“Nooo…” Sophie’s answer was more of an exasperated whine. It was amazing how disorganized her mentors could be.
Lamia rolled her eyes, but actually felt a bit sorry for her roommate. The two Lure legends weren’t making things easy for her. She wondered if they did it on purpose or if they were simply too absorbed by their own selves to give a toss about the rules. “It’s no big deal, honey. I promise. Mentors have to keep the Pantheon up to date with the progress of their apprentices, that’s all. Cambions develop their powers differently, and they learn how to master them at their own pace.”
Sophie sighed and grabbed her jacket. Erah, The Lord of the Changing Moon and the second ranked incubus, was waiting for her in Meridies, the pavilion where she had seen Lilith the first time.
The classes had ended two hours before, and many cambions were in the courtyard. Absentmindedly, she answered to a couple of “hellos”. She had only been at Lure Academy for a month, and everyone already knew her. She knew it wasn’t because of her high grades or irresistible charisma. It was because her mentors were Kain Svjetlo and Alexi Volkov, the best cambions Lure currently had. What a disappointment she’d be to everyone if she didn’t live up to her mentors’ high standards. As she climbed the stairs of Meridies, Sophie felt more and more nervous. What could Erah possibly want with her?
Erah’s office was on the last floor, and Sophie was out of breath by the time she reached the door. She knocked softly and she immediately heard the incubus’s warm voice inviting her inside. She entered the room, closed the door behind her, and stopped in front of his desk.
“Hi. You’ve sent for me…”
Erah stood up and motioned for her to take a seat. “Miss La Volpilliére, good evening! How are you?”
Sophie sat down but found it impossible to make herself comfortable. The incubus took back his place behind the desk. “I’m fine, thank you. Although, I must admit…” she laughed awkwardly, trying to sound casual, “… the fact that you called for me surprised me a bit.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He gave her a wide, pleasant smile. “This won’t take long, I promise. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions.”
Erah was one interesting demon. Every time she spotted him around the Academy, Sophie could hardly take her eyes away from him. He was tall, lean, and he always wore elegant suits. In fact, he was the on
ly one in the Pantheon who dressed so business-like. The other incubi preferred jeans, simple T-shirts, and even sneakers. She remembered the first time she saw Kvasir, Alexi’s demon father. In his battered jeans, sports shoes, and checkered shirt, he looked like the most human of humans. If it weren’t for the sheer wisdom one could see in his dark green eyes, Sophie could have easily mistaken him for a teenager. But enough about Kvasir (even though Sophie might have developed a bit of an obsession for him, much like a fangirl developed an obsession for a rock star). What was truly unique about Erah was his hair: it was short and neatly cut, but of a striking electric blue. Sophie had asked both Lamia and May if it had been his choice to have blue hair in his human form, but none of them could give her an answer. No one knew, and no one dared ask him directly.
“Water?”
Erah’s question snapped Sophie out of her thoughts. She had gotten a bit lost in his deep black eyes.
“No, thank you.”
“I’ll have some.” He poured himself a glass from a tall carafe and took a small sip. Sophie noticed how his every gesture was incredibly well studied. “So, Sophie…” he started. “How are you?”
“I… I’m fine.” Why was he asking that for the second time?
“No, not like that. How are you in general? How is Lure Academy treating you? Do you like it here? Have you made friends?”
“Oh, yes. I think I have more friends now than I ever had back home.”
“Good. Good.” The incubus leaned back in his chair and fixed his black eyes on her heart-shaped face. He wasn’t only studying her eyes and facial expressions, but also her body language. “And your mentors? Are you satisfied with them?”
“Absolutely!” Sophie didn’t hesitate for a moment. Erah smiled. “If I may, why are you asking me this? Is there anything wrong?” She realized how afraid she was of his answer. Kain and Alexi had been submitting reports about their private sessions for a month. What had they written in those reports? She suddenly felt exposed. Did Erah know everything they did together? Every little detail? She kicked herself mentally. And what if he did? He was an incubus, for fuck’s sake! Sex was no mystery to him.
“There’s nothing wrong, Miss La Volpilliére. It’s just my job to make sure our new cambions are good, have everything they need, and work well with their mentors. The last part is especially important in your case, as you are the first cambion is the history of Lure who has two mentors at the same time. And not just any mentors, but two senior students who are well known for their skills and experience. Unfortunately, these two cambions are also called Kain and Alexi, and they happen to be terrible together. As good as they are when working alone on the field, they are the worst when they have to collaborate. But I’m sure this is no news to you.”
He gave her another bright smile, which for some reason managed to help her relax. She leaned back in her own chair.
“There were some bumps in the first two weeks, but now everything is fine. Last Friday, they said I was making progress. I wouldn’t know…”
“This is exactly what they’ve written in their last report.” Erah changed his position and placed his elbows on the desk. “Miss La Volpilliére, you’re not just making progress. There’s only been one month since you came to the Academy, and you’re already capable of awaking your inner demon and controlling it without external stimuli. That’s huge!”
Heat rose to Sophie’s neck and cheeks, and she averted her eyes. She had never been good with accepting compliments.
“I just want to know, Sophie… And please be honest with me.” It was the first time Erah had called her by her first name, and this got her attention. “Are they pushing you too hard? Are they asking too much of you?”
Her eyes went wide, and for a second she didn’t know what to say. Were Kain and Alexi pushing her too hard?
“For a young cambion such as yourself it is important to work at a natural pace. Alexi is very ambitious, and Kain is certainly not known for his patience. They are highly competitive. I swear… it’s like they’re constantly running a marathon. If your sessions with them are too exhausting, please tell me. Trust me, when it comes to a cambion’s powers, forcing things is not good.”
Sophie bit the inside of her lip and took her time to think about the incubus’s question. Yes, it was true that the session on Friday had drained her, but it had probably been due to it being completely unexpected and right after Tarini’s monster of a test. Maybe they were pushing her too hard sometimes, but it didn’t bother her in the least. She was determined to keep up with them. She had to.
“No, everything is fine,” she finally answered. “We always establish the sessions together, and I really think they’re taking things one step at a time. I mean… I don’t know anything about teaching methods, but I believe they’re doing a good job…”