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What in the seven flaming realms was that?
That wasn’t the overwhelming sexual attraction I’ve grown accustomed to from the heirs. Bastian looked into my eyes, into me, and said I was beautiful. And more than that…
The giant demon with a snake eating an apple tattooed around his neck makes me feel deeply, viscerally safe.
Gael is the only one who’s ever made me feel this way. And yet this hulking, tattooed demon touches the same part in me as my soul-bonded. How?
I stanch that line of thought like a bleeding wound as soon as it starts and direct my attention to the room.
It’s the same as the outer room and hall, sloping earthen walls with hidden ambient lighting midway up. Far bigger than my dorm, with a bed dead center. It’s possibly the largest bed I’ve ever seen, with enough room for me to roll over four or five times and still have room.
The bedding stays in the same tones as the earthen walls, a neutral grayish-brown duvet with pale terracotta linens. I don’t particularly like it, but I don’t hate it either. Like my all-black dorm, the monochromatic theme is rather soothing. Like a visual rest.
There are no windows, here or in the outer rooms, which will take some getting used to. Likely a lot of getting used to. Here’s hoping whoever invented the ever-present wall lightingalso tuned it to the proper spectrum, so I don’t go mad from lack of sunlight.
Upon inspection of the closet, I find that it already has all my stuff in it. The sight puts a pit in my stomach, and I truly hope whoever brought my things here just used a summoning spell and didn’t go through them.
I don’t have much here, but that doesn’t mean I want it rifled through. Luckily, I had my bag with me, which means all my demon magic rings are also with me.
All in all, the room is spacious and well appointed.
Like my dorm, it has an attached bath. And like my dorm, it has every personal hygiene product in the realm. They must have simply summoned everything. And again, I try not to think about any of the heirs going through my things.
Unlike my dorm, this bathroom is enormous. The same earthen walls, same packed floor, as the rest of the lair, but in the center of the room is a sunken tub, completely recessed into the ground. There are no external taps or faucet, and as I draw nearer, I see why.
The tub isn’t empty. It’s already full of steamy water. Below the surface are smooth ledges and outcroppings meant for sitting or lounging.
I’ve never seen anything like it…like my own private indoor hot spring. And I’ll be taking full advantage of that amenity.
The shower is on the other side, walled in by glass and marble and with more nozzles and buttons than seems practical.
A knock pulls me from the bathroom, as well as the idea of skipping first period for a soak.
“Dove?” Axe’s tentative call comes through the door.
“Come in.”
The door opens slowly, and Axe enters, but only the smallest bit. His toes are barely over the threshold.
“Ready to go to first period?”
I nod, but my mouth has other ideas. “Actually, I was debating taking another day and seeing how long the water will stay warm in that hot spring tub in my bathroom.”
“You’ll be in there a while then, because itis a hot spring.”
Is this guy serious? “Why is there a hot spring in your student accommodations on campus?”
He gives me a strange look. “We’re not on campus anymore, Dove. Couldn’t you tell by the…” He gestures broadly to the room. “We’re in our realm. The Cinder realm.”
My heart slows, stalled by the roiling in my stomach, and the icy fingers curling around my lungs.
No windows. Homes carved into the ground to protect the inhabitants from the realm’s scorching star.
Cinder, the realm where no plant or animal can survive on the surface. Not when the only thing the surface offers is charred and cracked land.
It can’t be. “What? What do you mean I’m on a devil plane?”
Another strange look, this one a touch more amused. “Devil plane? It’s usually only the human Bible thumpers that call us devils and, even then, never to our faces.”
