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“We have to go. We have to be there for him.” We were the only ones who’d known and kept Sariel’s secret. We couldn’t leave him alone with my father and the Council. “You’re his best friend.”
“You’re right. I know where the Council is.”
“So, let’s go!”
“You can’t teleport on your own…”
“You’ll do it for me.” I sneaked under his long cloak and wrapped my arms around his torso. I hated the whole teleportation thing. Maybe once I learned how to do it myself,
it wouldn’t be as bad. The fact that I didn’t have control over it was what made it unpleasant.
He tensed up. Completely. I looked up at him. He was staring at me with big, green eyes filled with shock and disbelief. I was hugging him, holding on to him, and he didn’t know what to do. We’d never been this close. I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it only seemed to scare him more. What the hell is wrong with him? Was he a virgin? I doubted it. Then what was his problem? I wasn’t even sure whether he was making that face because he liked having my body pressed to his side or was disgusted by it. A quick glance at his crotch was the answer to my question. He was hard. I might have blushed. While I was used to giving a bunch of guys at the Academy erections simply because I was who I was and they seemed to be turned on by my last name, it was different with Francis. It was as if I had this strange conviction that he was untouchable and unimpressionable to the point where he just didn’t have erections. Well, my conviction had been shattered. He was like any other man. Normal. His cock got hard when a pretty girl clung to him, and that was a relief, really.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Of course I’ll teleport us.” He pulled the other flap of his cloak over his crotch. “Merrit, are you coming?”
“No, man.” The mage took a step back. “I’m headed back to the Academy.”
Pussy, I thought. He was all tough and loud until things got real.
“Do it,” I pulled at Francis’s sleeve. “Hurry.” We’d already waited too long, and I didn’t even want to think what Valentine and the Council had done to Sariel while we were here, waiting for Merrit to track them down. But what could they do to him? What was the punishment for cheating on the entry test?
Francis activated his teleportation pin, and his arm came to hold me by my waist. I could feel his fingers tremble through my clothes and his cloak, and I wondered what would happen if he touched my skin. His head would explode. Given the circumstances, it was almost inappropriate that I could still make fun of Francis in my head. Shit was going down, and here I was, plotting new ways to tease Francis, now that I knew he had a thing for me. So, I like shy guys. Sue me.
We swirled into a cloud of black smoke, and I wrapped my arms tighter around him, my cheek pressed to his chest. I could hear his heartbeat, and the soft, thumping sound soothed me. When we landed, I didn’t feel sick at all. Which means it’s not the teleportation itself, it’s Morningstar. He had a violent way of teleporting. As all things, this skill required grace. I promised myself that I would learn how to teleport gracefully. Like Francis.
We were in the middle of a room filled with people. Valentine and Sariel were in the center, before a long, massive table that was raised on a dais. There were four people behind it, two women and two men, and I instantly knew this was the Council. The others were just functionaries and people who come here with business and various cases that needed the Council’s attention. From what I could see, Valentine had interrupted a meeting by teleporting right in the middle of it, uninvited. And now, Francis and I had done the same.
“... expelled, and Headmaster Colin demoted,” Valentine was just finishing a speech that had been going on for a while. “I demand this be effective immediately.” The members of the Council were looking at him with wide eyes, while the other spectators were whispering and shuffling uncomfortably.
Sariel was standing a few steps behind Valentine, his eyes cast down. Even his tall, beautiful wings spoke of defeat. They were dragging on the floor.
“Young man, young lady, you’re not allowed in here,” a man approached us silently. He took me by the arm, and that did it. I snapped.
“Get your hands off me!” I stepped forward. The men and women behind the table were now looking at me. “I am Mila Morningstar.” As if that meant anything. The moment I said it, I realized it was stupid. What was I trying to do? What was I trying to demand? I didn’t even know what was happening.
One of the men was younger, in his forties, and the other one was older. If he’d been human, I would have given him around eighty. He was clearly supernatural. He had huge wings on his back, and their stony color made me think he was a gargoyle. The younger man was an angel, and the golden halo floating three inches above his head indicated that he was of a higher order. The women were both young and beautiful. One was a vampire with long blond hair and blue eyes, and the other one was a demoness with black hair and red eyes. Red eyes. She’s angry.
Morningstar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t say a thing to me. He didn’t want me there, and he didn’t care about what I had to say. What do I have to say, though?
“You can’t expel Sariel.” There. I said something.
“Daughter, stay out of this,” Morningstar hissed. He turned back to the Council. “Please ignore her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about because she doesn’t understand the situation. Grim Reaper Academy needs a strong leader. Since Mason Colin has been appointed, everything has gone from bad to worse. Sariel Gracewing cheated on the entry test on his watch. This should have never happened. No student is supposed to be able to cheat on a well-developed, well thought-out entry test, no matter how hard they might try. Mason Colin failed to create an entry test at the levels expected and imposed by the rigors of the Academy, by its legacy. These are facts. Knowing what happened and how it happened, knowing that a student who is Merciful Death tricked everyone into believing he was Violent Death, we cannot go forward without implementing drastic measures, or the whole system we created will collapse. Mason Colin cannot be allowed to keep his position. He has failed all of us and disappointed us greatly.”
Shit. I couldn’t argue with that. If the entry test was so important… But why? Such strict rules… So what if Sariel was Merciful Death? That didn’t make him less of a Grim Reaper. And he was still the best student at the Academy. And when I said the best, I meant definitely better and more hardworking than me. I’d taken his top spot on the worth scoreboard only because I was Morningstar’s daughter and everyone believed they had to worship me or something, so he wouldn’t cut their balls off.
“And who would you propose, Mr. Morningstar?” the old man asked. He’d studied me for a minute while my father had been giving his second speech. He didn’t seem particularly impressed by my presence there. The two women though… they hadn’t taken their eyes off me since I’d introduced myself as Valentine’s daughter.
Speaking of Valentine…
He straightened his back and lifted his chin. His wings spread wide, obstructing my view of the Council.
“Me. I should be Headmaster.”
The room fell silent. Not a whisper, not a shuffle, not even a breath. The old councilman narrowed his eyes at Valentine and pursed his lips. The vampire and the demoness fixed him with dark, intense gazes that spoke loudly of how much they hated the idea of him taking over Grim Reaper Academy. Still, they didn’t say a word. The high-ranked angel cleared his throat and dared to speak for all of them, although I could hear the reluctance in his voice.
“Mr. Morningstar, we appreciate your concern, and we want to thank you for bringing these irregularities to our attention. We will make out assessment and decide how to proceed.”
Morningstar took a step forward. “There is nothing to assess.” His voice was now low and filled with anger and impatience. He wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer. I stepped next to him, my hand reaching to stop him. Before I could touch his arm, he slapped my hand away and took the last step that separated him from the Council’s table. He hit the floor with his scythe, and the room vibrated. “Listen to me. There is nothing to assess here. Facts are facts. Mason Colin will be demoted, and you will make me Headmaster of Grim Reaper Academy.”
