by Riley London
“But aren’t we in the training room?” I replied. “Aren’t we at the academy—”
Every light in the training room went out at once.
“You’re an asshole!” I screamed, at the top of my lungs. “Fuck you!”
I was fighting with Zachary, although I couldn’t even remember why we’d been fighting.
Maybe something had happened out on the field?
My memory was just so fucking fuzzy.
“Yeah, right. I’m the asshole, because I wanted to keep you safe.” Zachary followed me into our dorm room, with an annoyed look on his face. He slammed the door behind him, before he walked over to me. “You can be such a—Wait. Shit.”
Zachary glanced around the room, before he looked back at me. “Shit. This isn’t real, is it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stared back at him. “Feels pretty real to me.”
“Yeah, you would say that.” Zachary scoffed, before he pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere. “Auxilium.”
But the knife didn’t take on a golden glow.
“Yep. Just what I thought.” Zachary sighed. “Some demon’s just fucking with us.”
A look of understanding then passed over Zachary’s features. “Oh, right. Ashmedai. I guess we brought it on ourselves.”
“Who the hell is Ashmedai?”
“Prince of Hell, prince of lust, whatever.” Zachary shrugged. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Zachary wrapped his arms around me, before he picked me up by the waist.
“Hey! Hey! What the hell are you doing?!” I yelled.
“Getting this over with.” Zachary threw me down on the bed as he spoke. “We need to fuck, and then we can get back to business.”
“Fuck you. I’m not having sex with you. I can barely stand you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” Zachary grinned. “But he’s not going to let us out of this scenario until we do, and I’d really like to get back to my life, wouldn’t you?”
“So, if we have sex...we’re not really having sex? It’s not real?”
“Nope. All of this is just in our heads.” Zachary explained. “He probably just wants us to have the memories of fucking each other, purely for the sake of chaos.”
“I still don’t know if I...” I hesitated to finish my thoughts. “Even if it’s not real, I don’t know if I want to have sex with you, Zachary.”
“Oh, come on. You don’t at least think that I’m cute?” Zachary smirked.
I looked up at his striking features, his blonde hair, his forest-green eyes...
But I just couldn’t get past how much of a thorn in my side he’d been.
“Fine. Just pretend I’m someone else.” Zachary tugged at his pants, until he’d pulled his belt through the loops. “Pretend I’m someone you actually want to fuck. Like Benjamin.”
Scattered memories of Benjamin’s mouth on me sent a shiver down my spine.
Benjamin had felt so good.
But then, a memory of Zachary, shooting me one of those vague, indecipherable looks flashed right across my mind.
The way he’d looked at me the very first time we’d met, the way it felt like he was looking right through me.
Be honest with yourself. You’ve wanted this one since the beginning.
There was a man’s voice in my head, calm and deep.
Show him how much you want him, and then, you can come home.
“Wait.” I moved towards the edge of the bed, as I spoke. “I don’t think we need to have like...full-on sex for this to work.”
“Yeah? What do you think we should do, instead?”
“Come here.” I nodded towards Zachary, and he walked towards the side of the bed. I then pulled his pants and his boxers down, altogether, before taking his hardened cock into my hands.
Holy shit.
Zachary was...big.
Possibly the biggest guy that I’d ever been with.
“What’s wrong?” Zachary asked.
“Nothing. I’m just not sure if this is going to fit in my mouth.”
“The only way to know is to try.” Zachary grinned. “Might as well just go for it.”
“Right. You’re right.” I took in a deep breath, before I slid my mouth over the tip of Zachary’s cock.
He groaned in response, and I moved my mouth over his shaft even further, wanting to take as much of him as I could.
When my mouth was full to capacity, I started to bob my head back and forth, sliding my lips alongside his shaft. At the same time, I used my tongue to swipe along the slit of his cock, wanting to work the most sensitive part of him, too.
He groaned again, and I soon tasted his pre-cum, as it lined the back of my tongue.
Fuck.
Zachary tasted good.
I wanted to taste him even more, and so I picked up the pace. The strokes of my mouth became quicker, firmer, and Zachary’s hips twitched in response.
And then, he was coming, as strings of his cum shot right down my throat.
“Fuck. You’re good at that.” Zachary’s breathing was uneven, as he pulled his cock out of my mouth.
“Thanks.” I smiled up at Zachary. “But we’re done now, right? It’s over?”
“Yeah. It’s over.” Zachary replied. “But tell me the truth. Were you actually thinking about me?”
“Yeah. I was.” I admitted. “I guess, when you’re not being the absolute worst, you can be kind of attractive.”
“Same to you.” Zachary laughed.
Suddenly, the lights in the dorm room fizzled, before they completely faded out.
“That...was fun.” Ashmedai still stood in front of us, his eyes that same color of bright red. “What an interesting little group of angels you are, especially you.”
He turned towards me with a grin. “You are the apple of so many men’s eyes, just like your mother always was, too. At least until she met her match, of course.”
“Give us a name.” Benjamin sounded like he was ready for a fight. “You said it yourself. You had your fun.”
“Oh, son of many Nash’s, don’t be so embarrassed about your desires.” Ashmedai paused. “Or...is it not embarrassment, after all? Is it fear?”
Ashmedai looked over at Zachary. “Are you afraid, too, dear Zachary? Are you afraid that two friends lusting after the same girl may cause a problem or two down the line?”
“He can have her. I don’t want her.” Zachary replied.
“Well, now, we both know that’s a lie.” Ashmedai sighed. “But a deal is a deal is a deal. And now, I will grant you what you wanted from me.”
The glow in Ashmedai’s eyes burned even brighter. “The girl’s mother is named—”
Ashmedai produced an awful sound, like he was choking on his own tongue. The sound continued, even as he gagged, even as his body spasmed back and forth. “Non erit tristis neque turbulentus!”
Finally, the choking sound subsided, as Ashmedai looked me right in the eye. “You are Celeste Venoix. The true daughter of...Lilith.”
As he spoke the name, Ashmedai burst into flames.
And all that was left of him were ashes, gently floating through the night air.
“Lilith’s daughter...how could you be Lilith’s daughter?” Benjamin stared over at me.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “What does that even mean?”
“It means that Ashmedai was probably lying.” Zachary scoffed. “It’s not like demons can’t lie or anything.”
“Why would he lie to us, Zachary? We gave him what he wanted. He had a good time messing around in our heads.” Benjamin kept his gaze focused on mine.
And I felt something clench between my legs.
Shit.
Real or not, I still remembered how Benjamin’s mouth felt on me.
But I didn’t have time to daydream about that right now. “Why would he be lying about Lilith being my mother? How does that matter, anyway?”
“Lilith is famously infertile.”
Zachary blew out a heavy breath. “She can’t have children.”
“How do you know for sure?” I asked.
“I guess I don’t.” Zachary tilted his head to the side. “But everything we know about her says that she can’t, and if she could, why would she wait so long?”
“Zachary’s right. It’s strange that Lilith would put off having children. If she could’ve produced an heir to Hell—” Benjamin stopped talking, mid-sentence. He then brought a hand to his head, as if he was chastising himself about something or another.
“I...am a fool.” It was all Benjamin said, as he kept his hand in place against the side of his head.
“What’s going on, Benjie?”
“A direct descendant who’s prone to violence, but her bloodline led us back to Ashmedai, and not Abaddon? The Prince of Wrath?” Benjamin looked between Zachary and me.
Ugh.
I cringed, as soon as I heard Abaddon’s name.
Not that guy again.
“Abaddon is also the only prince so far who uses his descendants for chaos and violence. Why would he allow Ashmedai a chance to create demons in his name?” Benjamin’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Because they are working together.”
“Princes of Hell don’t work together.” Zachary replied.
“Yes, but I don’t think they’ve ever tried to usurp their current leadership, either.” Benjamin continued. “If the princes wanted to take over Hell, it would have to be a team effort.”
Benjamin then turned towards me. “And if there was a revolution brewing in Hell, then that would mean they’d need to get rid of any potential heirs, too. When Lucifer and Lilith are gone, the only ones with a claim to the throne should be the Princes of Sin.”
“But if Celeste is still alive...” Zachary’s words trailed off. “Shit. That means that Celeste can’t be alive.”
“I’m sorry? Why can’t I be alive?”
“Because you could challenge them for the throne.” Benjamin spoke in a low tone. “Because...you are...Celeste, you are—”
“The Princess of Hell.” Zachary’s eyes went wide, as he spoke the words out loud. “Holy fuck.”
“Celeste? Celeste!”
Benjamin was whisper-yelling my name, but I ignored him as I continued to pack up my shit.
I needed to get out of here ASAP.
How could I be the Princess of Hell and currently be enrolled at the Angel Academy?
Sooner or later, someone else was going to figure out who I was, and I couldn’t take that chance.
Because I knew that if someone found out who I was, then they wouldn’t just hurt me.
They’d hurt Charlie. They’d hurt Benjamin. And they’d hurt Zachary, too.
If cooperating with a demon was enough to get someone expelled from the academy, then escorting the Princess of Hell right onto campus had to come with some kind of death sentence.
The thought sent chills down my spine, as I threw yet another pair of socks into a garbage bag. “Benjamin. I already told you. I’m leaving. Don’t try to stop me.”
“But Celeste—”
“Benjamin!” I whisper-yelled right back at him. “I have to go. If someone finds out who I really am—”
“Celeste, I know who you really are.” Benjamin shook his head. “You may be Lilith’s daughter, but you are nothing like her.”
“Really? Because the night you met me, I’d just finished bashing a guy’s head in.” I reached for a pair of my boots. “Sounds like some pretty demonic behavior to me.”
“You wouldn’t hurt someone, unless they deserved it.” Benjamin grabbed my wrist, stopping me from stuffing my shoes into the garbage bag. “There’s nothing hellish about you, Celeste, and just because Ashmedai told you of your parentage doesn’t mean that you’re anything like them.”
“Right. I forgot. I’m Lucifer’s daughter, too, aren’t I?” I winced at the thought. “How am I even an angel, anyway? How do I even have wings?”
“Lucifer was an angel.” Benjamin explained. “God’s favorite, before he fell. If you were truly his daughter, then of course you’d have wings. You are part angel.”
“And part demon.” I offered, as I shifted the bag against my bedsheets. “Don’t forget about that part, too.”
“That part doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it does.”
“Actually, it might.” Zachary joined the conversation, as he stepped into our dorm room. “Benjie, we don’t know what side she’s going to fall on. Maybe it’s best if we just let her leave?”
“She’s going to fall on whichever side gives her a chance!” Benjamin was back to his whisper-screaming. “And if the angels reject her, where else is she supposed to go?”
“Back to her old life?” Zachary suggested. “Come on, man. It’s not like anyone knows about her besides us, anyway. We can just tell Mrs. Deveraux that Celeste decided to leave the school—”
“We can’t let her leave.” Benjamin then turned towards me. “Celeste. Do you hear me? You have to deal with this, head-on. There’s no escaping this one. If Hell is truly preparing for a revolution, then they’ll come for you.”
“Yeah but leaving is kind of my specialty.” I shrugged at the memory of foster home after foster home. “And staying might get someone I care about hurt. I don’t know if I could live with that.”
“Celeste, who do you think they’ll come after next?” Benjamin finally let go of my wrist. “If they can’t find you, then they’ll go after the ones you love, until there’s nothing left. That’s what demons do.”
“So, what? I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t?” An unexpected sniffle made its way through my chest. “What do you want me to do, then, Benjamin? How do I—”
A sob then broke free from my throat, and I took a seat on my bed in response. “How do I fix it? How do I fix it...”
“You can’t fix it.” Benjamin took a quiet seat beside me. “And you can’t run from it, either. You have to stay, Celeste. And you have to fight.”
“Fight for something bigger than myself?” I mocked. “Fight on the side of some war that I didn’t even know about last week?”
“I can’t believe you’re going to make me do this.” Zachary sighed, before he nudged Benjamin out of his spot on the bed. Zachary then replaced Benjamin, now seated at my side. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I replied to Zachary. “Are you going to help me finish packing or what?”
“You remember how you told me that story? The one about the jacket you blew an irresponsible amount of money on?”
“Yeah?”
“It wasn’t about the jacket.”
“What?”
“How you felt, the hope, the specialness of the jacket...that wasn’t about the jacket, at all. That was about you.” Zachary continued. “You told me that you didn’t think that you were that special, so you never thought that you could be the person walking around in that jacket. But once you bought it, it made you special, right? It gave you hope about that.”
“I’m not sure how that’s related, Zachary—”
“You wanted to be special, Celeste. Hell, maybe you always knew you were, deep down, and that’s why everything’s felt so hard for you your whole life. You are special, but the world didn’t treat you that way.” Zachary murmured. “And now, you’re getting the chance to show everyone just how special Celeste Venoix really is, and you’re backing away from that?”
“Weren’t you literally just saying that maybe I should go home?”
“Look, I’m always going to suggest that maybe you should just go home. I don’t like you very much, Celeste. I thought we’d established that by now.” Zachary said, matter-of-factly. “But because I’m not a complete idiot, I’m not going to pretend like you’re not important, like having you on our side wouldn’t be a huge help.”
Zachary then stood away from the bed. “Besides, I know you can do it.”
“That almost sounded like you believe in me?” I asked, with a joking t
one.
“Hmm. I guess so.” Zachary gave me a barely-there smile.
I then glanced back over at Benjamin. He looked so proud, as his eyes remained on Zachary.
And in response, I ripped my garbage-bag-wannabe-suitcase apart with my fingers, as I nodded to myself. “Fine. If we’re doing this, then we’re doing this.”
“You’re staying?” Benjamin’s words were hopeful.
“I guess so.” I mirrored Zachary’s earlier phrase. “Besides, there’s nowhere to run, right? My mom can find me, wherever I go?”
“She could, yes.” Benjamin reaffirmed my suspicions.
“Alright then. I’m staying.” I watched as my belongings spilled out onto my bed. “Now, who’s going to explain all this to Charlie?”
“You’re what?” Charlie was still half-asleep, as he squinted over at me. “I’m sorry. Who’s Lilith again?”
“She’s the Queen of Hell.” I explained, for a second time. “And she’s also my mom.”
“Your mom...is...the Queen of Hell?” Charlie slowly sounded out his words. “I’m not following.”
“It’s simple, dude. Her mom is Lilith, which means that her dad is most definitely Lucifer. They somehow had a kid, dropped her off on the surface. And from what we’ve seen from other demons, it looks like Lilith didn’t want them saying her name, pretty much ever, which made it a little complicated when it came to talking to Ashmedai—”
“Ashmedai, the Prince of Hell? Demon of Lust?”
“Yep.” Zachary continued. “Anyway, yeah. We talked to him, got Lilith’s name, and then Benjamin with his super-sized brain realized that Abaddon and Ashmedai are probably working together, which is bad news for Celeste’s parents, since it means they might be getting a little coup-y.”
“Best case scenario, they’re trying to take over Hell. Worst case scenario, they’re trying to take over...everything.” Benjamin added to the conversation.
“And why does it matter? Even if Celeste is the...uh...”
“Princess of Hell.” I suggested.
Charlie gave me a grim nod. “Right. Why does it matter if Celeste is the Princess of Hell or not? What’s that got to do with the revolution?”
