Fallen University: Year Three

“Three things,” the werewolf said gruffly. “First, you’re runnin’ around with your human skin on. Second, you gave a shit about your friend here. Third”—he turned and offered a wolfish grin to Kingston—“Gavriel burns the humor outta his recruits right quick. ’Specially sarcasm. He hates it.”

“Unless he’s the one using it,” Kai said darkly.

“Oh, you’ve met the man himself, have you?” The werewolf arched a brow, like he was impressed we were all still alive.

I nodded, not really wanting to go into the full story. Luckily, he didn’t press for more information. Instead, he disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared a moment later with a tray full of hot food and drink. My stomach audibly growled. I’d been surviving in the underworld on scraps of food and lots of sexual energy from my men, but God I wanted a sandwich.

We gratefully accepted the meal and started eating.

“Name’s Michael,” our host said as he sat in a big chair covered in animal hide. “You all look like Custodian recruits.”

“You know about Custodians?” Kingston asked, raising a brow.

“Do I look like an idiot? Everyone knows about Custodians. Those assholes are why I’m here. Tried to go back to earth once, see my daughter and her boys—never met the kids before I was turned—but the fuckin’ Custodians got me before I got to her.”

Kai leaned forward. “Did you tell them why you were there? That you meant no harm to anyone?”

“Sure! Said I’d had it with the underworld, and I wanted to see my kids. Be a grandpa, you know? Workin’ too hard to be the dad I wanted to be, but I retired with a bunch of money. I could’a been the road tripping adventure grandpa! But no, the damn Custodians couldn’t have that. See, I’d been in the underworld too long, according to them. I was clearly evil and lookin’ to turn my daughter and her kids so I could bring them back here with me.” He gestured around with a disbelieving laugh. “Here! Can you believe it? What kind of dad would I be if I tried to bring my kids to this shithole?”

Kai shook his head. “Yeah. We’ve been fed the same line over and over at Fallen University. But I’m pretty sure the underworld itself doesn’t turn you evil.”

“You’re damn right it doesn’t. That’s a goddamn lie, and everybody believes it. It’s politics, is what it is. I hate politics. It ain’t the air turning people evil, it’s that son of a bitch Gavriel.”

“How does he do that?” I asked.

Michael gave me a paternal sort of look. Or, as paternal as a man-dog could look, I supposed.

&nbs

p; “You want to know? I been there. I worked in the recruiting office for a bit, janitor stuff. Janitor.” He snorted. “Cleanin’ up body parts. Orderly’s more like it. Or mortician, maybe. Anyhow. They read your mind. They find those little resentments that eat you up inside, and they make ’em bigger. Once that kind of poison gets strong enough, it spreads through your heart and mind, taking over. That’s what turns people evil.”

I instantly thought of Owen. “So—a young man who has shit luck with the ladies but feels like he’s God’s gift to women could be manipulated to hate all humanity. For example.”

“Manipulated?” Michael raises his brows, scratching at his scruff. “Ha! I guess if they were soft in the head, yeah. The same kind they’d recruit to suicide bomb or join the Klan, I guess. But if you got a moral center, boy, they’ll tear you apart.”

My heart sank, my stomach flipping wildly like a dying fish. “You mean… literally?”

“Yup. Seen it lots of times. See, what they do—it’s genius, but don’t think I approve of it just ’cause I use that term; Manson was a genius too—what they do is, they find a picture or a short video in your head, one that represents the whole resentment. They show that to you. Not on a screen or nothin’, they beam it right into your head. Then they hurt you.”

“So they make the connection between the thing someone already resents and additional pain,” Kingston said coolly. When I glanced over at him, I could see agitation churning in his eyes, belying his calm voice.

“Yeah, but it don’t stop there. The human part, the earthly part—they start adding to that. They expand the picture, blow it up—slowly, mind you—until it’s all of earth and humanity. Everything you loved is now part of the picture that brings you pain. But it goes deeper. They starve you while they do this. After, you got demons coming in with food and”—he shot me a look, then raised his eyebrows at the guys—“physical comforts. You’re their son, their lover, their pet, whatever it may be. That hole they dug in your soul? They fill it with themselves.”

Silent tears streamed down Jayce’s cheeks. Kai looked sick. Kingston’s cool, observant mask was frozen in place, an analytical barrier between his mind and the horror he was hearing. I sat and shook, feeling my body temperature rise. Xero was in there, held captive in Gavriel’s clutches. Were they doing that to him while we sat here talking?

“How did you get out?” I asked, my voice hollow.

“Snuck out.” Michael shrugged nonchalantly, although I had a feeling the full story was a lot more harrowing than he was making it sound. “Heard a rumor that Gavriel was gonna be expanding his empire and hightailed it outta there. I’m not gonna have my family ruined for me. Not gonna let myself be turned against them. Nuh-uh. No fuckin’ way.”

“We met someone like you before,” Kai said slowly. “Another person living in the underworld in hiding.”

“Sure,” Michael said. “There’s lots of us. We don’t congregate much, more’s the pity—could use company once in a while—but it ain’t safe. Gavriel’s lookin’ for everybody. Lots of us want to go back to our families on earth, maybe even fight for the other side, but the Custodians won’t take us. Think we’re too evil to be trusted. There was a rumor that one guy got out—one of Gavriel’s spies—and the Custodians took him in, but you can’t believe everything you hear. It’s a rough ride back down here, y’know. Lots of people won’t do it more’n once or twice. After that, you know, you just hide out. Wait for it to blow up or blow over.”

I met Kai’s dark gaze, an unspoken question hovering between us. Should we tell him that we’re here to rescue that spy?

Fuck it. Why the hell not?

“That rumor is true,” I said. “The spy’s name is Xero, and he did make it out. He made his case to the Custodians and they let him in for training. He’s the reason we’re here. Gavriel took him, and we’re here to get him back.”