Lure Academy Read online

  And secondly, there were the Duke cases. He was trying to burn holes into the offending files. “All that trouble… I don’t get it.” He was practically fuming. “Hmmph! Maybe I’m too stupid to get it. Maybe I’m obsessed and I can’t see the whole picture. But this, this…” He felt like he could break something right on the spot. After the twentieth file, Alexi could see nothing of the great Lure legend that Kain Svjetlo was supposed to be. He had no technique whatsoever. He was cruel, yes, but careless and highly uncreative. It was like sculpting a delicate art piece with a blunt axe. “A bloody axe! Great… lame comparison.” The Dukes were complex, elegant demons; extremely cruel predators, but smooth and noble in the way they attracted their prey. “I would know… They need to be handled in a creative way. You need knowledge and dedication. Even respect. Gods! You have to respect your victims, not fucking tear them apart. Bastard.” Anger was taking over his judgment. His temples started pulsing with a migraine, which made it difficult for him to focus. Now he hated Kain even more, if that was possible. It wasn’t enough that he wanted the Duke cases so badly and he had always been refused. Not even Kvasir was willing to help him with this one. And now he had to find out that the greatest Kain Svjetlo, the only Lure guardian who had been trained to solve them, was actually slaughtering his victims like an angry child who had lost his favorite toy. To top it all, he also seemed careless and ignorant.

  “Sheesh! I’ve got to calm down. Stupid fuck… he’s always affecting me like that.” Alexi breathed in and out a couple of times, and decided to go on with his reading. The pile was still quite big, so he might as well get it over with if he had gone through all that humiliating shit to get them. Only now, he was skimming through them, not paying much attention to the details. He was looking at the Dukes’ information – name, age, gender, physical appearance, modus operandi – in hopes of finding the other thing he was searching for. Him. “But, no, not even Svjetlo could have caught him. Such a waste of time.”

  While he was going through the forty-second file, he did find something at least intriguing. The case involved a very powerful demon Lure had been trying to hunt down for centuries. Vepar had been a Great Duke of Hell who controlled the waters, causing storms and floods as he pleased, sinking ships and destroying hundreds of towns and villages by the sea and ocean. Had been because, thanks to Kain, he couldn’t harm anyone anymore. Yes, even the greatest demons of Hell could be killed.

  Alexi read: “Svjetlo had followed Vepar to his shelter, the cave known as Uamh-Binn in Scotland. The demon was already suspicious of his real identity, and Svjetlo knew he had to move fast.” At that point, Alexi was more than engrossed in the report. “No way! So careless, so stupid.”

  “He caught him as he was taking his demon shape, a dark merman. He pinned his wrists to the cave wall and began the process of hypnosis. Svjetlo was aware that using his energy at that particular moment was dangerous. It was too soon, and the demon was already half turned. However, he had no choice.”

  “I can’t believe it. He did it somehow,” whispered Alexi.

  “As he slowly began to drain his energy, keeping him pinned and helpless, Svjetlo struggled to keep his focus and fight the Duke’s powerful aura. Svjetlo’s attack was merciless, but the demon’s retaliation was just as powerful and well-aimed. Vepar managed to escape hypnosis and free his wrists. With the sharp talons attached to his scaly hands, he ripped out Svjetlo’s eyes…”

  “Excuse me…” Sophie had silently approached Alexi and was now standing awkwardly at the other end of the table. At first, seeing how he was so concentrated on his work, she hesitated a bit, but she had no choice. At least now, after infinite minutes of grunting and shifting around the table in hopes of getting his attention, he was looking at her, albeit with confused eyes.

  “Hi!” Why was he staring at her like he’d never seen her before? It was true that they hadn’t interacted much since the Midnight Ceremony. Scratch that. They hadn’t interacted at all. Sophie had seen both Kain and Alexi on the halls, in the cafeteria, or around Lure, but they had always seemed to ignore her, leaving her confused and frustrated. Was that the way mentors were supposed to treat their apprentices? Three days ago, they had both seemed to like her, want her even. They had fought over her, hadn’t they? Sometimes, late at night, lying in her bed, she couldn’t help but think she got it all wrong. It had never been about her.

  “I’m so sorry for interrupting you.” She really was now. “May I, please, sit here?” Her politeness was pathetic.

  Alexi was still looking at her like she was the eighth wonder of the world.

  “Mmm… I… you see… All the other seats are taken. I’m sorry.” He was starting to scare her.

  Fortunately, Alexi’s mind found the right portal leading to present time. Water cave left behind, he even managed a smile. “No, please, sit. Don’t be sorry. It’s stupid… I mean, no. It’s not your fault they’re all taken.”

  Sophie sat down awkwardly, while Alexi cleared the table, gathering all the papers in front of him. Tension hung in the air, and Sophie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly regretting her decision to approach him. What was she going to tell him anyway? Ask him why he had ignored her since the Midnight Ceremony? Why he had chosen her in the first place? Because it was clear to her now that he had lied when he said she was special and he wanted to help her discover her inner demon. She placed her own books on the table when there was enough space for them.

  “So… how are classes?” Alexi would have loved to go back to reading the file, but he’d have to wait. He realized he had been so obsessed with Kain and the Duke cases that he had forgotten about everything and everyone around him. Each morning, he waited for Kain to shower first and leave the room, so he could go about his own morning routines, get to the cafeteria after the blond had already finished his breakfast, then find a secluded place to go through the files. One of the reasons for which Alexi hated Kain’s unusual clinginess was that it made it difficult for him to sneak the files out and study them properly. Thankfully, Mikal, Kain’s demon father, was keeping him busy today. Seeing Sophie sitting right across from him reminded him he was a mentor now and, like it or not, he had responsibilities.

  “Fascinating!” The excitement was obvious in her eyes and voice. “I’ve already learned so many things. I can’t believe it! And it’s only the first day.”

  Alexi smiled. “I’m glad you like it. You remind me of myself when I first came to Lure. I always went to the library after classes.”

  “I’ve looked around a bit. Anahit and Tarini gave us some rather consistent reading lists for the courses. Especially Tarini.”

  “Yeah, dear ol’ mom can be quite demanding.”

  Sophie’s eyes went wide with curiosity. “Really?”

  “Mhm…”

  “Wow!”

  Alexi studied her for a second, then decided it was time to talk about the private sessions they were supposed to have at least once a week. Dread rose in his chest when he realized he’d have to remember the most common methods mentors used to guide their apprentices. He feared his experience and the fact that he hadn’t mentored anyone in years would do Sophie more harm than good.

  “Listen, have you talked with Kain yet?”

  “No…”

  Alexi sighed. Just as he had thought. Kain had completely ignored his role as her mentor in the past three days. At least Alexi had a good excuse. What was Kain’s excuse?

  “We should schedule the first meetings and try to know each other better.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. But you guys seemed very busy these past couple of days, and I wasn’t sure how we had to go about it, anyway.”

  Alexi bit down on his lower lip, feeling a bit guilty. “I’m sorry. It’s…” He threaded his fingers through his disheveled black hair. “It’s been a crazy week. I’m swamped with these cases, you see…” He motioned to the huge pile between them.

  “Oh. Sure, no problem. What are they about?”


  He hesitated. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to tell her he was studying old case files. What if she casually mentioned it to Kain? Would he suspect anything? No. He was such a paranoid fool. Kain had no idea Alexi had an interest in the Duke cases. How could he?

  “I’m sorry, they’re classified.”

  “Of course.” Sophie smiled embarrassed. “Silly me.”

  He returned her smile and remembered why he had liked her so much. She was lovely and easy-going. He wondered if she was the submissive kind. He couldn’t be sure. She had fought the power of his aura so well during the Ceremony. “All right, let’s talk about the sessions. We’ll have to talk to Kain as well, and see if we can find a day and an hour which are convenient for all of us.”

  “How do these sessions work? No one has really explained anything to me and I was, well, kind of scared to ask.”

  “No, no, never do that. If you don’t know something, you must ask. We all know this is entirely new to you, and we don’t expect you to simply know something or learn about it by yourself.” He placed his elbows on the table and rested his head on his palms to rub at his eyes and temples. “Shit, I really am the worst mentor. I should have come to you the next day after the Ceremony. I’m such a moron. I got carried away with my stupid research and let you worry.”

  “Don’t say that.” Sophie reached over the table to touch his arm. He might have been trying to reassure her, but all he managed to do was make her feel worse for having expected him or Kain to pay attention to her when they were obviously so busy. She had to remind herself over and over that they weren’t like the other cambions at Lure Academy. They were two friggin’ legends.

  Alexi slapped his open palms on the table. “Tomorrow evening, after classes. The Red Chamber. How’s that?”

  Sophie’s face lit up. “Yes, that sounds great.”

  “Perfect. I’ll tell Kain later, when he comes back from Oriens. He’ll have to clear his schedule because this is important.”

  The smile on her lips grew so big that it almost hurt her face, but she couldn’t help it. What she had been dreaming of while tossing and turning in her bed was finally within reach. Tomorrow evening, Sophie would have the two hottest cambions at Lure all over her.

  ♥

  After her first day of classes, Sophie was starving. She had left her bag, along with some books taken from the library, in her and Lamia’s room, and now she was heading to the cafeteria. Lamia must have been there already.

  Somewhere on the way to the cafeteria, May joined her, running to catch up.

  “Oh my God! I saw you! You were talking to him in the library.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What do you mean what do I me…?” May looked at her new friend, utter disbelief gracing her features. “Alexi Volkov. The Alexi Volkov. I still can’t believe he’s your mentor. Juniors and seniors are talking about it. No one, and I mean no one, expected Volkov to ever want to mentor again. Don’t you know anything about him?”

  “No, not really.”

  The exasperation in May’s voice was transferred to her wide gestures. For the millionth time that day, Sophie found her unbearably cute.

  “Unbelievable! Being so damn clueless has to be the worst sin.” May would have loved to grab Sophie’s shoulders and shake some sense into her. She threw her hands in the air instead, and tried to keep up with her. “He’s solved hundreds of the most difficult cases, which are the Count ones. Do you have any idea how dangerous the Count cases are?”

  “No. Do you?” Teasing May had to be the best way of spending one’s spare time.

  “Technically, me neither. But I’ve read about them. And he’s an expert. Total awesomeness and intelligence in one go. And like that wasn’t enough, you had to get the other sex-god of Lure as your mentor. Seriously? You’ve only been here for three days and you’re already the most popular new cambion in the whole school. Now, tell me you at least know something about Kain.”

  They entered the cafeteria and Sophie spotted Lamia at a table and headed towards her, May hard on her heels.

  “What did Kain do?”

  “He has solved most of the Duke cases. Do you have any idea…”

  “No, I don’t. Neither do you, May. Chill. Sit.”

  They had reached Lamia’s table. The girl was watching them, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Getting used to your new life, darlings?”

  “You have no idea,” Sophie said.

  May was still fuming. “She has to be the most infuriating bitch around here.”

  Sophie paid her no mind. “I met Alexi in the library. We scheduled the first session for tomorrow evening.”

  “That’s awesome!” said Lamia.

  “Yeah, but… He said we’d meet in The Red Chamber.”

  “So? What’s the problem? All private sessions are held there.”

  “Then, how are they private?” Sophie rolled her eyes.

  “Honey, they’re private because you’ll be with your mentors and you’ll have all their attention. Here, private doesn’t mean locked up in a room with only the two of them.”

  “Yep,” intervened May. “It means no one can join in.”

  “What?” Sophie almost fell off her chair.

  “Calm down,” said Lamia. She reached across the table to squeeze her roommate’s cold hand. “One step at a time.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  After their short conversation, Alexi excused himself and left Sophie in the library. No matter how much he liked spending time with her, he needed some space to ponder on what he had just read. The sooner he got this obsession out of his system, the better. Then he could concentrate on other things, like mentoring Sophie. When he reached the dorm, he was relieved to find it empty. The curtains were drawn and Kain’s bed was neatly made. He sat at his desk and silently contemplated the files before him.

  He didn’t have to read the entire case to understand how it ended. Considering that was the forty-second file, it meant the case had been assigned to Kain at the beginning of his career. That was his luck. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had his both eyes right now. The thought made Alexi shudder. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at himself in the tall mirror. He was a strong, calculated and determined man, but every cambion feared one thing. “Because our greatest weakness is that our biological parents are mortals.” He tried to chase the dark thought away, reminding himself this was the reason for which he studied so much.

  Turning back to the files, he decided to go on with the reading. The difference was that this time he was analyzing them with new-found passion and interest. After two hours of study, he had to admit that now it was simply impossible to ever get rid of his roommate’s image.

  This beautiful blond, atrocious slayer, this Kain Svjetlo, born August 7, 1861, Zagreb, Croatia. After this case gone wrong, his attitude towards his job changed drastically. But why? He did become more careful and even began to show an increased knowledge about the Dukes’ psychology, but he only used his knowledge to slaughter them even more mercilessly. He was the predator and they were his prey, never the other way around.

  “Never again,” thought Alexi. A Lure legend. Not even he was good enough to control his victims in such a way, to bend them to his will, and he was older and more experienced than Kain.

  While reading the accounts, Alexi could feel Kain’s rage and will for destruction, his eagerness for not only energy, but blood as well. “Why? Why would you try to take revenge?” Because it was obvious that revenge was what Kain sought. There was hatred and frustration, and Alexi couldn’t understand any of it. There was something there and he couldn’t grasp it, but he instinctively knew that particular thing had to be the key to Kain Svjetlo’s mind and soul.

  Alexi put the files inside his desk drawer just as Kain entered the room. With his back turned to the blond, he closed his eyes and tried to picture him only by listening to his movements. The soft creak of the door, one strong arm stretched to close it, Kai
n’s light steps on the wooden floor. Alexi took a deep breath and almost smiled to himself. “I’m pathetic.”

  “Still studying, big boy?” The blond was standing in front of the closed door, one hand on his hips. He smiled cheerfully, although he couldn’t quite explain why. Lately, it just happened whenever he saw his roommate.

  Alexi straightened his back and turned around. He looked right into Kain’s blue eyes. For a couple of moments, they held each other’s gaze, even though for entirely different reasons. While Kain took the time to admire his roommate’s dark green eyes, Alexi couldn’t deny his inevitable attraction to the beautiful creature in front of him. He caught himself staring at Kain’s neck, wondering what that smooth skin would feel like, taste like. He licked his lips and went back to the unnaturally faded blue eyes. He would have loved to close the distance which separated them, grab the blond’s handsome face between his hands, and tilt his head up to study each and every detail of his eyes.

  Kain cocked an eyebrow, unsure what to make of his roommate’s weird behavior.