Page 29 of Fortune Academy: Year Two
I followed Dante into a surprisingly sparse chamber, but I instantly knew this was his home. The only sparkle of decoration was an array of weapons that lined the wall. The display was centered, obviously meant to be a focal point, and overlooked a small collection of furniture. A doorway led to a dark room that I couldn’t quite make out, but I assumed was his bedroom. In the corner sat a tiny kitchen; Dante went to it and unplugged a pot.
“It’s a slow cooker,” he explained as he dug out a large spoon and stirred.
“You cook?” I asked, slightly bewildered. The big bad Hunter was full of surprises.
He glanced at me, his orange eyes a glimmer of color that was otherwise lacking in the simple room. “You don’t?” When I didn’t respond, he chuckled and dipped the spoon into the pot again as he fixed me a bowl. “It’s just a slow cooker. I throw the ingredients in and hopefully make it back to my room before it cooks out all the water and burns.” By the scorch marks on the counter, that had happened more than once.
He motioned to a chair and I settled into it, cradling my bowl when he handed it to me. The aroma made my mouth water and all my rage towards him wavered. He handed me a spoon and I didn’t wait. I dug in and let the first mouthful melt on my tongue.
I groaned with pleasure and Dante chuckled again. “If I had known a warm meal was how to get you to comply, I would have done it a lot sooner.”
After I’d finished half the bowl, I remembered I was supposed to be angry with the Hunter. “So are you going to explain now?” I asked, my muscles going tense. There was something about being in Dante’s room that felt intimate and I wasn’t sure I liked it. Perhaps it was the Virtue connection. I wanted to trust him, to believe that he had some logical explanation for what was clearly a fucked up situation, but he actually lived here. How could he sleep knowing that there were human prisoners within walking distance?
He scowled and sat down, stirring his bowl without taking a bite. “You first.”
The nerve of this guy. “I was down here because I followed Hendrik.”
He stiffened, then the flash of surprise swept off his face. “Didn’t know the Dark Mage was fighting again.” He paused, considering me. “I meant, what are you doing in the West Wing?”
“Jess is here,” I answered honestly. “I want to see her.”
“Why?”
I fisted my skirt under the table, resisting the urge to kick him. There were a lot of reasons I wanted to see Jess, but the most prominent one popped out of my mouth first. “She’s my friend.” No matter what had happened that night when Dante had taken me, I refused to believe Jess really would have turned on me without a good reason. If she thought I was a Hunter like him, capable of kidnapping and imprisoning entire families against their will, then yeah, I couldn’t blame her for trying to kill me.
I leaned in. “Now you go. Why areyouhere? And why did you kidnap those poor people?”
He stared me down for a moment, then finally conceded. “I’ve worked for the Dean ever since I graduated,” he began. “I don’t just find monsters for her. I also bring in humans who have triggered positive for mutation. If I had let them stay out there, they would have mutated into supernaturals and most of them would likely be dead from the unnatural change. It has something to do with the Third Echo of Calamity and the Dean insists these people are dangerous—or in danger. She said I was doing the right thing for them. But, when I saw how you just looked at me, I wasn’t so sure anymore.” He swiped a hand over his face, then looked down at his food as if he’d find answers there. “I’ve been around monsters for so long, Lily. What if I’m turning into one?”
The question hit so close to home that I swallowed hard and put down my spoon. “You’re not a monster.” As much as Dante pissed me off, I knew that to be true.
His orange gaze flashed up to meet mine and he smirked, rewarding me with a hint of his dimples. “Not what I expected you to say.”
“You gave me food better than the dud counter crap I’m forced to eat at the cafeteria,” I said with a shrug. “It helps.”
He flinched at that. “Yeah, about that. I know you haven’t Awakened completely yet and…”
I rested one hand on his wrist and he stilled under my touch. My dark powers were still in full force and the succubus in me wanted to make him bend to my will, but I wanted him to be honest with me on his own accord. I wanted him to prove that I could trust him, so I pushed that raw hunger down into the cold pit of my stomach. “I know it’s been over a year for you,” I explained. “Hendrik said that the Dark Mages have been pushing Fortune Academy further away from the other realms by order of the Dean.” I sighed, running my fingers over the raised scars that patterned Dante’s skin. “Hendrik thinks we’re actually closer to a Hell realm. Maybe it’s why my powers are on the fritz.”
He flinched away, making me curl my fingers into my palm. “Proximity to Hell affects you?”
I studied his flat expression for a moment before deciding to go with the truth. If he wanted to throw me into the cage with the other monsters, then he’d have a fight on his hands. “Because I’m one-third demonspawn. I thought Kaito told you.”
Dante huffed and leaned back. He ran his fingers over the scar across his neck that made me wonder how he’d survived getting his throat slit and what kind of monster would have done that. When he caught me staring, he frowned and rested his hand on his dagger. I knew the motion was subconscious, but it still stung. “Yes, Kaito told me. It’s just… sometimes it’s easy to forget what you are.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I snapped. “Because it’s not.”
He shrugged and we both fell into an uncomfortable silence. I picked at the tender meat in my bowl, but the contents had gone cold. I’d lost my appetite anyway.
“So what happens to them? The humans, I mean,” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “The ones that act up get frozen, and then when the Dean sends her Mages to collect, they’re the first to go.”
“Collect them for what?” I pressed.
He shrugged. “That information is a need-to-know basis, and I just procure.”
The way he worked his jaw said he was not comfortable with this situation, so at least he had something of a conscience. But it was not okay to just stand by while this happened. “What do you plan on doing about it?”
