Page 40 of Caelum

“Because their anger shields them,” I quoted what Nicholas had told me earlier that week.

“Yes. We’re all tied to something, Eve.”

“I know. That’s where the basis of the seven deadly sins comes from, isn’t it? Lust for the Incubi and Succubi. Sin Eaters are the gluttons. Gargoyles are sloths, and Vampires are greedy. Hell Hounds are wrathful, with Weres being prideful.”

“And Loreleis are envious.” She smirked. “Or should I say we covet what we cannot have.”

I gnawed my lip as I stared at her smirk. “Are we evil, Merry?”

“Just because our traits were misinterpreted along the way and used as a guideline for humans doesn’t make us true sinners, Eve. Anyway, you know religion doesn’t belong here.”

I did, and though I preferred it to my past life, that didn’t make it easy to break the habit.

My earliest memories involved the Church. We attended twice a day, three times during the festivities. Even as a child, we’d worked hard, had many chores, and going from such an active day to a relatively slow one was surprising.

Though most of the other students complained about the load the Academy placed on them, I didn’t because it wasn’t.

I didn’t have to help make dinner for hundreds, didn’t have to serve men who leered at me when my Lorelei was in full force. There were these marvelous machines called dishwashers that didn’t necessitate my rubbing my hands raw as I cleaned hundreds of plates. I didn’t have to teach the children, didn’t have to read the Bible out loud. And, most importantly, I was never punished physically.

That was the most joyful difference between thecompound and here.

Even if I made a mistake, even if I did something wrong or even refused to do something, they never used brute force against me.

It was deliciously liberating, and to a certain extent, intoxicating.

“Do you know what that heat in your belly means?”

Merry seemed intent on driving a point home, but I didn’t know where she was going with this.

I’d been at Caelum for fifteen days now, and most things confused me but being with Nestor, Stefan, and Eren didn’t. They were the only things that made me feel grounded, and I didn’t appreciate Merry stirring things up and making me question their friendship.

I scowled at her. “Why are you trying to make things harder for me?”

“I’m not. I’m trying to teach you something.”

Her bland expression didn’t appease me at all. “Okay, what are you trying to teach me exactly?”

“How relationships between men and women work.”

“I don’t want to know. Not yet.”

“They’re creatures, Eve. That’s what they want. And if you hadn’t been raised where you were, you’d want that too. I’m trying to spare you any confusion.”

“I’d prefer to stay confused,” I argued. “I’ve seen lust, Merry. Trust me. I know what it looks like, and it’s nothing like how the boys look at me.”

She sighed and pressed her back against the panes of glass so she could stare at me and shake her head at the same time. “What you saw was a perverted lust.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “Yes. It was.” The Brothers waited for an eighteenth birthday to wed a girl, but it didn’t stop them from drooling over the Sisters.

“It isn’t always like that, Eve,” she argued.

“I should hope not.” I smiled at her. “Are we finished for today?”

“Not really,” Merry stated grimly. “But we can pick things up tomorrow. You’re reading those books Nicholas gave you?”

Was I ever. I’d never had access to such reading material in my life. I was in heaven.

Literally.

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