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Focus, Pipes, focus…
I repeated the words like a mantra in my head, but all I could focus on were his lips, and the things I wanted to do with them. I cleared my throat and shook his hand. “Piper. And this is my friend Hannah.”
Hannah offered him a weak smile.
“Awesome. I saw you guys come in.” His buoyant smile dropped for a second as concern flashed over his face. “You looked a little rough.” Then the smile broke free again, as if nothing could keep it repressed for long. “You look better now though. You good? Do you love this place?”
I laughed. “It’s all right.”
His white teeth flashed as his grin widened. “Yeah, I think so too. I mean, it’s crazy as all get out, but so fucking cool.”
He looked familiar beyond just that first meeting in the hall, but I couldn’t quite place him. Was he a model, maybe? I opened my mouth to ask him, but a sharp rapping noise from the front of the class interrupted me. All eyes dutifully turned toward the teacher. He was older, probably in his late thirties or early forties, tall and broad, very muscular. His hair was even lighter than Hannah’s, and all of it was intricately braided—even his beard. He looked like a bleached Viking.
“Welcome, first-years,” he boomed. “I’m your History teacher, Sven Karlson.”
“Of course his name is Sven,” I whispered.
Hannah stifled a giggle. Jayce grinned.
“You can call me Sven if you want. Mr. Karlson if you want. It isn’t important. What is important is that you learn everything I’m going to teach you. You think history is boring? That’s fine. This won’t be. Real history is like nothing you’ve been taught before.”
He brought out stacks of books and, just like in any school, he gave a stack to each person in the front row. I mouthed the words as he said them. “Take one and pass it back.”
Jayce seemed to melt into his seat. He had achieved some level of chill that I had never been capable of, but his eyes were still alight with interest and his fingers tapped excitedly on the desk. As soon as one of the books reached him, he flipped it open and started skimming the pages.
It was difficult for me to stay focused. Being this close to Jayce was like standing at the base of a waterfall near the ocean, and everything in me was telling me to dive in and let him drag me out to sea. When the primer was passed back to me, I clutched it like a life preserver, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.
“Who rules the underworld?” Sven’s question hung in the air.
Someone across the room tentatively raised their hand. “Um… Satan?”
Sven shook his head, his ice-blue eyes flashing. “Satan’s power is a myth. He’s a mid-level demon. His claim to fame comes from a period in history when he was dead-set on ruling humanity. He got cocky and got caught. He didn’t have the power to enact his revenge. He was punished, and continues to be punished, by the true king of the underworld.”
Our teacher paused and turned his head slowly this way and that, making sure that every eye in the classroom was on him. Beside me, Jayce held his breath. Hannah trembled.
“Gavriel.”
It was just a word. A single, seven-letter word. But the name fell from Sven’s lips like a nuclear bomb. The room plummeted into a silence so deep it made my ears ring. Nobody breathed. The name echoed and whispered in my head, awakening instincts long forgotten. Hot adrenaline clashed with icy fear, turning me to stone. Gavriel. King of the underworld.
“Write that down,” Sven intoned, shattering the silence. “Gavriel. G-A-V-R-I-E-L. King of the underworld. Second question. What do demons want with humans?”
“To give us all makeovers,” I said. I couldn’t take it. The atmosphere was getting way too heavy in here.
Hannah elbowed me in the ribs, shaking her head as her amber eyes went wide. She had definitely not been class clown when she was in school. Straight-A student, more likely.
“I suppose you’re referring to the change,” Sven said coolly. “Flippant or not, you are somewhat correct.” He paced for a moment before turning dramatically toward the class. “The fallen who escape the underworld and make their way to earth have one purpose—to turn and recruit humans for Gavriel’s army. Each of you has narrowly escaped a fate worse than death. Had Gavriel been allowed to corrupt your minds, you would have been lost forever.”
I slid a glance to my left to see how Jayce was handling this. His eyes were alert and vibrant, but his posture still radiated chill. He seemed more intrigued than anything. Hannah, on the other hand, had gone pale and seemed to be having trouble breathing. I put a hand on hers and lifted a brow, silently asking if she was okay. She swallowed hard and shot up her hand.
“Yes, the lady in back.” Sven lifted his chin, gazing over the heads of other students at Hannah.
“What do you mean… lost?”
The blond Viking looked grim. “After spending enough time in the underworld, a fallen creature will become a monster. Wholly. Utterly. Every shred of humanity is stripped away, and they become the same as whatever attacked them, whatever turned them. Some unfortunate fallen
succumb to this fate whether they are above or below, but that is why you are here. To give you a fighting chance to resist that end.”
He offered her a soft smile and moved on. “You see, class, supernaturals and humans have come to a sort of uncomfortable agreement. You… the fallen… are more capable of fighting Gavriel’s monsters than humans themselves. You are stronger, more gifted, more resilient. Additionally, you have the capacity to understand these monsters on a level which humans never could.”
