Fortune Academy: Year Three - J.R. Thorn Page 0,29

his butt in the air, wagging his massive tail.

Now I’ve seen everything.

Logan barked and jumped over the bone as a wave of Demonspawn and witch spirits trailed behind him. Cerberus took the cue and lifted the bone, sending it flying with a wide arch of its neck. A wave of Demonspawn went down like bowling pins.

“More!” Luc shouted with hysterical laughter, clapping his hands as Jess sank to her knees, defeated as she stared at me and mouthed “I’m sorry.” She wound her finger around her ear and pointed at the demon leader.

I smirked. Yeah, well if I had been stuck in this place for centuries, I’d be bat-wing-shit crazy too.

Cerberus chased after Logan, bulldozing down massive hoards of the Demonspawn until the creatures decided to go for the retreat. They ran toward the black portal while the witch spirits hissed and ventured back into the red glow of the pit. I saw why when Cerberus dropped his bone to snap at them, eating a mouthful of screeching phantoms like a snack.

Orion, Hendrik, Dante, and Kaito formed a circle around me as we watched Logan and Cerberus play. Once I realized the danger was gone, I took a moment to appreciate how incredible my Virtues really were. The portal shimmered when the last of the Demonspawn entered it, then puffed into a pile of ash.

Cerberus barked, absolutely gleeful while Logan nipped at his heels. The two played until Cerberus rolled onto his back, allowing Logan to pin the neck of one of his heads.

It was hard to believe, but size didn’t matter when it came to a pack. Logan really was an Alpha.

Luc began a slow clap, stepping forward as he dismissed his portal. “Fabulous. Just fabulous, Princess. You have chosen your Virtues wisely, it seems.”

I growled and formed another fireball, aiming it at his face. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end you right here for pulling that shit.”

The demon grinned and spread his arms. “You could kill me, if you like, but you need me, Lilith. I am the leader of the army that will push your precious Conduit of Calamity into the bowels of Hell. If you think you can do it without me, be my guest.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “At least I would die from a royal’s fireball instead of boredom.”

Rolling my eyes, I dismissed my flame and kicked the ground instead, cursing when I hit a stone.

“We’ll find another way to punish him,” Kaito interjected as he took my arm. “Just because you show him mercy doesn’t mean he won’t have to deal with consequences.” His tattoo flashed with a metallic silver sheen. “Everything comes with a price.”

“That’s my line,” Hendrik said as he brushed ash from his robe. “And yes, I should have known summoning a portal here would be a mistake.” He glared at Luc. “One I won’t make again.”

Logan yipped with excitement as Cerberus rolled onto his haunches, setting his heads down on his paws as he blinked at us with puppy-dog eyes.

We’ve wasted too much time, Logan said in my head, and by the way my other Virtues went still, I knew they could hear him too. Good thing I got us a ride down. You ready to hop on?

I stared at the Hell hound. “Ride?”

Orion whooped and sprinted to the dog, making me catch my breath when he startled the creature. To my relief, the hound didn’t bite off his head when the demigod climbed onto his back. Normally Orion was a giant, but on Cerberus, he fit without a problem. Orion gathered a fistful of fur and steadied himself, then patted the spot behind him. “Come on, little star. It’s not every day you get to ride Cerberus into the pits of Hell.”

He was right about that…

“Is this my life now?” I grumbled as I shuffled through ash toward the massive dog.

Dante chuckled and tucked an arm around my waist, lifting me up once I got to the hound’s giant paw. “It is, and you better get used to it, because it’s only down from here.”

Chapter 9

It was definitely pretty cool riding Cerberus into the depths of Hell. We’d wasted too much time getting sidetracked by Luc’s stunt, and it felt good to leave him behind in the smokey dust as my Virtues and I continued on our journey.

Jess stayed behind and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. She’d assured me that she would keep our best interests as a priority from Luc’s