Page 13 of Dark Souls Academy: The Sacrifice

“What the fuck are you doing down here? I told you this would be a death trap for someone like you, pretty boy.” Myharsh tone didn’t affect him, he just perked up at my words, even as he panted.

“I am pretty, thank you,” he said quickly and fanned himself. The glistening mess of his face just made him look like he sparkled. My demon didn’t like it. She was the only one that glittered. I shook my head at that thought.

He smiled at me when I waited for him to settle. I couldn’t help my scoff. This guy was too chipper for my liking. I needed a brooding demon here, so we could grumble and talk shit together.

As he reached me, he bent over and put a hand on his hip. “You… wouldn’t… mark… me…” He kept breathing roughly as his words came out in staccato, “so… I… ran… my pretty ass… here.” I rolled my eyes but let him catch his breath because I needed full sentences, not this panting mess.

With one more big gulp, he stood. “That run was no joke. The building even helped part of the way. Fuck cardio.”

I tapped my foot. My patience was gone already. “Spit it out. What do you want?”

He licked his lips before speaking. “Right, okay. The other Incubi are not happy, Ivy. You made me their spokesperson or go-between. Whatever. I’m a glorified messenger.” He flipped his blue hair from his sweaty forehead. “They want to challenge your Incubus protector.”

The growl slipped out of me even before my brain could register that he had more to say.

Ark lifted his dark, almost feminine, arms. “Before you go all Hulk on them, it’s not their fault. You’re a Queen, Ivy. Your protector—or protectors—are supposed to be by your side at all times. They don’t know you guys are fighting, so they feel insulted that Dex would keep them away but not protect you. We don’t want their anger to get out of hand. I know you don’t wantthem following you around everywhere, so I volunteered to be your… well, your assistant.”

My lips twitched in a reflexive refusal, but he noticed and pushed on. “You don’t want the Incubi challenging your mate. We don’t fight fair. They’d attack all at once. If you stepped in, it would mean forfeiting your protector. I promise you, it would make your life a million times worse. There might not be many Succubi around, but already there are fifty Incubi here. You really don’t want them turning against your mate.”

He stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. “That’s why I’m backing you up. Flirting aside, I know you’re not going to take another Incubus. I’m doing this out of respect and loyalty. You give us hope, Ivy. Please handle this the right way."

I sighed. This was going to suck. I shrugged off his hand, stood straighter, and gave him a sharp nod.

His pleased smile only annoyed me more. “Be quiet and follow my orders. The Headmaster will put a silencing oath on you. Understood?”

Ark eagerly nodded. The excitement on his pretty face just annoyed me. I was going to regret this. Yet, I still took his arm and sent my energy into him. He felt like a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. My mark wouldn't be on him, but he could link with my mind as the faction member. As he did a happy dance, I turned and walked away.

We were close to where I needed to be to speak with the prisoner, so once I went through the door, the Headmaster’s loud voice echoed around the hall.

He was on his communicator with someone. His red fist clenched as he glared at the hologram screen. “For fuck’s sake, shut up and challenge the bastard. The Queen of the school made the battle matches for a reason.” He hung up.

His hooved legs stomped around. “These communicators should stop translating different languages, so I could go backto shaking my head and saying, I don’t understand you.” He mumbled to himself. “Life was better when I didn’t have to hear them bitch like a bunch of newborn babies.”

I cleared my throat before I got too close to him. No need to startle the Potens Demon and end up with a fire ball to the face or something. He might be magically trapped in the academy like me, but he had won the Demon Trials once and had tons of power inside that red body of his. He had to or the other staff would kill him. The professors couldn’t touch the students without cause, but there wasn’t any restraint for staff. If they weren’t all powerful Potens Demons, there would be a fight every day. It was in demon’s nature to fight for dominance.

His red face turned my way. Those red eyes roamed over my tired pinched face, making his mood brighten. I really should kill him. He shook his head and handed over a large steaming cup of hope. “I’m glad I got this. Drink up, we have things to do.”

The fucker got me coffee! I couldn’t kill him now. Damn. I guess the prisoner was going to get the brunt of my anger.

I sucked down the liquid gold. Coffee was practically nonexistent in Hell until Dex bribed the Headmaster to put a café in the slave’s entertainment center. I had forgotten where the hidden door was located, or I would live there. It definitely wasn’t Heaven, but we had coffee, which was the next best thing, right?

It was time to get some answers, and this demon better have them. This was our first captured Potens Demon. They were way harder to capture, so we ended up killing them instead. Lucifer himself read from the Demon bible to give them the extra boost in power, so I wasn’t surprised it was difficult to capture the fuckers. The book was ancient and demanded respect. Literally. The book was alive and only gave spells when earned, or Lucifer would have abused the magic the moment, he got it for sure. I had never seen it, but the stories were well known.

The wondrous, steaming joy going down my throat woke me up and made my chest feel bubbly like after watching a good comedy did almost instantly. “I’m glad we have this place for the big bads now. It makes life more interesting.” My growing good mood was cut off by the Headmaster’s snort.

My glare snapped to him. “This isn’t where ‘the big bads,’ as you call them, go. Only a true demon-holding prison could keep a Potens Demon locked up for long, or a strong demon. Those ones go to the rock.”

I stopped walking. “What the fuck is the rock?” I didn’t stop drinking though and the hot liquid damn near burnt my tastebuds completely off. There wasn’t a thing in me that cared about the pain, as long as I had more coffee.

He waved me off like it didn’t matter, but my status in the Academy said he had to tell me. “It’s a set of boulders in the Fae forest on the opposite side from where the Nati Demons come onto the grounds during Night Duty. Not many know about it because of its ability to link to other worlds.”

His words got stuck in my head as if my brain had turned into sticky honey.

“Are you saying we could get out of the Academy through the prison?” I whispered my words just in case someone was listening.

He snapped his long, sharp finger and pointed it at me. “That is why we stopped telling students about it. The prison is a trap. If I could get them on the other side of the wall and off school land, I would. No one, not even Lucifer himself, could leave once they’re in there. Anyone with demon blood inside of them couldneverleave. The Goddess Nyx made the place herself.”

That fucking sucked. The dungeon was nice, but the prison would help us keep stronger demons for questioning. And it could be away to escape.

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