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Blood of the Old Devils

EMILIA

F or several minutes, neither of us moved or made a sound. We just stood there and looked up at the sky, shell-shocked at the fading trail of fire and shadow.

Solaris grew wings and just flew away with my unconscious sister and her dragon .

My brain would not process this information, despite seeing it with my own two eyes. Wings. Dragon. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.

Embers smoldered around us. Stones crumbled under the heat. The coliseum was destroyed single-handedly by my sister. The smell was sinister.

“Emilia,” Jedidiah said, his tone fractured and detached. “I’m going to take you back to Luna Academy now.”

I turned to the enormous man beside me. He was dressed as Death, his face painted into a skull, though most of it had smudged off. The long, dark cloak that pooled around him was bloodied and torn. “We have to go after Nyx.”

He sneered. “Can you fly?”

“You know what I mean!”

“I’m taking you back to Luna Academy,” he said again, totally dismissing me.

I opened my mouth to protest but he tossed something up in the air that turned into a spinning vortex of blinding light. I screeched when he grabbed my wrist and tugged me forward, pulling me into it with him.

My scream got stuck in my throat as we plummeted through the tumultuous ether. Jedidiah’s portal was nowhere near as smooth as my mother’s. My soul became a mess of pins and needles as it was thrashed around in some unholy wormhole.

We landed together ineptly outside of the iron gates of Luna Academy.

I groaned, my body sore, my mind weathered beyond repair. Jed helped me to my feet. It felt beyond wrong to be standing here in the Hills, where everything was still, carrying on like normal. My mind swam as it obsessively went over everything that had just happened. None of it felt real. This moment, right now, didn’t feel real.

Jedidiah tossed the crystal again, without saying a word, disappearing into the light.

“Wait!” I called uselessly. He was already gone.

“Shit,” I whimpered. I turned to the gates, wondering how I was going to get inside. The wards were up, and I hadn’t given my sacred energy signature.

From here, with the glamour up, it looked as if I were standing outside the gates of an opulent mansion. No different from the other places scattered through these rolling hills. The truth on the other side, though, was far different. The Academy was a tall, Gothic castle, existing in its own pocket dimension. Hiding in plain sight.

I wrapped my fingers around a bar of iron. My heart was heavy. “Please,” I whispered. “It’s Emilia Morningstar. Let me in.”

To my utmost surprise, the gates groaned. Instantly, as if they were a sentient being responding to me. They opened just enough for me to slip inside.

I found everyone in the common room. Not just Luna students, but their parents, too. I snuck into the room silently. Whimpers and hushed sobs filled the air. The Luminary stood at the front of the room, looking as if she’d just finished a speech. Mothers and fathers hugged their daughters. Comforting them. I spotted Destiny with her family. Then Faye with hers.

My mother was nowhere to be seen.

I swallowed the jagged lump at the back of my throat.

I let my eyes wander around the room to distract myself from the pain spreading through my veins. That was when I noticed the three holographic photos floating at the front of the room. Three Luna girls. One first-year named Celeste. Two older girls whose names I couldn’t remember. Their pictures were raised for us all to see—to honor. To mourn .

Because they were dead.

Three Luna girls were lost. It could have been any of us.

I tried to process this, but nothing felt real. I felt like I was still Dreamwalking, and soon I’d wake up to find the world as it was before. My sister haughtily ruling the school. Natalia giving her shit about it. Girls hustling to class with bright eyes and open hearts. Not this new world, where everything was dark. Where death and ruin had us in their clutches. Where my sister was gone—taken by him . Where Natalia was… I didn’t know where she was. Clearly, she hadn’t woken up yet, since I didn’t see her anywhere.

“Hey,” a voice made me jump. I hadn’t noticed Destiny approach me. She gathered me into a hug without warning. Limply, I embraced her back. The human contact made me realize how numb I was. “Where were you?”

I cleared my throat and decided it was best to dodge her question. “Where are Natalia and Michael?”

My best friend’s golden-brown eyes scathed over me, and for a moment, I thought she was going to pry. To my surprise, she let me off the hook. For now. “I think they are in the Sacred Temple.” Her expression quickly turned grim. “Natalia’s father is here.”

My brows jumped. “Oh. Shit.”

“Did you find Nyx?” she asked, biting her lip eagerly.

My insides turned to cold water. I had to clench my jaw to keep away the acidic tears that pricked the corners of my eyes.

I couldn’t muster up an answer.

“I’m gonna go find Michael.” I grabbed the front of my damp, silver dress and made my way out of the academy.

I felt Destiny on my heels. The daylight was all wrong. It shouldn’t have been sunny. It should have been the worst storm the city had ever seen. The sun had no business shining today.

Voices carried out from the stone temple and immediately made my skin ignite with chills. I didn’t recognize the voice, but I recognized the tempo of fury.

“You allow your students too much freedom, Delphyne!” the male voice boomed. “They parade around as if they own the place, and you do nothing! You allow them free rein!”

“We teach Sovereignty—”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit! Starseeds need structure! Authority! Boundaries! None of which you offer here at this blasphemous school. You harbor criminals here! Just look at Esmeralda’s daughter! Dozens of our people are dead because of her! And now my daughter! Practicing dark magic that has turned her into this ! She’s a vegetable! And what about this mortal ? You are now housing mortals? I am going to make sure the High Council shuts you down, Delphyne. Mark my words. Your time as Luminary is coming to a much-needed end.”

Destiny and I shared a horrified look.

Natalia’s father, the man she had warned us gravely about.

“Artemis, I understand you are—”

“You understand nothing, witch ,” he growled. “But you will. Once your power and privilege are ripped out from under you, maybe then you will understand a thing or two.”

I dared to ascend the stairs, peering in the stone doorway. The Eternal Flame roared wildly, casting all sorts of shadows on the vine-covered walls. The Luminary stood with her hands clasped together in front of her, her expression unreadable. Natalia’s father was tall and dark, wearing all black, looking like a true warlock. His long black dreadlocks fell to his hips, tied back with a silver band. The wooden staff at his side was long and jagged, the crystal on top of it as black as night. It hummed with power, as if he were ready to attack.

Natalia was there, too. Unconscious still. Floating horizontally mid-air, looking like a modern Sleeping Beauty.

And Michael. He stood behind the Luminary, his skin pale, eyes full of something that made my heart wrench.

Footfalls behind me made me glance over my shoulder. Both Destiny and Faye had followed me out and were scurrying up the steps.

When I turned back to the temple, everyone was staring at us.

The Luminary didn’t look surprised, only slightly disappointed.

Michael’s brown eyes lit up with a warning. He shook his head slightly at me.

And Artemis Ambrose…his eyes teemed with dark fire that made my skin crawl.

“See?” he hissed, turning back to the Luminary. “Students just waltzing in here without an invitation!”

“Come in, girls,” Delphyne murmured, gesturing with her hand.

We obeyed. Artemis released a sound of disgust from the back of his throat, but looked away from us dismissively, as if we were nothing but dirt on the bottom of his shoe.

“This mortal has seen too much! Not to mention the irreparable damage he’s caused!” he snarled, pointing his staff threateningly at Michael. “I don’t care what power you say he has. Just look at what has happened to my daughter because of him! He must be dealt with. Now .”

His words lit a fire under my ass. Instinctively, I rushed forward to stand in front of Michael protectively. My chest heaved as Artemis’s dark eyes locked with mine. A familiarity lit behind his cruel, hard stare.

“And who is this heathen?” he asked slowly, though I felt like he already knew.

“Emilia,” I told him sharply. “Morningstar.”

To my surprise, the man laughed. A horrible, booming laugh. It echoed off the stone walls and practically shook the temple. “Of course you are.” He took a step closer to me, his staff buzzing. No one interfered—they all just watched. “Perhaps you are right, little girl. Perhaps it is not the mortal’s fault. Perhaps it is yours .”

My cheeks flushed while my heart went bonkers behind my ribs.

“You Morningstar women are cursed . Blood of the old devils, you are.”

Ice crackled up my arms, my brows narrowing together.

“That’s enough, Artemis.” The Luminary stepped forward, but Natalia’s father ignored her, his eyes on me.

“Your mother isn’t here to comfort you, is she?” he went on. “While everyone else’s family has shown up for their young, your mother is in hiding, as usual, ruled by her own shame. Rightfully so! She knows the curse that taints your blood. What happened last night was your sister’s doing! Rotten magic and devilry have always followed you serpentine women. Nyx Morningstar has aligned with Underworlders and turned against us. You will follow suit. It is only a matter of time before the darkness hiding inside of you takes over.”

Underworlders?

He turned to Faye and Destiny, who were standing there like startled rabbits. “You two take a good look at my daughter!” He pointed to Natalia, unconscious and floating. “This is what you get when you befriend these females. Take my advice, starseeds. Stay far away from the Morningstars!”

“That’s enough!” Michael growled, putting a hand on my shoulder, and yanking me so that I stood behind him instead.

“The mortal speaks!” Artemis cried, his voice laced with dark sarcasm. “She will be the death of you, boy. You might as well go out now, with some dignity.”

A scream got caught in my throat and the world moved in slow motion. Artemis jutted his buzzing staff in Michael’s direction, a look of pure malice bleeding over his dark features as he sent a surge of magic our way.

But Artemis Ambrose, in his ignorance, did not know that Michael was Marked by our Goddess. The surge of malevolent magic ricocheted off the invisible shield in front of Michael and went shooting back to sender. I caught the look of pure shock on Natalia’s father’s face before the green and black magic hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backward, where he crashed into the stone wall with an awful crunch . His own vines sprouted from where the magic hit him. They coiled around him, wrapping his body like a spider wrapping its prey.

Silence screamed through the temple.

For a beat, no one moved.

Then, the Luminary released her own magic. Weaves of silver and gold flew from her chest and hands. An element like I’d never seen before—a blend of water and light. She guided this power to dissolve the vines and free Artemis. He remained unconscious. She did not attempt to wake him.

Her eyes, for the first time, shone with rage. “Leave. All of you.”

“I need a fucking cigarette.”

Michael hadn’t stopped pacing since we got up here to his tower. He wouldn’t look at me. Just stalked around the circular room with his focus far, far away. He chewed his lip ring and drummed his two index fingers together.

“Cigarettes are death,” I muttered back. I was in no better shape than him. Sitting in the chair at the writing desk, still in this disgusting dress. I should have cleaned myself up hours ago, but I just couldn’t. I sat and I stared into nothing, seeing everything all over.

Nyx is gone.

I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. Wings. A dragon. My sister in the middle, stolen into the sky.

“Natalia isn’t waking up.” Michael’s impassioned voice snapped me back down to reality. “Her father is… he’s bad news.”

My heart sank. For two reasons. One of them so, so ugly.

It wasn’t lost on me how depraved I was. Natalia’s consciousness was missing . I wasn’t a fool. I knew a Celestial being unconscious didn’t mean they were knocked out. It meant they were somewhere else. Like Nyx had been, that night at the beach party. Natalia was freaking trapped in that dreamworld, and I was over here jealous that Michael cared.

“Jesus, get it together,” I whispered, not meaning to speak the words aloud. Shit.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Nothing, never mind.” I cleared my throat and stood up. “I need to go. Will you be okay for a bit?”

“Gee, will I be okay after being a test dummy for dark magic I don’t understand and watching a blood bath from the perspective of the sky? Oh, yeah. I’ll be totally fine. You just go on back down to your magical little school now, love. Bloody hell!” He had a crazed look in his dark eyes. “Vampires. Fucking vampires . I thought you angels were supposed to be the only mythical beings?”

His demeanor threw me off. I blinked at him, processing the new volatility. Michael was usually so permanently unfazed.

“We’re the only ones who possess high magic,” a new voice explained, causing both our necks to snap in the direction of the door.

Destiny and Faye stood there. Destiny moved forward first and continued explaining. “Vampires are Underworlders. There are plenty of those.”

“Underworlders?” I repeated, dubious. I’d never heard that term before tonight.

“Beings with low magic. Demonic shit,” Destiny said, making a matter-of-fact gesture with her hand. “This realm is full of them. Which is why Celestials are so important. Our existence balances the scales, so this world doesn’t devolve into total degeneracy.”

My heart thudded painfully. “Why isn’t this common knowledge?”

“Well…it is,” Faye answered. Her big green eyes were lined with silver tears that never quite spilled over.

I glanced at Destiny for confirmation. She only shrugged.

An awkward silence slithered through the room.

Goddess damn me . I knew nothing of this world.

“Whatever,” Michael snapped. “We have to go back in. To find Natalia.”

“Back into the Dream Realm?” I breathed, unsure.

“I agree,” Faye declared right away. “We can’t leave her there.”

“Aren’t your guys’ families downstairs? After everything that just happened, I’m not sure it’s wise…” I trailed off, feeling their eyes on me like angered bees.

Oh no . My cheeks went cold under the silence. My hesitation made it seem like I didn’t care. I did! Of course I did. But everything was so crazy right now. Jumping right back into that kind of magic didn’t feel right.

Destiny’s golden eyes softened at me. “Maybe Emilia is right. Natalia is strong. I’m sure waiting a little won’t hurt. She might even wake up on her own soon.”

Michael remained immutable. The grave look on his face made him practically a stranger. “It’s my so-called ‘ability’ that caused this. Four of us went into the dream and only three of us came out. I can’t just leave it like this. It’s wrong. It’s fucking wrong!”

Faye choked on a sob.

A lump in my throat made it hard to speak. But I managed to whisper, “Tonight, then.”

His big dark eyes finally met mine. “Tonight?”

“Yes. We should let the daylight pass. Let things settle a bit. We’ll do it right. Dreamwalk under the moon. We’ll find her.”

It was quiet for a moment while they pondered my suggestion.

“Did you find Nyx?” Faye asked me then. Her cheeks were shiny and damp, a sad kind of hope in her eyes. “Is she okay?”

My eyes sank to the floor along with my heart. “Nyx is gone.”