“Slash has expressed some interest in me, yes,” I mumble as I feel heat all over me. “He kissed me in the Hell Spring room. It was… nice.”
Rogue snorts and shakes her head. “Aquatic shiftersloveto do things near their favorite place. You need to remember that sharks sometimes havetwofishsticks to deal with. That might shock you if you haven’t caught a glimpse yet.”
I blink, waving my hand. “Ooh! Ooh! Xerxes is a cobra hybrid, andtheydefinitely have two!”
Morgana bursts out laughing as she looks at me. “Well, the wine is taking effect. But yes, reptilians often do. Did it come out of a pocket? They share that possibility with birds and aquatic reptiles or amphibians.”
Frowning, I think about it for a moment. I was so shocked when they shifted, but I didn’t want to seem scared. “No, but Anton is a peacock shifter, and he had… a pocket thing. I saw them both when they shifted for me in private. I’m not used to that stuff, and I asked most of them to shift into their animals or demons one by one so I could get used to it before the games.”
“Damn, girl. You have a shark, a dragon, a Kitsuné, a peacock, a cobra… What else is on the table?” Rogue grins broadly, looking excited. “I mean, that’s like a smorgasbord of weird and huge dicks. I’m kinda jelly.”
“Rogue, you have twin demons, a Fae, a phoenix, and a lion. Don’t you think that’s weird enough?” Morgana deadpans. “There’s a hook, probably a pocket, and fuck knows what the demons have. Plus, Fae do super weird shit together when they get it on, right?”
The Unseelie’s face turns red. “We do, but I haven’t really… Not with Reb yet, and now he’s poofed…”
Damn. She’s sad again, and I don’t want that.
Gathering my bravery into an enormous ball inside, I reach over and put my hand on hers. “I’m sorry he’s missing. Worrying about someone you care about, especially with a tragedy in your past, makes everything harder. You’re doing an amazing job of functioning.”
“I agree.” Morgana nibbles on the meat sticks Salem made, a thoughtful look on her face. “I’m not sure what I’d do if oneof my idiots went missing. Even the damn cranky dragon being MIA for a couple of hours bothered me, and people trying to frame two of them is making my gargoyle rage. It’s taking all my effort not to just start chopping off heads in fury. But that’s because I’m mated to most of them, much like you, Rogue.”
Biting my lip, I let go of Rogue’s hand and whisper, “I don’t knowanythingabout mating. The guys have said demons rarely find fated ones—you must be an exception because you’re hybrid.”
That gets their attention, and both women look at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Finally, Morgana speaks, her voice very neutral. “I don’t know about demons in Hell, but I’ve known demons on the surface to have fated mates—non-hybrid ones, at that. I didn’t know themwell, obviously, only as people my parents were friends with casually growing up.”
“Damon and Angelo’s parents arenotfated. They are a Hell-style political/business arrangement from what I’ve gathered.” Rogue wrinkles her nose as she chews another piece of cheese. “Are your guys promised to people? Have they even mentioned that? It’s pretty common in supernatural families, especially wealthy or royal ones. I’m gonna have that issue with Javi when he’s not a fucking plucked vulture and his parents find out. He hasn’t said it, but I’d guarantee it’s gonna come up.”
The bird in her lap screams, and I wince. “Damn, that guy is pissed at you now.”
Dottie leaps off my shoulder, scampering over to the angry bird and starts chittering at it. They have a furious exchange for a few moments, but eventually, the bird stops breaking our eardrums. She turns to look at me, pleased as punch, and I throw her a berry from the tray. “Thanks, girl.”
“Your familiar is very protective,” Morgana says. “That’s good. Every magical I’ve known with one has owed it their life many times.”
“But I’m not… I’m not just magical,” I admit as I fidget with my hands in my lap. “Um, so far, I mean.”
“Wait, wait…” Rogue takes a drink of the wine, finishing the bottle before she cracks open the scotch. “You know some of your shit? Why didn’t you tell us?!! Damn, we might be able to help!”
That makes Morgana chuckle, and she lifts the Bone Tree scotch out of the Fae’s hands. “She’s right, though I think the wine is kicking in. What have you emerged so far?”
I hesitate for a second. The guys told me some things I can’t tellanyone, and I don’t know if I should give that up yet. Deciding to be cautious, I reply, “Well, shifter things. I sort of shifted into a lioness during a big dorm fight because someone attacked the guys. And, um, a dragon in the arena when this royal fuckwit came after Jasper.”
“That’s why we smelled something off there!” Rogue smacks her leg, and the bird jumps, squawking again before it settles. “Iknewthere was death. But it was so damn faint—the others weren’t sure.”
“It was someone important enough to use a lot of cleaning techniques, right?” Morgana says knowingly. “You had to make sure no one knew they were gone or where they died.”
“Yep. Even though I didn’t mean to, the guys were certain I’d be in a demon prison if people found out. That’s how Jasper found out about me being a girl, though. He, Zav, and Anton were the last ones I had to tell, and the whole dragon thing ruined it.”
Rogue blinks and then looks over at Morgana. They do that annoying talking with their faces thing the guys do for a moment, and I scowl. After a few more minutes of my stewing in annoyance, the gargoyle clears her throat. “We need to talk about the things I was putting off earlier than normal, I think.”
“Why?”
Rogue smiles, this time reaching out to patmyhand. “Because that snippet tells us you are in the dark about something your men may be keeping from you, and that’s not fair, especially since one of them is being a dickwad about it.”
“Kat, we need to talk about fated mates and what happens when they find one another.”
I look at Morgana like she’s lost her goddamn mind.
What the hell does that have to do with me?
