I Am The Demon Prince

CHAPTER 3: The Cold War

Professor Higgins cleared his throat near the front of the room, gesturing toward the open door as he asked the restless students to settle down.

“We have a transfer student joining us today,” Higgins announced.

A guy walked into the room, dropping a canvas messenger bag beside the podium. Tall and pale, with dark hair and a relaxed, confident smile, he immediately caught the attention of half the girls in the front row. He surveyed the tiered seating with the casual authority of someone who owned the building.

“This is Korrath,” Higgins said. “Find an empty seat and we’ll get started on the syllabus.”

Korrath scanned the rows before walking straight up the center aisle toward Alex. Bypassing three empty chairs, he slipped into the desk directly to Alex’s right, then leaned over the armrest.

“Is this spot taken?” Korrath asked.

“You are already sitting in it,” Alex replied.

Korrath laughed, extending his hand. “I like to be polite. I am Korrath. Good to meet you.”

Alex stared at the offered hand for a few seconds before reaching out. The moment their palms connected, the brand on Alex’s chest ignited with a searing, white-hot flash. He yanked his hand back, banging his knee against the metal desk frame as he rubbed his chest through his cotton shirt.

“Did I shock you?” Korrath asked.

“Static electricity,” Alex said, picking up his pen.

Korrath tilted his head, keeping his smile fixed in place. “I have heard so much about you, Alex.”

The heat inside Alex’s chest gave way to a cold chill as he studied the sharp angle of Korrath’s jaw, the dark amusement in his knowing eyes. Memories of the binding ceremony rushed back, bringing a clear image of the stranger standing in the gallery shadows. This was the watcher from Hell, the one who had smiled when the pact was sealed.

Avoiding the transfer student proved impossible as the day dragged on. When Alex left the lecture hall, Korrath was leaning against the doorframe of the adjacent corridor. At the campus café, just as Alex joined the line for a sandwich, Korrath appeared behind him, ordered a black coffee, then paid with a crisp bill.

Alex finally found an empty bench near the library steps and sat down to eat in peace. A shadow fell across the concrete moments later as Korrath dropped onto the opposite end of the wooden slats.

“Nice day for a walk,” Korrath said.

“It is a big campus,” Alex pointed out. “You do not need to follow me.”

“I am just trying to make friends,” Korrath said, picking a stray yellow leaf off his dark jacket. “It can be lonely in a new place, especially when you have so much raw potential to manage. I hear you have quite the right hook. Breaking a heavy bag chain on your first try is impressive work.”

Alex stopped chewing, lowering his sandwich. He had told no one about the boxing gym except Tyler and the place had been completely empty when the chain snapped.

“Who told you about that?” Alex asked.

“Word travels fast when people pay attention,” Korrath answered. “You should be careful with that temper. Things break so easily around here.”

Tyler jogged up the library steps, stopping short when he spotted them on the bench. He glanced at Korrath, noticed the tension in Alex’s shoulders, then dropped his gym bag onto the grass.

“Are we ready for the study group?” Tyler asked.

“We were just finishing up,” Alex said, grabbing his backpack.

Korrath stood, offering Tyler a nod. “I will see you around, Alex.”

Tyler waited until Korrath disappeared behind the science building before leaning closer to Alex.

“Who is the creep?” Tyler asked.

“His name is Korrath,” Alex answered. “He transferred in today.”

“Stay away from him,” Tyler warned, shifting his gym bag to the other shoulder. “I grew up around guys who smile like that. They never smile because they’re happy. They smile because they know a secret they plan to use against you.”

Across the sunlit quad, Jenna Morales stopped walking, adjusting her grip on her heavy binder as she watched Alex and Tyler head toward the dorms. Her gaze snagged on the tall guy leaving the library.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the grass, stretching everyone’s silhouette toward the east. Korrath walked directly toward the science building, yet his shadow stretched west, pointing straight into the blinding sun.

Jenna went completely still, lowering her hand to the silver blade hidden inside her jacket pocket. The metal felt ice-cold against her palm as she watched the wrong-way shadow glide over the grass. The Order’s intelligence file was already outdated. The demon prince was not alone on the board.

The sun set behind the Crestwood University buildings, leaving the campus streets glowing beneath dim amber streetlights. Alex and Tyler walked back from the dining hall with their hands shoved into their pockets against the evening chill. Tyler was in the middle of complaining about his upcoming sparring schedule when the screech of tearing rubber shattered the quiet night.

A dark sedan tore through the intersection, jumping the curb near the freshman dorms before slamming into a parked truck. The impact spun the larger vehicle around, crushing a row of chained bicycles against the brick wall. Glass shattered across the road in a glittering wave as metal crumpled with a sickening crunch.

Alex sprinted toward the intersection before the hubcaps stopped spinning on the pavement.

Two students lay on the asphalt near the crushed bicycles. A girl clutched her shoulder, sobbing openly, while a guy lay motionless a few feet away with dark blood pooling beneath his head. The sedan’s driver slumped against the steering wheel, trapped behind a shattered windshield.

Alex dropped to his knees beside the motionless student, checking his pulse.

“Someone call an ambulance!” Tyler shouted, running up behind them as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

A sudden, raw anger surged through Alex’s veins as he stared at the wrecked car, the bleeding victims, the senseless destruction unfolding before him. The brand on his chest pulsed like a hammer striking an anvil inside his ribs, sending the surrounding temperature skyrocketing until the cool evening breeze became a stifling, suffocating oven.

“Alex, back away from him,” Tyler ordered, grabbing his friend by the shoulder.

Alex tried to stand, but his boots sank into the ground as the asphalt beneath his feet softened, melting like wax under a candle flame. Intense heat radiated outward, warping the painted yellow lines and causing the pavement to bubble. Three streetlights overhead sparked violently before bursting in a shower of glass, plunging the intersection into heavy shadows.

Across the street, Alex spotted a figure standing near an alleyway entrance. Korrath leaned against the brick wall with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, smiling at the wreckage.

The seal on Alex’s chest cracked another millimeter, sending searing heat rushing up his throat, demanding release.

Tyler hooked his arms beneath Alex’s shoulders and hauled him backward, dragging him out of the melted asphalt and away from the bleeding victims.

“You need to calm down right now,” Tyler said, pulling him onto the cool grass of the campus lawn. “The police are coming. You cannot do this here.”

As they retreated into the shadows, the injured guy on the ground stirred. He pushed himself onto his elbows, turning his bloody face toward them. His eyes held no white at all, only deep pools of ink-black darkness reflecting the distant flashes of a siren.

The injured boy opened his mouth and Korrath’s smooth, lazy voice poured out.

“Run along, prince,” the boy said. “We will talk soon.”