AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stevie chuckles. “Right, becauseyou’renot a virgin?” Stevie asks.
I bite both my cheeks to keep from telling them everything about the Rites of Consummation and how I’ve done pretty much everything but.
They take the silence as an admission.
Jess smacks herself on the forehead. “Oh my god, youare! Of course, you’re a virgin! Religious cults are notoriously weird about sex. Oh shit! Does that mean you—” Jess’s leans in close. “Girl, you know girls can masturbate, right?”
The uncomfortable silence around us is heavy enough to swim in. “Sure do. Been flicking the bean for years.”
Jess sighs. “Fuck, I’m so glad! So many women who come from restrictive religions just don’t know. I couldn’t let you be one of them.” She leans back nodding. “I was willing to draw pictures.”
“Anyway,” Stevie says. “Obviously don’t give it up to one of the next generation of crime bosses, but definitely go, and tell us all about it!”
“Hold on. You’re saying those demons are actually in a mafia situation?That’swhat they’re heirs to?”
Stevie’s brow pulls together, making a little V right above her nose. “Well, yeah. What else would demons do for a living? It’s not like other supes will do business with them any other way.”
Chapter Eight
Last breath drawn, the Zealot King’s essence was lost to the æther. A choice made by the counsel as a means of course correction. Celestus hasn’t seen another king since.
-The Kings of Celestus: A Compendium
I spendthe rest of the evening alone in my room searching for everything I can find about the demon Axe and his so-called Auction. It’s only a month away and more information is always better in my book.
I want every advantage I can get with this demon. With all of them. They have to like me enough to want to help me, and right now…
Well, I’ve got a long way to go.
It’s not difficult to get the information.
I do a system-wide search on the word “Auction” and the first link leads to a local news article.
Stevie was right. A girl almost lost her betrothed last year. Her whole pack almost abjured her for getting involved in such a scandal.
I skim the rest of the article and go back to the search results, clicking the second result. I expect another news article, or a gossip blog.
Instead, a new app opens to a page full of “mentions” about the Auction.
I click the first mention to expand the text past the first sentence, but it doesn’t open. Instead, a pop up asks for my sign in information.
“Sign in. OK.”
Figuring it’s got to be something close to the password on the tablet, I try every combination of my name and birthday. But every time I get a red “invalid username and password”.
So I tap on the blue “create account” link, bringing up a new page.
I scan it, horrified to find it asking for not just my name but my student number and a current photo.
It also has boxes to fill in with my favorite foods, movies, and a personal quote.
How intrusive.
I was planning to make a fake account for snooping purposes only. But if the site requires my student number, that’s out of the question.
Apparently, Blackwood U is serious about catfishing on their social media site.
Well, there’s no way in Celestus I’m putting even my fake face and fake name on the school’s insular social media platform. Not only will it draw unwanted attention, but I want as few records of my existence here as possible.
