by Cara Wylde
The Second Circle was windy. The sky was dark, the skeleton trees bent under the wrath of the hot, dusty storms, and most of the houses had lost their roofs a long time ago. They didn’t have windows, and they didn’t need them. The air was so hot and stuffy that it was barely breathable. Seeing how everyone but Pazuzu was struggling, professor Maat started taking out the masks she’d brought for us.
“Put these on, and don’t take them off until we reach the restaurant in the Fourth Circle. The weather in Hell is tricky.”
Tricky? More like hellish. I looked at Corri. “Are you okay? I don’t think she has a mask for pixies.”
She snapped her fingers, and the next thing I knew, she was covered from head to toe in something that looked like a miniature hazmat suit. She gave me the thumbs-up.
So, you have too much sex on Earth, you end up in the middle of an eternal storm. I didn’t think it was that bad of a punishment. The souls roaming the streets looked stressed and beaten-up, though. The horrible weather had gotten to them.
It rained in the Third Circle, and the streets were flooded with a green, disgusting slush. We had two mages in the VDC, and professor Maat asked them to clear a path for us. There was no reason to go through the same torture as the souls whose sin was Gluttony. Caspian and Merrit did as instructed, and the path before us dried up in a second, only to be inundated again behind us once we’d passed. Merrit was a loud, obnoxious mage who was constantly trying to make up for his ridiculous name through an overbearing attitude. I remembered sitting next to him on Mabon in year one. Caspian was slightly better-tempered.
I was glad we weren’t going to eat here. They did have a lot of restaurants, the food looked incredible, but Mrs. Maat told us it couldn’t be eaten. The moment you stuck your fork in it, it turned into the green slush the whole Third Circle seemed to be made of. That was what you got when you succumbed to your voracious appetite on Earth. The souls here were starving. Not the souls in the Fourth Circle, though. Here, the demons tortured those who’d been greedy and hoarded wealth. Their punishment? They were surrounded by wealth and beauty, while their houses remained empty. The stores were filled with clothes, jewelry, and expensive perfumes, their restaurants served exotic, delicious food, but they could take nothing home. They couldn’t buy a single needle. They were doomed to never own a thing until they learned their lesson.
We weren’t guilty of Greed, so we did a bit of shopping, then stopped to eat at the Sinful Elk. Who the hell had come up with that name? Since it was safe inside, we removed our masks. Corri got out of her hazmat suit and ate a bit from my plate when I insisted it was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted in her life. I had no idea what the name of the dish was, nor what it contained, but it was so good that I was tempted to ask for a second portion.
“Save some space for dessert,” Pazuzu laughed at me.
I grumpily listened to him, and when a demon girl placed a slice of tiramisu before me and I took a bite, I literally moaned. I couldn’t stop myself. All the VDC guys at the table looked at me, and I was aware I might have caused a bunch of surprise erections, but the cake was just too good.
“I had no idea you had such crazy amazing food in Hell.”
Paz smiled. “We do. It’s for demons only. The policy for the souls that get here is ‘look, smell, don’t touch’. Hilarious, huh?”
“Evil!”
“Welcome to Hell, baby!”
I didn’t find his jokes particularly funny. We finished our lunch and moved on with our hellish journey. When it came to the last few Circles, the situation in Hell was the opposite of Heaven. These were more populated than the first five, and the economy was thriving. For the demons, of course, not for the souls. The more wretched souls ended up in Hell, the more jobs they created. The better the demons tortured their bodiless clients, the more bonuses they got and the faster they rose in ranks. That was why Hell had so many earls, and dukes, and princes. They were, basically, managers with fancier titles.
The Sixth Circle held the heretics, and the Seventh was divided into three rings to better classify the souls who’d been violent, and punish them according to their deeds. If there was one thing I admired about Hell, it was how organized it was. The system worked like a well-oiled machine – no glitches, no excuses, no bribes, and no exceptions. The Eight Circle was made of ten concentric ditches where demons tortured the souls of those who’d committed fraud and thievery in any way – seducers, con-artists, liars, corrupt politicians, and even hypocrites. After everything that I’d seen, I still wasn’t prepared for the last Circle of Hell – the Ninth.
We took off our masks. The air was hot, but the cold coming from the frozen lake in the center balanced the temperature out. Thanks to these two extremes meeting in the middle, it was the only Circle that had decent weather all year round. The best place to live in Hell, for sure, if you could ignore the cries of pain coming from the lake.
“This is Cocytus,” professor Maat said as we stopped at the shore. Shadows danced over it, limbs moving back and forth, hands reaching toward the sky, mouths agape in silent screams, loud screams, and all kinds of screams in between. “Sinners who’ve committed treachery are trapped in ice, each according to his or her guilt. The lake is divided into four concentric rings, and as you can imagine, the one in the middle is the worst and most painful.”
I stepped away from the shore. The other VDC students were fascinated, but I just couldn’t look at the desolation on the sinners’ faces for another minute. I turned around and looked in the distance.
“My father’s palace,” Pazuzu said. “I’d love for you to see it one day.”
GC joined us. From the corner of my eye, I saw Francis and Sariel were sticking close, too.
“So, how do you feel?” GC asked me.
“I don’t know. It’s strange…”
“Better get used to it, because the Violent Reapers get a lot of jobs in Hell,” Paz said.
“Why?”
“Too many demons, too little room.”
“Are you kidding me? Hell is way bigger than Heaven.”
“And demons make babies like crazy,” GC laughed. “Seriously, dude, haven’t you heard of condoms?”
“I have five in my back pocket,” Paz growled.
“Five? Why five?” I giggled. “That’s all I get? Five fucks?”
He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You get as many fucks as you want, love.” He licked the shell of my ear, and I shuddered. A pleasant warmth rushed through my veins, and my blood carried it through my entire body.
“You know we don’t use condoms anymore,” I whispered.
“I have them in case you want to try… backdoor activities.”
I jumped away from him, blushing like mad. We hadn’t done it that way yet, and to say that I was nervous about it would have been an understatement. Both GC and Paz were just too big to go in there, so I had mixed feelings about ever letting them.
“This is making me uncomfortable,” Corri fidgeted on my shoulder. “Mistress, how about you send me away for a while?”
“No! You’re not going anywhere.”
“I really don’t want to be around for these conversations,” she whined.
These days, when GC and Paz spent the night in my room, Corri went to one of their rooms. For how tiny she was, either GC’s or Paz’s dorm was like a palace. She even had snacks and drinks. I would have thought she’d be more enthusiastic about her new life, given that I didn’t ask her to do many things for me, treated her like a friend, and did everything I could to make her feel comfortable. Instead, she usually just kept going on and on about how she could help me, and if I didn’t need her, how about sending her away to the Blank? For the life of me, I couldn’t understand her logic. The Blank was horrible! Why would she want to be trapped in a cage, surrounded by nothingness, when she could have a huge room for herself? Hell! I hadn’t had a huge room for myself when I first arrived at the Academy! But I
knew she wasn’t acting like this because she was ungrateful. It simply was the only life she knew and asking her to step out of her comfort zone and be free was too much, too soon.
Professor Maat ushered the group to the bus that was supposed to take us back to the canyon, but GC, Paz, Sariel, Francis, and I didn’t get in. A car was waiting for us. It was more of a limousine, which was silly because we could have probably walked to Paz’s house. Lamia had outdone herself. She wanted to make an impression on Sariel. She knew his parents would call him the minute he was back at the Academy and pester him to tell them everything about Hell and Lamia’s house. Knowing how much Sariel liked his parents – insert sarcasm – he was going to make it sound like he’d had the trip of his life. And, for sure, he was going to tell them that food was way better in Hell than in Heaven. He wouldn’t be lying to them, either.
* * *
Lamia Eremus invited us into her home as her demon servants took our uniform jackets, our backpacks, and our masks. Since her son had left for the Academy, she lived alone in a house that was too big and empty for her. It was decorated tastefully, though, in warm colors of red, orange, burgundy, and terra cotta, with massive furniture, and plush pillows all over the floor. To my surprise, we weren’t going to eat at a normal dinner table. She invited us to sit on floor pillows and soft divans spread all over the room. The servants brought plates filled with fruits, meats, vegetables cooked in various ways, fish, and seafood. Bottles of wine, fruit nectar, and beer were brought in, and demons filled the glasses with our drinks of choice. My head was spinning. There was so much decadence, and what shocked me the most was that… I liked it. No. I loved it.
“I’ve never been to such a party before,” Corri whispered shyly. A servant girl had brought a small plate for her, the smallest she could find, and the pixie was working on a shrimp now. Corri with a shrimp was like a normal-sized person with a cod.
“I agree with you on this one.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Just be yourself.” I looked over at Lamia, who raised her glass and smiled warmly at me. “The mistress of the house seems to like pixies.”
“Yes, she doesn’t treat me like a servant at all…”
“I cannot treat you like a servant, dear Corri, because you’re not one,” Lamia said in her beautiful voice. She’d overheard us. “Do I pay you?”
“N-no…” Corri was beyond lost.
“Then you’re not a servant.”
My pixie was blushing so hard that I thought she’d explode if I didn’t take over.
“So, you don’t agree to pixie slavery. You believe all creatures should be paid for their services.”
“Indeed. That is the right way in Hell. Money is the root of all evil, they say. They got that all upside down. Yes, we invented money, but only because we thought it would help organize the rest of the world like it had helped us. We’re big on bureaucracy here in Hell, but the right kind of bureaucracy, the kind that makes things simpler and more logical, not the deviation humans have dug themselves into.”
Beautiful and wise. Wow! I exchanged a glance with Pazuzu. He was lucky to have been raised by this woman.
We dined, drank, laughed, and listened to Lamia’s favorite records. She had a passion for 70s music. Even Sariel relaxed in her presence. He attacked the roast duck in orange sauce with a vengeance, and declared he’d never eaten anything so delicious. Lamia laughed in delight and promised to pass on his compliments to her chef. Personally, I wondered how she’d known that was his favorite food. Francis caught my gaze, and I had my answer.
“Paz, why don’t you show Mila your room? I’m sure she’d love to see it.”
“What?” I looked around, panicked. GC furrowed his brows, displeased. Lamia hadn’t mentioned him, although she knew I was in a relationship with both of them. Sariel and Francis fell silent. “It’s fine, you don’t have to.”
Too late. Paz stood up and offered me his hand. “I’d love to. Come on.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, looked at GC for approval, and when he nodded, I took Paz’s hand and allowed him to pull me away from the party.
* * *
His lips on my neck, his warm tongue lapping at my skin, his hand under my uniform skirt… I moaned and clung to him like he was my life belt.
“Do you want it?”
“I do, but…”
“But what?”
“GC…”
He took my chin between his fingers and pulled me in for a long, desperate kiss. I bit at his tongue and giggled when he winced.
“You’ll just owe him a fuck,” he said mischievously.
“I’ll owe him?”
“Yeah.” He grabbed me by the back of my knees and lifted me up. He carried me to his bed but didn’t put me down yet. He liked holding me like that, and I thought it was because it made him feel strong. It made him feel like he had full control. “Your greedy little cunt wants a quick fuck, and she doesn’t care that he’s not here. So, you’ll take what you want from me, then owe him for it.”
“Your logic beats me. Are you sure you’re from around here? Because Hell loves logic, and it doesn’t seem like it’s your strong suit.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that. I pushed my tongue down his throat, trying to reclaim some of my power. He’d already removed my red tights, and as I wrapped my legs around him, his fingers moved dangerously close to my panties. He slipped his index underneath them and ran the tip between my folds. The position I was in spread me wide. I was so vulnerable and accessible, and it only made me hornier.
“I’ll ask again,” he breathed against my lips. “Do you want it?”
“Yeah. I want it. I’ll owe GC a fuck.”
He dropped me onto his bed and smiled down at me. Oh, how I fucking loved that wicked grin of his. A strand of raven black hair fell over his forehead as he started working on his belt. I removed my panties quickly and pulled my legs open. A single glance at my wet pussy, and his eyes turned red. I loved it when I had that effect on him.
“What are you guys doing here?”
The door slammed open, and GC burst in the room. He crossed his arms over his chest when he saw us.
“Really?! Behind my back again? You guys suck.”
Paz rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome to join us. I mean, you’re here now…”
“Hell yeah, I’m here!” He removed his shirt in a swift motion. “Jerk.” He jumped on the bed, and his hand went straight between my legs.
“Mmm…” I threw my head back and moaned. He pushed a finger inside me, and I bucked my hips, wanting more.
“I’ll let Paz get you nice and ready with his dick,” he whispered in my ear. “Then it’s my turn, goddess.”
I couldn’t argue with that. His plan only improved on Paz’s initial plan, and I was on board. For a moment, I wondered whether I should feel weird that I’d be fucking Lamia’s son while she was downstairs, in the dining room. Then I remembered she was a demoness living in actual Hell, and lust wasn’t something she frowned upon. It was only a sin if humans did it. Humans who were not offspring of nephilim and weren’t training to become Grim Reapers, that was.
Paz pushed his pants and briefs down to his knees. His cock bounced out, and I eyed it hungrily, but there was no time for that. He positioned himself between my legs and slapped GC’s hand away. The head of his cock was at my entrance when someone knocked on the door. Which I then realized GC had left wide open.
I pushed Paz away, crossed my legs, and pulled my skirt down. Sariel and Francis stood in the doorway, amusement painted on their stupid faces.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Sariel said. “Your mom said you can show us to our rooms.”
“What rooms?” Paz and I said at the same time.
“It’s late, the Academy is too far, so she said we can sleep here tonight,” Francis explained.
Paz growled, displea
sed. His cock was painfully hard, and he had trouble stuffing it back in his pants. GC was laughing his ass off. He’d only removed his shirt, so he was cool.
“I can’t let you children travel all night,” Lamia said, appearing behind Sariel and Francis. She assessed the situation quickly, and I had the distinct impression that she saw more than any of us could see. “Mila can share a room with Paz and GC, of course. I don’t mind. And you two can share a room, if you’re into that…” Sariel blushed to the tips of his ears. He was getting ready to tell her she’d gotten it all wrong, but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Or you can each have your own room. There are so many rooms in this house that I can’t even count them!” She giggled, and the tension dissipated.
Interesting. I’d never thought of Sariel and Francis that way, but now that Lamia had pointed it out, I had to admit they were awfully close.
“Mila, let’s let the boys figure it out.” She beckoned to me, and I followed her out of Paz’s bedroom, entranced, my tights, boots, and panties forgotten on the floor. She pulled me away, down the corridor. “Tell me, honey, why do you settle for two when you could have four?”
“What? Four what?”
“Lovers,” she giggled.
“I… I…” My brain was glitching. She took me by the arm, and I inhaled her exotic, spicy perfume.
“Come on. Let’s get a hot drink and have a good, healthy girl’s talk.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I did my best to forget my “girl’s talk” with Lamia the moment we had it. She had an interesting theory about how Sariel and Francis were enamored with me. Interesting, but false. Sariel only wanted to be around me because his parents were forcing him to, and his mother wanted to see us together. Her son dating Mila Morningstar… What a success for the entire family! And Francis had his eyes on me because he knew I wanted to kill his beloved monster, god, or whatever that thing in the well was. But Paz’s mother didn’t know these details, so I let her talk, and forgave her enthusiasm at the idea that I could be fucking four guys instead of just two.
