“That was delicious,” Zakeri moaned, his hand on his full stomach as he and Cormac travelled in the direction of the boys’ dormitory.
Cormac made a soft sound of agreement, lazy and full from the meal they’d just shared. “I told you, Yoppa is an amazing cook. I don’t know where she got the talent, but I’d sell my soul for one of those brownies.”
“Too bad she gave them all to me,” Zakeri teased, earning a punch in the arm from his new friend.
Zakeri had enjoyed his night with Cormac and Yoppa. He hadn’t expected it; she had seemed shy in the classroom, but when they’d been alone in her suite of rooms, she’d opened up. Yoppa was actually sweet and funny, and Cormac was right when he said her brownies were to die for. He’d looked like he was going to cry when Yoppa gave her last two to Zakeri.
“I’m warning you, I’ll find some way to get you back for that,” Cormac threatened, playing with the barrette in his hair while he glanced at the numbers on Zakeri’s wrist. They’d picked off a whole group together on the way to the girls’ dorm; Zakeri had gained another six points, while Cormac earned three. The silverette was just too fast with his gun for Cormac to keep up.
Zakeri glanced sideways at the other demon, taking in the slightly muted yellow of Cormac’s aura. Unlike the bright yellow that had flickered in Abriel’s, Cormac was playful instead of afraid of losing his control and his power. It was a color that made Zakeri feel warm and safe, especially combined with the base lavender of Cormac’s aura that meant he was imaginative, a dreamer, when it wasn’t overcome by the clear red of someone who was passionate and sexual. The color Zakeri had seen in Abriel’s aura for just a moment before it was swamped by hateful black.
“I know you will,” he replied happily, earning a strange look from his friend.
“I wouldn’t go that way, if I were you.”
A voice broke into the peaceful moment. Zakeri turned to see where the voice had sprung from, and found a girl with black hair looking up at him with eyes that were the same yellow as the sunflowers that had grown in the empty lot next to his house on the human plane. It was habit to check her aura, and he took comfort in the base blue that meant she was calm, cool, and collected most of the time.
“Buzz off, Kavara.” Cormac dismissed the girl immediately.
Zakeri, however, had already judged her by her aura and decided to hear her out. “Why not?”
Kavara looked pleased that he’d actually bothered to listen to her; because she spent most of her time in the safe zones, most people thought she was a coward and didn’t trust her. They didn’t look at her wrist to see her numbers in the mid sixties, and they didn’t realize she just wanted to eat in peace, and happened to always be hungry.
“The big bad wolf went that way,” she said in a half whisper, looking in the direction of the path through the trees that led to the boys’ dorm, as if something was going to come out of it and eat her.
“The… big bad wolf?” Zakeri repeated, puzzled. Beast demons weren’t allowed on school grounds, so he didn’t see how one could be on that path.
Cormac snorted at his confusion. “She means Abriel. That’s the name all the big-time students gave him. He’s first on the school’s top 20 list every time the underground newsletter comes out, and he likes to eat up the little piggies that wander outside of their brick houses.”
“Of course,” Cormac said with a grin, “He’s back to the beginning now, so I guess the big bad wolf is just another piggy these days.”
“Who’s the big bad wolf now, then?” Kavara asked, surprised by the news; she was one of the only students on campus who hadn’t heard by then.
Cormac glanced sideways at Zakeri, who looked down at the 42 that was written on his wrist. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Cormac said, trying to cover his friend.
Too late, for Kavara was already looking at him with speculative eyes. “If he managed to kill the great and powerful Abriel, I think he deserves the title,” she decided. Standing, she brushed off her rear in case any dirt was clinging to it. She was oddly dressed, a sapphire shirt covering a full-length black unitard, paired with black ankle boots. It was definitely not something Zakeri had ever seen on the human plane.
“I’m Kavara, beta.” She stuck out her hand.
Zakeri looked at it for a second, before shaking it. “I’m Zakeri, the big bad wolf.” He said it with amusement. It was a much better title than anybody had given him before, one he could deal with. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. Before Kavara could notice that he didn’t tell her his rank, he drew his hand back and began to walk in the direction of the boys’ dormitory. “It was nice meeting you, Kavara!”
“Good luck slaughtering the piggy!” she replied, waving at him as she watched him go.
Cormac looked like he wanted to stay behind for a moment, but he hurried after Zakeri. “What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed, glad the other demon was shorted so he didn’t have to jog to keep up with Zakeri’s quick strides. “Didn’t you hear her? Abriel is there, and he’s probably waiting for you!”
“I know,” Zakeri said, reaching up to rub Kissa’s head when she nuzzled her wet nose against his ear. “That’s why I’m going. He’s calling me out, obviously, even if he didn’t mean to. He was probably planning to catch me by surprise. But it’s too late now. I’ll have to fight him again.
“Zakeri, you’re an idiot,” Cormac groaned.
“I know,” he replied with a shameless grin, “But I’m a cute idiot.”
There was nothing Cormac would say to deny it, and that made a wicked grin rise to Zakeri’s lips. “Besides, I’ve already killed him once, remember?”
“That was probably just dumb luck,” Cormac muttered, his hand jammed in the pockets of his pants and his spring green eyes trained on his feet.
Zakeri gasped and staggered dramatically. “You’ve wounded me to the quick Cormac! How could you! I thought we were friends!”
Cormac couldn’t help but laugh, his face lightening into something resembling happiness, though worry for the other demon still hid in his eyes and lit his aura bright yellow. “Alright, alright, kill the theatrics- that’s my job.”
“Are you going to punish me if I steal your job?” Zakeri was walking ahead of Cormac, so he didn’t notice how his teasing question made the other demon’s steps falter, eyes widening.
Does he not realize what that kind of question can do to a person? Cormac thought, shocked. Then Zakeri turned, walking backwards, and he saw the devilish glint in the silverette’s eyes. No, he definitely realizes.
“Tempt me like that and maybe I will,” Cormac challenged, pushing tentatively at the line of friendship drawn between them.
Zakeri grinned at him, a smile full of wicked temptation. “You wouldn’t dare,” he challenged back.
And the line of friendship became a thing of the past as Cormac’s aura began to show the clear red of passion. He advanced on Zakeri, the same prowl as when he had been picking on Abriel, but his eyes were hot instead of heavy with amusement. He was close to closing those last few inches when Zakeri suddenly spun around.
His gun was in his hands and he was taking aim before Abriel had even hit the ground after dropping from the tree branch. That familiar anger was in Abriel’s eyes, seething black in his aura, as he drew his sword and hellfire danced along its edges. There was no grace or refinement to the way he attacked- he was too angry to bother with it.
That was why it was way too easy for Zakeri to win. Again. Unlike the time before, he didn’t take any chances; the bullet went right between Abriel’s eyes, and the demon dropped.
“Damn it, you ruined a perfectly good moment,” he snapped at the corpse, before stalking away to let the dorm manager know where Abriel’s body was, Cormac following behind him with an awed and amused smile.
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