Page 12 of Laid Bare

Thank fuck. I love my twin to purgatory and back, but ninety percent of the time, he’ll disagree with the plan, and it’ll start a massive fight between us. And those have never ended without a good dose of bloodshed.

One thing I can say about the used-to-be human realm is that it’s teaming with bubbly, effervescent life. Everywhere I look as we roll through the main city, supernaturals of every walk of life are smiling, laughing, and just generally enjoying their day. It’s such a far cry from the inhabitants of Hell. There, they’re miserable, there’s no chance to really make your life better, and the ruler of Hell can be a dick.

Which isn’t saying much for Lucifer.

The bright sun sits high in the sky, almost ready to start making its descent for the night. That observation alone tells me we’re late. Not that I didn’t know that already. I purposely dragged my feet earlier when we were getting ready to leave because, well, I’m not a fucking babysitter.

As the city disappears in the rearview mirror, a large forest blankets both sides of the road leading toward the castle that houses the academy. I’ve been here numerous times before, but that was back when the castle was still a family home for the Stonewells. As a prince of Hell, I’ve been sent to the realm many times before to handle business, and it was the perfect place to stay. Everything a demon—-hell, any supernatural for that matter—could need was readily accessible. But since its conversion, I don’t even know if it retains any of the natural elements as before.

That’ll be a shame if little Jasper destroyed his family’s legacy.

I cringe at my own inner monologue. Those words make me sound like an elder.

And I’m far from it—still in my prime, thank you very much.

It’s been hundreds of years since we last saw Jasper, and there’s no way he’d still constitute as little. By now, I’m sure the gargoyle rivals my brother and me in size and stature. Not to mention the power of his name alone.

The SUV finally rolls to a stop in front of the stone steps leading up to the main door of the castle. From the way it looks, nothing has changed. Turrets still stand above the main walls in the four corners, and the immaculate grounds still look like they’re manicured every day. The only thing that really stands out that wasn’t there before is the crowd of supernaturals flitting all over the place.

Back then, you had to be someone important just to step foot anywhere near Stonewell Castle. Now it seems if you have even just a drop of magical essence, you can be here.

It’s blasphemy.

Bane kills the engine before popping open his door, while I follow suit, ducking down just to clear my horns from scraping on the roof. That’s one tick against our employer I plan to complain about. We’re fucking demon princes, bigger than other demons, but yet, they give us a vehicle that’s barely big enough to handle our larger stature.

Speaking of our employer, that fucking angel better hold his end of the hells-damned bargain. Once this kid gets her magic shit together, our debt is clear. Councilman or not, I’ll kill the son of a bitch if he reneges.

After all, it was Lucifer’s bullshit he had to clean up. Not ours. But that fucking fallen angel bastard pinned it on us, and being young demons, who were we to fight back against the powers to be?

Bane’s long legs quickly eat up the distance between us as he skirts around the front of the SUV, coming to a stop beside me. Our surroundings come to a standstill, every supernatural in the vicinity halting in their tracks to eye my brother and I warily. It’s not every day demons come to this realm. We prefer Hell over anywhere else due to the constant high temperature versus the whacked ass weather that happens here.

But I know that’s not the only reason they are staring. In normal circumstances, the inhabitants of Hell will don a glamour when they’re here on business. But my brother and I? Never. We don’t give a flying fuck if we scare people. This is us, and we refuse to hide it.

Now, while we may be twins, we aren’t identical. Not in the slightest. From the curvature of our horns to our skin color, not one thing screams twins. Our blood and our birthday are the only things tying us together as siblings.

“Shall we?” Bane muses, twisting his neck with an audible crack.

“Do we have to?” I grimace, the hellfire in my veins surging with my reluctance.

“Well, it’s too late now.” I follow Bane’s gaze, seeing a grown-up Jasper fluidly striding down the stairs and in our direction.

The gargoyle has definitely grown into his stone from the last time we saw him. Hell, even the three-piece suit is new from the jeans and Henley’s he would wear as a kid. Maybe it’s the position, maybe it’s his age. But Jasper exudes authority, though nowhere near the level my brother and I have.

“Zane and Bane Acheron. It’s been a long time.” Jasper holds his hand out in a gesture of welcome, and after we both shake, he steps back, looking us over. “I see some things never change,” he rumbles, eyeing our true forms.

“And it looks like you finally grew into your big ass head,” Bane counters, earning a snort of laughter from the gargoyle.

“Yes, well, centuries in between visits will do that,” he counters, his gaze roving over the gawking students. “Let’s get up to my office, and I’ll fill you both in.” His rocky wings crack as they flare behind his back, and his tail swishes in agitation at the crowd forming around us.

Jasper spins on his loafered heel, heading back toward the main entrance, while ignoring the whispers no doubt reaching his ears.

My eyes meet Bane’s, and with a pop of hellfire, our own wings expand from our backs, causing everyone to scream and scatter in fear. Jasper chuckles from ahead of us, used to the same antics we pulled back when he was a mere child.

Stepping over the threshold, it’s easy to see that much of the originality of the castle is still the same from when it was nothing more than a home the Stonewell family lived in. Minimal changes aesthetically have been made, but I can’t guarantee the same could be said for the rooms hidden behind the numerous doors we pass. After all, classes need to be held somewhere.

Jasper takes us on a small tour, pointing out where the important things are—like the cafeteria. That has to be one of my favorite spots thus far. Bane and I are still growing demons, so sustenance is a must. Plus, it seems that’s where the students congregate the most, so I’ll be able to appease the other side of me easily there.

Our steps take us to various different floors where the classrooms are held, ending at the office of the headmaster himself. Everything about this one room screams Jasper. From the massive desk dominating the center of the space to the large fireplace along the wall. Hell’s bells, if I remember correctly, this might have even been his father’s office and his grandfather’s before him.

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