Page 73 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse

“I should say that sneaking out is the least of our worries,” I warned. “That would only get us punished, but summoning a demon would get us expelled. You all have to realize the risk before you decide to do this. I don’t want to be responsible for the end of your demon hunter career.”

Sage shrugged and pulled a face. “Meh, it’ll be all right. We won’t get caught.”

“Wishful thinking is not going to keep trouble away,” Benjamin offered.

“Hardly anyone goes to the Fray Room during the day,” Jenna said. “It should be pretty safe at night.”

“You know what always confused me?” Sage said. “How you can summon a demon inside the school. It’s holy ground. Shouldn’t they only be able to get in through a host?”

“LeBeau explained that,” I said, feeling pretty knowledgeable. “They can’t get in here on their own, but if you summon them, that’s different. It’s like you invited them.”

Sage hummed and nodded.

“I don’t like the Fray Room idea.” Benjamin pushed his roasted potatoes around the plate. “What if we do it on the weekend?”

“Where?” Sage asked. “In your house?”

Benjamin went pale. “No! Of course not.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know… we could rent a hotel room,” he added the last bit in a burst

I didn’t have any money to rent a hotel room, but these three were loaded. It would be like taking a hair from a werewolf.

Sage shook his head. “Nah, it would take forever that way. We could practice more often if we do it here.”

Jenna pondered, tapping her cheek with a black-tipped fingernail. “That’s true.”

Time to take charge!

“We’ll do it in a hotel room,” I declared. “You guys can pay for it. We can buy all the supplies we need, and it will be safer. At least in terms of expulsion.” Summoning demons wasn’t safe no matter where the deed was performed, but it was better than nothing.

“My vote is for the Fray room.” Sage stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest.

“Who said this was a democracy?” I asked. “I’m the one teaching you. Take it or leave it.”

“Oh, c’mon, Lucia,” Jenna said halfheartedly.

“Take it or leave it.” I started gathering my dinner items on my tray. My mind was made up. We would still be breaking the rules, but the likelihood of getting caught dropped way down. It still wasn’t the best decision I’d ever made, but at least I was trying to mitigate some of the risks.

Who would have thought?! Lucia Sunder making sensible decisions. Kind of.

26

Withteachingtheothershow to summon their first demon postponed until the weekend, I had time to worry about other things. Like where was Drevan? And had something happened to Khargon? So the next day after lunch, I went in search of Grant. Again, he wasn’t in his office, though this time, he didn’t conveniently appear when I needed him.

I hung around for a bit and was reminded of Grant’s offer to give me Truesight. I’d told him I would think about it, but I hadn’t had a chance. The thought of the risks he’d mentioned stressed me out. The old me would’ve probably jumped at the opportunity, but I’d been reckless, crazy sometimes. I’d risked so many important things in search of a thrill. I could be nothing but grateful my life wasn’t totally screwed-up.

Still, I had to give Grant an answer. His offer was valid, something that might come in handy. I needed to make an informed decision about it. With nothing else to do, I headed toward the Laurence Moore Library. The old librarian, Preston Hunt, was bent over the counter, checking things off a list, his thick glasses only an inch from the paper. He heavily lifted his head when he sensed me standing there.

“Hello, young lady,” he greeted me, his rheumy eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Hi, Preston.”

“Back so soon?”

I smiled. Jenna and I spent a lot of time studying under the librarian’s watchful eye. In the beginning, I hardly visited the library. Now, I was a regular.