Part 7

The entire academy was quiet as one of the four directors gave her speech.

Jane Latimer, that was her name.

Even after all the struggles and the measures everyone put in to save her life, she still died.

   Jane was one of us, a level one.

Why she was in the woods where she was attacked? Simply to fuck her new boyfriend Leo who had been screaming for help.

Hadn't they heard director Blackstone warn us not to leave the grounds especially at night? While I never really followed up on the long speeches, I certainly had a way of remembering the important things to keep me alive.

    Her family would be devastated.

I couldn't help but picture me lying in that casket as they closed the hearse doors, readying for transport.

And just like that, Jane Latimer's story was over. Her life, gone.

     Curse death, showing up at the unexpected times.

The rest of the day was to mourn her, which I spent in the library doing my own research.

    The academy had tons of books about demons, their classes, categories, abilities and weaknesses.

My training wasn't yet to those knowledge yet, but reading ahead would come in handy. Especially if a 'demon' had managed to slip into the academy's property undetected.

         "I can see you standing there you know!" I breathed shutting the large book. Some trapped dust sneaked in my nostrils, triggering a half-sneeze. "Why are you always around me, hm?"

My head turned to the frame leaning against one of the ceiling-tall shelves stacked with books. He was pretending to bury his nose in a little book, too bad he wasn't able to hide his six foot self in it.

   "Mind your business!" HL retorted lowly.

"But you're always in my business. Do you think I wouldn't notice how you follow me when nobody is looking?" I exploded.

It escaped me how I had moved from my table to stand in front of our handler while laying the fierce accusation.

    He shut his book in a soft thud before straightening. The coldness in those eyes was enough to freeze the entire world. "You think you're special?"

How was that related to him stalking me?

   "No!"

"Good! Cause you're not."

Ouch! That wounded my ego so bad.

"I don't care if you're my handler or whatever -" I spat shoving a finger on his chest, "-but I will not tolerate you spying on me."

He grabbed the hand assaulting him and hauled. The action led to my body falling forward to spoon against his manly frame.

     HL leaned his head down to glare at me dead in the eye. "Is it spying if you can see me?"

  I swear I wanted to say something mean, but nothing sensible was being formed in my head. "You...I..."

         Being this close to him caused a certain reaction in me that I had never felt. No it wasn't love or lust for heaven sake!

   "Vee? Are you here?" Someone called in a low tone from the next aisle. It sounded like Paul if I wasn't wrong.

His footsteps were getting closer. Heck! I couldn't have him seeing me this close to the man our unit feared.

I pulled back, but HL slammed me back to himself before moving both of us to hide at the edge of the huge shelf.

His left hand was glued on my back, holding me firmly while his other one had released my wrist to cover my mouth.

        "Vee?" Paul called again.

He must have been looking around the empty tables for the one minute of silence. Maybe he thought I would pop up from beneath one of them.

  I heard him sigh, all along, my eyes were shooting arrows at HL.

The sound of his boots walking away made the hand on my back relax, but never moving off of me.

   I mumbled under the other hand blocking my mouth before pulling it down.

"What was that?"

    "I was not done with you!"

I did the only thing that crossed my mind, punch him on the chest while pushing my body away from him.

"I get to choose who I interact with."

A low growl erupted from the male, it sounded like an animal.

   "Was that...you?" I murmured backing.

"Where are they?" HL suddenly hissed.

  My lips parted yet no sound came out. I was experiencing fear, the male was making me feel inferior.

And the burn under my bracelet came, beckoning me to pay attention to it. Which I did, and there it was, glowing an ugly shade of red like the flames. It was scorching my skin, inflicting pain.

I grabbed it, struggled to take it off just to cease the torture. All while groaning and hissing in pain.

       "It won't come off. Never will, till I take it off. That, is your prison you little demon!" HL spat with the venom of a million snakes.

"What-what does that even mean?"

       He grabbed me by the elbows before pushing me back without a shred of mercy till I was against a wall.

"You have cost me a thousand years as punishment when you escaped hell. And now I can't even kill till you are a complete demon. Now where are your damn wings?"

   "What are you talking about?" I cried, tears blurring my vision. He was scaring me. The rage in his eyes, the bitterness in his grip.

"I know you hid their whereabouts in your memory, that is why you erased them eh?"

I was already in tears.

    "I'm not a demon! I'm Ivy," I whispered weakly.

HL snorted. "If you weren't, then why does the demon binder hurt you, hm?"

    "Demon binder?" I repeated meekly.

HL raised my hand by the elbow, shoving the bracelet to my face. "What do you think this is? Jewelry? How insolent can you be?"

   "But-but...dad said-"

"Your father? Have you been in contact with him?" His face was dawned with a strange expression. Like a mixture of anger and fear.

"I call him every week."

      The male groaned, "Are you serious?" The was a strong tinge of disappointment in his tone. "Your father isn't on earth. He cannever set foot here. You know why?" HL asked in a low piercing voice as he leaned down to my ear. "Because, he's bound in hell!"