Page 62 of Hell’s Flame

I glare at him. “Whatever. Thanks. Get his ass up, so he’s not late.”

Khazon nods. “Let me walk you back to your dorm until Hazen or someone can.”

“Nope,” I leave the room without another word. I take my time crossing campus, but when I get to the front of the academy, I see a familiar fae face walking around with his huge hellhounds.

“You have a hellhound following you,” Ryker says with a smirk, flashing his fangs.

I shrug. “Khazon’s.”

He nods, glancing at the hellhound that’s following me, one Khazon sent after me. “Do you want me to walk you the rest of the way?”

Our eyes meet, but I glance at the hellhounds behind him that don’t seem too amused. “No. I can handle it.”

Ryker snorts. “Yeah… But if something did happen, your father with have my ass and job in the same hand.” He jerks his chin, motioning for me to lead the way.

“Ahh, I see. Get brownie points from my father, get his daughter easier, right?”

He touches his nose with his index finger. “You are exactly right.” He follows beside me, and I take in his tactical gear. It looks like it was made perfectly for him. He was meant to be a Soul Reaper. “Being on campus brings back memories…”

I look up to his face and see his pink eyes staring off at the training field. “Any good stories?”

He lets out a sigh. “Alexis, my lovely Earth hellhound.” He points over his shoulder and my eyes meet the tallest, biggest hellhound. He was there when I first met Ryker. He has dreads that run down his back and his skin is a russet golden brown. His brown eyes check me out, and I quickly turn around. He looks… scary. “He beat the fuck out of me once in front of that fountain. Then I made him my hellhound.”

I snort. “What did you do?”

He shrugs. “Talked shit. I was an asshole when I went to the academy. He would put me in my place. We became top of our class.”

A smirk runs across my face.

“I doubt you are here to be top of your class,” he says, bumping my hip with his.

With a shake of my head, I explain, “I have to find my hellhounds to claim the throne. Well… it’s better to, but there’s no rule.”

“How does it feel to be the queen soon?”

I look up, stopping in my tracks. No one has ever asked that before. “I don’t… feel like a queen. I feel like a normal person. I left Hell and lived on Earth for two years, so it made me feel…”

“Human?”

I nod, walking again. “No demonic responsibilities. Just me, dancing.”

“So, you like to dance?”

I nod my head again. “Yeah. I took classes and all for it.”

He smiles. “You’ll have to show me some moves sometime.”

That makes me smile. I doubt he knows I was a stripper, and I will gladly show him a thing or two.

Ryker opens the door. “I’ll see you around. Heard you’re having a fight today for a hellhound. I’m rooting for you. Remember, elbows in.”

I roll my eyes, stopping in front of him. “So sweet. Thanks, Mr. Azule.”

“Of course, Ms. Beelzebub. You need anything”—his pink eyes move up and down my body—“find me, baby.”

“Give up on it, Ryker.” I pat his chest, moving up the case of stairs.

He shrugs. “Never, Asura.”

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