“Little demon, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be relaxing with your friends.”
I gesture to the other girls, shrugging helplessly. “We decided that dinner was in order, plus Rogue wants to figure out how we’re arranging the sleeping thing cause she’s tired. It makes sense, though, because you guys aren’t done searching, and it might need to extend to tomorrow. At least, that’s what I assume ‘cuz no one came running in with a big ‘ah-ha!’ moment.”
His eyes narrow as he studies me. “You are a little tipsy, and your friends have certainly imbibed much alcohol. It is probably best if you come in.”
“We’re fine,” Morgana says as she dramatically rolls her eyes at the second baddest mofo at Discordia. “No need to ride to the rescue, Jaws. Kat is okay, and we’ve been making a lot of progress chatting. Rogue and I are mated to people, though, and there’s a time limit on how long we go without seeing them or making contact before it’s bothersome.”
I blink. “There is? Does it… I mean, Rogue, your other guy…”
She sighs heavily. “It hurts, but not for that reason because we hadn’t finished yet, remember? But I guess being worried is part of why I’m not ready to rock ‘n roll all night and party every day. This exhaustion isn’t normal for me.”
The quieter twin walks over, taking her hands gently, and the lion guy follows suit. “Sparkles, you’re probably right. Being upset about Reb and healing from that battle is straining you, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, let me have baby Javi for a bit, Wheels.” The tall blond takes the bundle, and I watch Rogue sag with gratitude. “There we go. Come in, ladies. We were discussing food before you came tapping at our chamber door.”
I grin widely at him. “You like Poe?”
“I like all sorts of shit, kiddo. I’m a real Renaissance shifter. My mom and dads never wanted me to be a stereotypical sports bro, so they really pushed things like taking care of my sibs and enjoying artsy stuff.”
This guy is pretty freaking awesome, and maybe a little like Salem.
“Lady M.” A soft voice comes from the couch, and I frown as Morgana rushes over in a verynotindependent bad ass way to get to the guy sprawled there. She puts her hands on hips and glares at him, redeeming her image as she taps her foot.
“Lucas, why is it always you getting nearly killed by some random shit? Do we have to put a bell on you or something?”
That makes everyone stop to look at one another, and before he can protest, the laughter begins.
I walk over to X, tilting my head as I look up at them. They tug me into a side hug, squeezing a bit before they say, “This is a very pleasant surprise, KK. You’ve brought some powerfulandfun allies into the fold. You should be proud of yourself.”
Blushing, I shrug off the praise despite the fact that I’m practically bathing in it internally. “I used to believe that I had really good instincts before the thing. Maybe I still do, but I was just… wrong once… and that doesn’t mean I’m not good at judging things.”
“Ooh, that’s one of those ‘holiday lessons’ humans learn, right?” Oriel comes over, his eyes dancing with mischief as he looks at me. “Like you realized the world would be a worse place without or something?”
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I groan. “We arenotwatching ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. Ihatethat movie.”
Morgana frowns as she looks at me over her shoulder. “Weird. Everyone loves that, even most supes. What Christmas movie do you like?”
Pressing my lips together, I give her an unimpressed look. “Die Hard.”
“Hell yeah, demon chick!” Lucas calls out from the couch, and it makes people snicker again. “But don’t forget the Muppets. Ilovethat damn movie—it makes Dickens almost bearable.”
As the conversation turns to holiday movies, I notice that we’re missing a sizable chunk of guys. Turning to Oriel, I ask, “Where’s everyone else? The princes are missing, and a bunch of others, too. What’s going on?”
He grins. “They’re hoping to pull off a Krampusnacht miracle in the knowledge building. Don’t worry; there’s enough of them to alert us if something goes wrong.”
“I’d be lying if I said I’m not intrigued,” I whisper back. “But maybe we should get people together and order food while they’re gone? I don’t wanna see what this group looks like when everyone is hangry.”
“You mean everyone but me.”
This motherfucker… He’s going to spill our secret before the damn sun rises; I just know it.
Thirty-Four
LIAM
Once my royal colleague makes his statement, I step forward to where the demon and Slade are sitting in front of the lock. It only takes a moment to realize that they’ve been picking the physical part, and it doesn’t surprise me that those two are the ones who have the most experience. Being born into criminal families has both its perks and drawbacks, as I’ve seen. I ruffle Slade’s hair fondly, hoping to let him know he is appreciated. Morgana would want that, plus I sense with Iggy here, he needs a bit of encouragement because the grumpy ass is still figuring out his shit.
It had better be soon, or he’s going to have alotof people up his ass.
