by Dante King
I reached for her with a mass of tendrils, intending to pluck her from the back of the car and chuck her into the crowd. The writhing strands of darkness wrapped around her waist, only to disappear a moment later, puffing into smoke. A wave of weariness washed over me, my vision blurring for a moment.
Damn it. Whatever power I’d tapped into, I’d just used it up. The tendrils must have been some kind of special move, a powerful ability I had to charge up and use sparingly. Maybe I’d get better at it the more experience I gained. First, though, I had to save Maddie. With the tendrils gone, I charged in, using my hands.
She’d seemed so nice a minute ago, I grunted, wrapping both hands around the cheerleader’s waist. She was just trying to help someone out in trouble…
I tossed her into the crowd with a grunt, pushing them back. Such a move definitely wouldn’t have been possible without my powers, and for the first time, I realized just how much stronger I was now that I possessed Lucifer’s favor. Yet it still wasn’t enough—more demons pushed in, completely surrounding us.
I found myself back to back with Christina. A worried look filled the blonde’s face as she unfurled her wings, raising to her full, demonic height.
“There’s too many of them,” she growled, glancing at me over her shoulder. “We should let them have her—”
“No fucking way!” I snarled. “It’ll be a bloodbath.”
Christina squared up and socked an approaching demon in the jaw, adding a rake across the face with her claws for good measure. Her expression lit up at the exercising of her new powers, a wicked laugh escaping her throat.
“Fuck, fine!” Christina reached for more of her power, swinging left and right as she waded into the crowd. “Let’s see what this demon body can really do…!”
I couldn’t help but be amazed as Christina joined the fray. She moved with a grace and speed that was inhuman, dispatching attackers as quickly as they came. In moments, she had three demons on the ground, one clutching at claw marks in his throat and another screaming at the damage her tail had done to his eyes. She’d always been a fierce woman, even back in college, but this? This was something else.
Did I do this? I wondered. Or was this something that had always been deep inside of Christina, just waiting for the right guy to bring it out? Was she just waiting for permission to be this bad?
Despite the odds, we were about to win the fight. Only a few more demons remained—and those that did seemed shocked to their senses by the ferocity on display. For a moment, my heart surged with triumph.
But we’d forgotten Mareth and Xora.
The succubus managed to hold onto herself, though she had to drop to the ground and claw at the grass in sheer frustration to keep from leaping into the trunk and tearing Maddie to shreds. The fragile friendship we’d managed to forge back at the diner saved Maddie from her claws—not to mention the red-hot threesome she’d had with me and Christina.
No such bond held Xora back.
The rusalka slipped past me, one leg into the trunk before I knew what was happening. I tore my eyes from the sight of Christina kicking ass, diving in after her as she reached for Maddie. Xora’s unearthly beauty remained, but those dark eyes had elongated into slits, scales springing to the tender flesh of her cleavage and throat. As the rusalka reached further into the trunk, her already-long hair grew even longer, twisting around her arms and legs like vines. No —like snakes. Maybe that’s what they were all the time, and Xora just had the presence of mind to hide it. Golden snakes hissed and wriggled into the trunk with her, blonde hair transformed into a living weapon aimed right at Maddie’s heart.
Maddie didn’t even have the sense to scream. She took one look at that face, the visage that had brought so many sailors to their deaths, and just sat there shaking, as pale as a piece of paper. She knew she was dead.
Worse, I knew. I crawled across the trunk, desperate to cut the rusalka off, but there wasn’t enough room. Even if I grabbed Xora, tried to haul her back, she’d get those claws around Maddie’s gorgeous throat and tear it open before I could stop her.
I’d failed.
With a final effort, I shot forward and reached for Maddie. If I couldn’t stop Xora, maybe I could drag the waitress to safety.
My hands touched hers. Maddie finally found the strength to yell, pulling away from the rusalka as her claws caught the light, but it was too late. I tensed up, expecting the spray of hot, arterial blood across my face as Xora lost control.
Mareth’s voice whispered in the back of my head. A trip I’m willing to take whenever you want. Along with anyone touching you…
As the rusalka’s claws came down on Maddie, I did the only thing I could think of: I opened myself to my subspace. The world shifted around me, transforming in an instant as what had been difficult the first time now felt as easy as thought. My fingers dug into Maddie’s palms, fear filling me. When I opened my eyes, would those hands be severed at the wrists, the only part of her left?
“Luke?” Maddie’s voice trembled. “What...where are we?”
I opened my eyes. Maddie lay next to me across a king-sized bed, staring in amazement at bare white walls. The rusalka’s claws had slashed through her apron and top, leaving horrific looking gashes—but the skin underneath was tanned and healthy. She hadn’t had enough time to touch her.
We were in my subspace.
I’d saved her.
Chapter 10
After the horror of being set upon by demons, Maddie took a few moments to compose herself. The brunette’s hands left mine, going to her knees as she smoothed down her skirt and felt at the tears in her top. A shocked expression settled over her, one arm hiding the gouges in her shirt as best as she could. Then she gave a thoughtful look, and let the limb fall away.
“Am I dead?” Maddie asked, her bottom lip quivering as she scooted back to the headboard and rested her shoulders against it. “Tell me the truth, Luke.”
God, look at her, I thought, all of my protective instincts firing at once. She’s fucking terrified. Poor thing…
“Not at all,” I assured her, putting a hand on her thigh. “Although you almost were.”
And I hope now that you’re here, those demons have calmed down, I thought, watching her. Hopefully they’d go back to normal, now that there was no tasty mortal being dangled in front of their faces. Otherwise, Christina had a hell of a fight on her hands. She’ll be okay, I told myself, thinking of the unholy ballet she’d done in the crowd of attacking demons. Without Maddie there to amp them up, the demons should calm down.
But I wasn’t about to leave that to fate. Time worked differently in the subspace, so while minutes ticked over here, less than seconds would pass outside. Still, I had to make sure Maddie was all good, then I’d head back and check on Christina.
Maddie winced at my touch, still frightened from what she’d seen, then relaxed after a moment as she realized it was just me.
“You’re fine, Maddie,” I continued. “You’ve just been through a lot.”
She looked skeptical. “Really? Because with all those demons attacking us, that looked a lot like Hell back there. And this certainly seems to be Purgatory. Though you’re here, so Purgatory must be a whole lot nicer than I figured it would be…”
I had to smile at that. “I appreciate the compliment,” I told her, meaning it. “Hang on a second—let me see if I can do something about that top…”
There was no way for me to know I could do that for Maddie—I just did. The more I interacted with my subspace, the more I felt like I could tweak and edit it via muscle memory. It was just like riding a bike, only in this case the bike was its own pocket dimension.
The last time I’d been here, I’d created a bed. After I’d finished with Christina and Mareth, I’d wondered if I could do even more. There’d been no time then, but now, I could experiment. Besides, what an awesome thing it would be for Maddie. She deserved some decent clothes, especially after being set upon by vicious demons.<
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I closed my eyes and concentrated. I pictured Maddie in my head, the way she’d looked in the diner while she handed out our drinks and our appetizers, then twisted the image slightly. I kept the skirt and the heels, but replaced the torn blouse with a sleek gray camisole, cut low in front to show off her cleavage and tight enough to showcase her curves. Before the image faded completely, I added some lacy black stockings to her legs.
When my eyes opened, Maddie wore the exact outfit I’d pictured. She stared down at herself for a long moment, eyes watering as she tried to wrap her head around this.
After a moment, she swished her thighs together. “New outfit,” she said teasingly, “but I’m still not wearing panties.”
“Of course not,” I said. “You gave them to me, remember?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“Sorry to leave you so soon, but I need to head back to the. . . uh school and make sure my friends are OK. Will you be alright in here?”
“That’s no problem,” Maddie said, but I could see she was still a little scared and putting on a brave face.
I closed my eyes and concentrated, picturing the battle near my car.
The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting in the trunk of my car. My legs hung over the side, swaying back and forth over the concrete surface of the parking circle like a little kid’s. The crowd of demons had only just begun to disperse—most of them stood around with glazed expressions, like someone who’d walked into a room only to forget why they’d entered it in the first place.
Mareth lay on the grass, slumped over to the side. The dark-haired succubus stood up as the thunk of my weight against the trunk made the hot rod bounce; that sound told her I was back.
“Oh, thank Satan,” she panted, shaking her head to clear it. “That was a very, very close call, Luke.”
“Yeah, maybe a little too close…” I grunted, not looking at her. I was too busy staring at the pile of bodies on the grass, above which stood my beautiful blonde demon companion. Christina brushed her hands together, her tail flicking happily back and forth at the sight of the absolute mayhem she’d just thrown down. How many had she taken down single-handedly? A dozen?
I made a mental note to never, ever piss her off as I climbed out of the trunk. Smoothing down my robes, I raised my voice. “Alright, guys, the mortal is gone!” I roared, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Show’s over, go on home!”
It snapped the last few demons standing around out of their trances. They shuffled off, confused looks on their faces as they made their way back to whatever class or event they’d been on their way to before Maddie came to their attention. Christina watched them go, one flawless eyebrow raising at the sight of me in my fancy demonic robes.
“What did you do with the waitress?” she asked, landing next to me with a flutter of her wings. My heart skipped a beat—she’d just soared right from the bodies on the ground over to me, closing the distance like a long jumper. “Subspace?”
“Yeah, Maddie’s safe,” I said, nodding. Relief flooded me as the remaining demons walked or crawled away—last to go were the cheerleader and her varsity demon boyfriend, each carrying the other like battle wounded. A big, angry lump stood out on the cheerleader’s forehead where Christina smacked her, almost like a third horn.
“I tucked her away in the subspace,” I said.
Just then Mareth came up beside us, still rubbing her head. “I cannot believe,” she muttered, sounding hungover, “that you brought a mortal with you to the Academy…”
Christina and I shared a look. I squared my shoulders, rising to my full height like a true candidate for the position of Archlord of Hell.
“The responsibility is mine,” I agreed with a nod. “I didn’t know she was there, but I should have guessed it before opening the trunk. If I’d have known that you and the other demons would have that kind of reaction to her, I’d have driven back out of here first…”
Mareth met my gaze for a moment, still angry, then sighed. “It is so dangerous to bring a mortal to Hell,” she explained, holding her hands out in front of her. “Particularly an unbound mortal.”
“Yeah, everyone kind of blew their tops,” Christina said, watching the cheerleader and the varsity demon disappear around the cafeteria building. “What the fuck was that, anyway? I don’t remember the demons on the surface acting like that around mortals.”
“Things are different in Hell,” Mareth agreed. “Bringing an unbound mortal down here without demonic protection, like Lucifer’s blessing, is a very good way to get them killed. In an exceedingly gory fashion, I might add. It’s like throwing a rabbit to a pack of wolves. Surface demons have practiced controlling their urges—it’s one of the things you learn in the Academy, actually—but having a fresh, nubile young woman shoved in a demon’s face…”
“Like popping a bottle in front of an alcoholic,” I guessed.
Mareth blanched in response. “Something like that.”
Two figures emerged from around the other side of the hot rod. I hadn’t even realized Xora was still here. After I pulled Maddie into subspace, she must have gone nuts for a while—she and the valet looked like the co-eds I’d seen doing a ‘walk of shame’ after a weekend-long frat party. I chuckled a bit at the sight, but inside I remained wary. This woman had tried to hurt Maddie. Sure, she couldn’t control it, but still—that put a serious black mark on her resume, as far as I was concerned.
Xora seemed aware of this, as well. She kept her eyes focused on the ground as she came around to the back of the car, twirling a lock of long blonde hair between her fingers. Her hair was decidedly less snake-like than it had been while she’d been trying to get to Maddie.
“That was…unpleasant,” the rusalka said—which was as close to an apology as I was likely to get from her. “The mortal you had in the trunk, was she…?”
“She’s not hurt,” I said, watching Xora relax visibly. “You tore her clothes up something awful, though.”
“Knowing you, that was probably not a drawback,” the rusalka said, her dark eyes sparkling. “I doubt she would wish to remain clothed long in your presence, Luke…”
“If you’re trying to flatter me in the hopes I’ll forget you tried to kill my friend,” I said, cocking my head to the side, “keep it up. It’s not going to work, but I do enjoy it.”
Xora’s face fell. “Yes, well—now that this bit of action is out of the way, we can continue our tour,” she said quickly, resuming her professional facade. “Assuming none of you are in need of medical attention…?”
Mareth shook her head. “Just a little frazzled,” the succubus whispered.
“I’m pumped,” Christina growled, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Shit, I feel like I could go another few rounds. I know you mentioned there’s a swim team at the Academy. Is there boxing, too?”
“There are a number of options for someone with your love of physical combat,” Xora said with a secretive smile. “Luke. May we continue the tour? Or do you wish to make a claim for satisfaction, first?”
All three sets of eyes turned to me. I could see that it was more than a simple request as far as Xora was concerned.
“Satisfaction?” I asked, chuckling a bit. I expected Xora to laugh along with me, but her expression was deadly serious. “What, you want me to slap you with a glove and have an old-timey duel?”
“I was the only demon who managed to harm the mortal,” Xora said smoothly. “Which means you have the right to retribution, should you so wish.”
With a start, I realized I was probably well in my rights to demand satisfaction from her. She’d attacked a woman connected to me—a woman who might very well end up next to Christina and Mareth on my team.
In other words, she’d just asked if I could forgive her—or if I was going to try and kill her.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the Academy,” I told her, filing the information into the back of my head. I might forgive, temporarily at least
, but I never forgot. If Xora wanted to join me later, she had some making up to do. Miss Rusalka had her work cut out for her. “But first, I’m going to head back to the subspace and make sure Maddie isn’t freaking out too much. Can we hold off on the tour for a bit? Time works differently in my subspace, so I shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”
“And how exactly are you intending to comfort Maddie?” Christina said, arching a perfect eyebrow.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I said with a smile. “I’ll be back soon.”
Xora nodded at me, clearly feeling a little ashamed at wanting to eat Maddie.
I closed my eyes, concentrated, and I was back standing in my subspace.
“Everything okay?” Maddie asked me.
“Yeah, just a couple of pissed off demons. But no one was hurt all that much.”
Her gaze traveled around the room, greatly calmed down by now. “So what is this exactly, Luke? If I’m not dead, then what were those things trying to eat me?”
I struggled to come up with an explanation. Surely Maddie couldn’t handle the whole story, could she? Even with her so clearly into me, there existed certain red flags that could send any woman running away screaming from a potential hookup. Being in league with the Archlord of Hell was about as big and red a flag as you could get.
“You followed us to a...a kind of school,” I said, ignoring the fact that she’d climbed into the trunk of my vehicle when I hadn’t been looking. I figured she’d been punished enough for that already. “A school for special people.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Like Hogwarts?”
I laughed. I should have expected that. “Kind of,” I explained, crawling up the bed to be closer to her. With both of us splayed out together next to the headboard, we looked almost like a husband and wife getting ready for bed. “I’m not saying magic is real, exactly, but...I mean, you know those people weren’t exactly human…”
Maddie shuddered. “They scared the shit out of me. Although that blonde one, the one who was protecting me...that was the girl from the diner, wasn’t it? Your girlfriend—or one of your girlfriends? I didn’t know she was into cosplay—that outfit of hers was so amazing…!”
