Diana’s intense stare, so like her mother’s, shifted to Eva, who sighed.
“I found fae runes covered in blood all around Portland. Somehow, the combination of blood and fae runes—which don’t usually require blood—lets demons into our world.”
“Hmmm.” Diana chewed her lip, and turned back around, apparently needing a minute to absorb the new information.
Good luck. I barely understand it, and I witnessed everything.
Even before we found ourselves fighting for our lives in the dank Portland underground, everything had been so damn confusing. We hadn’t had any idea what the fae runes or blood meant. Or why Eva’s demon scars reacted to other demons’ presence. As a greater demon had made them, and not a royal of Hell, they shouldn’t have been so sensitive. Nothing like mine, which was a curse from Queen Ishtar herself.
Or so wethought.
During the battle, we’d discovered that the succubus who had scarred Eva had been carrying King Lucifer’s child. His essence and blood ran through the succubus, and now by extension, Eva.
My best friend was demon-touched, just like me. Which meant that she had a target on her back too. And most likely, that we both had a crapload of questions to answer before Headmistress Wake set us loose in the academy.
I inhaled a deep breath, preparing myself for the formidable witch who was the headmistress of our academy.Let the fun begin.
Chapter Two
Headmistress Priscilla Wake closed the door, sealing us inside her office. “Take a seat.” She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.
I arched an eyebrow. The only other time I’d been in her office, there had been two wing-backed chairs. Today, there were four. The headmistress had clearly expected Hunter and Alex to join the meeting.
Eva and I claimed the middle seats, and our boyfriends winged us protectively.
Immediately, my best friend began to squirm. I placed a gentle hand on her arm, letting her know that I’d take the lead.
“You wanted to talk about our internships, Headmistress Wake?”
“Yes.” The master of our school situated herself in her armchair gracefully and nodded, business as usual. “I’d like a full debriefing of what happened, straight from you two ladies.”
“Fine.” Not about to lay the burden on Eva, I launched into the story. Nothing I said seemed to faze the headmistress. Not news of the fae runes that had been covered in blood to transport demons into our realm, or the battle we’d fought below the city of Portland. Emotion had no place on her face. And although I recognized that it shouldn’t—she was a trained spy, after all—her reaction frustrated me more with each passing minute.
“And that’s what happened,” I finished and leaned back in my chair, waiting for her to grill me.
Instead, Headmistress Wake rose and went to her liquor cabinet. She plucked a crystal decanter filled with brown liquid from her stash and served herself a two-fingered pour.
As if she’d forgotten that we were there, the headmistress turned to look at us. “After a story such as that, I’d offer you some, but you’re underage.”
“Makestotalsense why we take a mixology workshop every year, then,” Hunter muttered under his breath.
Wake shot him a glare heated enough to singe the hair off his head, but said nothing before tossing the drink back.
When she returned to her seat, she folded her hands in front of her. “Since last year’s Beltane Trials, I’ve been conducting research on demon-touched witches.”
“So, thetworeported cases,” Alex muttered.
The headmistress didn’t shift her gaze from Eva and me. “Yes.Thosecases, Mr. Wardwell.” She leaned forward so that her elbows rested on her desk. “It seems that while the afflicted witches shared symptoms, their experiences of being demon-touched varied wildly. Some hypothesize that it comes down to the royal demon’s intent when they touch you. All we know is it’s not only the act of touching that produces a mark. Otherwise, many black witches could make the claim that they’re demon-touched after making a deal with evil. It’s because of this . . . individuality in marks that I must ask—are you two in control of your demon marks?”
A deep line formed between my eyebrows. I hadn’t expected that question—although, perhaps I should have. If she made her way into this world, Ishtar would be able to control me through my mark. The same could be said for Lucifer and Eva. Thankfully for us, the king and queen of darkness were still in Hell.
I considered Wake’s question carefully. So far, my mark had reacted to a demon’s presence, but I’d never felt out of control. And until the Hellgate opened and spilled demons into our world, I suspected that it would stay that way.
Or at least, I hoped so.
“I’m in charge,” Eva confirmed.
“Me too. We both felt demons in Portland before we saw them—although, like you mentioned, the sensations were different. But I never felt out of control.”
