The Dark Desires
Dangerous. Magnetic. Deliciously off-limits.
You wield corruption with artistry.
Strengths: confidence, strategy, seduction
Weaknesses: therapy
Familiar: a fire-tailed imp with attitude
Astrid meets House Fornicara
Pepper’s hand found my elbow, and for the first time since we’d started this tour, she actually hesitated at the threshold.
“Okay. Fornicara.” She took a breath. “Don’t make direct eye contact for more than three seconds. Don’t accept any drinks. And whatever you do, don’t tell them what you want.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ll give it to you.” She said it like a warning.
The temperature dropped the moment we crossed the archway. Or maybe the magic just licked the back of my neck. Hard to tell the difference.
The lounge was a cathedral of shadows. Black stone walls carved with symbols that seemed to shift when I wasn’t looking directly at them. Crimson pillows scattered across the floor like pools of blood. Infernal sigils pulsed beneath our feet, slow and rhythmic, matching a heartbeat that wasn’t mine.
Everything smelled of smoke and sin and something darker underneath. Something that made my pulse kick up for reasons I refused to examine.
A tall student lounged in an armchair like it was a throne—inked arms, sharp jaw, eyes that glowed faint amber in the dim light. Other students draped themselves nearby, watching us with the lazy attention of predators who’d already eaten.
“Welcome to Fornicara.” Their voice was smoke and honey. “I’m Vexa.”
“Vexa’s a fourth-year,” Pepper whispered. “Succubus bloodline. Do not flirt with them unless you want a three-day recovery nap and a desperate craving you can’t explain.”
Vexa’s amber gaze slid to me like a physical touch. “You’re Astrid. We’ve heard about you.”
My stomach dropped. “What? How? I just got here.”
They tapped their temple with one elegant finger. “Desire magic has a long reach. Yours is…” They inhaled slowly, savoring. “Interesting. Blocked, but deep. Like a river dammed up.” Their smile sharpened. “Come closer.”
I did not want to come closer.
My feet moved anyway.
Cricket’s fur bristled. “She’s toying with your instinct circuits, darling. That pull you’re feeling isn’t attraction. It’s hunting magic.”
“Semantics,” Vexa purred. They hadn’t moved from their throne, but somehow the distance between us had halved. “Attraction. Hunting. It’s all just wanting, in the end.”
“Okay, nope.” Pepper grabbed my collar and physically hauled me backward. “This is how apprentices get eaten. We’re leaving.”
“Wait—eaten?” I stumbled into her. “Like, literally?“
Vexa’s laugh was dark velvet. “Emotionally. At first.” Their eyes tracked me as Pepper dragged me toward the exit. “Come back when you’re ready to learn what you really want, Astrid. Fornicara is very good at… excavation.”
“She means orgasms,” Pepper hissed. “Demonic ones. The kind that ruin you for normal magic.”
“I heard that,” Vexa called. “It’s not inaccurate.”
I fled.
But something in me—something small and hungry I hadn’t known existed—wanted to look back.
I didn’t.
Mostly.
What do you want to do next?
Astrid meets another house
Astrid continues her tour of the Academy
Get book one, Professor Ravish & His Carnal Curriculum
