Page 22 of Dark Souls Academy: The Sacrifice

The moment her shadow appeared, magic froze the people closest from the spot. We were across the way but slightly left to her, so the magic didn’t hit us as hard. Ivy finally emerged, covered in blood and gore.

I straightened and my nostrils flared. A growl was loud in the silences. Whose black blood was that? What had she been up too?

The walls rippled, and every door opened and shut as if the souls were angry that someone caused Ivy pain, because any type of summoning was painful. The thought irked me as well but having her so close to me settled the anger slightly. I still wanted to rage, demand answers, and serve up punishments, but I wasn’t the head of the faction. So, I couldn’t. If I did, I’d be challenging Ivy, and every faction challenge was to the death.

Ivy stood there, her beautiful fangs bared and ready to strike at anyone who dared to look at her the wrong way. Her deadly claws dug into the wood of the doorframe, her anger radiating like a steaming kettle. Even in her fury, she stole my breath away. I could hardly believe she was mine.

“Who the fuck summoned me?” Her voice boomed as if rippling with magic. Yet her tone was what made other demons flinch away. It was as harsh as the darkest shadow that coveredher eyes. The way the shadow moved reminded me of my own magic but, with her black veins traveling down her cheeks she even scared me slightly. Which just thrilled me even more. Her black horns vibrated as lust filtered in the air threatening to drop everyone to their knees if she didn’t get answers.

My head cocked to the side as I studied her. Her mannerism seemed off, harsher than my mate had ever sported. My brothers saw it as well because they stiffened with me.

What’s wrong with Dreamgirl? She’s…

Bones gasped.Her demon is taking over.

How the fuck can that happen?I asked as my gaze snapped to his for a second before they were zeroed in on Ivy again.It’s not possible. She wouldn’t let it. Not after what we went through with Tila.

Trigger grunted.She may not even know what’s going on. She hasn’t truly fed for weeks and by the looks of it, she left off where we ended, torturing Lucifer’s subjects for answers.

How would she even know how… The Headmaster. That prick has a hard on for our girl, he’d do anything for her.

Trigger shrugged as Bones seethed behind him.She’s keeping Lucifer from torturing him again by claiming the school as hers. He might consider her a goddess at this point. I’d probably have a crush too. It doesn’t matter, though. She’s ours and we aren’t fucking losing her over a dumb argument. The whole point was to keep her safe and we’re doing the opposite. We need to suck up any issues we have and get our girl back before it’s too late.

Agreed.I’d do anything to keep her from turning into just another mindless demon. I’d fucking bow at her feet if I had to, pride be damned.

My mind was still whirling as Stanine stood. The two men who held him down were dead on the ground. The dash of power that Nyx gave him for offering himself up to a strongerdemon wouldn’t last, but I had to give it to him. He loved Tila enough to sacrifice himself for her, using the biggest loophole for summoning a demon was a rare but a powerful gesture. He could only do it once in his life.

Tila didn’t deserve his loyalty, but I understood the feeling of wanting to protect your mate. It was how I felt with Ivy and why I started the argument between us in the first place. All I wanted was to keep her safe, but I ended up pushing her away instead.

“You?” Ivy questioned with a cocked hip that gave me a glimpse of her old self. Good, we still had time to change her back before all her emotions were turned off. “You’re pledging your life to me? I’m pretty sure you tried to kill me once.”

He winced. “I didn’t understand things then. I see where I need to align myself now. Please forgive me.” He knelt, but he stood again when she didn’t say anything.

Ivy's brows wrinkled in confusion. When her gaze caught on Tila, and why he would sacrifice his soul to her, she let out a fierce growl. My cock twitched in my pants. She was magnificent. Without hesitation her mouth opened, and a dark cloud shot from Fray and Burnell to land in Ivy's mouth. They both dropped to the floor like discarded garbage, drained of life.

Alaric and Dex made it through the crowd just in time to watch the dark clouds disappear inside of our mate, but that didn’t stop them from going to Ivy’s side. She stiffened but wouldn’t dare make them an even bigger targets by fighting their nearness. Our enemies would pounce on any weaknesses that we had and, even worse, tell the Devil that we were not united.

Dex took advantage of the situation and kissed Ivy with so much heat that Trigger moaned. We had all missed her more than she realized. Just being this close to her made me feel whole again. He was hungry and Ivy was full to the brim of his only source of food, so she let him feed off her. The moan that escaped her had Trigger and Bones moving closer to her as well.

Feeling the charge through the bond between them made my demon rip at my insides, reminding me of my own hunger. I took advantage of the crowd around me, sucking in the pride and gluttony others were giving off. Pride that they weren’t a part of the drama but able to watch it. Another demon feeding and his desire to have more. The constant hunger in his belly. I’d need blood as well, but my demon wouldn’t eat from anyone but his mate. That was out of the question right now. She wouldn’t let me sink my fangs into her even if I let myself. My shadows only wanted her.

As if on cue, Smokey burst from my chest with a powerful howl, sending a wave of fear rippling through the air. The shadows rolled over him like oil. Despite the chaos, Ivy opened her arms with a wide smile, welcoming my beast. Others around us moved away and a few even flinched at the sight of him. His bear and wolf mixed form was creepy to see for the first time.

A wave of jealousy surged through me, irrational and fierce. How could I be envious of something that was a part of me? It might sound absurd, but Smokey wasn’t me. I wanted my mate to embrace me as she did my shadow. Even my other creatures inside me whimpered for that same affection.

After a few seconds, she stopped petting Smokey and turned to Stanine. “I’ll accept your proposal, but you and your mate group will have to pledge an oath as well. A binding oath.” Slight pink filtered through the darkness of her eyes as they snapped to Tila. My mate was smart for not trusting Tila. Yet, whatever she saw in the evil bitch’s eyes made her shoulders relax.

Whispers spread through the crowd as Ivy's terms settled in. I didn’t blame her for demanding the rest of Stanine’s group pledge an oath. However, having the top six in the academy join her faction might cause riots. It meant she officially had the strongest faction. But she’d be pulling Nar into our fold. I barelytrusted Tila not to find a way to break the oath. Nar would never stop trying to break it himself.

“Agreed,” Stanine shouted just as Nar shouted, “Not fucking happening.” But the only response that was binding was Stanine’s agreement to Ivy’s term since he gave a piece of his soul to make the deal. Nar couldn’t say no. Neither could Balthazar or Tila.

A pink band of Ivy’s magic wrapped around their necks like a leash and disappeared. They didn’t even have to say anything to complete the oath.

“Holy shit,” Trigger whispered, and I had to agree.

What was happening right now? How did Ivy just bind four people? Two of them strong demons. Nar was fifth, Stanine was sixth, and Balthazar was in the top twenty strongest in the academy. How strong was my mate to wield that kind of control? I didn’t know, but fuck was I hard for my mate. She had turned into a fucking wicked Queen.

Nar roared his anger out like a true beast. “I challenge Ivy for top spot in the faction!”

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