Turning back to the tank, I discarded the tablet and grabbed my net. “Alright, buddy. Time to get you into the little one while I clean the mess you’ve made. It’s worse than usual.”
He was well-behaved, slipping into the small tank without a fuss. I had just started siphoning out the water when Bram strolled in, rubbing his eyes.
“Need a hand?”
I blinked at him but nodded. “If you want to, yeah. Sure.”
Bram grabbed the bucket, setting it on the floor beside me. “Gumdrop still being the mostspoiledaxolotl in existence?”
“Of course.” I grinned as Gumdrop tilted his head at Bram as if waiting for something.
As if on cue, Bram grabbed the jar on the nightstand and fished out an earthworm for him before putting it back. “Here.” He dropped it into the little tank, and Gumdrop perked up instantly, snatching it in a flash.
Unfortunately, Comet saw it too.
The calico launched from the bed, paws outstretched for the tank.
“Fates!” I grabbed the small tank at the same time Bram snatched the cat mid-air, stopping her from pouncing onto Gumdrop for the worm.
Comet yowled, squirming in his grip, tail lashing.
Gumdrop, thoroughly offended, flicked his tail and turned his back on her as he ate his earthworm.
“Well, that settles it.” Bram chuckled, holding Comet at arm’s length as she wriggled.
“Yep,” I agreed, setting his tank safely out of reach. “Gumdrop officially hates her.”
“Comet, that was not acceptable,” he scolded her.
She meowed, unrepentant, as Bram plopped onto the bed, holding her in his arms.
“I’ll stay on Comet duty as you finish cleaning,” Bram stated.
“Thanks. Much appreciated.” As I resumed cleaning, my mind wandered back to Fester. “I hate that Fester was around Pandora, and I hate that we didn’t see it sooner.”
Bram was quiet for a second. Then he sighed. “Yeah. Me too. Thankfully, he’s apparently on our side now.”
“I suppose so, but I don’t trust it without proof.”
“Smart,” he agreed.
We worked in silence after that, the only sounds being the soft gurgle of water and Comet’s purring as Bram scratched her head, distracting her from Gumdrop.
Gumdrop watched on from his small tank, gills twitching, like he was coming up with a way to murder the cat.
35
PANDORA
The sun hung low, casting long, golden streaks across Serpentine Stadium’s grounds from the windows.
Ashenfell had set up a career fair for our final term and had told us that our final project would be a presentation on what we wanted to do after graduation. This meant the chamber buzzed with unfamiliar faces, stalls, and representatives from various careers in the Demon Capital. The atmosphere carried a hustling energy, a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and the looming pressure of what we were meant to do for the rest of our lives after we left the academy.
But I wasn’t nervous. Not when I knew I would have my mates by my side after we left. It didn’t matter what we did, as long as we stayed mated.
Dex, Bram, Reed, and Skel stayed around me like they were my bubble as we walked around the crowd. Each one of my mates had their own way of keeping me close, and I loved it.. Bram kept shooting me worried glances, Skel kept casually brushing his arm against mine, Reed slung his arm around my shoulders, and Dex walked slightly behind me, scanning the area constantly.
Hunter had a session to attend to, so he was missing the fair, but Dad and Joel were present, flocking around Jenni as she talked to a business owner of some restaurant at the Market.
