Suddenly A Succubus Ch. 42

Heavy winds buffeted Amara as she walked across campus, repeatedly throwing her hair in her face as it wildly changed directions. The biting winter cold was no match for her inner hellfire, and she was perfectly comfortable in spite of the weather. She'd long ago grown accustomed to regulating her own temperature, but the intense cold front highlighted something new today; proof of just how effective her illusory clothing was.

When she'd created her outfit, she'd taken her mother's words to heart, fully internalizing that the clothing didn't actually exist. Now, as she marched across campus, she was shocked at how well the illusory fabric blocked the wind. As an experiment, she even tried messing with the fabric of her pants, slowly tweaking it to be thinner and thicker. To her surprise, this had an immediate and obvious effect; the wind forced itself through the thinner pants much easier than it did the thicker ones. It was one thing to see static illusions like walls, but it was another to be confronted with the true complexity of this new magic of hers.

Hopefully this doesn't make it harder for my tail to phase through my clothing.

She was unable to test the thought, as her tail wasn't out at the moment. In her incredibly brief conversation with Vee, she'd been invited to Nick's apartment and told only to "dress for the public." While it was obvious that Vee wanted Amara's true form completely hidden, there were no hints why it was necessary, or why she'd asked in such a secretive manner.

Whatever the reason, she doubted she would enjoy hearing it. Vee's enigmatic tone had even prevented Amara from sharing the news about her mother, despite how excited she was.

I fucking swear, if the campus is getting raided by the CIA or something, I'm gonna lose my mind. Whatever this is, it had better be something I can punch.

As she neared Nick's apartment, she fired off a quick text to Vee and waited at the entrance. Staring through the window, her eyes came to rest on the lobby just a few feet in front of her. According to her mother, she could teleport there if she wanted. Doors were simply a suggestion now, a flimsy mortal construction that held no more power than the cold of winter.

Vee's appearance interrupted her thoughts. They quickly hugged, but it was obvious that the angel's attention was split. Her eyes scanned the campus behind Amara, her words of welcome were painfully generic.

The act only dropped when they returned to Nick's place. He appeared just as tense as Vee, and they both sighed in relief when the door closed behind them.

"Alright, what's with all this cloak and dagger bullshit?" Amara asked, vaulting Nick's couch to take a seat.

The others quickly followed, Vee sitting next to her on the couch while Nick sat on the loveseat opposing them. With a deep breath, he began talking. "We're not entirely sure if this is a bad thing or not, but... Tessa's Coven is here. They took her away, seemingly quite upset about something, and she warned us not to get involved."

"What do you mean, took her away? Like, tossed her in an unmarked van and drove off?"

"No, nothing that dramatic," Vee said. "They said something about having their own quarters, and Tessa simply walked off with them. We're mostly worried because they were horribly rude to her, and she didn't say anything. She let them walk all over her, it was really weird."

"She's never had good things to say about her Coven," Amara pointed out. "In all the time I've known she was a witch, I've never gotten more than a few words on the topic."

"She's told me a bit, actually," Nick added, leaning forward. "Her Coven supposedly monitors social media looking for signs of magic, and works to scrub all the evidence they can. According to their rules, Tessa should have reported back ages ago, back when the cult started messing with the circles, but she never did. She wanted to deal with it herself, to avoid dealing with them, but after learning you were a demon, things changed. She was adamant they never find out about you."

"Alright, so..." Amara paused, pulled her legs underneath her as she took everything in. "They're probably here because they found out the Gate broke. They're mad at her for keeping it a secret, and need to start by interrogating her. You think they can read minds?"

"I hope not, or else this is gonna be impossible," Vee said. "We have nothing to go on right now and figured that, if nothing else, you should know."

Amara looked between Nick and Vee. "Wait, that's it? Our plan is just to hang around and hope they let Tessa go?"

Nick nodded. "We don't know what they want. For all we know, the worst thing that'll happen is Tessa gets a slap on the wrist. Heck, they might be on our side for all we know. We can't risk turning this into a fight just because they're unnecessarily mean to Tessa."

"How mean?" Amara asked, narrowing her eyes.

Vee stammered, clearly hesitant to share the full scope of what had transpired. "The one in charge, she calls herself Headmistress Davenport. Tessa forgot her title at first, and the Headmistress slapped her."

Amara had to stop herself from jumping to her feet and running off. She slammed her fist into Nick's couch, then immediately raised her hand in front of her face. As she flexed her fingers, chitinous exoskeleton rippled across her skin, joined by small waves of hellfire. "That fucking... After everything Tessa's done for this campus?"

"I know it's upsetting, but Tessa's a grown woman, and she knows more about them than anyone. We need to trust that she's doing what's right, and until then, there's nothing to do but wait. Hopefully she'll reach out soon." Vee reached over, grabbing Amara's arms as she tried to talk her down. Their eyes met, and Amara sighed before nodding slowly. Vee smiled, her hands rubbing Amara's jacket softly before she changed the topic. "Is this a new jacket?"

"What? Fuck, that's right! I've got crazy news!" Amara jumped to her feet, her eye flared, and the extravagant red jacket disappeared. "My mom's a demon! She's why I'm like this!"

"Wait, Evelyn?!" Nick asked from behind Amara.

Amara spun around to look at him. "Yeah! After Vee left yesterday, she called, and I finally told her I was a demon, and then she teleported into my living room! She told me a whole bunch of crazy stuff; she even told me who my dad is!!"

Nick was on his feet within seconds, beaming with excitement. He pulled Amara in for a hug, squeezing her as hard as he could. "Amara, that's incredible! Who is he? Does this mean you'll be able to meet him?"

"Well, no, he died a long time ago. Like, in the fifties," Amara said, burying her face in Nick's shoulder.

"Wait, what?" Vee asked.

"Alright, I should probably start from the beginning, we talked about a lot." Amara moved back to the couch, took a seat, and cleared her throat. "So, she started by telling me all about the Garden of Eden, which is totally real, and about how Adam was given a wife..."

Amara spent the better part of the next hour relaying everything she'd talked about with her mother. Vee and Nick both had countless questions of their own, and Amara did her best to answer them, but she stressed that she hadn't been able to spend much time with her mother. Supposedly, she was never supposed to have been a demon, and Evelyn had left to try and figure out why this was happening.

"... And then she gave me some pointers about how teleportation works, which ended with her leaving. Then Vee called, and here I am."

Vee sighed as she slumped back in her seat, her eyes wide. "That's... wow. I mean, direct family ties to Lilith?"

"Amara, I'm so sorry about your dad," Nick said. "After all those years, at least you have the truth, right? How are you feeling about all this?"

For the first time since her mother teleported away, Amara finally stopped to reflect. It was something she'd always been bad at, and Nick had a frustratingly helpful habit of pushing her to introspect. "I'm... hm. Part of me is ecstatic, I finally have answers that I've been looking for all my life. It's upsetting that I'll never have a chance to meet him, though. When I didn't know, there was still that chance, right? That vague hope that, if I found a name, I'd be able to meet him, but now that's gone. Apart from him, though, I also have all these answers for everything that's been happening the last few months. I know why I'm a demon! At least, a little bit. My mom seemed absolutely convinced I wasn't supposed to be like this, and I hate that I had to lose her so soon after finding the truth."

"She's leaving because she cares about you, right? That's got to count for something," Vee said.

"I've never doubted that she loves me, but what if there's something she's not telling me? She spent all that time explaining that demons come from damnation, and I'm a demon, so..."

"Hey, you don't know that," Nick said sternly. "Look, I don't understand the mechanics of the soul, but your mom has never shied away from having uncomfortable conversations with you. The fact that she's leaving to look into this tells me there's more going on here."

Amara looked over at Vee, hoping that, as an angel, she would have something helpful to say.

"Cards on the table," Vee started, "I don't know that much about souls. Yes, there's a lot the Church has told me, but a bunch of it has already been proven wrong. I mean, they told me demons were universally cruel and sadistic, and now I know two that are anything but."

With a frustrated sigh, Amara grabbed a throw pillow and mashed it into her face. "Uuugh, I hate this! Why is everything so complicated?" With another groan, she fell sideways, her head coming to rest in Vee's lap.

"How about we focus on one thing at a time," Nick suggested. "Evelyn said she only needs a few weeks, so there's no point in worrying about that for now. Tessa's Coven is certainly unexpected, but their appearance could work out in our favor. Tessa's biggest fear always seemed to be them finding out about you, Amara, so we keep your true nature hidden as best we can. In the meantime, we put our trust in Tessa."

"Tessa herself would be the first to argue that's a bad idea, Nick," Amara said. She felt Vee chuckle, just a tiny bit, and caught herself smiling in response.

"C'mon, she's pulled through dozens of times already!" Nick protested. "Look, we'll give her to the end of the day, and if we haven't heard anything, we'll start poking around. Fair?"

"Sounds good to me," Vee said, resting a hand on Amara's shoulder. "Besides, we've got a master shapeshifter on our side, right? If we need to play dirty, we can."

Looking up at Vee, Amara smiled again. "Oh, alright. One day."

---

Tessa stood perfectly still, her eyes glued to the plush, extravagant carpet to avoid the piercing gazes of the Coven Heads. The four of them sat in a semicircle in front of her, each resting in an antique armchair covered with green, velvet quilting. Against the far wall, centered between the chairs, a brilliant marble hearth housed a crackling fire.

Directly to the right of the fire sat Headmistress Cassandra Davenport. Her black clothing as immaculate as her posture, she glared at Tessa over her thin spectacles. Although all Coven Heads technically held equal influence, everyone understood that Cassandra Davenport ran the show. She oversaw all facilities that taught magic to aspiring witches, and she had no tolerance for anything less than perfection.

Next to Headmistress Davenport, further from the fire, sat Simone Gautier. She had dark brown hair that curled in at her jawline, and equally curled bangs stopped just short of her eyebrows. Despite her naturally pale skin, she presented with an immaculate tan that seemed too perfect to be legitimate. Her sleek face had high-set cheekbones, matching the intensity of runway models, yet holding none of the appeal. While Headmistress Davenport watched with stern, unyielding eyes, Coven Head Gautier's eyes were fierce and predatory.

To the immediate left of the hearth was Elizabeth Bishop. Her long brown hair gently cascaded in front of her face, partially hiding her warm, ever-present smile. Her face was more decorated than the other Coven Heads, the pigments perfectly complimenting her rich, tawny skin, and she dressed in loose, flowing garments that accentuated her natural beauty. She had always been Tessa's favorite.

The last of the four, sitting furthest to the left, was Palesa Tsopnang. The crackling glow of the fire reflected strongly off her warm, dark skin. Her black hair had been fashioned into a series of tight braids, all of them ending in decorative silver cuffs that lightly clicked with every turn of her head. Soft brown eyes stared half-heartedly at Tessa as she spoke, her silver septum ring occasionally twitching as the smell of the fire washed over her.

The silence was nearly as thick as the carpet. Tessa had just finished recounting the events of the last few months, although she'd left out several important details. In her telling, Amara and Vee were no different than Nick and Chloé; two unlucky students that happened to get pulled into the chaos.

Would they believe her? Did the Coven already know anything? For all Tessa knew, this entire conversation might be a sham, a test to see how trustworthy she was.

"Miss Blackwood, do you recall why we sent you to Aurelius University?" Headmistress Davenport asked.

"I-I was to monitor the campus for any signs of magical phenomena, either natural or manmade, and contain the spread of information at all costs. Should any anomaly prove beyond my capabilities, it was my responsibility to report my findings to a Coven Head."

Headmistress Davenport turned to her right. "Miss Bishop, did you receive any such report at any point in the last three months?"

Coven Head Bishop shook her head. Her long, elegant brown hair cascaded over her shoulder, and it shook slightly as she turned her gaze back towards the Headmistress. "No ma'am."

"Perhaps there was an error, then," Headmistress Davenport said. She turned to look at the other Coven Heads, addressing each in turn. "Miss Gautier? Miss Tsopnang? Did Miss Blackwood's report accidentally land on your desks instead?"

Coven Head Gautier grinned, baring her teeth with unnatural enthusiasm. "No ma'am." Her voice carried a faint French accent, the sound bringing back harsh memories.

Coven Head Tsopnang simply shook her head, saying nothing.

"I see." Headmistress Davenport's gaze returned to Tessa, who felt its intensity despite her own eyes still being fixed on the carpet. "It sounds to me like a report was never filed. Based on your recounting of events, I'm quite curious to hear why you thought a report was unnecessary."

Tessa's cheek tingled, the memory of the Headmistress's anger still strong in her mind. "The cult took great measures to cover their tracks, and I did not understand the scope of the problem until it was too late."

"And the incursion?"

Images of reapers flashed through Tessa's mind. Desperately running from building to building, students screaming in terror as they ran for their lives. "The incursion only lasted for several hours. In my haste to protect the other students, the thought of notifying the Coven slipped my mind."

"Tsk." Coven Head Gautier huffed with indignation. "We all know what's happening here. She shut us out, plain and simple. She deserves to have her magic stripped!"

Coven Head Bishop gently cleared her throat. "In Tes--sorry, Miss Blackwood's defense, she was unaware of the importance of this University. Her briefing was minimal, and contained no mention of the planar convergence, nor of the seals that bind it. How was she to identify the breaking of those seals when the cult started acting?"

Headmistress Davenport turned her head to Miss Bishop, her glare more intense than ever. "Are you implying that her education was subpar?"

"N-not at all, Headmistress!" Miss Bishop stammered. "I just think it's worth considering that, in spite of her lack of fieldwork, she managed to stop both the cult's plans and the planar incursion. Such achievements mustn't be overlooked."

"Regardless of her actions, I must remind everyone that we stand at a crucial juncture," Coven Head Tsopnang said, finally breaking her silence. "Debating Miss Blackwood's guilt only serves to distract us from the real issue. This convergence has been sealed for centuries, and we have no idea when the next incursion might occur."

Silence fell once more, and Headmistress Davenport's attention returned to Tessa. She steepled her fingers, then took a deep breath as she waited. Once enough time had passed to make Tessa suitably uncomfortable, she spoke up again. "Miss Blackwood. While it's true that you managed to avoid the worst-case scenario, your actions speak volumes about your intentions. Explain to me the full scope of your errors."

Tessa swallowed nervously, still refusing to lift her eyes from the floor. "O-of course, Headmistress. My faults are plenty, and I--"

Headmistress Davenport snapped her fingers, and magic began swirling around the chamber. This magic was not hers, but Coven Head Gautier's, who summoned it eagerly. Intense telekinetic power gripped Tessa's face, angling it higher until she was looking the Headmistress in the eyes. "That's better. Continue."

"My faults are plenty and without excuse. I failed to report multiple magical disturbances, I engaged several magical creatures without proper training, and my actions led to dozens of students being exposed to magic."

The Headmistress's eyes were unyielding, and Tessa became nothing more than a scared child under their gaze. "Your actions have caused significant damage to the population here, the integrity of the planar barrier, and the sanctity of our eternal mission. We cannot move past this until you have demonstrated knowledge of, and taken full responsibility for, this damage."

Tessa's chin shook as she tried to maintain her composure. "Dozens of cultists sold their souls, and surrendered their bodies, to demons. Their deaths, and their eternal Damnation, lie on my shoulders. All future incursions are possible because of my actions, meaning all future harm that befalls anyone on this campus will be attributed to me. During the planar incursion, multiple students were injured, with one losing her life."

More silence. Whatever Tessa had said, it clearly wasn't up to the Headmistress's expectations.

"T-that student's death is... is attributed to my errors," Tessa said. A minuscule twitch of the Headmistress's mouth confirmed this was what she wanted to hear.

"Elaborate."

Another deep breath. Tessa's chest shook. "Her name was Chloé, and her death could have been prevented."

Headmistress Davenport leaned forward. "Elaborate."

"Chloé's death is... is on me. It's my fault Chloé died!" Tears began streaming down Tessa's cheeks. She heard Chloé's screams echoing across the quad, watched in horror as the portal closed around her.

The Headmistress finally nodded.

Another minute passed, the Coven Heads simply watching as Tessa failed to contain her sorrow. For the entire duration, her eyes stayed locked on the Headmistress's, as she knew breaking eye contact would only make her life more difficult. When the tears finally stopped, Tessa didn't risk wiping her face clean, instead keeping her arms perfectly still at her side.

"You are lucky that we stumbled across your incompetence," the Headmistress began. "Had you successfully kept this hidden, no doubt more would have died. Thankfully, we're in charge now, and we can right this ship."

Miss Gautier's magic flared again, this time opening the large, regal entrance to the room. Footsteps echoed from the hall beyond the room, though they grew silent as this mystery person entered the room. Now standing in front of the Coven Heads was a girl Tessa didn't recognize. She had incredibly smooth ebony skin with thick, voluminous black hair. She walked with effortless grace, no doubt at the request of the Headmistress, and as she walked into view, her large brown eyes briefly met with Tessa's. Incredibly striking white eyeliner adorned her face, and their shared look only lasted a moment before this new girl spoke up.

"Coven Heads, thank you for summoning me," she said.

"Tessa, this is Miss Imani Mabaya. Moving forward, she will be taking charge of the student population. You are to cooperate with her every request, without hesitation."

"It's nice to meet you, Imani," Tessa said softly.

"The rest of us, as well as our Scribe, will begin working on the Seals around campus. You are to assemble all your notes and present them to us posthaste, and any further tampering with these Seals is strictly prohibited."

"Pft. Like she has any notes..." Miss Gautier muttered. Her comment earned her a stiff glare from the Headmistress.

"Provided the Seals are not completely obliterated," the Headmistress continued, "we should be able to repair them entirely before classes resume again in January. I strongly recommend you do everything in your power to make yourself useful during this time, Miss Blackwood, as final judgment regarding your actions will be postponed until the Seals are repaired. This is your last chance to repent for your mistakes here."

Miss Gautier seemed offended at the Headmistress's last comment, but kept her thoughts to herself this time. Instead, the Coven Heads rose to their feet and began leaving the chamber. Headmistress Davenport went last, though briefly stopped in front of Tessa.

"Your actions disgrace your noble legacy, Miss Blackwood. Your parents would be ashamed of you."

Tessa couldn't summon the strength to respond. Tears welled in her eyes once more, and she simply nodded. Thankfully, with that last comment, the Headmistress left the room. Now alone with Imani, Tessa immediately brought her hands to her face and wiped it clean with her sleeves. Her composure broke, and she shuddered as she took another deep breath.

Once she'd finally calmed down, she turned to the girl next to her. She guessed that Imani was roughly her age, but she didn't dare pose such an informal question with the Coven Heads still in the building.

"Apologies for my demeanor, Imani. What do you need from me?" Tessa asked quietly.

Imani's posture relaxed. "Nice to meet you, Tessa. I'll be doing everything I can to help manage the students and faculty that were exposed during the incursion. I'd like to know what organizational structures are currently in place and, if possible, it would be great if we could call a meeting so I can address everyone directly."

Tessa nodded. "I can do that. At this hour, it would be best to set the meeting for tomorrow." Unlocking her phone, she began texting the group chat she shared with Nick, Amara, and Vee. Her progress was interrupted, however, when Imani reached out to lightly grab her shoulder.

"For what it's worth," Imani said, lowering her voice, "I think they're being too rough on you."

A shiver ran down Tessa's back, and she nervously looked back towards the room's entrance. It would be stupid not to assume that the Coven Heads could hear everything being said here. "That's... kind of you to say Imani, but they know what's best."

The two girls shared another glance, and something seemed to shift in Imani before she responded. "Right, of course. So, before tomorrow's meeting, it would be great if you could tell me..."

Tessa did her best to give Imani an overview of the students affected. Having never met before, she still took great lengths to hide the true identities of her friends, but she couldn't deny it was nice to have some help. After a short series of texts, which attempted to strike a balance between helpful and deniably vague, Tessa mentally crossed her fingers that Vee would understand her intentions.

---

Waiting to hear from Tessa took much longer than Vee had hoped for, though it was certainly easier for her than it appeared to be for Amara. Every minute that passed seemed to make their demonic friend more anxious, and after nearly an hour, Vee decided they needed a change of scenery. The heavy winds present earlier in the day had died down, and the three of them left campus to get some food.

Conversation was practically non-existent, but the light distraction at least made the time pass a little quicker. If nothing else, Vee was just happy to see Amara actually eating; it was a pleasant reminder that, as frustrating as the situation was, at least they weren't starving half to death in Purgatory.

Nick opted to return home after eating, muttering something about wanting some space to mull everything over. The meal had done nothing to quell Amara's frustration, however, and Vee happily invited her back home in an effort to keep her distracted. As much as she trusted Amara, it wasn't entirely clear how close she was to tracking Tessa down and single handedly fighting her entire Coven. Thankfully, the need to distract her disappeared soon after they returned to Vee's apartment; the two girls had barely removed their shoes when Tessa texted the group chat.

Her texts were both insightful and frustratingly vague. It was clear that she wanted another meeting set for tomorrow, but she seemed insistent that Vee and Nick be the ones to set it up. She entirely skipped over the Coven's plans for the meeting, yet was suspiciously particular about stressing that magical creatures soon wouldn't have access to the Campus.

A few texts with Nick, who'd been spending much more time with Tessa that Vee had, confirmed that her messages were unusual. Much like they'd done earlier, they began to assume that Tessa was paranoid about her Coven reading her texts.

Their best guess was that Tessa was trying to hide Vee and Amara's true natures from the Coven. This made sense, but there was an obvious hole in the plan; everyone on campus knew about their identities, and presumably would have no reason to lie about them to the Coven. If Vee and Nick could ensure that all the students met before the Coven arrived, they might have a chance to explain the situation and ask everyone to keep quiet about their supernatural secrets.

After agreeing on a plan, they began setting up another meeting. It took nearly an hour, and Vee spent the entire time pacing back and forth in her living room. As much as she wanted Amara to help, she'd been incredibly distracted all day, and Vee didn't want to throw more on her plate.

The last holdout, to no one's surprise, had been Naomi. She didn't seem to be responding to text messages, and Vee had to try a few other methods of contacting her, but eventually she got through. As expected, Naomi wanted a bit more information than everyone else, but in the end, she agreed to the meeting.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Vee collapsed onto her couch. "Naomi's in, and that's the last of them," Vee said, grabbing a pillow to wedge under her head.

Over in the kitchen, Amara was leaning against the counter. She was staring off into the distance, her tail softly tapping the floor, and it didn't seem like she'd heard Vee.

"Hey, Amara!" Vee said, raising her voice.

Amara shook her head. "Sorry, what? I miss something?"

"I said Naomi just confirmed, so we're all set for the meeting tomorrow."

"Oh, uh, that's good. Hopefully we'll learn more about Tessa's stupid Coven or whatever," Amara said, her fingers idly tapping the back of her phone.

The two went quiet again, and the silence spurred Vee to sit up. She turned to Amara, watched her for a moment, then spoke up when she noticed Amara losing focus again. "You want to talk about it?" Vee asked.

"Talk about what? The meeting?"

"I mean whatever's got you all twisted up. You've been a pile of nerves all day! At first I thought you were worried about Tessa, but now I'm not sure."

"I'm not... not worried about her," Amara muttered, gesturing vaguely with her hand.

With another sigh, Vee stood up and walked over to her friend. "Sorry, not good enough. C'mon, sit on the couch with me and talk to me. If this isn't about Tessa, I'm gonna assume it's about your mom. That sound about right?"

Amara begrudgingly let Vee guide her to the couch, and the two sat next to each other. "I can't stop thinking about everything she told me! When she first appeared, I thought I was finally going to get some answers, but I feel like I'm more confused than ever. I mean, I was never supposed to be a demon, but somehow it happened anyways, which means my soul is Damned, and--"

"Hey, we don't know that, okay?" Vee interjected. "There's no proof of that yet."

"No proof? What about, I dunno, all of history telling us that demons are born from Damnation?" Amara snarled. She seemed to immediately regret her choice of words, however, and her tail gently wrapped around Vee's wrist. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so nasty, I just... I'm so tired, Vee."

"We'll make it through this, okay?" Vee returned the gesture, resting a hand on Amara's tail. She smiled at her friend, hoping to reassure her, but even she could see the exhaustion behind Amara's eyes.

I wish there was something I could do to take her mind off things. I know what Tessa would suggest, but that's certainly not on the table. Come to think of it, I was in a pretty similar spot back when this all started. What did I do when I was having a bad day? Amara's never been much of a runner, but maybe... Oh, that's perfect!

"Hey," Vee said softly, "I've got an idea."

"Yeah? What are you thinking?" Amara asked.

"That's my little secret!" Vee jumped to her feet, then ran to the door and started slipping on her shoes. "C'mon, grab your shoes, we're going out."

Amara walked over to join her, but didn't bother picking up any shoes. Instead, she quickly jumped, and cute black snow boots magically appeared on her feet. As she landed, small bursts of hellfire washed over her body, causing all her demonic features to disappear.

Vee laughed as she finished tying her shoelaces. "Right, you don't need shoes or clothes anymore. That's going to take some getting used to."

"Hey, at least eternal Damnation comes with a sweet wardrobe, right?" Amara said, opening the front door.

As Vee walked past her, she slapped Amara on the arm. "Stop saying that!"

Amara quietly grumbled to herself, then gestured for Vee to lead the way. Together, the two left Vee's apartment and began walking towards campus. The wind had died down slightly, but its heavy presence earlier had scattered fresh snow all over the campus. Thick blankets of snow covered the path forward, and while Vee knew exactly where they were headed, she purposely took a roundabout route to avoid crossing the quad.

An eerie silence surrounded Vee and Amara, only broken by the soft crunching of snow under their boots. A cocoon of demonic warmth encircled Vee, holding back the bite of winter, but it wasn't thick enough to melt the snow under their feet.

Although Vee wanted to break the silence, she wasn't sure what to say. Every time an idea appeared, she immediately recognized all the ways Amara might twist the conversation against herself. She didn't want to talk about Amara's dad, or her powers, or anything that might remind her of Chloé, but what else was there to talk about? Their supernatural troubles had grown increasingly all-consuming over the last few months, and it felt like they no longer had the luxury of making small talk.

Instead, the quiet persisted until they reached their destination. The tall windows of the Science Building had frosted over, the soft light of nearby lamps reflecting off to create muted fractal patterns in the snow.

"Alright, here we are," Vee said.

"The Science Building? No offense, but I'm kinda sick of this place." Amara shoved her hands into her pockets as she sighed.

"Don't worry, we're not going inside. Just follow my lead, okay?" Vee smirked as she whispered a small prayer to herself, and her body began humming with angelic magic. With the extra boost, she ran at a nearby tree and vaulted up the trunk, grabbing a large, low-hanging branch. Swinging her legs up, she found her balance and continued climbing, jumping from perch to perch as she approached the top of the mighty oak.

The branches underneath her began shaking, and she heard quick breaths from Amara as she began following Vee up the tree. She caught up quickly, and Vee began guiding her to one branch in particular. It was a spot that Vee was quite familiar with, though with all the chaos in her life recently, she hadn't found the time or energy to return.

"Alright, here we are!" Vee said with a smile.

"We... climbed a tree? That's what you wanted to show me?" Amara asked, her lack of enthusiasm obvious.

"Hold your applause, I'm not done yet. You're facing the wrong way, for one thing." Vee lightly slapped Amara's thigh, then helped find the exact spot they needed to be in. She'd never shown this spot to anyone before, and it was certainly a tight fit, but soon she found the angle she needed. "Now, look that way."

The Science Building stood at the top of a long flight of stairs, the other end of which led to the quad. By climbing this particular tree, they now had a perfect view of the field underneath them. All the sidewalks that crisscrossed the quad had been buried under a layer of snow, but so had the signs of their fight with Brandon. Light from dozens of lamps reflected off the clean, unblemished field, sparkling as it passed through the ice and snow that clung to nearby trees.

"There it is," Vee whispered, her face just inches from Amara's. "I trimmed these branches ages ago, and I used to come here after my morning runs to watch the sun rise."

"Wow," Amara quietly responded. "I get why. This is a gorgeous view."

Vee looked at Amara, smiling softly as she saw a flicker of peace appear. "As the sun gets higher, its light bounces off all the different windows. It's incredible. I'll admit, I've never come here in the winter like this, but I'd say this view is even better."

"Why make something like this?" Amara asked.

"I guess I wanted something that was just for me. I'd spent so long feeling like I didn't matter, that people only cared about my angelic heritage, and I wanted a place to hide away from it all. After my nightmares started, all those months ago, I tried to come here as often as I could. College had always been an escape from that burden, but those nightmares reminded me that my responsibility would follow me to the ends of the Earth, whether I wanted it to or not."

Amara scoffed. "Another thing I fucked up."

"Hey, you cut that out," Vee said, elbowing Amara in the rib. "You gave me a second chance, pushed me to reevaluate who I wanted to be. I'm a better person because of you, Amara."

Silence. Amara simply leaned back against the tree, sighing as she kept watching the quad.

"You know," Vee started, "this is actually the first place I saw you as a demon."

"Really? That wasn't at Halloween?"

Vee shook her head. "I was sitting here one morning, trying to ignore my responsibilities, when that door opens and out walks a copy of me. I was so confused!"

"Wait, I remember that! I looked up into this tree because I saw some weird light, but at the time I thought it was the sun catching a weird angle."

"Nope, all me!" With a flick of her wrist, Vee spawned a small mote of light. She dismissed it just as quickly, as to not make Amara uncomfortable. "What was that about, anyways? Like, why were you me?"

Amara paused, her eyes losing focus as she dug through her memories. "At the start of my transformation, I'd been able to hide everything under bulky sweaters, but then my wings appeared. They were way too big, so I took a week off school and said I was sick. Just my luck, right? I learn I can fly, then immediately have to lock myself inside indefinitely. Anyways, towards the end of that week, Nick comes over with big news; he'd finally asked you out. At first I was really excited, 'cuz I'd been wanting to see you two get together for a while, but Nick reminded me that you two dating might change things. If you wanted to be monogamous, I would have to stop sleeping with Nick. The idea caught me off guard, especially since I'd been relying entirely on him to keep me fed. So... I dunno. Maybe it was fear? Jealousy? For whatever reason, I turned into you. It was the first time I'd shapeshifted, and I had no idea how to undo it."

Vee chuckled to herself. "Wow, I had no idea I was your first time!"

Thankfully, her comment managed to get Amara to smile. "Oh, shut up. You've been spending too much time with Tessa."

The two pretended to shove each other out of the tree for a moment, and eventually the laughter calmed down. "So, why come here?" Vee asked.

"I'd been investigating those magic circles with Tessa, and I was desperate to leave the house after being cooped up for a week. I figured that, if it was late and I wore baggy clothes, no one would see me or recognize me. Obviously we know how that turned out."

"Honestly, Amara? That's kind of sweet. You were just worried about losing Nick, and I can't blame you; I've never really considered myself poly."

"Still doesn't change the fact that I turned half the school against you..." Amara said, burying her face in her elbow as she leaned forward.

Ugh, she's still determined to focus on the downside of everything. C'mon Vee, think! There's got to something else you can do to cheer her up, to distract her a little. Coming here seemed to help, at least a little bit, what other options do I have?

"Hey, I've got an idea," Vee said, growing excited. "What if we took a trip to the football stadium?"

Amara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "This isn't a trick, is it?"

"C'mon, think about it. All that open airspace, completely isolated from the world... doesn't that sound nice?"

"Maybe if I could fly, Vee, but we both know I can't," Amara said.

"Okay, but why not? In your own words, it's the memory of Halloween, of hurting me, that haunts you. That's all behind us now! We spent all that time in Purgatory clearing the air, and things couldn't be better between us. I think you're ready."

"You really think I should try?" Amara asked.

Vee nodded resolutely. "Absolutely."

While she didn't seem entirely convinced, Amara finally yielded. "Alright. I'll give it a shot. For you."

"Yes! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Vee immediately climbed down a few branches before jumping to the ground. Amara landed a second later, and once Vee had brushed the snow off her jacket, they took off once more.

Vee made sure to avoid the quad again. It held nothing but unpleasant memories at the moment, and she was trying to cheer Amara up. There was no rush to get to the stadium, and they took a comfortable pace as Vee awkwardly tried to keep some small talk going. Amara seemed content to listen, for the most part, but Vee figured it was better than nothing.

Arriving at the stadium, Vee whispered another quick prayer to unlock the front entrance, and they snuck inside.

"Whoa, this is kinda spooky," Vee whispered. "I've never been here after hours like this."

Amara chuckled. "You know, you're surprisingly chill about breaking and entering for an angel. You're not going to get in trouble or anything, are you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. C'mon, we're almost at the field!" Vee grabbed Amara's hand and started running forward. It was only another minute of wandering empty hallways before they found an entrance. Walking out onto the field, they found it covered with a thin layer of snow just like the rest of campus. The high walls helped mask the ambient traffic from the surrounding city, meaning it was even quieter here than it had been by the quad.

As exciting as it was to see the stadium like this, Vee was only able to muster so much genuine enthusiasm. However, with Amara in tow, she acted like this was the coolest thing she'd ever seen. She sprinted out into the field, eyes wide with wonder as Amara slowly followed behind her.

"Wow, I should come here more often. Think of all the magic I could test out!" Vee said, drawing lines in the snow with her feet.

"You know, speaking of your magic, is that entire book filled with unique spells?" Amara asked. "I've only seen you do a couple things, but you said a while back that hundreds of angels have added to it."

"Oh, there's a bunch of stuff I've never touched." Vee sat in the snow, then leaned back until she was completely lying down. "It's not as easy as just reading the Enochian aloud, you need to understand what you're casting. More complex spells require you to channel multiple different effects, and a lack of control would be catastrophic."

Vee spread out her arms and legs, initially just to relax, then decided to move them up and down. Amara wandered closer and, once she realized what Vee was doing, she rolled her eyes. "Really, Vee? A snow angel? Bit on the nose, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, shut up and give me your tail, will you? I need to get up." One flourish of hellfire later, and Amara's true form had reappeared. Vee grabbed Amara's tail, and with a single strong pull, jumped to her feet. she turned to admire her work, whistling in appreciation. "Dang, I'd say that's the best I've ever made. Want to give it a shot? I bet you'd make a pretty cool silhouette with your wings out!"

"Um, I probably shouldn't. Tessa's Coven is crawling around, right? I don't think I should be leaving them any clues." Amara's words were tired, and Vee was losing confidence in her ability to cheer her friend up.

"Alright, well, how about we move on to the main event?"

"You really think it'll work?" Amara asked, looking over the large field in front of her.

"I know it will." Vee stepped in front of Amara, grabbing her arms and looking her in the eyes. Vee was the taller of the two, though only by an inch or two, but Amara's boots brought them to roughly the same height. Vee summoned every ounce of sincerity she had, then continued talking.

"I know things are pretty tough right now, but I'm happy to be your friend. I'm glad you stopped me, and there's nothing I want more than to see you fly. I know what it means to you."

Amara returned Vee's look, her eyes shaking slightly, before looking up at the sky. She took a deep breath, then slowly let it go. "Fingers crossed, I guess," Amara whispered.

Before Vee stepped away, she squeezed Amara once last time. "Remember, Amara; I forgive you for everything."

"Right, yeah. Alright," Amara muttered. She continued whispering to herself as Vee stepped away, not even trying to hide that she was repeating Vee's apology over and over. Once Vee was a few dozen feet away, Amara spread her wings and began flexing them, testing out different angles and even using them to jump around a few times.

Amara looked over to Vee, who gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, and then she started running. She crouched low, then leapt into the air with a powerful thrust of her wings. A gust of air, somehow both cold and hot at the same time, rushed over Vee as she watched with bated breath. Now nearly a dozen feet off the ground, Amara repeated the movement, her wings carrying her higher still.

Vee squeezed her jacket hard, desperately hoping that Amara would keep climbing. Somewhere deep in her gut, she knew that Amara needed to move past this block to move on.

Another thrust, and Amara climbed even higher. This was roughly the height she'd been at when she'd chased after the reaper in Purgatory. Vee watched closely as Amara's wings extended, preparing for another thrust, when her body seemed to lock up. Her ascension stalled, and she grabbed her head before gasping in pain. Her wings went limp, and within seconds, she slammed onto the cold, artificial grass.

Vee was already sprinting closer, and as she closed the distance, she heard Amara shouting out.

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!"

Vee knelt down, carefully grabbed Amara's shoulder and pulled her up. The demon's body was tense, practically on the verge of seizing as Vee held her. The fit only lasted a few more seconds, thankfully, and Vee moved her hand to the back of Amara's neck in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm here. I'm with you, Amara, everything's alright," Vee muttered.

The shaking slowed, and Amara finally opened her eyes. She looked at Vee, then back up at the sky, and quickly jumped to her feet. "Fucking bullshit!" Amara shouted.

"Amara, I--"

"No! I'm fucking done!" Amara shoved past Vee, her true form vanishing as she walked back towards the entrance. Vee watched for a moment, unfortunately not surprised by Amara's outburst, before running after her.

Way to go, Vee.

---

Poor Amara, even with Vee back she still can't fly. Maybe it's a glandular condition? I'm sure it has nothing to do with unresolved trauma, that would be way too complicated for a silly little smut story like this.

Thanks again to everyone who sticks with me! I love hearing from all of you in the Comments, and I can't wait to show you where Book Four is headed. Tessa's Coven is a pretty complex beast, and I'm having a blast showing everyone just how messy they are.

Until next time! Nyx <3