Quiet Burn (Discordia University #2)

Puttin’ on the Ritz

Kit/Kat

I have no idea how I’m going to function at this event.

As if my anxiety about going to an unknown place full of possible bad guys wasn’t enough, I’m sitting in this weird supernatural ride share thing in the middle of seven of the hottest dudes to ever live. My suit is all white with high waisted pants and an open necked shirt under a loose silk jacket. It makes me stand out—something I’m never happy about—but somehow, it looks good as hell. I haven’t worn this much white in my entire life, mind you, but damn, that spider knew what he was doing. It makes me look fancy and confident even though I don’t feel like that inside, and Salem told me it looked ‘fuckin’ awesome’.

I don’t know how he noticed given what Jasper and Slash had on when they emerged, and after the others came out, I almost swallowed my goddamn tongue. Anton was in an all black brocade tux with no bow tie, his lithe form looking elegant but dangerous in the off-beat pattern. Guillermo put Xerxes in this heavily tailored, wide legged black and silver suit with big buttons, a tie at their narrow waist and a deep dip between the lapels—with no shirt. They look sexy yet gender-bending in a way that’s perfect for them.

My eyes drift to the last three of the demons, swallowing hard as I try not to let their appearance make my cheeks burn. Oriel is wearing high waisted black pants with a loose black silk shirt under a midnight blue silk jacket with velour lapels. His emo look is still in place with tattoos and steel peeking out and the shine of his raven hair falling over his kohl rimmed eyes. He winks at me and I duck my chin, looking at Zavida in his brilliant red houndstooth patterned suit with a pale cadmium orange shirt tucked under the shirt jacket. His red hair seems to gleam against it, which I wouldn’t have ever thought would work, so he looks like the fiery fox he is.

But Salem? The panda shifter is in a well tailored suit that’s all black with satin lapels and an open shirt showing off black and white tattoos on his chest. His duotone hair is mussed perfectly like he climbed out of bed, and for some reason, the adorable raccoon assistant insisted he put on a pair of thick white glasses with ombre lenses that make him look delectable. He doesn’t even need glasses, but they coordinate with the small pocket square sticking out of his jacket pocket in a way that draws everything together.

Of course, I only know all this shit because X gushed over everyone as we got into the car.

What I actually know about fashion you could fit in a thimble, which is why I’m just sitting here drooling like a dumbass as I squirm in my seat between Slash and the Prince. I’d prefer to be sitting with the others, but Jasper threw a hissy fit and I was too damned nervous to fight with him. A miracle, I know; it’s just that I haven’t been this unsettled without having a panic attack in… my life, I think.

“KK, you look like you’re going to hurl. Is sitting next to Jasper that odious?”

I blink, shaking my head a little to clear the inappropriate hot guy thoughts out of it. Once I can focus, I look at Oriel with an amused smile. “I mean, if the shoe fits, buy it in every size, right?”

Xerxes snickers, leaning back in their seat as they smirk at me. “That’s my motto, and lucky for you, we wear the same size. That makes it imminently easier for me to help turn you from the frumpy introvert to an elegant boyfriend to the royal caliphate.”

Wrinkling my nose at them, I hunch forward to pet Dottie inside of the soft, black leather bag I have crossed over my body. Laurel and Gui said it was ‘oltre l’eleganza ? 1 ’ and I figured they knew what they were talking about. My girl seems comfortable in it, and there was enough room for her and some non-sketchy snacks, so I consented to the switch. Dottie chitters a little, her small digits grabbing mine and the calm rushes over me.

“You should be asking me if having the shrimp between us is off-putting,” Jasper grumbles as he cocks a brow at the crow shifter. “You know he smells like fruity flowers and I hate that.”

I whip my head around, glaring at the dragon indignantly. “Oh, yeah? You smell like musky citrus and vanilla and… fruity incense. It’s the shower stuff, dumbass. It’s scented and we all use different stuff in the morning. Complain to whoever stocks the damn bathroom, not me.”

Slash leans towards me, sniffing for a second, then shrugs. “My sense of smell is best and I don’t find it offensive.”

“See?” I scowl at the Prince, then turn to give the shark demon a grateful smile. “Thanks, big guy.”

The toothy grin makes my stomach flutter, and Salem bobs his brows at me when I turn to face forward. He lifts his arm, sniffing under it with a frown. “What do I smell like, KK? I pick whatever’s there usually, so I don’t pay attention.”

“Citrus-y with fresh berries and leafy scents,” I reply without thinking and my answer gets immediate chuckles from the guys next to me. “What? I live with him, you guys. Of course I know what he fucking smells like. Why is everyone being so weird today?”

“Because your sense of smell is getting much better, Kit Kat.” Anton looks pleased as he crosses his arms over his chest. “The gels from the bathroom aren’t heavily scented like you’d find up here—or so I’m told—but we’re all drawn to things that make our animals happy. The spicy floral scents with musk make my bird feel like he’s doing a happy dance inside. I assume it’s the same for the others.”

Salem nods. “The panda loves that one specific scent, though I don’t much notice what it smells like as much as him enjoying it.”

I narrow my eyes at them, not quite sure what I’m missing. There’s something they’re not telling me, especially given the smug look on X’s face. “Zav smells like ginger and cinnamon.”

“No, he smells like ginger, citrus, and saffron,” Jasper growls, bumping my shoulder with his. “I should know; I’m naked with him far more often than you .”

Just like that, my face goes red and I gawp, at a loss for what to say in response. I mean, obviously ‘ Big Bad Demon Daddy Jasper’ sees Zavida naked more than me! I’m not trying to see any of them nude, despite my weird inability to take my eyes off of them when they parade around in various stages of undress. I open my mouth to say something, and yet again, not a damned thing comes out.

“Holy fuck, I actually shut the shrimp up. Someone take a fucking picture,” the Prince says, his dark features breaking into an honest-to-Satan grin that lights them up beautifully.

I hate to admit it, but Jasper Eversore is stunningly handsome when he’s not being an evil fuckwit.

Since I can’t figure out what to say, I slam my elbow backward, hitting his ribs. He doesn’t react and I frown at the carpeted floor angrily. That shithead’s muscles are as hard as rocks and he barely felt my jab, which is even more annoying than his deeply amused chuckles. “You suck, Jasper, and not in a good way.”

“Actually, that’s not true. You see, it’s Zav’s job to?—”

“ Oh my fucking god, shut up ,” I groan as I put my hands over my face. “I do not need to know anymore about your sex life than I’ve already heard.”

“Plus, Zav’s gonna turn into a tomato soon,” Oriel says wryly. “I don’t know what’s redder right now—the suit, his hair, or his face.”

Peeking out between my fingers, I see the poor kitsune trying to hide behind his tails as he flushes. I understand his introversion, so I move my hands to smile a little in commiseration. The Prince is enjoying the hell out of making both of us uncomfortable while everyone else is having a grand old time. He deserves a nut punch, and if I can figure out how to give him one without anyone at this party noticing, I’m definitely doing it.

We’ll see who has the last laugh.

The car finally pulls up to this dingy warehouse district and I look outside skeptically. “I don’t know, guys. This feels like the prelude to one of the gritty cop shows on TV—some skeevy bad guy is going to jump out and crack us over the head before shoving us into cages.”

Slash snorts, shaking his head at me. “They would not be successful, little demon. You are with some of the most fearsome demons of Hell.”

I roll my eyes as we step out of the SUV. “Slash, the point is the bad guys always have shit to like… defeat the powerful humans or vampires or whatever it is. They have their ‘kryptonite’ item like in Superman, and then they use surprise to launch the attack. And it’s always some sketchy, bad part of town, abandoned place like this.”

“This is just a mirage,” Jasper says as he pushes past me. “The magic is strong, and it’s definitely the work of multiple species within the supernatural world, but it’s covering the true venue. You don’t have to worry about some axe murderer, shrimp. It’s neutral ground.”

“Just another way to lure you into complacency,” I mutter as I move closer to the big guy. “You guys are used to being the top dogs down there and it’s going to get us Dahmer’d if we’re not careful.”

X walks up and laces their arm in my free one. “C’mon, KK. Less fear, more cheer, dude. We’re dressed for excess and attending a huge party full of Earth’s big players. There’s so much gossip to overhear and clues to sniff out. You gotta let go a little.”

I’ve definitely heard that song before and the ending was not something I want to repeat.

“I’m not great at parties, for obvious reasons,” I reply as I hold onto Xerxes and Slash tightly. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let it stop us from finding out shit we need to know.”

Salem walks up behind us, leaning in to murmur, “You can do it, Kit Kat. We’re all here, and Xerxes is the best chit chatter of the whole crew. They’ll help you.”

“Ahem,” Jasper coughs as he stands at the rusty door ahead of us. “If you’re all done fucking around, we need to get in here and do this. We’re not scheduled to be up here all fucking weekend, you know.”

Slash glares at him as we approach the door. “You cannot be mean to him here, Prince. We agreed to Xerxes’ plan and that involves playing up our dating status to keep up appearances. Treating the little demon poorly will spoil the plan.”

I grin smugly as I follow him through the door, appreciating the reminder for the surly royal. “What he said.”

Jasper growls at me, but it doesn’t have the usual bite to it. He must be adjusting already, so I just continue into the big warehouse without another word. Once we’re all in the center of the empty room, I look around, not understanding. There’s nothing here besides us and a lot of dust, which seems marginally better than a serial killer, but not very useful.

“Be patient,” Salem says as he stands close enough to feel the heat coming off his form. “Jasper knows what to do.”

The Prince turns to face us, raising his hands in the air as his eyes go dark and fiery. “ Ab ignibus Orci petit hseres ad throni ingressum. Revela porta vel face consequatur. ? 2 ”

My eyes dart to all the others, then back to the Prince as scales ripple over his skin then fade away quickly. A column of fire shoots up from the floor, making me grip X and Slash in shock until the flames swirl around and form a gateway. I lick my lips as I see a vaguely glitzy background through the portal, hoping I’m going to be able to handle this.

“Okay, people. Time to step into your roles,” X says as they tug me forward. “Follow the plan and don’t force us to get into a battle—especially you, Kit Kat, and you, Prince Pricklypants.”

I nod quietly, following along with Slash and Salem behind me.

I’d love to promise him I’ll be good, but I’ve never been able to do that successfully, even when it would save my skin.

1 ? beyond elegance

2 ? From the fires of Hell, the heir to the throne demands entry. Reveal the gateway or face the consequences.