Double Your Pleasure Bundle (51 page)

Sophie’s hands didn’t feel sweaty anymore, and her heartbeat was close to normal now. A wave of calm and confidence rushed through her veins at Lilith’s words, and she felt almost ready to accept whatever her new life had to offer. She was meant to be here, in this warm room, with a bright future ahead of her, and not trapped in some unknown French town, living a dull life in the company of her mother.

The red-haired succubus smiled at the change she saw flickering in the novice’s eyes. “Lure Academy is here to show you the basics and teach you the true history of humankind. From then on, the rest becomes your responsibility. Only by working hard will you be able to live up to the great purpose that you’ve been destined to achieve.”

Sophie took the book and papers from Lilith. The book was heavy, with gold gothic letters carved in its black leather cover: “Lure Academy: History and Facts”.

“Your journey starts in this office. I’m giving you the history of our struggle against the dark forces, your schedule and, more importantly, your personal file. Study it carefully, learn who you are, and let the ones around you know. Working in a team is crucial.”

Sophie thanked the headmistress with a barely audible whisper, and trembled when she felt Lilith’s fingers on her chin.

“I feel you’ll do a great job one day.” Looking into the girl’s eyes, Lilith believed her own words. She turned to her desk, making a dismissive sign with her hand.

Hebe quickly understood. The white-haired succubus led Sophie out of Lilith’s office and then out of the building, right into the cold air of the evening. The snow had long ceased to fall, and the entire court was glowing in the light of the lamp posts spread all around the semi-circle.

“You know, she doesn’t need those glasses,” Hebe began. “She’s only wearing them because they look fancy.”

Sophie shot Hebe a confused look. “It’s kind of obvious, I guess.”

Hebe took that as a hint to continue her babbling. Out of all the Alluring Ones, she was the closest to the Academy’s students. Because her main task was to bring in the new cambions, she found it enjoyable to act human when not a drop of human blood ran through her veins. Humans were free. Humans could talk for hours without saying one meaningful thing and, more importantly, not do one useful thing. Hebe thought her so-called brothers and sisters were rather boring, so she let them deal with the important stuff at the Academy. She was there for the students, and she loved her job. The fact that all cambions were unique and developed their powers in their own time, kept her busy. Instead of bringing in new students once a year, as it happened in all educational institutions, they had to bring them in only when they were ready.

“Of course, Lilith is the highest ranked in the Pantheon and everyone only whispers her name. But, seriously, she’s always exaggerating. It’s not all about work. There are many ways you can enjoy yourself, too.” She glanced in a playful way at her companion, and even gave her a suggestive wink. “And I repeat: many ways.”

The succubus’ behavior made a sudden wave of warmth rush to Sophie’s cheeks. She had a feeling that one of her most burning questions had just been answered, and to her surprise, she was looking forward to those ways of enjoying herself. Except… but no. She couldn’t think about that. She couldn’t allow her fears and insecurities to take a hold of her now, when she had gotten so far and so many new, incredible experiences were waiting for her. When Lilith had looked her in the eyes, Sophie had felt an unnatural feeling building in her stomach: impatience, enthusiasm, and some sort of inner peace at the thought that, finally, she would belong somewhere, she wouldn’t feel out of place anymore, like a child abandoned among strangers.

They had already climbed the stairs to the second floor of the building that was exclusively destined to the students’ dorms. The first thing she noticed was that the heaters were probably functioning at full blast. Way more comfortable than the cold air outside. They stopped in front of a heavy wooden door, and Sophie thought this was one extraordinary thing about the Academy: all spaces were wide, and all ceilings were tall and gave a sense of freedom.

“This is your room. You’ll share it with Lamia. She’s your age but she’s already been here for quite a while. She’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

Sophie took the key from Hebe, and the white-haired girl made to leave.

“Got to go now! Don’t forget: the hetaerae will be here in two hours to help you prepare for the Midnight Ceremony.”

“Hey, wait!” Sophie tried not to raise her voice. When Hebe stopped in her tracks, she continued: “Who’s that?”

The person Sophie was referring to was a young man who was angrily trying to find the right key to his room. He was tall, his body strong, yet lean and elegant. He had shoulder-length blond hair, and he was wearing extremely skinny, low-riding jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Even though she couldn’t see his face, Sophie could guess his angelic features which, combined with the quick, confident way he moved, could only make a dangerously delicious combination.

“That’s Kain Svjetlo.” Hebe had moved closer to Sophie. “He’s just moved on this floor but, trust me, he’s the last person you’d want to mess with.”

Hebe’s giggles didn’t make Sophie feel any better, so she took her advice for granted and went into her own room.

♥

The room was quite large, with light pink walls and a huge window right across the door. On her left side, Sophie could see a small bathroom and, at her right, there were two four-posters covered in rich covers and soft pillows. There were two desks as well, a computer and some books on each of them. The bed near the window was already taken by a young girl who looked up from the book she was reading.

Lamia was Sophie’s age and about the same height. She had olive skin, black eyes, and black curly hair that flowed over her shoulders in a river of dark, luscious waves. Her body was slender, with small breasts and narrow hips. At first sight, Sophie thought that the firm, athletic girl, lazily spread over the thick blankets, resembled a Greek Amazon.

“Are you just going to stand there? Your things have arrived.”

Lamia’s voice was full and melodious. With a slow movement of her hand she gestured to the other bed, where Sophie saw her luggage. When the new girl didn’t move from her spot in the door frame, Lamia got out of the bed and, a couple of seconds later, Sophie found herself dragged inside the bedroom, the door slammed shut behind her.

Lamia had a strong grip on Sophie’s hand and a huge smile on her face. “I’m Lamia. We’re gonna be best friends. Can’t wait! I’ve been here for three months now and it’s the first time they’re giving me a roommate.”

Sophie smiled hesitantly. Before she could answer, she felt Lamia’s hands all over her face and hair.

“Let me see you.”

Lamia threaded her fingers through her new friend’s soft hair and touched her delicate features. She had always been a touchy-feely person, and the three months in which she only had her books to keep her company got her bored and nearly insane. As she was tracing Sophie’s full lips with the tips of her fingers, she couldn’t stop imagining all the things they were going to do together.

Sophie felt Lamia’s touches like fire on her skin. Her heart started beating faster, the other girl’s scent invading her nostrils, the warmth of her body enveloping all her senses. She felt admired, desired, seeing satisfaction and pleasure in her roommate’s eyes. The brunette was now looking intently at her lips, and Sophie almost leaned in to kiss her. Just as she shivered in anticipation, Lamia drew back and dragged her briskly to her bed. She let go of her hand only to free the mattress of the entire luggage, dumping it to the floor. Lamia made herself comfortable and motioned to the still dazzled Sophie to sit by her side. When she did, the brunette took the book and papers from her hands.

“Is this your file?”

At Lamia’s inquiry, Sophie wanted to grab her things back, but the girl avoided her hands.

“Come on! I only want to see who your parents are.”

“Well, that’s easy. My father was a priest and my mother’s an accountant.”

“No, not those parents! Your real ones,” said Lamia, but stopped when she picked the implications of Sophie’s answer. “Wait. Your father
was
a priest?”

“Yeah… he died two years ago. Heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry. You must miss him a lot.”

Sophie gave Lamia a weak smile. “It was hard at first, but you get used to it. Now tell me about those other… parents.”

“Oh, let me tell you mine first. Tengu’s my dad, and that crazy Nyame bitch’s my mom.” Lamia laughed at Sophie’s expression. “Of course, I don’t call them mom and dad. You never do that.”

“Tengu and Nyame?”

“My God! Don’t tell me you don’t even know the Pantheon.”

“No, I just got here.” Sophie looked boringly at the huge history book. “I guess I’ll have to start reading this.”

“You bet. But it can wait. I can tell you some things myself. Come on, let me see your file. It’s not like it’s some kind of secret. We all know our parents here. It kind of helps us understand each other better.”

Curious, Sophie took the file from Lamia and opened it between them, on the bed.

“So, so… who has made your precious existence possible? There: Ke-sar and Anahit.”

“Who are they?”

“Well, baby, it seems like you’re pretty lucky with this inheritance. Anahit is second in rank after Lilith, and Ke-sar is the first ranked incubus. Quite a hottie too.”

“How do they look like?”

“Well, you can browse the
History
and see for yourself, or you can wait ‘till tonight. They’re all going to be present at the ceremony. I can show them to you.”

Sophie was studying the file over her roommate’s shoulder. “Will I talk to them?”

“What? No! No way, you don’t do that. They’re important because you may have inherited some specific features from them. This makes us, your colleagues, know you better. Lure is all about knowing ourselves and knowing one another. Other than that, The Alluring Ones are not exactly our parents. Sometimes they’re barely even teachers.”

“Have you ever talked to… mmm… like… mom?”

“No. Never. And you don’t call them that, okay?”

“Okay…”

Looking at Lamia’s profile, Sophie wished she had known everything her roommate knew and even more. The world she had started discovering only a couple of hours ago kept getting more and more fascinating, raising confusion, curiosity and delight in Sophie’s soul. She simply wanted to take her book from Lamia, dive under the soft blankets of her bed and absorb the new information as fast and as hungrily as she could. Unfortunately, Lamia wouldn’t have any of that.

“Come on, let’s do something useful. I’ll show you the palace.”

♥

“Now we’re in the West Pavilion. Here, there are only dorms, the cafeteria and the kitchen, downstairs. Oh, and there’s also a common room.”

“How many buildings are there?”

“Four. And an infirmary between the North and the East Pavilions. We also call them Occidens, Oriens, Meridies and Septentrio. It’s easier that way.”

They had already reached the first floor and passed the cafeteria, heading towards the front door. Between the entrance and the stairs that led to the upper floors, there was a wide hall. The ceiling was supported by tall pillars and everything was covered in white marble. Here and there, the walls were covered in paintings displaying various mythological creatures. Sophie noticed that in this part of the building, unicorns seemed to be the main motif. She didn’t have time to study her surroundings as Lamia opened the heavy door and they stepped into the cold January air.

“Now, the classrooms are in the North Pavilion, or better, Septentrio, along with the library. You’ll see it’s impressive. This is where we’ll spend most of our time. Mmm… maybe not exactly in the classrooms…”

Lamia turned to Sophie, took her hand and squeezed it lightly to get her attention. When Sophie looked up into her friend’s eyes, she was intrigued by her suggestive grin. “What do you mean?”

Lamia laughed cheerfully, satisfied by her impact on her innocent roommate. “You’ll see. If you’re a good girl, I’ll take you there tonight.”

“Where?”

To answer the question, Lamia got closer to Sophie to whisper in her ear. This seductive gesture made her shiver and blush.

“The Red Chamber.”

When Sophie wanted to ask her next question, Lamia silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. They were very close, and Sophie could almost forget about the freezing wind which seemed to blow right through her clothes. Not drawing back, Lamia continued with the presentation of the palace in a hushed voice. If someone were to see them so close and intimate, they would think the two girls had some secrets to share.

“In the South Pavilion, which is actually the smallest, you can find the offices and chambers of The Alluring Ones. You’ve already been there.”

“How many are there in the Pantheon?”

“Eleven.” Lamia circled Sophie’s waist with her right arm and dragged her in the middle of the court. “And that’s the East Pavilion. This is where they keep the prisoners.”