Page 5 of Zodiac Demons

Nope. Nooooope.

“I have to go.” I stood up suddenly, and I stepped out of the booth. “I just remembered I have work today. Sorry, I’m so scatterbrained, I totally forgot. I was just so excited to see you and all.”

“Wait, Lila—”

“Let’s do the tour tomorrow. Then we can catch up more.” I wasn’t going there. Was my mother the person I should have been able to hash out my relationships with? Absolutely. I’d love to do that. But was I going to tell her that little Adrian, the sweet boy from her third grade class, was an intensely dominant man now, who railed her daughter and permanently marked her as food for his sex demon? Probably not. Maybe next week.

Just kidding, literally never.

I got out of the campus café, leaving Mom to have to deal with the check, making it much more difficult to follow me, and I headed back to the dorms as quickly as I could.

That was enough revelation for one day. Mom was still here for a week, so I’d have plenty of time to do more catching up when I’d collected myself.

A whole week. What were the chances I was going to be able to keep the fact that Adrian marked me a secret for a full fucking week?

Chapter 3

Eighteen Months Ago

“You love studying, so why wouldn't you want to go to college?” Father sat across from me in the store room while I was sewing a sweatshirt to restock our inventory. He was never around the shop much these days, at least not since I turned 18 and proved I could manage the store on my own. When Grandmother fell ill—a minor sinus infection, really, but I was not one to tell Grandmother that she was being dramatic—I’d been tasked with running the shop, and I’d held down the fort for five years now. At twenty-three, there was no reason he shouldn’t be able to trust me in this role. He and mother had a lot of duties around Graves and far beyond it. The founding families often traveled to absolve supernatural matters around the world, and when they were local, they were always in meetings about local governance and laws.

This little clothing boutique was simply a fun side project that both anchored the Aryas to Graves and served as a useful resource for the community. Other founding families ran bakeries or coffee shops or other seemingly ordinary and mundane businesses just to have something to do in modern times and stay engaged with those outside their immediate circle. All part of bridging the gap between inhuman and human kind, but also maintaining peace between species that are, for the present moment, not at war with each other for once. Without Graves and our forced integrations, hybrids like myself may have never existed.

I liked this life though. The art of clothing design, the technical knowledge required to execute a well measured pattern and create a workable garment for a range of body types, even the feigned positivity and social masking needed to secure sales—it was an infinitely complex set of skills disguised by mundanity, and I was always learning, always improving, and always engaged.

I didn’t have any desire to hold the office of my parents. Politics were an ugly sport, and I would much rather create something beautiful. Clothing gave people confidence, comfort, and practical convenience that improved their daily lives. Those in power couldn't often boast the same. Roles like that suited my older brother much better than they suited me.

“The shop is a lot of work all its own. I read enough independently and I put my lessons into practice to improve customer service, style, and marketing tactics. What will I gain by spending hours of my day practicing theory while my life is a lesson already?” It was an appeal to reason, but I knew it fell on deaf ears. Father wasn’t cruel, but he was also quite strict and quite set in his ways.

“It's not that I doubt your ability, Ceto. You've done an incredible job with Threads of the Magi in the years I've let you take the reins. But...” Why did there have to be a but?

“But what?” I interrupted him. “If even you've noticed how well the store is doing now, why would you want to take it away from me? Our family has been one of the most feared in all of Graves since its founding, and now we’re a popular stop for even. One of the cockatrice girls even came in here to by a dress the other day, and you know how much they hate basilisks.”

“I heard about that, and I'm not taking it from you.” He shook his head. “I’m simply urging you to expand your horizons. You’ve hardly left this shop your whole life, and it’s important to experience more than just what’s comfortable and familiar. Your mother or I will pick up any slack while you're in school, and you will still be primarily calling the shots. But you need your degree and proper schooling. It's not about your ability or your knowledge base, it's about upholding the expectations of an Arya. Being a member of a founding family means more to this community than simply showing up for meetings.” His usual ‘gentle parenting’ tone shifted to something much harsher, and I knew what was coming next. “Your brother only has a year left of his schooling, and has already started his apprenticeship with the Counsel, while you've been actively defying Graves customs. Your family name does not absolve you of your schooling requirements. You mask yourself well around customers, but you aren’t an ordinary shifter, nor are you an ordinary Basilisk.” If there even is such a thing as an ordinary basilisk. I wanted to scoff, but thought better of it. “The Counsel is especially critical of hybrid species, and I need you to prove that you’re able to function well among both humans and magic-kind.”

“Don’t I already do that at the shop every day? I don’t see how I’m defying Graves’ custom by working in a customer facing business instead of going to college.” I adjusted my glasses on my nose, then adjusted my shirt collar to assure my protective necklace wasn't visible. Perhaps I WAS defying something, but it wasn't Father or Graves law. “Back when you were young, college wasn't even a concept. Would you really say a bulk of the knowledge that you use in your diplomatic ventures is thanks to your degree?” I pressed next. Knowing Omari was going into his last year the coming semester only made me want to resist harder. Or at least delay until he had graduated. I absolutely didn't want any chance of being stuck in forced proximity with him again. Family dinners were enough.

“That's not the point.” There really was no chance that he would let it go. “The point is that every child of a legacy family is expected to attend and graduate from Graves Academy. It's to set an example to the community, while also proving to the Counsel that you've been taught to handle your unique powers, even when you’re a mixed species with a volatile trigger like the full moon. It reflects poorly on me if you go about your life telling others that it's unnecessary.” He inhaled slowly through his nose, and I knew that gesture often meant he was forcing himself to remain calm when he wanted to start yelling. “I’m not asking you to take up hockey or start going on hikes. I’m simply asking you to further your education—which is already something you actively seek out on your own—then settle in to whatever life you’d like. That is far less than I ask of Omari, and I feel that I’m being more than generous.”

“Well, I’m glad you don’t expect as much from me as you do him.” I kept my sigh purely internal. Though I didn’t want the life of the Arya’s firstborn and pure-born son, it always felt like a subtle jab when he would mention how much more was on his shoulders compared to mine. It was the quiet way of telling me how much less I mattered to the family.

But then again, I was the bastard son of his mistress, before mother became his wife. I was the impure hybrid, an Omega instead of an Alpha, the Zodiac shifter instead of the pure Basilisk with the added strength and influence of an El Naddaha. Where I was studious, Omari was athletic. Where I was awkward, he was charismatic. Where I was a blight on the family name, he was the true heir to the king of serpents. Why would I hold the same importance as someone like that?

I was still expected to jump through the hoops though. Short of joining the Counsel, it wasn’t like I had zero obligation to do as I was told exactly how I was told to do it, be that in the business, in life choices, or in my relationships. I wasn't getting out of this. All I wanted was to live for myself, and do what I was passionate about, and yet there wasn't one aspect of my existence that supported that desire. Immortality lost its appeal when it meant eternally being someone else’s pawn and puppet. Not even this clothing store, that I valued and invested so much of my energy into, was legitimately mine.

“Don’t twist my words.” Father shook his head, never hiding any of his disapproval. “You are just as much my son as Omari. It’s simply different from the family’s perspective. I want you to succeed, and I’ve lived long enough to know that never getting out of the house doesn’t foster happiness. Besides, as an immortal, four years is barely the blink of an eye. You should experience college while you're still young, and you'll have the rest of your existence to work and build a legacy. I've done a lot to support you despite your position.” ‘My position’ being my illegitimacy, of course. “Please just fulfill this one, single request for me. Your grandmother will never let any of us hear the end of it if you don't.”

“Invoking Grandmother? I'm guessing you didn't learn those sorts of manipulation tactics in college.” I relented a half-hearted smile, and he laughed. She was the scariest woman alive, and keeping her happy was always the correct answer. Though we both knew Grandmother was never satisfied with anything ever. He spoke as if this would be his last request of me, but there would always be some new hoop, placed just a little higher in a way that was just a little more impossible to jump through.

Father stood up and gave me a solid pat on the shoulder. “I’m glad we had this talk. I’ve already enrolled you, so you’ll be starting this coming semester.” My face blanched, though I shouldn’t have been surprised that this ‘discussion’ was never an actual negotiation at all. He was always going to get his way.

“Wonderful.” I mumbled. It was probably safe to say he’d already chosen and enrolled me in what classes he wanted me to take as well. So much for giving me choices.

Father continued to the back exit, but paused before he reached for the door. “Oh.” He said, looking back over his shoulder with a friendly-enough smile. Those were the most suspicious kind. “Also, your grandmother has started speaking to the family matchmaker for you.”

My eyes widened. “What?” I was at a loss for words. “I… I thought only Omari’s marriage was going to be arranged.”

“Well…” He ran a hand through his thick black hair like a nervous tick. Understandable, considering he was hitting me with every bit of life-shattering news he had for me today. “In our last Counsel meeting, we were discussing the rights and expectations of Hybrid species, now that they’re becoming more prominent.” Oh, the counsel built entirely of ancient, pure bred monsters was discussing the rights and expectations of the abominations? How lucky for us all. “We want to continue to solidify this sense of peace and unity among species, and in order to do that, it would be helpful if you were to marry and forge deeper alliances sooner than later.” He spoke as if this was a gift. “You’ll still be allowed to choose your mate, for the most part. She’s simply going to help you find an acceptable option and accelerate the process.” I knew exactly what ‘acceptable’ meant. This wasn’t even an illusion of choice. He placed his hand on the door knob, then added, “but in exchange for you going to Graves, I think I can negotiate with her for a delay, so long as you’re putting in some initiative to meet people. Go make some friends, and maybe someone who’s worthy of becoming ‘more than a friend.’ It’ll be good for you, and it’ll make it easier for you in the long run.”