A Demonic Year Two: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Bully Romance (Academy of the Devil Book 2)

by Eva Brandt

  “I have no idea, but whatever it is can’t be good. Let’s take cover.”

  In the end, classes were canceled for the rest of the day while the teachers dealt with the ‘weather anomaly’. We were told to go back to our dorm rooms, but once we were actually there, we found something had gone wrong too. In The House of Envy dorm, the branches of the building were no longer steady and Leviathan had disappeared from his painting.

  Lena tried to go to her room, only to have the wardrobe fall on her. I pulled her out of the way just in time, but it was a close call.

  “I think we should stay out of the dormitories for now,” I told the rest of my house.

  “And where are we supposed to go, Alyssa? We’re too many to fit in the common room.”

  This surprised me, since we’d had no such trouble in the past. Because of the magic embedded in most buildings, the tower’s size adjusted and the common room was always big enough to fit its occupants, no matter how numerous they were. “There’s no place else, not now,” I replied. “I’ll speak with the teachers to see if I can find an alternative. In the meantime, stay here.”

  I tried to do just that, but my efforts and promise were rendered useless when the door to the tower refused to open. We were all stuck inside and no matter how hard I tried to open the door, I couldn’t make it work.

  I looked around, searching for Mikael in the hope that he’d find a better solution. He’d been the head of The House of Envy for years. I was only his replacement, and not a very good one at that. Surely, he’d be able to come up with something.

  A chill ran down my spine when I didn’t find him there. “Has anyone seen Mikael?” I asked the others.

  “I think I saw him heading toward The House of Lust dorms earlier,” Lena answered. “He must’ve taken cover there.”

  That made sense. Since he was now Callum’s familiar, he’d probably decided to stay in Callum’s dorm. Still, I remained unsettled. I had a very bad feeling about this.

  Mephistopheles was supposed to have control over everything in the castle. What could’ve caused him to lose it to this point? And where was our patron? What had happened that had made Leviathan leave the painting?

  Was it related to my ritual in some way? But why? It had been something private, between me and the others.

  “I don’t think we can do much right now,” I finally said. “Let’s try to wait in the common room. It’ll be cramped, but we’ll make it work. We’re all fellow members of this house, right?”

  My housemates were a little emboldened by my words and we ended up sitting all over one another in the common room. It wasn’t so bad and even if I wasn’t comfortable sitting in anyone’s lap but Mephistopheles, I did my best to keep everyone upbeat and calm.

  The last thing I wanted was for a member of my house to lose control of their magic and blow something up.

  The day passed with no real incident and we received food just like I had in the past, when I’d been trapped in the dorms because of my seizures. Outside, we could hear the sound of the wind intensifying. On occasion, Leviathan’s painting seemed to ripple and twitch.

  The next morning brought no change and my house mates decided they’d had enough. They didn’t try to leave the dorm again. Instead, they threw all caution to the wind and started taking their clothes off. “If we can’t go to class,” Yolanda said, “we might as well feed. Are you in?”

  I watched the crowd of already nude people and started shaking my head. “No, thanks. I’m good. I’ve… fed enough for now.”

  Fortunately, she didn’t push me. Instead, she just shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.”

  Of course, it was a little tough to avoid being included in an orgy, when everyone else in the dorm was participating in it. I ended up leaning against the exit door, with Shiro in front of me, growling and snapping at anyone who got a little too close.

  After Samuel’s experience with the Chihuahuas, no one wanted to risk any damage to their genitals, so they kept their distance. But the end result was that I was right there, in the main hallway, when the door finally opened. I felt it vibrate against my back as the magic keeping it shut faded away. Ecstatic, I got up and tentatively opened it. I considered letting everyone else know that we were free, but a glimpse at the painting told me it wasn’t necessary.

  Leviathan had returned and he’d notify them that everything was in order again.

  Relieved, I left the dorm and headed back toward the main school building. I wanted to talk to Mephistopheles, to ask him what had happened. And to be honest, after the orgy in the common room, I did feel a little hot and needy, so I wouldn’t mind it if he scratched my itch.

  That thought promptly flew out of my head when I ran into something I’d prayed I’d never have to face again. Another group of students was outside, and this time, they were chasing a massive, black wolf. “Fuck off! You’re not wanted here, animal!”

  A blast of fire struck the wolf in his side and my breath caught as I started having flashes of the horrible moments when Shiro had died. This wolf was far more resilient to the flame than my pup, but he did stagger and trip. It wasn’t just because of the first spell. The ground beneath his feet was cracking and shadows were lunging toward him. The students were using shadow magic against him.

  “Hey!” I instinctively shouted, unable to bear the sight. “Stop! Leave him alone!”

  Both the students and the animal that was their target froze in their tracks when they heard my voice. The wolf turned toward me, and at that moment, I realized that I’d seen the black beast before. It wasn’t a wolf at all. It was a hell hound. It was Stefan.

  The students looked vaguely familiar too. They were all members of The House of Wrath, a little older than me, but not by much. I’d seen them around, occasionally talking to Stefan.

  What the fuck was going on? Why were they hunting him? And why was Stefan not fighting back?

  “What are you doing?” I asked them, hiding my confusion behind a simple mask of anger. “Why in Satan’s name are you attacking him?”

  “This is none of your affair, Ms. Michaelis,” one of the students—a pretty red-headed girl—replied. “It’s our prerogative, as members of The House of Wrath, to handle our affairs in whatever way we wish.”

  “I’m not going to argue with that, but Stefan is Callum’s familiar,” I replied. “He has every right of being here, as much right as Callum does. You’re not making any sense.”

  “That would be the case if Stefan would actually be capable of attending the classes,” the student replied. “But he’s not. He’s an animal, and anyone like that isn’t welcome in The House of Wrath.”

  Stefan growled at them, his eyes lighting up with demonic fire. The girl took a step back.

  “I was always under the impression that The House of Wrath prided itself on embracing the more animalistic impulses of its members,” I said, trying to make them all calm down. “And Stefan isn’t an animal. He’s a shape-shifter.”

  “Not anymore, he isn’t.” One of the other students grinned, licking his lips and exposing sharp fangs. “He’s only a mutant hell hound now. And he has no right to pretend he’s a person.”

  I threw a glance toward Stefan, expecting him to shift, to prove to them how wrong they were. I’d seen him change shapes with ease, sometimes within the blink of an eye.

  There was nothing. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve truly said that Stefan was only an animal.

  My insides turned to ice. I remembered the ritual, the weakness Stefan had displayed after that, when Callum had been helping him up. Magical backlash, Mephistopheles had called it. Oh God. Had the spell done this? Had it taken away Stefan’s ability to shift?

  If it had, I’d never forgive myself.

  I must’ve started to hyperventilate, because Stefan nudged my leg with his nose and let out a few low yips. I couldn’t understand him, but Shiro could. “It’s all right, Lyssa,” he said. “I’m fine. I’m sure this is only temporar
y. I’ll fix it.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed that reassurance. Cancel that, I didn’t believe it at all. And even if it was true, I wasn’t about to leave Stefan on his own, at the mercy of his housemates.

  “We’ll go see the dean right now,” I said decisively. “You are going to come with me, Stefan, and I don’t want to hear any protests. And the rest of you will not get in my way or try to stop us. If you do, you’ll find out why Professor Jones still fears me.”

  It was all bullshit, since Professor Jones definitely didn’t fear me and I wasn’t nearly as powerful as I was pretending to be. But the ‘fake it until you make it’ strategy worked again. The students grumbled a little, but they let us pass, and Stefan obediently followed me when I headed toward the main building of the academy.

  “I’m very sorry about this, Stefan,” I told him. “If I’d known this would happen, I never would’ve accepted your offer.”

  Stefan rumbled and for the second time, Shiro translated. “I’m aware. You weren’t supposed to know. We’d hoped this wouldn’t happen.”

  I hadn’t thought I could feel worse about this whole thing than I already had. “Wait, you knew there was a chance that…”

  He snarled, and for unknown reasons, I didn’t need Shiro to understand. “We did what we had to do. Don’t pity us, Lyssa. We’re going to be fine.”

  I wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that this had nothing to do with pity. But there was a chasm between us now, one they had dug and I’d refused to bridge.

  Turning away, Stefan ran off, heading in the general direction of the beach. “Wait!” I cried, but he was already gone.

  I sank to my knees, feeling wretched and lost. Shiro whined and nuzzled my bare arm with his nose. I wrapped my arms around his body and buried my fingers in his luxurious white fur, finding strength in his presence. “Shiro, we can’t let this happen. We have to help him.”

  “There’s nothing you can do. If the magical backlash turned him into a mutated hell hound, he’s stuck like that.”

  It was the first time I’d heard Shiro say something so elaborate. Normally, I would’ve rejoiced, because it meant our connection was getting stronger. Instead, I was befuddled, alarmed, and outraged. “What? But surely there has to be a way…”

  “No, Lyssa.” Shiro shook his head. “There is none.”

  He seemed so certain of this and I was inclined to believe him. But at the same time, it made no sense. How could Shiro have such knowledge about hell hounds when everyone had been so secretive when it came to Stefan’s background? “I don’t understand, Shiro. How could you possibly know this?”

  “Personal experience,” he replied. “That’s why hell hounds are considered animals and he was never supposed to be here at all. Because at birth, there’s a good chance that a hell hound would be born unable to shift. It’s rare, but sometimes, they’re even born with animal brains. Like me.”

  He looked into my eyes and a memory flashed into my mind, one that didn’t belong to me. It was the memory of a white pup, being taken from his hell hound mother, from a litter that had rejected him.

  It had been Lucifer who’d done it, Lucifer who’d placed Shiro in my path that day, when I’d found him. But… How? Why? That had been years ago, before the car accident that had almost killed my family.

  I released Shiro and shot to my feet, feeling like I was about to hurl. I couldn’t say Shiro had lied to me, since he wouldn’t have been able to tell me the truth about him until recently. Even so, until now, Shiro had been the sole anchor of normality I’d had in a world that no longer made sense. It seemed that wasn’t the case anymore. “Shiro…”

  “You are my beloved mistress, the only person who matters to me,” he said. “But I had to tell you this, even if it meant defying my first owner.

  “There are already too many secrets here. I don’t know what will happen with your males. I don’t know if any of them can be trusted. All I want is to go back home, where you can be safe. But I don’t think that’s possible. And I don’t think you can help the hell hound male either. It is better to keep your distance, because such creatures can be violent when provoked.”

  “Stefan wouldn’t hurt me, not like that,” I protested. “He never has, before.”

  “He still sees you as his bitch, which has kept you safe. But you’re drifting away from him now and you belong to another. There’s no telling what he’ll do.

  “He knows that, Lyssa. All of your males are aware they’re dangerous to you. That’s why your nephilim male told you to not touch him. It’s too risky. You can’t protect them. You have to focus on protecting yourself.”

  He was probably right, but I was barely listening to him anymore. Stefan’s bitch. Mikael’s darkling. Callum’s princess.

  I was that too, or I had been. Had I given up on it entirely?

  I wasn’t sure, not anymore, but I did know one thing. I still cared about them. Maybe we wouldn’t be able to fix our romantic relationship, but that didn’t mean I’d just abandon them.

  “Some things are more important than others, Shiro. If it’s in my power to save him, I will.”

  Shiro whined and gave me his classical puppy-dog eye look. If I’d been inclined to be mad at him for the hell hound thing—and I wasn’t—I’d have forgiven him on the spot. Even so, I didn’t go along with his silent request. “None of that. You’re my familiar, so it’s in the job description to help me. Come on. We still have to talk to Mephistopheles.”

  “Okay, Lyssa, but just so you know, I think this is a bad idea.”

  “Noted and ignored,” I replied. “I made a promise, Shiro. I won’t lose my memories or abandon hope, not again.”

  Shiro didn’t argue with me and together, we headed toward Mephistopheles’s office. If anyone could figure out a solution to this, it was him.

  Severed

  I never did get the chance to reach the dean’s office, as I’d planned. I ran into him in front of Ammit’s building. I’d have been relieved at finding him with such ease had he not been with Callum and Mikael. Their presence made it clear that Stefan hadn’t been the only one affected by the ritual.

  Once again, Mikael’s wings had emerged from his back, just like they had when he’d been struck with the Revelatio potion. Unlike Stefan, he wasn’t being bullied. Instead, he was arguing with Mephistopheles, who was shouting at him, apparently furious.

  “You’re being ridiculous. You don’t have to do this.”

  “Of course I do,” Mikael replied. “I can’t stay like this, and there’s no other way to make them disappear.”

  “You don’t know that,” Mephistopheles protested. “It’s only been a day since they came out.”

  Mikael crossed his arms over his chest, his wings twitching where they lay folded against his back. “Yes, and they’ve kept growing and their magic is getting stronger. I appreciate the concern, but arguing about it is pointless.”

  “Oh for Satan’s sake,” Mephistopheles hissed, shadows swirling around his feet. “Why are you so stubborn? Why can’t you understand this isn’t right?”

  “Sir, with respect, it’s not stubbornness,” Callum said. “It’s self-preservation. The wings are hurting him. They need to go. It’s that simple.”

  Until that point, I hadn’t realized what they were talking about. They were discussing Mikael’s wings. Mikael was considering… chopping them off.

  Oh, dear God, no. The horror of the realization rendered me motionless and mute, so much so that I couldn’t react at all. And then something even worse happened.

  Professor Grim emerged from behind a column, carrying his sharp scythe. “He’s right, Mephistopheles. I understand where you’re coming from, but in this case, there is no alternative.”

  He brought his weapon forward, and I understood exactly what he was planning to do with it. The eerie glow of the sharp blade snapped me out of my trance and I stumbled forward, desperate to prevent this insanity.

  “Stop! Stop this, pleas
e!” I cried. “You don’t need to take such drastic measures. We can still fix things!”

  Everyone turned to stare at me. Grim was the only one who didn’t look surprised to see me there. Mikael went even paler when he saw me approach, which should’ve been impossible considering his already sickly coloring. Callum cursed under his breath, and the flare in Mephistopheles’s crimson eyes turned brighter.

  “Ms. Michaelis, what are you doing here?” the dean asked. “You should be in your dorm.”

  “The door opened,” I replied defiantly. “Is that really what matters right now?”

  “No, I suppose not.” Mephistopheles pursed his lips in displeasure. “Well, maybe your arrival is a good thing. They might listen to you. They’re certainly not listening to me.”

  “That’s a low blow, Mephistopheles,” Mikael said, his voice sharp and vicious. “Take her to the dorms. I don’t want her to see this.”

  If I hadn’t been so shocked and terrified, I would’ve been outraged. “I don’t need to be taken anywhere. I need you to stop, think about this, and not fucking mutilate yourself!”

  Mikael closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. When he looked at me again, he smiled sheepishly. “Lyssa… Ms. Michaelis, this isn’t something I want to do.” Was it my impression, or was his voice shaking a little? “Believe it or not, I have my limits when it comes to harming myself. But when Professor Grim said there is no other way, he knew what he was talking about.”

  He took off his shirt and showed me his back. My stomach turned when I saw a strange fungus was growing over his spine. I couldn’t identify it. It was like an infection, and it was spreading over Mikael’s body in entwined threads of jet black and silver that were cracking his skin.

  “It’s a little like gangrene,” Callum explained. “It’s eating at his flesh and bones as we speak. It’s honestly a miracle that it hasn’t paralyzed him until now. But once it hits the bone marrow, there’s no telling what will happen.”