The kid’s lips curve a little as she says, “Men ruin everything, huh?”
“Theysodo,” I snort as I take a swig of the earthy liquor. “But… There's good parts to this, too, and it’s not just the mind-blowing sex. Though, gotta be honest, it’s amajorperk. I had no idea how fucking awesome they were at it until it happened and damn, I’m lucky.”
Kat swallows hard. “You’re saying the caliphate aremymates? That I’m going to… have sex with them all? And then, um, something will happen that ties us together forever?”
I can see the panic rising; we have to get her to calm down.
“Yes, we are. But that’s not a bad thing,” Morgana interjects as she scoots closer, bringing her hand to cover Kat’s. “It’s actually a much better thing than I expected. Kaspar and Iggy haven’t really earned their way back in—they fought this at the beginning—but the others? They ground me, keep me safe, teach me things, and make my world feel like it’s not missing huge pieces. I didn’t even realize how much I would love them until it all clicked into place. I wascertainI could take care of myself and that I didn’t needanyoneafter Magnus.”
“Totally.” Kat looks at me and I shrug. “I had the Derby and my team, even my bestie defected. Reb was still my Guardian partner, and my sex life was fine, even if I was in-between lovers. I thought that was all I needed, you know? Career, friends, money, sex… and there’s nothing wrong with being fulfilled by those things, but…”
“But what?”
I chuckle and sigh as the small bird squawks indignantly. “I didn’t have a family, even one I chose, and having one has given me the peace I never had after they sent Reck off. Even if part of that is this goddamn flightless turkey yelling at me right now.”
“Your lion is much better with the little ones, I think,” Kat says softly. She looks at her familiar and gives me a crooked grin. “Some of my guys are better with Dottie than others, too. She really likes Salem, Oriel, and Slash.”
“She’ll accept them all eventually, I bet.” Morgana snatches another piece of meat and looks thoughtful while she chews. “But I also believe some of your guys know they are your mate. Whether it’s their animal or demon, deep down the primal partknows, even if the human part wants to deny it. Mine did, and I’m sure Rogue’s did, too. Fuck, I think even my cranky-ass dragon knows and fought his lizard part out of fear.”
Kat’s brow furrows and she blinks, then whispers, “Oh, fuck.That’swhy the black and the red—the furious parts—pushed me to shift and defend them. They were being attacked at every single event.”
I give her finger guns and a playful wink. “Now you’re getting it, kiddo. To whit, if you fight those parts of you because you’re strong enough and succeed, they punish you for it. At least, that’s what the guys told me, and I assume it’s true. I don’t have an animal, obviously.”
“Is that why Jasper is so damn pissy all the time? You think his dragon knows, and he’s fighting it?”
“Mine certainly is,” Morgana grumbles. “So, yes, that’s probably why he’s acting like someone shoved a flagpole up his ass.”
“I need to know more about the mating part and the other stuff during and um… the equipment. So I’m not surprised,” the small demon giggles then claps her hand over her mouth.
“Do you have a drawing app on your tablet?” Morgana asks with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Uh-oh, this is about to get very wild.
Fifteen
KASPAR
This is a fascinating group I’ve been assigned to. While I have a fairly good idea of what Slade can do, I am less certain about the other members. I don’t relish sneaking around a foreign realm with people I don’t have information about; it hampers my ability to lead if necessary. Based on the way these demons carry themselves, none of them is alpha enough to take charge of the situation, and I will need to lead if we run into trouble. That means I need to—ugh—chatwith them to find out what I’m working with.
A tough task, given that most of them seem quite happy to move quietly to our area with brief discussion.
I clear my throat, glancing at the two-toned demon I believe to be the most talkative. “Which location are we searching first…ah, forgive me, but I’ve forgotten your name.”
The demon arches a brow, his expression playful, and I realize I get a distinct ‘Lucas’ vibe from him. That’s mostly helpful, so I wait for him to reply in his own time. Finally, he runs his hand through his hair and sighs. “Slash assigned us the admin building, knowledge enclave, and the gym/health building.Anton is leading us to the gym first, so Ithinkhe plans to go to the classrooms next, and then admin last. Is that right, Annie?”
He didn’t give me his name, but I now know the rainbow-haired one is Anton because he replies, “Yes. I believe we will find the least in the health enclave, and it will go quickly. For efficiency’s sake, I ordered our assigned areas based on where we may find less helpful clues to most helpful ones so we spend the most time in the place that is likely to yield success.”
Ah, this one is like the professor—all about order and logic and how things ‘should be’ based on data. Got it.
“Would I be correct in assuming all the caliphate demons have a hybrid animal shift?” I ask carefully. “Obviously, you know I am a dragon because of your prince’s words, and the battle at the Apalachin revealed my storm species. I know what Slade can do—mostly—as a siren with magical leanings. However, I find myself concerned that I do not know what anyone else can do if we are confronted.”
Slade gives me a proud look and then turns back to the demons. “Kaspar was trained as a bodyguard and second to Prince Liam, much like your big shark general. His questions are probably not meant to be intrusive, but strategic.”
That makes the younger Gemini snap his fingers and finally smile. “Oh! Angelo would do that, too. Okay, I’m a chaos demon with a flair for technology and research. Does that help?”
Thank fuck for smart ones.
“Yes, it does, actually.” I wait for the others to talk and then roll my eyes when they do not. “I know that in Hell it is not polite to ask about your powers because it gives your enemies fodder for attacks. But if we are to work together and possibly defendourselves, the person with the most experience in war and battlemustknow what resources they have. Your information is my best resource, gentlemen.”
