Fortune Academy: Year Three - J.R. Thorn Page 0,26

“I don’t think we should eat this…”

Only Kaito didn’t join in as he sat at my right hand and surveyed the food with a calculating stare. “I feel it too, Koneko-chan.”

“Good mor-ning!” Jess said in a sing-song voice as she pranced into the dining hall.

I tore my gaze from the array of pastries, bacon-wrapped sausages, and sugared berries to find the demon leader coming in behind her, stretching his bat-like wings as he watched Jess with an amused smile.

The gleam in his red eyes said that they’d definitely been up to something last night, and when he gave me a wicked grin, I cleared my throat and absorbed myself with my plate, because I knew the same look was probably all over my Virtues, too.

“Eat, drink, and restore your reserves because today, we travel into the pit,” Luc boomed, spreading his arms for dramatic flair. He retracted sharp black talons as he took his place at the other end of the table and began barking orders at the demonic servants for more food than I thought possible to eat.

Jess leaned over the table to grab a peach. “This looks delicious!”

“Yeah, about that,” I began, glancing up at the horned leader with red eyes, “how is it that Hell has fresh fruit and…” I held up a sugared treat, “pastries?” Something felt off about this spread and I hadn’t eaten a single bite.

He smiled, showing off sharp teeth. “Your ignorance is truly endearing, Princess.”

“Careful,” Logan warned as he held up a piece of half-eaten bacon, despite my warnings. “That’s my mate you’re talking to.”

Luc bowed his head. “Of course, I meant no disrespect.” He cleared his throat. “Hell has many inner layers, including layers that align with the seven sins. Gluttony is the largest, understandably, and it’s a simple matter of knowing the right tunnel to use to drop in and get food for royal visits such as this.” He stretched his wings before pulling them to his back as the servants set multiple plates in front of him. “Demons don’t technically need to eat, but I do enjoy the excuse to indulge in…” his red eyes locked in on Jess, “temptation.”

She grinned, then turned to me. “You gonna eat that?” she asked, indicating my untouched sausage rolls.

I leaned back and raised my hands. “Have at it.”

Kaito remained silent as the rest of my Virtues devoured their share of the bounty, not seeming to be bothered by the fact that it came from one of the seven sins that had its own realm in Hell.

I glanced at Orion. “You really have no problem eating that?”

He grinned as his freckles sparkled with renewed energy, shining golden sunlight through his skin. “Food is food, little star.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you all combust into hellfire, I am not saving you.”

“Agreed,” Kaito added.

My stomach growled while everyone stuffed their faces.

Logan groaned in pain as we ventured further into Hell with Luc. The demon leader left his entire army behind to guard the city, although I suspected the real action would be down here with us if he really wanted to join our little parade.

Already he was proving to be untrustworthy. All my Virtues aside from Kaito stumbled as they held their stomachs, regretting their adventure with the sin of gluttony.

Kaito chuckled, being the only one spared from the consequences by abstaining from food. “We warned you not to eat it.”

“I think I’m dying,” Logan lamented.

Dante, Orion, and Hendrik also looked a little green, but they hadn’t gorged as badly as my poor wolf.

My caution was paying off. Sure, I was hungry, but I had the power of my Virtues coursing through my veins. Being part Demonspawn and succubus, it was enough to keep me energized even without nourishment. Plus, the last thing I’d eaten in this place had been mind-bending Hell shrooms, so I really wasn’t interested in seeing what effects delicacies from the realm of gluttony would have on my body.

“There,” Luc said, indicating a glowing red tunnel. “That’s the route to the Royal Courts.”

“You really didn’t have to come with us,” I insisted as I marched in front of him. I didn’t trust the demon leader, even if Jess seemed completely smitten. Sexy demon abs could have that effect on a girl.

Good thing he wasn’t one of my Virtues, or I might have been distracted. Instead, I kept a wary eye on the horned male as we descended. The air shimmered with heat as sweat gathered at the back of my neck.

That