Quiet Burn (Discordia University #2)

Desperate Measures

Jasper

I don’t like this one fucking bit.

My lunchtime routine was disrupted by that slimy little shit, Beccarus, who came to my office as I was leaving for the Triclinium to join my caliphate. He stood there looking smarmy and pleased with himself as if being associated with Darkstar somehow made him more than a lesser demon I could crush with one hand. When I finished reading, he held up a hand, daring to stop me from speaking to inform me that the contents of the missive were non-negotiable.

The instructions called for me to stay in my office and prepare for this new lesson, which means I’m hungry as fuck and four times as angry. But I’m doing the best I can not to let it seep through when I’m dealing with my brothers, especially the newest one that I promised to be less mean to. It’s difficult not to wield my fury like a weapon when everything I’ve ever learned in my life has taught me that’s an acceptable way to burn off the fire in my gut. Emotions like this make my dragon yearn for the sky and destruction, something I could give into at home, but not at Discordia.

Now that everyone has their goddamn weapons, my dragon is even more disgruntled as I look out at the class. I can feel the burning in my eyes that tells me he’s struggling with my demon for control. I can’t let him have it because not only is my dragon form not compatible with a classroom setting, he also hates damn near everyone in this realm other than my caliphate. Since the shrimp hasn’t met him yet, I have no idea how that will go and I sure as fuck don’t want it to be a public affair.

“Jasper?”

My frustrated musings are interrupted and I whirl around to roar, but I see Zavvie standing there giving me an understanding expression. Trusting my caliphate to protect me, I give the students my back and look at my kitsune. “I don’t want to do this. It’s going to go badly.”

Zav rakes his hands through his messy red hair, nodding. “I know. But… it’s clear you don’t have a choice. So do what you have to and we will do what we can to mitigate it.”

The anger of my shifter flows through me as I tip my head up to the sky and gather myself. When I bring my gaze back to Zavvie, I wink, then growl, “Get back in line. We have shit to do!”

He knows I’m playing a role more often than not, so he won’t take my ire poorly.

I watch as he scurries back to the cluster of demons surrounding Kit, waiting for them to get settled before I stride across the front of our practice area. “We will start by warming up with your chosen weapon. The list of groups is on the board over there. I want you all in your groups within two minutes or you’ll be running laps with the weapon you picked. For some of you, that’s going to suck.”

A chorus of groans echoes through the air and I grin, feeling the vicious pleasure of my beast at their pain. It takes away from the gnawing irritation I feel about having to follow orders given by an idiot like Lucian or the fact that this exercise was designed to cause problems. The groups were assigned via the administration and it was clear they purposefully put demons who would naturally be in competition with one another together for their fights. It’s not just Kit who is in danger; no, my other brothers will be pitted against people they shouldn’t be.

“Get moving!” I bark as they all grumble at the assignment board. “I said two minutes. None of you will survive the Games if you cannot follow simple instructions.”

There’s a flurry of movement as the forty plus demons scramble to get organized and I use that time to try to calm myself again. Everything about these Games is being done in a way that is twisted; it’s almost like they want to knock contestants out prior to the start. Obviously, my caliphate is in their sights, if that’s true, because we’re the most powerful demons in this fucking school.

Except for the shrimp—he makes us more vulnerable.

My gaze flicks to the group he’s in immediately, and the calm I’ve been trying to attain flies out the window. Of course the rumors made their way to one of Lucian’s goddamned spies, so he has both Roquefort and Furon in his group. Luckily, he also has Anton, which makes my anxiety a bit less. Anton and Xerxes seem less intimidating than much of our caliphate because they are built in a slender, lean frame because of their animals. However, their ties with magic are almost as strong as mine because they are descended from Lust and Pride. The demons in those lines are powerful with their ability to enchant and mesmerize, especially those from their court. The last demon in that pod is some idiot from a lower house in Wrath, and though I should know him, I have no idea.

“This starting battle will be a three-minute free-for-all where no magic should be used to enhance your weapons. We are simply getting you ready to duel, though I’d discourage not giving it your best efforts. Everything in this class is evaluated and I will be watching to see if any of you are slacking.”

Clicking the button on my phone, I sound the call for them to begin. There’s a slight pause before the noise of metal and wood paired with grunts and snarls fills the air. All of the six person circles are engaged in the melee, and I have to walk around each of them to keep abreast of what’s going on. I wish I could half shift and fly; it would give me a better view of the crowd. Unfortunately, my dragon is far too edgy to let him have even an ounce more of control.

Hopefully, I can keep him from blasting someone when the real challenge begins.

“Aymon, back off! He’s out for this round!”

Rubbing my temples, I wait until the moron from Slash’s line finally backs up and lets the smaller fear demon get up. I’ve been holding off on the magically assisted portion of this class as long as possible, but I don’t have an option. It has to start soon or I’ll be in violation of the edict. The problem is that these assholes have been going at it like they’re trying to murder or maim people even without that enhancement, so I know I’ll have to call for infirmary transports when the assists begin.

Most of my brothers will do fine, but Kit and Zavvie will struggle.

“Okay, break,” I call out. “Time to hydrate and prepare your weapons for magical battle.”

Oriel and Salem both whip their heads around to glare at me, but I can’t do anything about this fucking bullshit. I didn’t choose it and I’m not in a position to defy Lucian’s direct, written commands at this moment. Being here as both a teacher and a caliphate leader is tenuous—if he believes I’m interfering with the flow of instruction, he can rightfully petition my father to remove me. That would be disastrous, and I have to dance along the wire very cautiously.

The clanging of weapons finally ends and I watch the various demons move to the sidelines to get whatever refreshment they bring for themselves. There’s water, of course, but some species need other things to regenerate their energy and I have to give them time to do so. Demons are sneaky dicks, but we have specific unspoken rules we follow when we’re not engaged in true combat. One of those is that each species must be respected for their particular needs—even if it’s gross.

Pit demons are not fun to watch, but they typically move out of sight for their bullshit.

My eyes dart to a group of Cubi huddled around something and I roll my eyes. They might be fun to watch when it’s not so public, but I’m in no mood for feeding porn today. Growling under my breath, I stomp over to my caliphate to see what they’re doing during this short respite from battle. I just want to know what their plan is; it’s not like I’m concerned about anyone or anything.

“Anton, are you good, man?”

Salem tilts his head at the bird shifter, and he gets a smirk as he lifts his head from where he and X are huddled away from prying eyes. They’re obviously exchanging energy as their lines require, but I’m sure they’re feeding off the excess emotions in the air from that group I just walked away from. “We’re good, dude. What about you?”

The panda is sitting with Kit on a bench, passing a water bottle to him as they unwrap some of his special color-coded bars. “We’re doing pretty good. KK is a little beat-up, but nothing Dank worthy.”

“I’m okay. The stuff Salem gave me is helping, I think,” the shrimp says. He’s slouched down as he takes a bite of the snack, but I don’t see anything that looks like a bad injury from here.

That will change quickly, unfortunately.

“I hope you have a plan.” They all look at me, even Kit, and I cross my arms over my chest. “No one can know.”

Oriel rolls his eyes, scoffing at my statement. “Duh, Jas. We didn’t get summoned yesterday.”

“You could have prevented this ridiculous situation,” Salem says as he yawns. “You’re the professor, man.”

I close my eyes, counting to ten in my head before I answer. How does he not realize I had zero control over this bullshit? I’m doing my best to not make the shrimp crazy—most of the time. I haven’t been nearly as rough as I was before, so I’m keeping my word. Why would I purposefully allow this disastrous lesson plan if that’s the case? When I’m calm enough to answer him, my eyes burn with the fire of my dragon. “Do I look like someone who is pleased with this turn of events?”

Anton and X step closer, obviously finished with their power gathering. The avian shifter tilts his head, studying me for a moment. “You do not. I realize you may not be able to say more, but I feel confident in my assessment.”

A sigh escapes his partner and Xerxes gives me a look tinged with sympathy. “No one likes to be muzzled, guys—particularly a dragon.”

“I think we have it covered,” Kit says as he stands up. “Whatever happens, I’ll survive. I’m sort of like a cockroach in a nuclear fallout that way.”

“Nonsense,” X says as they pat the shrimp’s head. “You are not a disgusting roach, Kit Kat. Stop knocking yourself.”

The chorus of agreement doesn’t surprise me, but I am a little shocked to see Zavvie reach out to pat Kit’s shoulder lightly. He doesn’t get re-buffed and I can feel the little surge of pleasure that goes through my kitsune when he’s included.

This guy has completely entranced my entire caliphate and I have no idea what’s going to happen when fake dating turns to real dating.

Nodding at them, I walk away to check on the other groups. They seem to be dicking around, so I sound the alarm again from my phone. The gnawing in my gut increases as I catch the hungry look in the eyes of the more aggressive demon types in the class. I’m not going to be able to do this without having a better vantage point; I just won’t. I step onto a bench, towering over them as I let my dragon loose just enough to unfurl my enormous wings. That starts whispering like a wildfire across the sidelines, but I ignore it to push into the air and hover above.

“Get into your groups and stand at the ready. Your weapon should be ready!”

As they all scramble at the sight of my flashing eyes and rumbling snarl, I scan the crowd to locate all of my brothers. They’re standing firm in their sections, even the shrimp. His shoulders are squared and he has his projectiles nestled in his hands as he stares at the demons who will be coming for him.

Here we go…