by Callie Rose
“What do you mean… lost?”
The blond Viking looked grim. “After spending enough time in the underworld, a fallen creature will become a monster. Wholly. Utterly. Every shred of humanity is stripped away, and they become the same as whatever attacked them, whatever turned them. Some unfortunate fallen succumb to this fate whether they are above or below, but that is why you are here. To give you a fighting chance to resist that end.”
He offered her a soft smile and moved on. “You see, class, supernaturals and humans have come to a sort of uncomfortable agreement. You… the fallen… are more capable of fighting Gavriel’s monsters than humans themselves. You are stronger, more gifted, more resilient. Additionally, you have the capacity to understand these monsters on a level which humans never could.”
Another student raised his hand. “If any one of us has the capacity to become a true monster, why are we here? Wouldn’t it be safer for humanity if we were all just… shut away somewhere?”
Sven gave the student a long, hard look. “Do you want to be shut away?”
The guy shrugged. “I mean, not particularly, but I don’t really want to end up eating my girlfriend’s face off, either.”
Our teacher nodded. “And that is precisely why you are here. This school is a training facility for the fallen. We give you everything you need to become defenders of Earth. Those who pass will be recruited into the ranks of Custodians. Those who fail will be banished to the underworld. We cannot afford anything in between. This is why you have all been cut off from your past lives. They don’t exist anymore. Those close to you cannot be harmed by your new status if they remain in the dark about it.”
Hannah breathed a shuddering sigh, and I squeezed her hand. Dammit. That’s not fucking fair. I’d never felt so much pain on another person’s behalf before, and it startled me. I couldn’t understand why someone as sweet and good as Hannah should be cut off from the people who loved her. I couldn’t imagine her ever going full-on monster. Me, on the other hand… well, I’d just have to apply myself a little harder to my studies, that’s all.
The rest of class buzzed by, and I took notes automatically. Between my distraction over Hannah’s predicament and my increasing sensitivity to Jayce’s presence, I was barely paying attention. I figured I’d have time to pour over the primer and notes later. For the most part, it was just the history of the school, which had apparently been around forever.
“That’s all for today, class. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Jayce stood up and stretched languidly. Hannah poured out of her chair like her will to live had been sapped.
“You girls have plans for lunch?” Jayce asked with a friendly wink.
“Oh, yeah, I was going to run out for tacos,” I said sarcastically.
He chuckled. “Hey, I like you. What’s your next class?”
“Uh… Demonology. You?”
“Ah, bummer. I’ve got Human Relations.”
“Wow, you come all the way out here and you still have to go to HR.” I grinned at him, feeling that intense, buzzing attraction fill me from my toes to my ears.
“Can’t escape bureaucracy,” he said with a lazy shrug. “See you around.”
My heart fluttered in my throat as I watched him go. It wasn’t quite the same as the twisted fascination I’d felt for Kingston or the overwhelming primal craving I had for Xero, but it was just as enticing. I could easily imagine spending every afternoon lying in a hammock on the beach with Jayce after a morning full of surf and mimosas. An ache swelled just under my heart as the images flashed through my mind, like I was homesick for a place I’d never been.
“Where’s Demonology?” Hannah asked.
“Um… this way.”
Dragging my thoughts back to the present for what felt like the millionth time since I’d woken up, I set off down the hall, navigating us to our next class.
I was looking at the map instead of where I was going. Only the rush of a wild, sweet, spicy scent gave me any warning before I ran headlong into the toffee-skinned demigod I’d noticed in the hall the day I arrived. My body responded instantly and —by now—predictably, jerking me to an intense arousal.
“Whoops!” It was all I could say before I was lost in the deep caverns of his dark eyes.
“Excuse me.” His voice was curt.
“Uh… sorry. I’m a little lost. Do you know where Demonology is?”
He had been looking over my head. At my question, he sighed sharply and met my eyes. His body stiffened, and an almost imperceptible flush rose on his cheeks. Then he scowled at me. “I just left there. I’ll take you.”
“Thanks. I’m Piper, by the way. This is Hannah.”
“Kai.”
“Nice to meet you, Ka—”
“It’s right through that door.” Not even letting me finish, he spun on his heel and went back the way he came. A wrenching feeling of loss clutched at my heart. What was the matter with me, anyway?
“Are you okay?” Hannah clutched my elbow, picking up our pace. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”
I shook myself. “Right, sorry,” I muttered under my breath. “Hey, did you notice anything weird about that guy?”
“Now that you mention it, he did seem a little strange. Almost like he was some kind of creature of the underworld.” She arched a brow, shooting me a deadpan look.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. I was glad to see she’d retained some sense of humor. Maybe this wouldn’t be too traumatic for her after all.
We were the last ones into class, and there weren’t two seats left together, but she found a group of soft-looking girls to sit with. I let myself stop worrying about her for a moment.
As for me, I had a choice: I could sit next to the cute, nerdy looking guy with the wavy ash-brown hair and dimples, or next to the massive Amazonian-looking woman with the intense scowl. Yeah, not a difficult decision. The guy lit up as I approached, and I waited for my body to do the thing. To my relief, it didn’t.
“I’m Owen,” he said, grinning at me. He was younger than me by a couple years, if I had to guess. Or maybe he just gave off a young vibe. “You’re new? I mean, of course you’re new, we’re all new, this is a first-year class I guess, and… hi.” A deep blush washed across his face, and I had the pleasure of feeling flattered and admired without the stress of my body trying to take control of the situation.
“Good to meet you, Owen. I’m Piper. And yeah, I’m as new as you are, I guess.” I smiled at him and his blush deepened.
“I’m not so sure I’m excited about this class,” he said a little nervously. “I’m not sure I want to know what all’s out there.”
“Better to know than not.” I sank into the seat next to him, trying to sound encouraging. It felt like he needed the same kind of protection Hannah did. I shrugged mentally and accepted my fate. I was a collector of people now—those who needed protecting, and those I wanted to roll around naked with.
“You’re really smart,” he murmured, looking down at his paper.
I just grinned. He didn’t really even know me, but he clearly had a little crush on me. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, at this point it could only help balance the universe. I missed the whole first quarter of the lecture dreaming about my own crushes.
It was a terrible start.
If I didn’t get my head in the game soon, I was going to fail in the most epic way possible.
Chapter Seven
“Piper! Piper, wake up, we’re going to be late!”
I groaned and pried my eyes open. Hannah had woken me up the same way for the past week. I didn’t understand it. I’d never slept through alarms before. Actually, after a few weeks of a new routine, I usually woke up a minute or two before the alarm went off. Something was off with me, and it was only getting worse.
As my groggy vision focused, I found my blonde roommate gazing down at me disapprovingly.
“I grabbed you a sausage roll from the cafeteria. Hurry up
and get dressed, we only have seven minutes to get to class.”
My entire body ached, but I managed to haul myself up. I stretched and twisted, wincing at the snaps and pops sounding off all the way down my spine. I blearily shoved my body into a clean outfit—it didn’t match, but I was too tired to care—spent ninety seconds in the bathroom, then snatched the roll from Hannah and hurried faster than a speeding granny toward the stairs.
“I think you’re sick,” Hannah blurted out as I hobbled down the stairs to the rapidly-emptying hallway below. “You’ve been getting worse for weeks.”
“We’ve only been here for a month,” I said defensively. “It’s probably just the altitude or something. I'm used to sea level.”
“So am I,” she said thoughtfully. “But I adjusted pretty quick.”
“Yeah, well, you’re resilient.” She really was. I’d honestly thought she was going to let herself be washed away by that depressive riptide she’d fallen into when we arrived. It had taken a lot of effort and a ton of distraction, but she was finally starting to act like herself again. At least, I assumed that this was more like her. To be fair, I never really had a chance to get a good baseline feel for human Hannah.
“So are you,” she pointed out solemnly. “I think you should go to the nurse.”
I brushed her concern away. I was fine. It was altitude sickness or a touch of the flu or an allergy to the cold which seemed to creep in around the edges of every room no matter how high the flames rose in the fireplaces or how far away from the outer walls the room was. I’d taken to wearing that thick jacket most of the time.
The only thing that ever seemed to make me feel better was running into those four guys. Jayce had been sitting next to me in Sven’s class every morning, and it was better than coffee for my foggy head and stiff muscles. This morning, I nearly fell into his lap when I sat down. I couldn’t help it. He smelled like life and I felt like death.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said with that slow smile of his as I sat down. Then a line appeared between his brows. “You look like hell.”
“Fitting.” I made a noise that would’ve been a laugh if I’d had the energy.
“No, really. You trying to make a statement or something?” He wiggled two fingers over his forehead, mimicking horns.
“Oh… damn it.” I’d forgotten. I hadn’t been able to maintain my human form overnight lately, and I’d been in such a rush getting ready that I hadn’t fixed my face. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Fuck. It took so much energy lately. Way more than the first few times I’d done it. I started to shake as I desperately tried to hold my own human image in my mind’s eye.
Nope. I’m not gonna make it. I’m just gonna to have to be a fucking demon all day.
Jayce touched my hand. That simple contact felt like it pulled a trigger somewhere deep in my core, and I felt the change wash over me, easily and naturally. I sighed with relief and opened my eyes to find him gazing at me with concern.
“You are not okay,” he said decisively.
“I am now.” I grinned, almost giddy from the rush of his touch. “Thanks.”
“Uh… you’re welcome? I guess?”
I just smiled wider and flipped my notebook open to a clean page. Clearly, all I needed was to arrange for him to touch my hand every morning. My hand or… something else.
Dragging my brain back into focus, I turned my attention to Sven. I’d bombed the first quiz in this class, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake again. They took bad grades way too seriously around here.
Jayce still looked worried after class let out, and he pulled me aside in the hallway as we were leaving the large room. “Seriously, Piper, are you okay?”
“If everybody keeps asking me that, I might actually start to worry,” I said lightly as Hannah tugged on my elbow, urging me to hurry up with her to our next class. “I’m not a morning person, that’s all. See you in Combat!”
Combat had become my favorite class for a whole lot of reasons. First, punching people was not only sanctioned, but expected. Second, Hannah was taking to it like a fish to water. I never would’ve imagined her becoming such a fierce fighter. She was even better at it than me. Third, and maybe most importantly, all of my guys were in the same section of that class as I was.
I’m not sure when I started thinking of them as being my guys. Apart from Jayce, I barely even spoke to them. The connection was undeniable, though. I could see it in the way Xero sought me out in the cafeteria—which was more like a banquet hall—and the way Kingston always looked a little rattled after I spoke to him. I even saw it in Kai, in the way he bristled every time I walked by.
I was so busy analyzing the situation that I almost didn’t notice the three girls blocking my way into the Demonology classroom. They were the same girls that Hannah had sat with on the first day and had avoided ever since. She hadn’t told me why. I smiled at them as I approached.
“Oh, it’s you,” a little blonde said with a sneer. “Murder any old ladies lately?”
“Not lately,” I said with an easy grin. What the hell is her problem? “Can I get by?”
“I don’t know, can you?” A tall girl curled her lip at me and stood more firmly in the center of the doorway.
I raised a brow. I almost wanted to throw down, but my muscles were still aching like I’d run a marathon on nothing but coffee and spite. The three girls crowded together, tall brunette in the middle, tiny blonde to the left, and a morose looking girl with jet black hair to the right.
“Here’s a thought,” the blonde said. “If you want to get by why don’t you just…persuade us?”
I heard a snicker over my shoulder. I knew who I would see before I even turned my head, but I looked anyway. There was Sonja, walking with a group of third-years, smirking at me. The girls in front of me straightened up and shot furtive glances in her direction. It all began to make sense.
“Maybe you could help me,” I said to the little blonde. “I’ve got my school schedule here, but I’m not seeing the class on Holding a Grudge or Being a Flunky. Could you point it out to me?”
She looked confused for a moment, then realized what I was getting at and glowered. “Careful what you say, bitch. We’re always watching.”
“Gee, sounds like you need a hobby. I hear there’s a great art room in the west wing.”
I showed my teeth and moved like I was going to walk right through them. At the last second they parted for me, seething and glaring. Whatever. I had more important things to worry about, like how I was going to focus with this pounding migraine that had just started behind my eyes.
I ignored the girls as well as I could, but I couldn’t ignore how I was feeling. I had almost convinced myself to go to the infirmary instead of the cafeteria by the time lunch rolled around, but I was swept away in a crowd of hungry students and didn’t have the willpower to extricate myself. Once there, I followed my nose to Jayce’s table. It was far too crowded. The man was liked, for obvious reasons.
And maybe some less obvious ones.
I caught snippets of conversation as I passed that piqued my curiosity despite the massive, invisible hammer bashing against my temples.
“Really? That’s amazing! I knew I’d seen you somewhere!”
“Nah. It wasn’t anything big,” Jayce said with his signature guileless chill.
I drifted with my tray to the next table, where Kai sat. All right, so he wouldn’t look at me or talk to me, but at least I’d feel better if I was sitting near him. I flopped heavily onto the wooden bench and stared listlessly at my food. Ugh. Goddammit. I’d felt so hungry before. I still felt hungry, but somehow the food didn’t look like the nourishment I needed.
“Who said you could sit there, first-year?” Sonja’s snarl cut through my fog.
I glanced tiredly up at her. I hadn’t even noticed she was across the table from the empty seat.
“The laws of physics,” I muttered.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
She glared at me. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”
“Do you?” My patience was wearing thin.
She laughed. “What are you going to do, kick my ass?”
“Nah. I’ll persuade you to kick your own ass.”
She clenched her jaw as her eyes flashed. “I’ll see you in Combat, you little bitch.”
“You guys really need to come up with better insults. I’m a fucking demon. You think bitch is going to hurt my feelings?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kai hide a smirk behind his sandwich. A flash of ridiculous hope rushed through my veins—and with it, a charge of energy. I grinned at Sonja.
“What the fuck are you smiling about?”
“You got a problem with people smiling now? Damn. You’re going to make one hell of a Custodian.”
The redhead gritted her teeth and pushed to her feet. She snatched up her tray and stormed out of the cafeteria.
“Shit. I’m going to pay for that in Combat today,” I said under my breath.
“Worth it,” Kai murmured.
His approval and Sonja’s tantrum gave me back my appetite. I tore into my lunch, actively looking forward to Combat class.
Unfortunately, that high only lasted until class actually started. With the guys scattered to the four corners of the cavernous room, I was back to feeling like an eighty-year-old after a weekend bender. Our instructor, Atticus Beedle, paired me up with Mia, a girl who was caramel-colored everywhere. Hair, skin, eyes, all caramel. I wondered if that was how she was born or if she had decided on that form, but I never got the chance to ask. As soon as Beedle blew the whistle, Mia was flying at my face.
I barely blocked her from demolishing my nose. She adjusted and went for my ribs. I went to sweep her legs out from underneath her, but she just jumped over my foot like she was skipping rope and shot a punch at my jaw. It rattled my entire head. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as my frustration though. I knew all the moves, why wasn’t my body reacting?
