“I don’t have to, Dreadful,” Gravesend snapped back.
Ah, I was close.
Dreadful’s gaze glittered with malice. “Not only are you fighting back against basic demonic nature by trying tobefriendthese pieces of shit, but your best friend is a fucking kitten skull you sleep cuddled up next to. Not to mention, your hair can’t even hold magic highlights. Something’s wrong with you.”
“Wrong with me?” Gravesend’s fingers wrapped around her throat as if speaking hurt her. “I don’t understand you, Dreadful. You’re just…you’remean.”
Dreadful reared back with a gasp, and the nobles with her looked surprised. “Alright, Gravesend. I’ve tried to be nice to you, but not anymore. From here on out, you’re enemy number one, regardless of who daddy is.”
I took another hit, mildly entertained by the exchange.
A growl tumbled from Dex before Gravesend could reply as he stepped up to the blonde noble. “You’re declaring war on her? Might as well call it on me, too. I’d love to gut you and prove that even nobles have normal fucking demon guts. Nothing makes you special like you think it does.”
Fear clung to the air around Dreadful as her shoulders shook. “Looks like you’ve fucked one,huh?” She attempted to mask the fear and cross her arms as she glowered at Gravesend. “Fucking and liking are two different things. This is more than fucking, Gravesend.”
“No, I didn’t.” She darted her gaze to her feet. “I, I don’t…”
Dex visibly fucking flinched. “Right, because I’m not worth fucking.”
Gravesend’s head snapped up with wide, confused eyes. “What?”
“She’s still a noble,” I reminded him with another draw of my pipe. “They’re all the same. This one is just less shitty. Doesn’t mean she’s not still a bitch.”
“She’s a weirdo, don’t worry, Shadowheart,” Dreadful cooed mockingly. “She’s always drooling after you. I know she wants to fuck you, but now I think she has feelings for you. The way she defends you and the other weak demons is pathetic.”
Dex’s expression hardened, but he moved his gaze to Gravesend with hope.
“This is stupid. Remember what I said.” Dreadful flicked her hair over her shoulder and strode away.
The rest of the nobles flocked behind her as they shot seething glares toward us and oneof their own.
“You have feelings for me, trouble?” He leaned closer to Gravesend with a devious smirk.
Her entire face flushed red. It was kind of cute, but I didn’t miss the spike of fear as he got close to her.
“Don’t forget that she’s still a noble.” I blew out the magic I’d been holding in. “I’m not falling for this shit. She’s fucking terrified of you.”
I turned and stalked away, leaving the two of them together to be awkward or whatever.
Dex had a crush on a noble. And not just any noble. Death’s daughter.
I rolled my eyes as I strolled toward Rapture Cavern, a cave about half a mile out from campus surrounded by dunes.
The scorching sun was at its peak in the sky, casting a relentless fucking blaze on me as I walked. A slight breeze ruffled the fabric of my shirt, only slightly cooling me off.
Why would Dex choose her of all demons to take an interest in?
A flash of her face flickered into my mind, and my heart clenched.
I stopped at the edge of Rapture Cavern; the sounds of campus and the two of them had faded a while ago, replaced with a soft whisper of sand shifting with each step.
The cave mouth loomed over me, a patch ofshadows in the dry and sandy landscape. The cave was rumored to be infected with dark magic, but I called bullshit on that. I could already hear the scuffle of paws echoing within from the cavern’s inhabitants, the pride of cats that had claimed it as their own.
I shifted the bag on my shoulder, knowing I’d had plenty of leftover fish inside. The fish were a rare treat for the feline residents, a break from their usual diet of whatever small creatures they could catch, I was sure.
Granted, I’d only found them a week ago when I wandered too far one night after a call with Dad. He had told me that Katherine wasn’t ready to talk to me yet, but that was fine. The cats and I became fast friends once they realized I would feed them. They reminded me of Katherine since she had a special power to shift into a common black cat, so being around them made me feel close to her somehow still.
As I approached the cave, the temperature dropped significantly, and I thanked the Fates for the shade against the afternoon heat. Quite a few of the cats noticed my arrival, curious eyes watching me from the safety of the cavern’s mouth.
