Fortune Academy: Year Three - J.R. Thorn Page 0,20

glittered with ruby gems stuck into anything that had space, evident by the massive chandelier, the oval mirror near the bathroom, and even in the trim of wood that ran around the vanity desk. However the most notable element of the room was the bed. King-sized was an understatement. Maybe double or triple-King would be more accurate.

Then I remembered, this room was reserved for royalty and my mother had multiple partners, just like me. She had been the Champion of the First Echo of Calamity and had once faced a similar plight. I wondered if it had been like this for her. If all her mates had been so… difficult.

Scanning the room, I found a delicate orb garnishment sitting on the desk.

Bingo.

I grabbed it and hauled it back to slam it to the ground. I wanted to break something, watch an object shatter into a thousand little pieces so I didn’t have to think about what was happening to my heart.

My arm jerked back as somebody grabbed my wrist from behind and I would have screamed, but another hand clamped around my mouth.

Fear surged, then the aroma of blood and roses wound all around me, followed by a familiar chill as fog curled around my ankles.

Well, it seemed that my Dark Mage had invited himself in.

Hendrik leaned into my neck and took in a deep breath, inhaling my scent. “I wouldn’t break that orb, my pet. You don’t want to unleash the spirits within, now do you?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” I snapped as I wriggled free of him. A dark portal where he’d entered my room shimmered in the air, then vanished. That was a new trick.

Hendrik reclaimed the orb from me and handled it as if it was an explosive device. He gently set it back onto the divot in the desk. “Saving you from witch spirits, it seems.” He flashed me a smug grin. “You really should pay more attention in class. This is a witch orb, pet. You know what that means, don’t you?” When I blankly stared at him, he sighed and explained. “Demons make deals with witches and when the witch dies, her soul goes to Hell. Those demons like to trap multiple souls within objects and use them to scry, or cast powerful spells.”

“Then what’s it doing here?” I asked, hugging my arms as I sank onto the edge of the bed. I didn’t have the fight to put up with Hendrik right now. Maybe I was losing my mind, or maybe I just didn’t want to be alone. Either way, I just felt tired.

He shrugged as he patted the orb then came and joined me on the bed. He didn’t touch me, just smiled at me with a look of adoration that would have been sweet, had he not looked so damn smug about himself. “You’re a princess of Hell, or has that not fully sunk in yet?” His dark gaze swept over me and even with all my clothes on, I felt suddenly very naked. My poor uniform had endured a rough go of it. My shirt suffered holes from hellfire and frayed threads made it practically see-through. My skirt ran up my long legs, always a bit too short because of my height. No uniform seemed to properly fit me. And then I’d given up on underwear after my latest session with Kaito.

And Logan… and Dante.

Damn, yeah. I need a shower.

I sighed. “I don’t feel like a princess, and really, I don’t care. I just want to wash up and then go to bed.”

Hendrik smiled. “Your wish is my command.” He tapped my nose. “We’ll get to work on both of those—in that order.”

Without another word, he threaded his fingers through mine and guided me to the bathroom. The floor transitioned into porcelain tiles and I gasped as we turned the corner into the rest of the suite. The room opened up into a gorgeous layout boasting a long tub—more like a pool—that sank into the floor. Ruby gems glittered, making the thin layer of water at the bottom look like glittering blood.

Hendrik surveyed the room, then went to a panel on the wall. He hummed with thought, then pressed one of the larger buttons. A hiss sounded through the walls and then water trickled from the ceiling over rocks. It steamed on its way down until it slowly began filling the basin.

Hendrik whistled. “Well, I guess this beats hot springs. Hellfire-warmed waters sounds damn good