“Hell?”
“Yes.”
“It’s different. Not exactly like the rumors and myths told in all the realms. It’s more like a city, with different neighborhoods and various lifestyles. My home is very nice—not dungeony at all.” He grins wolfishly. “I have a very comfortable bed.”
“Ah.”
He glances back at the painting. “I’ve been hearing about the apocalypse since I was a child. My father is obsessed. He’s spent millennia preparing, waiting for the day to take over more than just his realm.”
“Then he must have high expectations if he sent you here.”
“He does, although he can’t begrudge me a little fun.” His gaze flicks to my mouth.
“Have you made any progress on finding the stone?”
He laughs. “You know I can’t tell you that.”
“You could,” I say quietly, pressing my back against the hard wall, “allies are important.”
His eyes flit over my face. “Who says I don’t already have allies?”
There’s a strange shift in the air, and Luke squares his body and presses his palm against the wall next to my head. He’s boxed me in and before I can move he leans over and says, “I really wanted to kiss you last night.”
“Uh, yeah, things got out of hand pretty fast, right?”
“You and Marshal?” He rests his free hand on his chest. “I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t hurt a little to see you with another man.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t my idea of a great time either.”
“Maybe we can have a do-over some time?”
He inches his face toward mine and I can’t deny I’m attracted to him. He’s made to be appealing. Half angel, the son of Lucifer himself. Women since the beginning of time have succumbed to the temptations of the men in his line.
But he’s a kid and I’m here on a mission. I press my hand to his chest. “I don’t think—”
“You’re so beautiful, do you know that? Not like the other girls in this place. You seem more mature. More experienced. There’s something about you that has me wound up. Like I’m going to die if I don’t get a taste of you.” His hand clasps over mine and he moves in, dominating my space. “Stop thinking, Hildi. I already know how good you are at kissing. I bet you’re good at other things, too.”
Repulsion extinguishes any temptation and I use both hands to push him off. He flies back, taken off guard by my strength and slams into the wall. “Stop.”
“Feisty,” he laughs, and I watch in horror as his face shifts and those horns appear once again, pushing through the skin of his forehead. They’re obviously activated by emotions and right now he’s excited.
“Listen, Luke—”
“No,” he says, again in my space, “you listen, Hildi. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way is a win for me, but if you really want to know, I love it hard. Please make it hard.”
The sound of metal cuts off any reply, and I feel the slightest breeze by my face. Luke falls back, looking down at his arm. His shirt is torn—no, sliced. Agis stands two steps above us, his scythe in hand.
“The female asked you to stop.”
Blood drips down Luke’s arm. “Look old man, I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m the—”
“You’re another entitled demon spawn in a school filled with them. I should gut you and leave your entrails for your father to find.” His hand grips the hilt of the sword.
“Agis, no.”
“Stand back, Valkyrie.”
I push off the wall and jump between them. I clear my throat. “Instructor Agis, please. It’s a misunderstanding. Something that carried over from last night. Please,” the word tastes bad in my mouth, “don’t hurt him.”