“Damn tech building,” Lucas grumbles. “Everything there is fucking robotic and scary.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “No, not there, but good guess.”
Damon tilts his head as he says, “How does the Keeper know if a student is a ‘possible’ familiar owner?”
The prince shrugs. “I recommend demons who seem like they have a talented vibe and no overt red flags in their behavior. I rarely follow up, though, so I’m not sure how good I am at it. I imagine some of the staff do the same; familiars aren’t as common in Hell as above, and it looks good on a resume to find a demon who could attract one.”
“Why?” Lucas asks curiously. “Familiars are like… pets, right? I mean, more I’m sure, but why is that some sort of badge of honor?”
Zavida waves his hand, and we all look at him. “There are a lot of jobs—legal and illegal—that are hard to accomplish without a familiar or well-trained pet. Familiars have special powers that make them much better at those things. It can really help a demon get hired in some in-demand places. Plus, everyone sucks up to their bosses, who suck up to the Court.”
I can see the parallels here to State U before Morgana, so that makes sense. “Okay. But this guy isn’t answering his door, because we’ve been a few minutes and?—”
“Welcome to the Wastes, surface dwellers,” a huge bearded demon says as the door flies open. “I waited until you were done talking about me before I opened the door. That’s polite where you come from, yes?”
This is going to be a very odd visit; I can feel it in my bones.
“I havemany hexes woven into the protective layer of magic on my land. There aren’t troublemakers invading it, Jasper.” The demon who identified himself as Arces walks beside the grumpy prince as we leave his modest home. “You know what kind of traps someone with my experience can leave for those who do not respect my privacy.”
“Yes, but what if the sneaky fuckers aren’t breaching your perimeter themselves?” The dragon royal arches his brow at the big man, his expression knowing. “If they used coercion or demonic powers to infect someone who had a right to visit, it would be harder for your defenses to detect.”
“Like a sleeper agent,” I say as I think about Lucas’ poisoning and the murders. “An interesting gambit, and likely one that could be used in our realm as well.”
Arces puffs up, his eyes going black as he roves his gaze over the empty-looking fields and structures behind his home. “Rook is not gifted with empathy or truth-tasting, nor am I. It would be easier to slip through if I believed the person to be one of my students.”
“No staff have dropped by other than Jas, right?”
I smile when the clever fox brings up another possibility. From what I understand, he combines the talent of Eli with magic and study like me, and that makes him a very useful shifter in my book. It’s also clear that the prince is very protective of him, and that makes him exponentially more important to their group. Asmart enemy would look to get a hold of this one or the pretend girl if they wanted to fracture the caliphate.
“Not a soul, Zavida. Cross my hearts,” the big man says with a chuckle at his own humor. “Only students, and as ye know, most recently was your new member.”
Jasper looks out into the field as he grumbles, “Puts the shrimp squarely back on the ‘maybe’ list if you ask me.”
Is that what I sounded like? Fuck. No wonder Morgana is making me earn my place.
“Not to stick my skate in where it doesn’t belong, dude, but… What the fuck?”
My eyes widen as Lucas turns to glare at the nebulously high-powered hybrid whose realm we’re currently visiting. Obviously, youth and lack of exposure are why he’s just challenged the prince of an entire realm, but I have no idea how to walk that shit back.
“Excuse me?” Jasper’s eyes fill with flames, and a mist of dark shadows escapes him almost immediately. He’s on the edge because of the problems in their group, and Lucas just put himself right in the firing line. “What did you just say?”
“I said…What. The. Fuck.Are you hard of hearing, too?” The stubborn polar bear crosses his arms over his chest, and the vibes around us shift menacingly as the Kitsune grabs his tails to hug and the Gemini twin smirks.
“Listen, you furry little shit…”
Arces claps his hands, and it sounds like thunder as it echoes over his land. “There will be no battles on my property.”
“I cannot allow—” The prince cuts off as the Keeper gives him a dark, unyielding look.
“Now, if the boy has something to say, we should let him. I have a feeling that it’s important, and I have little concern for puffed-up egos and dick measuring, young prince.” Arces looks at Lucas, something shining in his eyes that makes me believe he must be on the girl’s side. “Go on. Tell him.”
Lucas blows out a breath, and I realize he’s probably pushing his bear back after the threat. Once he’s ready, he looks at Prince Jasper with an irritated expression. “Look, it’s not my place, but I don’t care. We’re all here to work together for something huge, but you’re focused on some shitty slight. It’s distracting you, and what’s more? It’s stupid.”
“Holy shit,” Angelo mutters as he blinks at the bear. “You’ve got balls of titanium, kid.”
“No, what I had was a great Nana and shitty parents. I was rich like him, but I didn’t have a group of bonded brothers, only people who used me. When I found Morgana at State U and the mating bond clicked, it was the first step toward a new life—to happiness for once. Sure, we’ve got issues with dickheads framing me and I was poisoned… but it brought the rest of my family to her.”
Damn. I didn’t think about it that way.
