Angelo laughs, and Archie joins him as her face turns to one of stern determination. I twine our fingers together as I squeezeagain. “Don’t worry, Sparkles. We’ll keep the secret that you’re not made of stone—promise.”
“Good. I have a rep to maintain, and I will not lose it just because some hopped-up dickheads from another realm took what’s mine.” She sniffs, wiping her face again, and straightens her spine as she lets go of my hand. “Now let’s go break into the magical forbidden zone or whatever. I’m in the mood to break some shit.”
“Carefully,” I remind her with a fond smile. “We’re breaking into the restricted areas very cautiously, so we don’t get scooped up by minions of that asshat in charge.”
“Fine, fine,” she grumbles as Archie picks up the Javi bundle and gets it adjusted on his enormous frame. “Let’s gogentlybreak some shit so I feel better.”
That’s our girl—adaptable and ready to fuck shit up on a moment’s notice.
Five
SALEM
When Oriel arrived with KK, it felt like my entire being relaxed. It’s been hard as fuck to give her the space she asked for, especially living in close proximity. I miss being able to sidle up to her in the kitchen and breathe in her scent or even just kiss her temple when she’s curled in the chair studying. Those were things Iwasable to do after the disaster-filled journey to the surface, and now I have to restrain myself to respect her boundaries. I’m not mad that she has them, or even that she’s still got them up; I just miss the intimacy we were slowly building.
I wonder if she does, too, or did Jasper’s bullshit wreck everything?
Gritting my teeth in annoyance, I go back to beating the batter harder than necessary. I was making a cake for when she got back from her session with the Keeper and, damned if I will not finish it. Life this year has been one shitstorm after another, so it doesn’t hurt to find joy in whatever we can. I know Kat will love this—I’m putting all her favorite treats in it. Obviously, I’mbeing careful to use the silly berries in moderation lest she think I’m trying to get her high and pliable. That’s definitelynotmy aim, and I refuse to have her think anyone is pushing those lines before she’s ready.
But I do want to see her smile, even briefly, and this shit with visitors has the potential to be really good or really bad. Having some treats ready for both possibilities is the best I can do to help right now. Sighing, I ignore the others’ grumpy-ass auras as they settle into their normal places and wait for KK to come back from her room where she’s doing—something. Prepping to deal with us? I have no idea, but she beelined for the door the second she got in here without a word, and I didn’t even attempt to stop her.
Like I said, I’ve been careful not to assume closeness while she’s figuring shit out, even if it’s killing me.
Oriel comes up to me, startling me out of my mental meanderings by murmuring, “This sucks.”
I snort, nodding as I continue working the batter. “Big, hairy hellhound balls.”
He makes a face, but laughs anyway as he leans against the counter. “Probably harder for you. Close, not enough, right?”
“I’m not sure I should talk about it, but sort of.” I stop for a minute, looking at him seriously. “She’s going to talk to us; Zav promised that’s what she said. She wouldn’t lie about that.”
A sudden snort from the main seating area tells me Jasper is listening in, and it takes everything in me not to go beat his ass. The fucking fool is digging his holedeeperinstead of working to get out, and I have no idea how poor Zavida is dealing with him when they’re alone. I’m certain it’s ridiculously petulant andover-the-top bullshit spewing from the butt-hurt royal, yet the Kitsune can still keep a hopeful slant to his behavior.
The dude deserves a fucking award for taking this one for the team in ways I don’t want to fathom right now.
Oriel glares at the back of the prince’s head with me for a moment and then turns back to me. “Making treats? I’d say it’s cheating, but honestly? I’ve spent the past seven days soothing the crow by stealing so much shit that I’m actually worried it’s going to get noticed soon. He’s demanding I work out the frustration with the only thing that makes him really happy.”
My chuckle is soft. “Yeah, I’ve done a lot of cooking, dude. I had to move some of it to the freezer in the school kitchen. We don’t have enough room for it all.”
“Has she noticed?”
That comes from Anton, and I blink at my quiet brother in surprise as he joins us. “Um, maybe? I make the meals so she doesn’t have to… and she eats them. Says ‘thank you’ a lot, which annoys the fuck out of my demon because that’s unnecessary.”
“And because he… she… isn’t eating enough, right?” The inquisitive tilt of his head is distinctly avian, and I realize he must be struggling with his animal as well. I’m not surehowthe bird is feeling, but it’s definitely making his life difficult.
“Yep.” I go back to beating the mixture, adding in a few more ingredients as I think about it. “Maybe about a third to half of it most of the time? It’s not purposeful, I don’t think. She’s just struggling, and Zav said his research told him that humans eat little when they’re depressed.”
“She is not human,” Slash says from his chair. “We are different, and that is a very bad plan. With the current shifts, three times as much energy is required, if not more. It is dangerous.”
Suddenly, the door opens and Kat comes out, clad in her usual sweats and bare feet. This time, however, she’s wearing a normal-sized T-shirt. I assume X must have left some new clothes for her during the previous weekend. The spot in front of the closed door was filled with packages every day when I put the food there, and I didn’t bother them, but they never stayed in place. I guess she took them in when I wasn’t looking, just like the food.
Her voice is soft when she says, “I eat what I can manage, and that’s no one’s job to monitor. Stop talking about me like I can’t hear now when I leave the room.”
Slash rises to his feet, walking over to her to look down into her eyes. “You are allowed to request space and time to process your emotions, little demon. However, you cannot demand that we stop our emotions for you as well.”
They stare at one another for a few moments, and I hold my breath. I’m not sure this standoff is going to go well, and it’s making me itch to prevent the schism between us all from getting worse. But I don’t have to when Kat sighs and nods at the big demon, and then looks at her feet guiltily.
“You’re right. I have no right to demand that people change their feelings anymore than someone would of me. Icanask you not to talk about me like I’m not here or can’t overhear you anymore. It makes me feel like my opinions or feelings are no longer considered valid.”
