There’s a bang in the room that sounds like a door, and Damon winces. “Someone’s pretty pissed we’re here.”
“No, it’s probably just irritation that we did not text ahead. We’re having a few interpersonal difficulties that make communication… difficult. I believe Kit will be happy to see your family once she’s had time to adjust to the idea of guests in his space.”
“You’re Anton, right? The heir to pride?” Damon asks. He’s making conversation because the constant flipping back and forth between he and she for the new demon is probably making his head spin as much as mine. I doubt he knows what to dowith their uncertainty, and the only person in our group who will know is definitely my princess.
She’s always able to either settle or start shit, whichever is most applicable in the situation.
“He definitely is, but he’s also the most analytical of us all.” The dark-haired demon grins through his steel. “Zav is the techie, but Anton is better at crunching data than anyone. You’d never know his major is architecture, not business or math.”
I blink in confusion. “You guys have majors?”
Anton scoffs. “Of course we do. It’s college, Gemini. Whywouldn’twe have majors?”
“Because you’re the court heirs?” Damon replies sharply. “Obviously, you’re going to do whatever it is you do when the prince takes over.”
“Cute that you think our parents—especially his—will ever let that happen.” The sarcastic reply from the bird demon makes me chuckle in understanding. “What the hell would we do until then? Not to mention they all have secret replacements for us if we get killed or piss them off… If we don’t have things to make ourselves useful somehow, we lose protection value. Get it?”
“Actually, we do,” I say with a rueful look. “We don’t have replacements that Iknowof, but I doubt Luca is any less prepared.”
“Thus, we have majors. Not always ones the summonerslike, but it keeps us busy.”
I’m about to reply with the elevator dings, and Damon sighs in relief. The other caliphate members exit with Rogue and Archiein tow. Everyone looks fine; in fact, our girl is chatting with the long-haired Lust heir happily. “There you are, Princess.”
Thank hell we didn’t have to add more enemies to our growing list.
When the smallginger demon comes back out, he looks sheepish as hell. “Sorry about that. We’re having?—”
“We know,” Rogue says as she pushes through the crowd to look down at the shorter guy. “It’s fine. Are we good to go in now?”
“Yes. Sorry. Um, if you didn’t know, my name is Zavida.” The hacker clutches the poofy tails around him, and I realize that works as a comfort mechanism like when D pushes up his glasses. “Kit is ready for people to come in now.”
What the fuck is going on with the back and forth—and how do we even address this demon?
We all walk inside, the caliphate members following me, my twin, our girl, and Archie. Once we’re in, I look around and then curse under my breath. “I fuckingknewit!”
Jasper is sitting in a big chair at one end of the circle in the living area, and the nebulously gendered demon of the hour is in the one completely opposite him. “Of course our dorms make yours look terrible, Gemini. This is the best floor in the best building on campus.”
“Don’t hate us cuz you ain’t us,” a voice calls from the kitchen area.
Yes, there’s a full chef's kitchen condensed into this space, and it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
“Salem, don’t taunt them.”
The object of all the weird vibes scolds the heir who seems to be cooking, and I turn to look at Damon in confusion. Heirs who have majors? Ones who do menial tasks like cooking? A recently human guy seemingly in charge of them all despite it being the royal caliphate?
“You’re not being punked,” the gorgeous long-haired heir says as they flop into a chair with the serious Pride heir. “Promise.”
I feel smug when they curl together and I notice the foxy ginger taking a seat at the prince’s feet. At least some shit is what I expected. “Well, that’s good to know. I admit I’m confused by all of this.”
“Take a seat,” the huge enforcer gestures to a chair that is likely his, and my girl scampers over, tugging Archie and the bird baby with her. “You don’t have to?—”
Archie lets Rogue drape over his lap, and they arrange Javier on top of her. “It’s all good, big guy. If you guys can share, we can, too.”
I snort, giving my twin a look. “We are not sharing a chair, D. It’s been a long time since we were kids. Hit the floor.”
Interestingly, the large aquatic demon and the crow also take the floor, but sit by the new kid’s feet. The prince scowls darkly enough to bring clouds overhead if we weren’t inside, and I have to smother my laugh. Yes, they’re having an issue, and the only ones involved at this point are the stubborn as fuck royal and theequally unwilling to budge girl with a secret. Everyone else is just caught in the crossfire.
“Rogue, you’re missing people.”
