Suddenly A Succubus
Chapter 41.2

Dull sunlight filtered through Vee’s window, gently rousing her from her sleep. Although her blinds were down, it was obvious they were in for another cloudy day. She grumbled as she slid out of bed, pulling on her slippers before heading for the bathroom. Checking her phone, she wasn’t sure what she hoped to see; given the last few months, no news was probably the best news. Despite that, she still hoped to see something from Amara, perhaps something simple about how she’s gotten a good night’s rest.

No such luck. The only notification waiting for her was from Nick, who she was meeting first thing today. They were getting together with Tessa to go over yesterday’s meeting, the same one she’d left early with Amara.

No doubt Tessa had some angry rant prepared.

It only took a few minutes to get ready. A quick text to Nick, who confirmed that Tessa was already over, and Vee was out the door. He didn’t live far, thankfully. It wasn’t snowing, but a stiff breeze was doing its best to cut through her coat. She spent the entire walk wishing she were with Amara, who single-handedly negated all the downsides of winter.

“Morning, Vee,” Nick said as he opened the door. “Come on in, I just brewed some coffee. We’re probably going to get breakfast soon, but there’s no rush. How’d you sleep?”

“Wrong question, Nick!” Tessa shouted from the couch. “Did you sleep at your place, or Amara’s?”

Vee rolled her eyes. “For the thousandth time, Tessa, it’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“So? She and I are just friends, and we’ve done all sorts of nasty things. I’d happily tell you, but I’d hate to offend your delicate, angelic sensibilities.” Tessa laughed to herself before downing the rest of her coffee. Once she finished, the cup floated from her hands back to the kitchen. The coffee pot joined in the fun, pouring more coffee before the cup returned to Tessa.

“You’re free to ignore her, Vee,” Nick said with a smirk.

“Always do.” Vee pulled her shoes off before helping herself to the coffee. “So, what’d I miss at the meeting? How did everything shake out?”

“Do you mean after we had to reassure everyone that Amara’s not a threat? For the umpteenth time this week?” Tessa scowled before starting on her second cup of coffee. “She’s starting to lose all the good will she got for taking down the cult and saving everyone from the reaper invasion. You’ve seriously got to shorten her leash, Vee.”

“I’m not her keeper, Tessa. I’m just trying to help her through this as best I can.” Vee cupped her mug, warmth radiating through her as her voice grew quiet. “Some days it feels like she’s barely holding on. Like losing Chloé broke something.”

“She hasn’t got a fucking monopoly on grieving, Vee!” Tessa shouted. “I was right next to her when Chloé died, does she not give a fuck about me?”

“You know that’s not the case, Tessa,” Vee said. “Look, I can’t speak for her. Personally, I’ve been trying to remember that she never trained for stuff like this. I’m an angel, the Church has warned me since day one that I would see people die. You’ve got, what, like a coven or something? You’ve known about magic for a while, and you know what happens when shit goes sideways. She’s new to all this, it’s only been a few months, and we all know how emotional she’s gotten since she started transforming.”

“Still no excuse for acting like a child and snapping at everyone who looks at her,” Tessa grumbled.

Nick sat down next to Tessa before speaking up. “Look, we’re all doing our best, okay? It’s not like any of us are without support. I know it’s not ideal, but if nothing else, I can help Tessa with the other students, and I appreciate you spending so much time with Amara.”

Tessa made a face but stayed silent as she drank more coffee.

“So, the meeting?” Vee asked.

“Personally, I think it went pretty well,” Nick said, avoiding a dirty glare from Tessa. “Everyone is predictably scared, but most of the meeting was spent arguing details, which is good. It means there’s agreement on the bigger pictures.”

“Where are we at now?”

“Regarding the quad, and the general state of the campus, we’re going to say it was a freak microburst. Some people even volunteered to try and reshape the damage to look like it was caused by wind. It won’t completely explain the crater in the sidewalk, but it’s a start.”

“I’ll try to comb through my Enochian Texts to see if I have anything that might help. I’m overdue for a study session anyways.” Vee wandered closer and joined Nick and Tessa on the couch.

“As for everyone keeping watch and reporting suspicious activity, we’re off to a promising start. We’ve got someone that’s great with computers, and he’s going to set up a private, encrypted server that can host any messages related to this. We’ll have a group chat for everyone in the know, and a smaller chat for those of you directly handling the threats.”

“And everyone’s on board?”

“From what we can tell, yes. I hate to say this, but in some respects, the reaper attack put a lot of things in perspective. Planar incursions are a pretty vague concept; it’s far more visceral to see giant monsters attacking campus. If we have any holdouts, they’re keeping their doubts to themselves. We’ll just have to hope.”

“Are we going to continue having meetings once school starts back up?” Vee asked. “Having a support network will be crucial; we can’t overlook the mental burden of going through all of this.”

“That’s our current plan. Probably once a month, more frequently if needed.” Nick turned his mug around a few times, hesitating before he continued. “On our side of things, we need to do our best to look like we’re handling everything. If any of these students feel we’re not enough, it could be bad.”

“And that’s on top of going to classes, keeping our grades up, having a social life… ugh.” Tessa finished her coffee and set the cup down. “Can we go get some food? I hate doing this shit on an empty stomach.”

“I second that,” Vee said, standing up.

It only took a minute for everyone to get their coats on, then it was off to the cafeteria. Vee huddled next to Nick when possible; his large, athletic frame made a fantastic windshield. As they walked, Vee tried to keep the conversation from drifting back to the meeting, while Tessa was continuing to pester her with questions about Amara.

“—But what if you used your magic book thing? Wouldn’t it make sense for angels to have magic that neutralized demonic tendencies? I’m just saying, it would be helpful if we had a way to calm her down for meetings and stuff,” Tessa said, her hands stuffed in her pockets. Despite the heavy wind, her shaved head and tattoos were fully on display.

“Look, even if I could, I would never dream of it. It’s a part of her! We can’t celebrate her emotionality when it helps us take down a mad cult, then shove it into a box whenever we feel it’s inconvenient.”

“We could still ask! Personally, I would love a way to reach inside my head and flip my emotions on and off. Can you imagine trying to—”

“Altessa Delilah Blackwood!”

Tessa froze; her eyes wide. She started breathing heavily, eyes locked on the ground, and Vee turned to look for who had spoken. In front of them, walking closer with an impossibly fluid gait, was a tall woman clad entirely in black. Stiff boots sat underneath a rigid pencil skirt, which itself was covered by a thick wool coat. Higher, Vee saw that all of the woman’s hair had been pulled behind her head in an incredibly tight bun, while a large veil attached to a hairpiece covered her face. Deep blue eyes glared at Tessa, their gaze narrowly missing the thin spectacles that rested at the end of her nose. She was noticeably older, with small collections of wrinkles adorning her face, yet they somehow made her more intimidating.

This woman walked with such purpose that it seemed as if the air itself bent to her will. Despite having never met her before, Vee nonetheless felt she had disappointed this stranger simply by existing.

Multiple other people followed closely behind this stranger. Vee counted three additional women, one man, and one younger girl that seemed about their own age. None of them commanded the same level of respect, though that didn’t stop them from trying.

The stranger continued speaking. “Explain yourself, young lady!”

Tessa continued staring at the ground. She seemed to shrink away from this person, and while the earlier cold hadn’t made her shiver, she was now quaking in her boots. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and demure.

“I-I’m sorry, Miss Davenport. I didn’t—”

With blinding speed, the stranger reached out and slapped Tessa across the face. “That’s Headmistress Davenport, child!”

Vee braced herself for trouble, but none came. Tessa, the most confrontational person Vee had ever met, simply swallowed nervously and continued staring at the ground. “I’m sorry, Headmistress Davenport. So much has happened in such a short time, and I—”

“Tsk. I see all this time away has softened you,” the Headmistress said.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t appreciate you striking my friend like that.” Vee stepped forward, doing her best to take up space.

Headmistress Davenport, for the first time since arriving, moved her gaze away from Tessa. Vee had already been chilled by this woman’s appearance, and being on the receiving end of her gaze was significantly worse.

“I’m afraid you have no say in the matter, girl. Miss Blackwood is my ward, and she does as I say.” The Headmistress’s lips curled into a tight grin.

“Miss Blackwood is a legal adult, and I have half a mind to report you for assault,” Vee said, tightening her fists.

“Vee, don’t,” Tessa whispered.

A twisted smirk appeared on the Headmistress’s face. “Listen to your friend, girl. You know not whose affairs you’re meddling in, and I promise you do not want to pick a fight with me.”

One of the other women stepped forward. “Headmistress, we should move quickly. I have already secured quarters for us.” The woman stepped back, but Vee had watched her closely as she spoke. For a brief moment, the woman’s jacket had slipped, revealing the top of a tattoo at the base of her neck.

Shit.

Vee’s blood boiled, but she knew better than to escalate the matter. When she refrained from responding, Headmistress Davenport turned back to Tessa. She reached up, grabbed Tessa’s ear, and began pulling hard as she turned around. “With me, Miss Blackwood.”

Stepping back, Vee briefly locked eyes with Tessa. It was like something had snapped inside her, and she took every second of this abuse without so much as flinching. The Headmistress walked briskly, forcing Tessa to stumble as she tried to keep up, and the rest of the group soon followed. The youngest girl, the one that seemed about their age, briefly looked back at Vee. For a moment, Vee thought she saw sympathy in the girl’s eyes, but it vanished a second later as she turned to join the group.

Nick moved next to Vee, his voice deep and filled with worry. “Was that…?”

“Yeah,” Vee whispered. “Tessa’s Coven.”