Conquest Of The Fallen: Dark Dominions

THE FACT THAT CORA HAD A GIRLFRIEND should have being to Rafel a rebuttal to quit his advances, but by the Martyr he wasn't about to. Not when he had just gotten her back. The Corazón he knew was not a hundred percent sapphic; plus he didn't mind stealing her from her girlfriend—whomever that was.

Rafel had shortly returned to his dorm room from a fresh shower in the boys locker area when he fell asleep almost immediately. The fragrance of mist and lavender, and the satiation of empty balls did him in. Cora's inked hair was the last thing he saw before fading. And his smile was long in sleep.

The next time Rafel opened his eyes, it was morning.

He yawned, pulling up his head flat on his white pillows. 'Christ! Someone turn off the sun.'

As he blinked to focus, his ears picked up on the voices of two people whispering; a boy and girl, by the shift in soprano and bass. Thankfully, someone had left the curtains down, so the splitting sun outside didn't give him a migraine. As a blood prince of Hel, he shared a few qualities with the vampires. Rafel rubbed at his eyes as he sat up, and listened to the voices.

The boy was saying, "—let him be. He came up pretty tired from Copenhagen Hall yesterday; slept right through dinner. Whatever you have to say can wait, can't it?"

Percival? Rafel intuited. Who was he talking to?

The girl's voice came in. It was sharp. "No. It can't wait. My message is from the Headmistress herself. I'm not leaving until I deliver it."

Rafel heard Percival growl, "I knew I shouldn't have let you in, madame President! Go on! Feel free to wake up the Apollyon. I sure as hell aren't doing it."

"Pussy." The girl retorted.

A few of those aforementioned qualities that Rafel shared with the fanged bloodsuckers included his ability to feel daylight. Not only when standing under a hot sun did it hurt, but in times of healing for a demon, he could also sense when the sun was out; same as the vampire [Elders] of over half a millennia old—who could sense the dawn in the deepest, darkest coffin.

An adaptation their bodies had built to survive.

It took Rafel a moment, but his vision cleared.

Beautiful amber pupils leveled on the boy and girl in front of his bed, Percival and Erika, staring each other down. "Percy, Miss Burgess, good morning. Apologies! The alarms didn't go off this morning. I don't usually sleep in, but alas, my body is in need of far more resting that I'd thought. Pray tell, what can I do for you, madam President?" Rafel greeted.

Erika Burgess, Student President of all First Years, smiled brightly at his awakening. Before Percival had a chance, she jumped in.

"The alarms don't go off on weekends. Students are spared. I'm sorry for the early intrusion, but I have a letter from the headmistress, Dr. Shetty requesting your presence in her office. From what I could glaze, it's something about your Manifest."

"Isn't today Saturday?" Rafel quipped.

"Yep!" Erika smacked her lips together. "But now that I'm here, have you given thought to our proposal?"

She raised her brows insinuatively, and Rafel got she meant the Children of the Crow proposal to join their sect. He shook his head, but that was all the reply he gave.
Continue your journey at m_v-l'e|mp,yr

"Alright. Salvete Corvum!" Erika whispered their secret word before picking up her steps and tracing her way out the boys dorm room. Her silver flats tapped to her swishing school skirts. Rafel wondered if the girl ever wore a pyjamas.

Ten minutes later, he was dressed in fine dark pants, a deep-blue shirt he knew Aya would just love, and fitting his feet; ankle high boots. "I gotta run, Percy," he said, picking up his key card. His blond roommate returned, "Breakfast?" Rafel was slipping out the door as he aired back. "I'll pick something along the way."

It took him another twenty minutes to pull out Salem Hall and into his destination.

A crisply uniformed chauffeur got his buggy's door as he pulled up to the sparkling glass tower standing out in the esteemed rise of the campus as the administrative building for all things witchy. A great ivory clock spearheading the skyscraping top glinted 0800 hours.

The Headmistress's Office was the penthouse. The entire floor.

Rafel rode the magical elevators to it. For the brief moment in the swanky cocoon, it felt like he was astride one of Giselle's Griffins, climbing the vast Eldorian blue skies. Strange how this seemed like an age ago.

DING!

The silver doors swished open.

Rafel was welcomed in by an ethereal, smiling tigress. Nicara held out a box of the cutest cupcakes and a steaming mug to him.

"Israfel! Ah, so good to see you. Erika tells me you're settling in well."

"I am, Doctor." Rafel said respectfully as she offered him the seat across the three meter wide polished mahogany desktop.

"Quit the formalities, will you? We are alone." She winked, "and please, indulge my muffins and drink up. It's way past breakfast time, and I'm sure you didn't have any before cabbing out here."

Rafel growled in taking a delicious bite of the little cake. It oozed with gooey delight. Dr. Shetty was another woman who knew of his sweet tooth. She watched him eat up three of the dozen cakes, her smile growing more when he also moaned at sipping from the mug.

"Ah!" Rafel put down the cup to its literal gold saucer. "Chocolate tea—my favorite."

"I made it myself," Nicara alluded.

And Rafel smiled. "Thank you."

"I could offer my wrist if you wanted something sanguine to go with it?"

"That wouldn't be necessary, Nicara. But the gesture is appreciated."

The Headmistress flushed a little at his use of her first name. Rafel continued on, "why have you called me in? I noticed the lobby was empty and the entire building seems like one big haunted castle. Everyone's off for the weekend."

"Yeah." Nicara replied. She crossed her legs under her desk. The backdrop of her office was an enchanting rainbow sunrise and the stately academy skyline. "But to the reason why I called you in; it's about the Manifest. The school board have decided. You are welcome to be a member of both Arcs which you manifested.

[RAVEN BLACK], and

[PHOENIX RED]

We have made a special syllabus for you based on the ancient druid order. You'll need to take on a few more classes than the rest of your mates, but I know you'll be fine. You may wear the crimson or obsidian colors, whichever you decide. For the first time in the history of [C. A. W], you are our first bimagical student."

Rafel popped a fourth muffin into his mouth, smiling a playboy smile.

"This all sounds good, Nicara. But couldn't you just have sent me this with the letter?"

At this, the gorgeous headmistress stood from her white executive chair and rounded the oval table to Rafel. Her pencil heels gleamed like fire. She pushed up to her desk's smooth surface on Rafel's side, sitting directly before and above him. Then she pulled his hand, coated in brown sugar from the cake and brought his finger to her lips. She sucked deeply and let him go with a pop.

"Yes, Israfel, I could do all that," Nicara shook her flood of red hair free, "—but I wanted to see you..." In that moment, she had never looked more like a seductive shifter. She purred, "...didn't you want to see me too?"