Princess of Hell

The dormitory door clicked shut behind us. Isabella followed us inside, setting her bag on the floor near the wardrobe. Her wings manifested for a moment before disappearing, the gesture unconscious.

"Well." Aria dropped onto her bed, the mattress dipping under her weight. "This is exciting."

I moved to my own bed and sat, my fingers gripping the edge. "That's one word for it."

Bellas emerged from his alcove, his eyes widening as he took in the three of us. I held up my hand, palm forward. He nodded and retreated back into the small space without a word.

Aria bounced on the mattress, her horns catching the light from the crystal fixtures. "So. What do you think is happening? Full Academy lockdown, all faculty summoned—this is serious."

"Could be anything." I pulled my legs up, crossing them beneath me. My tail curled around my left ankle.

"Or." Isabella leaned against the wardrobe, her arms folding across her chest. "It's connected to Nyx."

I turned toward her. "You think so?"

"I haven't seen her anywhere." Isabella's ice-blue eyes met mine. "Not in classes, not in the halls. When was the last time any of us actually saw her?"

I thought back through the day. Mathematics with Professor Vox, then flexibility training with Professor Nieve, then Biology. Nyx usually sat near the back in most classes, her midnight-blue hair easy to spot.

"Yesterday." Aria stopped bouncing. "At lunch. She was reading in the corner of the dining hall."

"Exactly." Isabella shifted her weight, her heel tapping against the floor. "Gone today. Then this happens."

Aria waved her hand through the air. "But they wouldn't shut down the whole Academy for a single student. That doesn't make sense."

The words I'd spoken earlier to Isabella and Aria came back to me. "Perhaps whatever she brought from Pestilentia is the cause."

Isabella's shoulders lifted, then dropped. "Could be. Materials from the sixth circle aren't exactly known to be stable. If something went wrong during her research…"

"Oh." Aria sat up straighter. "You wanna check it out?"

I stared at her. "Did you not hear what the professors said? Stay in our dormitories. They literally said they won't take responsibility for anything that happens outside them."

"Come on." Aria's tail swished behind her, the spaded tip tracing patterns in the air. "You know you want to know as much as I do."

I did. The curiosity pulled at me, the same analytical drive that had made me excel at engineering. But—

"I do. But I also have common sense."

Aria whispered something under her breath. The words were too quiet to distinguish clearly.

Isabella chuckled, the sound quiet but genuine. Her hand rose to cover her mouth.

I turned toward Aria. "What did you say?"

"Nothing!" Aria's purple eyes widened. "I said you have a lot of common sense."

I grabbed the pillow from behind me and threw it. The fabric left my fingers, sailing across the space between our beds.

Aria's hands snapped up, catching it against her chest. She laughed, the sound filling the room. "See? Common sense in action."

I crossed my arms, my lips pressing together. The warmth of frustration and reluctant amusement mixed in my chest.

Aria set the pillow beside her on the bed. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "So. When are we sneaking out?"

"Are you really not letting this go?"

"Not when my mother might be involved." Aria's expression shifted, the playfulness fading. Her jaw tightened. "Besides, we've been through worse. Ancient liches, vampires, assassins—what's a little Academy lockdown?"

I sighed, the air leaving my lungs in a long exhale. My shoulders sagged. "You're impossible."

I looked at Isabella, hoping for support. Her ice-blue eyes met mine. She raised one eyebrow, her lips curving into the smallest smile. Her hands spread in a gesture that said everything: Do what you want.

The resignation on her face mirrored what I felt. Once Aria decided something, stopping her required more energy than simply going along. And if we were being honest, Isabella wanted answers as much as the rest of us.

My fingers drummed against my knee. The Academy halls would be empty, the faculty occupied with their emergency meeting. If we moved quickly, if we stayed quiet…

* * *

The hallway stretched ahead of us, empty. My boots made no sound against the polished obsidian floor. Isabella moved beside me, her breathing steady and controlled. Aria trailed slightly behind, her tail swaying.

The silence pressed against my ears. During normal hours, students filled these corridors—conversations overlapping, laughter echoing off the walls, footsteps creating constant background noise. Now nothing.

Well. Almost nothing.

A moan drifted through a doorway to our left. The sound rose, peaked, then faded into breathless gasps. Two voices joined together in rhythm from another room further down.

Aria's lips curved upward. "Someone knows how to spend a lockdown."

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"If you want similar entertainment, we can still turn back." Isabella's words came out flat, resigned. She already knew the answer.

"Tempting." Aria's fingers traced along the wall as we walked. "But this is more interesting."

I stopped, turning to face her. My hand pressed against my chest. "This cannot be. Aria Nova refusing sex?" The words came out in exaggerated horror. "Has the world ended?"

"Don't get used to it." Aria closed the distance between us in three steps. Her arms wrapped around me from behind, her breath warm against my ear. "We can still do it after."

Her fingers splayed across my stomach, the pressure light but deliberate. Heat pooled low in my abdomen, my body responding despite my attempt to maintain focus.

I reached down, my hands closing over her wrists. I pulled them away from my body and stepped forward. "Later. Right now we need to stay focused."

"Fine, fine." Aria released me completely, her hands dropping to her sides.

We continued down the corridor. The moans and gasps created a constant backdrop. My tail moved behind me, the spaded tip twitching with each sound that filtered through the doors.

* * *

I turned the corner into the main dormitory hallway.

A body collided with mine.

The impact knocked me backward two steps. My wings flared out for balance, the membranes catching air. Someone stumbled into me, their shoulder hitting my chest.

"Professor—" The word died in my throat.

Platinum blonde hair. Crimson eyes. Pale skin flushed pink across the cheeks.

Valentina.

Not a professor. Not someone who could report us directly.

My shoulders dropped an inch. The tension in my jaw loosened.

"N-Night—" Valentina caught herself mid-syllable. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again. "Nightstar. Fancy meeting you here."

The name came out wrong. Too deliberate. Too careful.

Aria's groan filled the hallway. "Of course it's her."

I straightened, putting another foot of distance between myself and Valentina. "What do you want?"

Aria stepped forward, positioning herself slightly to my left. "Are you going to run and tattle on us?"

Valentina's laugh cut through the quiet. Sharp. High. The sound bounced off the walls. "The professors made themselves quite clear." Her hand waved dismissively. "They won't care what happens to students outside the dormitories."

Her weight shifted to her right foot. Her tail coiled around her left ankle.

"I don't care about your little rule-breaking either." Her chin lifted three inches. "Why I'm here is my own business. The world doesn't revolve around you three."

She paused, her eyes narrowing.

"But now that I know you're up to something…" Her fingers drummed against her hip. "I demand to know what you're planning."

Isabella moved forward. Her voice dropped into lower registers, each word clipped. "That's also our own business. You may return to whatever you were doing. We're not telling you anything."

"I'm not going anywhere." Valentina's shoulders squared. "As far as I know, you three might have caused whatever's happening."

Isabella's response came without hesitation. "We don't owe you answers. But you're welcome to try stopping us."

"Hmph."

The sound left Valentina's throat. Her arms crossed over her chest.

I stepped to the left, creating space to move around her.

Isabella went right.

Aria followed me, her body angled to keep Valentina in view.

Footsteps clicked behind us.

I stopped. Turned my head.

Valentina trailed five feet back, matching our pace.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping an eye on you." Valentina's words came out measured, controlled. "Someone has to ensure you don't cause trouble."

I turned fully, facing her. My eyes locked onto hers. Red meeting red.

I held the contact. Seconds stretched. Her breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling in faster rhythm.

She swallowed. The muscles in her throat contracted, released.

But her feet stayed planted. Her gaze didn't waver.

A sigh left my lips. The last thing I needed was fueling whatever submissive tendencies Valentina hadn't yet discovered in herself.

"Do what you want."

Aria spun toward me. "You can't be serious."

"Fighting will only make noise." I gestured down the empty hallway. "We're already breaking orders. The last thing we need is drawing attention."

Aria's tail lashed once, twice, then stilled. She rotated toward Valentina, closing the distance to three feet.

"I'll be watching you." Aria's finger extended, pointing at Valentina's chest. "Don't try any tricks. You don't have your little entourage to protect you here."

Valentina's lips curved upward. "Please do observe. Perhaps you might learn something." She paused, her smile widening. "Though I wouldn't bet on it."

"Tsk."

The sound escaped Aria's teeth. She turned away, rejoining Isabella and me without another word.

I looked at my group. Isabella's expression remained neutral, unreadable. Aria's jaw clenched, the muscles visible beneath her skin. Valentina stood behind us, her posture straight and alert.

We already broke the professors' orders. We already snuck out during lockdown. The last thing we needed was a physical confrontation in the middle of the dormitory hallway where any sound would echo through the entire building.

I started walking. Isabella and Aria fell into step beside me.

Valentina's footsteps clicked behind us, maintaining that same five-foot distance.

* * *

The hallway opened into a wider corridor. Movement caught my eye ahead—two figures ducked through a doorway, their shadows stretching across the floor before vanishing.

We weren't alone.

"I suppose everyone's ignoring the lockdown," Valentina's voice carried from behind us.

"At least we have a reason," Aria shot back without turning.

"Oh? And what reason might that be?"

"None of your business."

"How convenient." Valentina's footsteps maintained their rhythm. "I'm sure it's terribly important."

Aria's tail lashed. "More important than whatever you're doing, that's for certain."

"You know nothing about my activities."

"Don't need to know." Aria glanced over her shoulder. "They're probably pointless anyway."

Isabella's eyes tracked a passing doorway, her attention fixed on our route.

"Pointless?" Valentina's laugh came out sharp. "That's rich, coming from someone who spends her evenings at the Pleasure Dome."

"Better than spending them alone," Aria countered.

"I'm never alone. Unlike you, I actually have standards for my company."

"Standards?" Aria turned halfway. "Is that what you call that collection of sycophants?"

"At least my companions possess—"

I spun around. "Stop making noise."

The words cut through Valentina's response. Her mouth closed.

Aria's tongue extended, the pink surface visible for three seconds before disappearing behind her teeth.

My gaze shifted to Aria. "You should also stop provoking her."

"But—" Aria's shoulders dropped. A groan rumbled from her throat. "Fine."

Valentina's chin lifted two inches. Her lips curved upward, the smile spreading across her face.

I turned back toward our destination. The main building's entrance stood fifty feet ahead, the massive doors partially visible through the connecting hallway.

More shadows moved near the library wing—students taking advantage of the chaos, no doubt pursuing their own schemes. The Academy's usual order had dissolved the moment Auriel dismissed classes.

My fingers flexed at my sides. Whatever prompted this lockdown, it's likely connected to my letter. The timing couldn't be coincidence.

But that meant my mother received it. Read it. And already acted on it.

The question was: what action had she taken?

Isabella moved closer to my left. Her voice dropped low. "We should reach Moira's office soon. Ten minutes, perhaps less."

I nodded once.

Behind us, Valentina maintained her five-foot distance. No more commentary. No more provocations.

For now.

The silence stretched as we walked, broken only by the click of four sets of heels against obsidian floors and the distant sounds of other students navigating their own forbidden activities through the Academy's corridors.