INITIATION by Imogen Rose (Bonfire Academy Book One)

Chapter Two

I still felt the beat of Jagger’s heart in mine as I made my way down the stairs and through the hallways to Frau Smelt’s office. We had synchronized. His rhythm was slow and steady, beating independently from mine, but it was almost as if it had made a home for itself inside mine. It weirded me out. I needed to talk to Mom and Dad about that. This had to be the synching thing they had mentioned. His words were on a repeat loop in my mind. I tried to shut out what he’d said about Quinn. I didn’t like the way Jagger had spoken to me, basically giving me an order. No one ordered me to do anything. A fey, especially! Even if he was the president of the student council.

I tried to recall what I’d been taught about faeries. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention. The fey held very little interest for me, especially since they weren’t part of my father’s network.

My father is the demon king of Paris. Each city is governed by a council of paranormal leaders–demon, vampire, Wanderer, angel, werewolf, witch–who keep their subjects in order, ensuring that our existence is kept secret from the humans. The faeries, apart from trolls, had never been a part of that system.

As far as I could recall, the faery world was divided into fey from either the Seelie court or the Unseelie court, also known as the summer and winter courts. Although the summer faeries weren’t as malevolent as those from the Unseelie court, they were not by any means benevolent.

Jagger clearly belonged to the Unseelie court. Even before he confirmed it, I had guessed just by his appearance and cool breath. But he didn’t belong completely. There was another undefinable aura around him. I didn’t understand how our rhythms had fused. How could that happen between a demon and a fey? Was there a way to undo it?

A thousand questions swirled around in my mind as I reached Frau Smelt’s office. I stared at her door and, once again, my stomach twisted. I really needed to work on the whole door anxiety issue that suddenly seemed to be plaguing me. I stood outside it for a moment, patting down my gray skirt and making sure that the collar on my white shirt was straight. Then I gently tapped the large brass knocker to the metal door. It made a thunderous sound, even though I had barely touched it, making me jump slightly.

“Enter!”

I rotated the knob and cracked open the door, then hesitantly peered through the slit. I ignored everyone else in the room as I met the daunting and severe glare of The Smelt. Then, Frau Smelt suddenly averted her eyes, her thin, ruby-red lips curling into a semi-smile. I followed her gaze and was transfixed as I stared into the cold, red eyes of the demon king of London.

“Your Highness, this is Cordelia. We have asked her to mentor Faustine.”

Well, so much for nobody being able to order me around. That notion took a nosedive out the window.

King Sebastian sat on the couch with his feet lazily plunked on the glass coffee table in front of him. He seemed completely at ease, dressed casually in dark jeans and a black turtleneck sweater. He was famous for his roguish good looks and deceptively easy manner. I had run into him a few times before in my dad’s office, but I still felt slightly intimidated.

“Cordelia, how lovely to see you again. How is your father?”

“Your Highness, it’s nice to see you again. My dad is good. I got to visit him during the school closure.”

King Sebastian’s eyes darkened, and the smile left his face. If I could have eaten my words, I would have. Talking about the closure was obviously a complete no-no in his presence, considering his spawn were the ones responsible. I thought about apologizing, but couldn’t find the words.

His voice was low and deadly even when he spoke again. “I’m on my way to see him, once I leave here. Let me introduce you to my daughter. Cordelia, this is Faustine.” His face and voice softened as he spoke her name and put his hand gently on her shoulder.