Page 13 of The Prince of Demons

I wrapped my arms back around myself immediately, embarrassed.

“My skin doesn’t prevent me from fighting,” I said, “nor does it affect my grades.”

“The Houses tend to be a bit superficial with that stuff, though,” he said, noting my awkward posture. “Aw, that was mean. I shouldn’t have said it like that.” His shoulders shrugged. “Just—be careful, alright? I was worried Hunter would harass you today, so I thought I should probably give you an escort. But there’s worse than Hunter out there.”

“Understood,” I said, processing what he said. Gallant to protect me from Hunter, but nasty to point out that I looked disadvantaged here. And that was not even acknowledging what lay beneath my skin.

I sat away from him in class, discouraged.

* * *

“All of your lives are forfeit,”Professor Ansi announced from the massive lecture hall, her cropped hair matching her cropped temper. Chairs encircled the speaker, rows and rows of seats and desks, allowing her threatening voice to rage to all simultaneously.

“500 years ago, a group of faeries—specifically, a group of faery godmothers—became disgruntled that their most vulnerable human children were at mercy to the creatures of the Beyond. So, they established a wall—a veil to divide mortal and immortal, human and other.”

“Faery godmothers can’t be real,” Hunter interrupted. “I’ve never seen one before, and I come—”

“Likely because you’re a spoiled brat. Minus 10 points from your total,” Dr. Ansi bit.

My watch buzzed, and I glanced at it.

New photos released from the night of freshman Tallum Forge’s death, The Eternal Times, our school’s newspaper, read. Beneath it, three photos resided.

In one, there was a massive, pale white shadow that was so blurred it must have been moving too fast for the camera. Besides some trees in high definition in the background, it was impossible to make out what it was.

The above photo was taken by university cameras on North campus five minutes before the alert went out.

Beneath it, another blurry white shot of nothing. Below the white, though, were two skinny legs peeking out from beneath, with muddy white sneakers at the ends. With a start, I realized those were Tallum’s legs—whatever the creature was, it was big enough to cover the rest of his massive body. What a gruesome end for such a strong wolf.

Photo taken by university camera on South campus five minutes after Tallum was supposed to start class.

South Campus? If the background trees were where I thought they were, that was a forty-minute jog from the tip of North Campus to South. The creature was quick.

Lastly, there was a photo of Reaper. Not my image, unfortunately, which disappeared with my missing camera.

University cameras must have taken this one right before his final exit because he was glowing in violet, like my shadows had reflected off him.

The above photo has been identified as a potential ‘Reaper,’ according to students who survived an altercation with him. President Consta warns not to be fooled by his handsome appearance. He has attacked before, and it is best to notify university police immediately if he is spotted on campus.

To join the University Press and get the latest news, submit an application to join The Eternal Times’ student reporters.

“Is this the guy you saw?” Cordelia whispered to me.

“Yeah,” I whispered back.

“He’s kinda hot, though,” Cordelia said.

“You’re the person President Consta’s warning was for,” I teased.

Around me, I heard chittering and chattering, more than usual for this class.

“FOCUS,” Dr. Ansi roared. “You can thirst over the fancy demon OUTSIDE my classroom!”

Some students (mostly male) laughed, while others shrank in their seats. Cordelia was a shrinker.

“What should we do if we encounter a hot demon, Professor?” a male student shouted.

Dr. Ansi sharply raised her hand, throwing the boy’s body fifteen feet into the air. “I don’t know. What will you do?”

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