.”

  “Why? You said she’s a saint. If anyone would know, it’s her. Besides, I’ve been here for nearly two semesters now, and I found out last week about nephilim because my boyfriend is one. If it’s really fallen angels coming here, why? It’s a small college in the middle of the mountains.”

  I couldn’t answer that. “What about Harrison?”

  “Maybe the dreams are all about how we’re not talking to each other?” she suggested. “My psyche is telling me it’s time to make up with my twin.” She let out a long sigh and rubbed at her eyes. “Let’s just go back and get ready for the dance. I’ve been looking forward to tonight, and I don’t want to spoil it.”

  I fell silent and followed her up to our room. Maybe a prophet was a bit of a stretch considering both an archangel and a saint had debunked that theory, but the dreams had to mean something?

  Or maybe Leigh-Ann was right.

  We’d told the Dean about an impending attack, and she seemed completely unbothered by it. If she didn’t see the dream as a valid threat, maybe it wasn’t.

  If that were true, though, why couldn’t I shake the feeling that I was right?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  We spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. Leigh-Ann insisted that after the stressful morning, we needed to relax and had produced face masks and a RomCom movie.

  The distraction was working.

  She had showered first, and then I went in to wash the facemask and the rest of my stress away. I wasn’t going to completely let the visions go, but I could at least put them on pause while I enjoyed a night off. I hadn’t admitted this to Leigh-Ann, but I was secretly looking forward to the dance.

  Leigh-Ann showered and had her hair in heated rollers by the time she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in towels.

  “I guess you don’t need any help getting ready.”

  “Nope, which means I have more time to help you get ready.” Leigh-Ann pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. “And try not to be too long. We’ve lost lots of time already.”

  While I’d been washing my hair, she had transformed her desk into a vanity table, with hundreds of different hair and beauty products surrounding a mirror.

  I picked up a cream, half read the label, then set it back down. “You’re making me feel like a train wreck.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair when it wasn’t pulled back into a ponytail. We can do so much better for that dress. You can also manage a little more than mascara and eyeliner.” She dashed over to my side of the room and dragged my chair over for me to sit on. She spun me around, shining light on my face. “You have really pretty eyes.” She frowned slightly as she studied me. “There’s gold in them, like your hair.”

  “Are you hitting on me?” I grinned.

  She arched an eyebrow but managed to return the smile.

  Leigh-Ann picked up some foundation and a brush, then set them both down almost as quickly as she had picked them up “You could have told me about your mom, you know,” she said gently.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, I just couldn’t.”

  She stared at me then gave me a bright smile. “I don’t know what your plans are for Easter, but you’re more than welcome to spend it with me.”

  “I ...” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go, but my plans for Easter were going to Boise and finding my own mom. I still hadn’t told Leigh-Ann that she was missing.

  “No pressure,” Leigh-Ann told me. She gave me another smile. “It’s only if you weren’t going home for the holidays.”

  She was trying to say that the offer was open if I couldn’t go home for Easter, and I appreciated that. “Thank you.”

  Somehow getting ready took us nearly two hours. It didn’t hurt that Leigh-Ann had picked up a few tricks from her mother’s beauty pageant days.

  By the time 7:00 p.m. arrived, I was dressed and feeling like a million bucks in the gown that might as well have cost that. There was a knock on the door, and Leigh-Ann let out a panicked squeal. “That wil
l be Ty.”

  I shook my head. “What on earth makes you think it’s him?” I asked. “Boys aren’t allowed on this floor, remember?”

  She ignored me, dashing around in a mad panic. “I’m not ready. Ty can’t see me like this.”

  Before I could assure her that she looked positively beautiful in her lilac gown, she had darted into the bathroom. There was another knock, and I hurried over. I pulled the door open, arching my eyebrow at the guy in front of me.

  I wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but Ty cleaned up nicely, and the suit hugged him in all the right places. For once, he’d even managed to tuck his shirt in and shave, although the clean-cut image was quickly hampered by him leaning lazily against the door frame. As soon as he saw me, he stood upright.

  “Holy hell, Kennedy. You almost look hot.”

  “Wow, sound surprised why don’t you?” I shot him a scathing look although I was secretly enjoying his reaction—even if it had come from him.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find Leigh-Ann was still in the bathroom, so I stepped out into the hallway, forcing Ty to take a few steps back before pulling the door closed behind me. I eyed him suspiciously.

  “I know this is just a silly dance to you, but I swear, if you upset Leigh-Ann tonight, I will personally hunt you down and hurt you in places you never knew could hurt.”

  Ty arched an eyebrow. “You know, talking like that is pretty hot.”

  I leaned over and thumped him, smiling slightly when he clutched at the spot I’d hit.

  “Holy shit. Where the hell did you learn to hit?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Ruin Leigh-Ann’s night, and you’ll be wishing that’s the only time I hit you.”

  “Jeez, will you cool it? Overprotective friend warning noted.” Ty shot me a dark look, still rubbing his arm.

  I sucked in a deep breath and then stepped back as the door opened behind me.

  Ty’s expression when he laid his eyes on Leigh-Ann had me convinced he was being sincere. His mouth actually fell open. He recovered quickly, fixing Leigh-Ann the biggest grin. He puffed out his chest, proud of his date.

  “Hi,” Leigh-Ann said, ducking her head.

  I had no idea why she suddenly seemed nervous, but I figured now was the time to conveniently forget something. “I’ll catch you both up,” I told her. “I just need to turn everything off.”

  “But we can walk down together, we’ll wait.”

  “No,” I told her firmly. “You don’t want to risk Ty getting caught on this floor, otherwise none of us will be going to the dance.” Before giving her a chance to object, I ushered her down the hallway. I just caught Ty offering her his arm as I closed the door behind them.

  A stupid grin remained fixed on my face as I made sure everything was turned off. This was the first time I’d seen Leigh-Ann look so happy, and if for tonight, the reason for that smile was Ty, then I would keep my mouth closed and let them enjoy the evening.

  I caught sight of myself as I shut Leigh-Ann’s laptop down and couldn’t help but feel a little startled at my own reflection.

  Leigh-Ann was right. I had one hairstyle, so to see me with my hair curled and falling down my back without looking disheveled was a nice change.

  Stepping back to see my full reflection in the mirror, my lips parted in surprise. The dress, the hair, and the smoky makeup made me look ... elegant—even with my too long limbs. Best of all, it covered all my scars.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I left the bedroom. I was already regretting sending Leigh-Ann and Ty ahead of me when I realized I was going to have to enter the dance by myself, although the dark room made that a little easier.

  The college had a ballroom. I’d never paid attention when I’d been eating in it, but it had been disguised as a cafeteria. The wooden floors were hidden behind rows of plastic tables and chairs. Large windows overlooked the grounds with the forest and mountains in the distance, although they were no longer visible in the darkness of the night.

  Inside were high ceilings with at least eight large chandeliers. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to decorate it, returning the room to the elegant ballroom and making it impossible to imagine the room as the cafeteria it really was.

  Tables and chairs covered in silver cloth surrounded the dance floor. Beautiful centerpieces matched the rest of the decorations—bunches of white blossoms covered in fairy lights and glitter. Silver streamers and yet more blossoms hung from the ceiling, and the way the lights shone around the room completed the sophisticated spring effect.

  The room was already full with half of the students on the dance floor, dancing to a recent song about summer.

  In the center, moving far too slowly for the upbeat tempo, were Lottie and Harrison. For half a moment, I thought they were slow dancing until I realized they were arguing. I gave them space and made my way to the edge of the dance floor where Leigh-Ann and Ty were standing. Leigh-Ann still had a smile on her face as I got closer.

  “It looks pretty good in here.”

  “Pretty good? Awesome is more like it,” Leigh-Ann said.

  I laughed. “Okay, it looks pretty awesome.” I looked over at Ty and the small frown on his face. “Come on, even you have got to admit this looks good.”

  Ty shrugged. “Not as good as Leigh-Ann does,” he said, causing Leigh-Ann to blush furiously.

  “Wow,” I muttered. “On that note I’m going to see what food they’ve got before I lose my appetite.”

  “Don’t hurry back.” Ty shot at me.

  He was rewarded with a withering glare for his comment. I stalked away to the buffet table. I wasn’t really that hungry, but it had something to do with feeling like a third wheel. Like all the other meals that the college provided, there was a large selection, and all the food smelled delicious.

  Bypassing it all, I headed straight for the dessert section, surprised to find buttercream filled cupcakes. I couldn’t help it. I grabbed one and took a bite.

  “You want to be careful with that,” a voice told me, making me jump and take a bigger bite than I needed.

  “You might not want to creep up on people then.” I swallowed it quickly and glared back at Gabriel. I did a double take, blinking as I finally looked at him. The only thing I had ever seen him wear was a black T-shirt and cargo pants. Tonight, he had changed into a gray suit with a paler gray shirt and a silver tie.

  He looked ... I quickly closed my mouth, certain I was about to start drooling.

  As quick as lightning, his hand darted towards me. Before I could work out that he was catching a stray blob of buttercream, I flinched. His face darkened instantly. “You might want to reconsider eating something which could go all over that unnecessarily extravagant dress,” he informed me before turning on his heel and striding away.

  Feeling the only mouthful of the cupcake I had eaten sit heavily in my stomach, I gaped after him. Whatever appetite I had vanished as quickly as Gabriel had, so I set the remains down on the table. Suddenly, I needed some air.

  I turned and walked straight into Harrison.

  Thankfully, he wasn’t carrying any food. “I’m sorry.”

  “No harm done,” I muttered, ready to leave. I stopped and remembered that I still owed him an apology. I groaned inwardly but turned back to him. “I’m sorry that I slapped you.”

  He frowned and shook his head. A lock of his shaggy black hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it back. “I don’t know why you’re apologizing,” he said. “Even I know I deserved that slap—and worse.”

  “I still shouldn’t have slapped you,” I told him, even though part of me agreed with him.

  His blue eyes studied me before he offered me a hand. “Dance with me,” he said, suddenly. When I did little more than fold my arms and continue to stare doubtfully, he sighed and reached for my hand. Without saying a word, he led me onto the dance floor just as the music started to change to a much slower song.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my arms going back into a fold
ed stance.

  “Trying to dance with you.”

  “Why?” I demanded. “The last time you spoke to me, you said you were done being nice to a charity case. So why the hell would I want to dance with you?”

  Harrison rubbed at the back of his neck. “I know, and I really am sorry. I need you to know that wasn’t me.”

  “Funny, because your twin looks nothing like you.”

  He glanced over at Leigh-Ann before looking back to me. Harrison sighed and took half a step closer. “I mean, I know it was me—I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t say those things, because I know I did.”

  “I know you did.” I shot back.

  “I know, but you’ve got to believe me when I say, I don’t know why I said them.” He pleaded. “It was like something came over me, and I had to defend Lottie.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s called sticking up for your girlfriend.”

  Harrison straightened his back and looked me square in the eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend anymore.”

  I took a step back and glanced over his shoulder. The girl in question was with Simone and Cody, but instead of looking upset, she was sending positively murderous glares in my direction. “She’s not?”

  “Can we not talk about her?” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I meant what I said. I’m truly sorry for what I did. Especially because, despite me being an ass, you stuck up for my sister.”

  “I stuck up for your sister because I heard what Lottie said to her, and I don’t care who you think you are, I’m not going to put up with that crap.” I glared at him. “The fact that I actually like your sister is irrelevant.”

  “She’s lucky she has you as a friend.” He took a deep breath. “Can we start over? Please? I really don’t know why I’ve been acting the way I have the last few months, but I’m not like that, and I want to prove it to you.”