The Classroom

DELLA

“Let’s go,” he urges, draping an arm around my shoulders.

“I have to confront Oz,” I tell him as we start walking. “And I want to do that before I have to go to the headmaster’s office tonight.”

“All right,” he replies, no argument, just acceptance. “We’re skipping the rest of power training. It’s almost dinner time.”

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” I question.

“Yep. You guys were pretty loud,” he teases. “What’s going on?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Too much excitement?” he asks.

“Nightmares.”

“Oh. Okay, I know you’re new to a lot of this stuff, but most supes believe dreams have meaning—especially if you have a strong response to them. If you want, I can help you with them?” he offers. He’s so sweet.

“What do you believe?” I ask.

“I think that dreams can tell us a lot. But unless you have divination magic, they’re usually just dreams,” he says before frowning. “Are they really bothering you?”

“I mean, kinda. This nightmare just doesn’t make any sense.” I huff. “Like, red string? What the hell is that? It’s so random.”

“Red string? Like the red string of fate?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a belief that a red string ties two souls together. Like soulmates.”

“Well, that can’t be it. Mine split into four.” I grin, giving up on this idea. I’ll have to wait and see what it turns into. I’ll drive myself crazy looking for answers.

“Maybe you have four soulmates,” he teases.

I snort and push his arm futilely. He doesn’t move an inch. “You’re hilarious.”

“I know. But hey, if you do have four soulmates, I’m okay with sharing…” His playful look turns serious. “I really am okay with it…as long as we don’t stop,” he says quietly. He shrugs at my surprise, a smile playing on his lips. “I like you. You’re not afraid of me.”

“Afraid?” I echo, puzzled.

He nods, his expression turning somber. “I’m a punisher. I’m destined to end up in Hell as a torturer. No one wants that in a partner. Even other Nephilim are wary around me, like I might explode at any moment. But you, you tease me without a second thought. Hell, you even knocked me out cold.” He grins, looking down at me.

“I enjoy teasing you,” I confess, returning his smile. “Do you like it?” I ask, a hint of nervousness creeping into my voice.

“God help me, but yes. I like it a lot,” he admits, a warm smile lighting up his dark eyes.

“I’ll remember that,” I tease, his low hum of amusement making me smile.

“Can confronting Oz wait?” he asks.

“For a while. Why?” I question, just as he pulls me into an empty room.

The room is devoid of windows, but there’s a fireplace and a table with chairs. He locks the door behind us. “This room belongs to a lust demon. He leaves it open so people can leave their pheromones for him to feed on,” he explains, an eager smile spreading across his face.

“Well, isn’t that considerate of him,” I retort. “So, what’s your grand plan, whisking me away to a popular sex spot?”

He chuckles, pulling me closer. “I’ve had plans since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he murmurs into my neck.

“What kind of plans?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

He groans in response, his lips meeting mine.

I trace my tongue along his soft, sweet lips, causing him to shudder before he parts them for me. I let my hand wander down his broad chest, taking my time. I nip at his bottom lip, and he lifts me up, his hands on my ass. I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding my hips against his. God, he feels so good.

“Della, are you teasing me?” he whispers against my lips.

“For now. I’ll tease you until you can’t take it anymore,” I whisper back. “Then you’ll have to catch me if you want me.” I wriggle against him again, feeling his arousal.

“You’re a little devil.” He grins, thrusting against me.

My body heats at his movements. I lick at his skin before leaving a mark on his neck, a reminder for later. I touch as much of him as I can get my greedy hands on as I continue rubbing against him until he’s on the brink of release. The room fills with our moans and whispers. Taking a risk, I tug at the silky, dark hair at the base of his head. He smells like cedar, and I can’t get enough of his scent.

I nip at his ear before somehow barely managing to get a grip on my raging hormones. “Find me and punish me,” I whisper, climbing off him and slipping out the door. I dive to the side and hide in an alcove, watching him pass by in a pink haze of lust. I really like him. He’s so sweet. Like a big burnt marshmallow.

My gamble seems to have paid off. I duck into the cafeteria, grab a BLT, and then head back to the changing room to get dressed. I glance at the time and see I only have a few hours to spend at the library before I have to see the headmaster.

I spot Kade twice more before I reach the library, but he doesn’t see me. I can’t help but smile as I approach the front desk.

“Hi, I need to do some research on different demons outside the main eight,” I tell the older woman behind the desk. She directs me to the right section, and I grab a few books before settling down in a comfortable chair.

I discover there’s a pain demon, a demon that feeds off lies, one that feeds off secrets, and even a demon that feeds off nightmares. Fascinating, but none of them are me.

“Hey, are we still on for research?” Micha’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I look up to see him standing in front of me.

“Absolutely. I started without you, though.”

“That’s fine. What are we looking for exactly?” he asks.

“If you come across a picture of me, that would be great,” I joke.

“I’ll keep an eye out.” He laughs.

“I’m researching different types of demons. If you could look up anything on black auras, that would be helpful.”

“Black?”

“Yep,” I confirm, my voice sounding tired.

He gets up with a smirk and returns shortly with three massive books. “All about auras.”

“Looks like I gave you the easy job, huh?” I tease, gesturing at the towering stack of books beside me.

“Well, shit,” he chuckles, glancing at the books I’ve gathered.

After a while, my eyes start to hurt. I rummage through my bag and find my glasses. I put them on and get back to work.

I hear a strange noise and look up to see Micha staring at me, his aura a bright pink. “I didn’t know you wore glasses,” he comments, sounding a bit stiff.

“Only when I’m reading for a long time or when the text is really small.”

“They suit you.” I watch as a slight pink tints the tops of his ears. It’s pretty adorable.

“Thank you,” I reply, adjusting my glasses as my cheeks heat up.

I return to my reading, learning about a demon who supposedly ate babies. That can’t be real. I check the cover of the book. ~Demons in Mortal Mythology~. I close the book in frustration and push it away, much like a child would push away a plate of broccoli.

Micha chuckles as I pick up another book.

“What? Mortals really give us a bad reputation,” I defend.

“Yeah, they do. I mean, at least take responsibility for your own actions,” he agrees, smirking. “So, I found a list of aura colors and their meanings. But no black.”

I reach for the list, excitement bubbling up inside me. “Give it here!” I exclaim as he hands it to me. “I know pink represents lust or romantic feelings. I saw it all the time when I worked at a pub. Red represents anger. I’ve seen that a lot too.”

“That’s what I feed on—the red.” He grins. “I’m a wrath demon.”

“That’s cool. So, I know this might sound wrong, but I can’t think of another way to say it, so bear with me,” I ramble. “Do you start fights or do you cause fights?” I hope he understands what I’m trying to ask.

“Actually, neither. Well, I mean, I’ve done both, but most of the time, I just feed off arguments that are already happening. People often don’t act on their anger,” he explains, then flashes a smile. “And no, you didn’t offend me.”

“Good.” I sigh in relief, wiping my brow for dramatic effect.

We return to our research, occasionally commenting on the strange things we find. Micha is a lot nicer than I initially thought. He even made me a photocopy of the page about aura colors.

After a while, I start to feel tired. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m done,” I announce, stretching my arms above my head. I hear another strange noise from Micha and look over to see him start stacking books.

“All right. Do you want to do this again tomorrow?” he asks.

“Yes, it’s going to bother me if I don’t,” I admit, placing the books into the return cart.

He steps beside me, placing his books on the cart, but he doesn’t move away. “Can I join you?” he asks, not looking at me.

“Sure. I had fun tonight.” I smile up at him. “You’re not as much of an asshole as I thought,” I add with a laugh.

He chuckles in response. “Well, that’s good to know,” he replies, walking with me to the dorms.

The gargoyles bow as we approach, and I stop to pat them on the head, causing them to purr. Micha looks at me like I’ve grown a third head.

“I don’t know. They’ve been doing it since I got here.” I shrug.

“Weird,” he mutters, looking at the gargoyles. He’s not wrong.

I see Kade charging down the hall toward us, looking triumphant. I smile and wink at him before walking into the dorms. I hear him curse as the gargoyles stop him, and I can’t help but giggle.

“What’s going on between you and the punisher?” Micha asks.

“I’ve been playing hide and seek with him,” I say with a laugh. “See you later, Micha. Thanks for the help.”

“Anytime. I’ll see you at breakfast?” he asks.

“Sounds good,” I reply, then turn back toward the gargoyles and my big sexy punisher.