Somebody’s Watching Me
Kit/Kat
J asper throws the doors open, striding inside as if he owns the place—which he kind of does, I guess. His head is held high, chin tilted arrogantly, and his posture reeks of entitlement. It’s no different than normal, but I know this day is definitely yet another that’s going to change my entire fucking life.
I hate having men be responsible for my world tipping over, by the way.
The low roar of demons chattering dampens a bit as he crosses the floor with Slash and Zav at his side, followed by Anton and X, then Salem and I, and Oriel at the rear. It’s almost a military formation, so I assume the shark is the creator of this plan. He seems to take presentation seriously when people perceive the caliphate’s power, and Jasper made it clear he listens to his friend when it comes to that shit.
“Everyone is staring,” I mutter out of the side of my mouth to my partner. He chuckles softly, barely jerking his head in a nod. “They didn’t gawp this much last week.”
“Last week, the school hadn’t announced a millennia-old tradition returning to a population largely unprepared for that kind of brutality—except for the children and relatives of royals. They’ve come to the realization that caliphates such as ours are primed to survive, while many of them will not.”
Oriel snorts. “Not to mention no one is used to you having someone clutching your arm so confidently.”
Great. That means Jasper and the others were right about how quickly this shit will spread.
I suck in a slow, calming breath. Rumor mills were vicious after my attack, and I was bitter about the fosters sending me back like a poorly cooked steak, but I wasn’t sad about leaving that school. Humans are pack animals, no matter what anyone says, and their innate desire to belong leads them to be absolutely dog shit when it comes to compassion. It’s especially rough in preteen and teen years—not that being a fucking sociopath is ever okay—so the girls tore my reputation to pieces defending that piece of shit.
Their instant acceptance of a false narrative about me without a whiff of proof destroyed what little self-esteem I had left after the incident. My abuser got off scot-free, making sad faces like a wounded dove while I was castigated by his minions every day. Their betrayal wasn’t personal, my therapist told me, but it felt like it was. These chicks saw me all the time, minding my own business and not being troublesome, but they bought into a shiny cover story from someone they thought had more social sway. It took a long time to accept that it was more about their own fragile psyches than mine and I needed to let go of my anger towards the flying monkeys to focus it on the instigator—the true abuser.
“Kit?”
I blink, coming out of my trance to look at Salem as he holds a chair out for me. Shaking my head slightly, I lower myself onto it carefully and force a smile up at him as he scoots me in. Dottie jumps from his shoulder to the table, standing in front of me chittering softly. She knew I was having a moment, I think, so I reach out to let her grasp my finger. The touch is soothing and after a second, I’m able to clear my throat and murmur, “Thanks.”
The panda squints at me briefly, but nods and smiles so the people around us don’t see any strain. “Anytime, Kit Kat.”
Now that I’m seated, Jasper takes his chair at the head with a huff of impatience, then Slash and Zav flank him. Oriel sits on my other side, so X drops down across from me with Anton between him and Slash. They all look at me expectantly and I frown. “What?”
“Tell the big guy to grab your coffees, KK,” X says with a wink. Their flashy blazer has sequins that wink in the bright lights, and I have the strongest urge to ask them to fix my frumpy shit for me.
I can’t, obviously, or my stupid secret will be out, but damn, their shit is hot.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “I didn’t know I needed to… lead this?”
Anton shakes his head. “Not lead, per se. But… guide. You have seen people dating before, right?”
The groan I want to release is full of irritation. Apparently, these assholes don’t have a damn clue how to ‘date’ someone and are using outdated bullshit from… TV shows or something as reference. They want me to act like a stereotypical girlfriend, sending them to fetch things and shit. This is going to be a pain in my ass; I’m pretending to be a dude, and I’m just not that kind of chick. No shade to women with those expectations; Kat Camponella is simply not high maintenance but for my stupid issues.
“Um…” I lick my lips, looking to the end of the table with what I hope is a pleasant smile. “Slash, can you get us some coffee? Salem packed my breakfast, but I’m dying for some caffeine.”
Oh, how stupid I feel right now. Shoot me… just shoot me in the face, please.
The big guy grins toothily, rumbling with what actually seems like pleasure. “I would be honored, little demon.”
My jaw drops as he stands, posture puffed up and proud like I handed him a medal. “What the hell?”
Salem snickers as he helps me get my delicious smelling food out of the ‘to go’ bag. “You’re about to find out some really interesting shit about demon hybrids, Kit Kat.”
Burying my face in my hands, I groan as I rub my palms down my cheeks. “I am so not ready for this crap. It’s too early and I hurt way too much to try to figure that statement out.”
“Relax,” Oriel says as his hand drops to squeeze my knee. “We’ll help you navigate it. You’re doing well so far. Everyone is whispering, and that’s what we wanted—them to watch this, not question why you look beat to hell.”
Perfect. That’s just what I was hoping for—not.
I’m sparkling from head-to-toe with anxiety by the time we finish eating. There were more eyes on me for that half-hour than I’ve had on me in a long time. It was creepy as fuck, but I have to give Salem and Oriel credit for helping me stay anchored. Between them and Dottie, I was able to eat so Slash didn’t snarl at me, parry verbally with Jasper, and not toss my cookies all over the table.
It’s a Christmas miracle, Charlie Brown.
As we head for the doors of the Triclinium , I feel my chest get tighter. The bulk of the group have to head to their own classes, and I’ll have to endure this bullshit on my own. Dottie’s clinging to my neck, making soft sounds near my ear. I know she’s working to keep me level, and I appreciate it, but this charade and my aching body are making it tough.
“Okay, Kit Kat. This is where we all split except for the trash compactor,” X says with a smirk.
“Niiice Jaws reference,” I mutter with a small grin. “Good distraction.”
“I try,” they say, preening playfully and even Slash grins a little. “But seriously, you have the chat. If you’re in trouble, what do you say?”
My eyes flutter shut and I growl softly, “I’m going to kill you for this, but ‘cherry pie’ is the code word.”
The dragon laughs darkly, just as he has every single time I’ve had to repeat that since yesterday. “Perfect, pleb.”
“ Stop calling me that,” I grit out as I turn to Slash. “Can we get the fuck out of here before I blow this by slugging him in his extremely punchable fucking nose?”
All I get is a nod and the tiniest glint of mischief in his dark eyes, so I let go of Salem’s arm to take the shark’s. I hate that I need the help, but honestly, I’d be moving like a senior citizen if I didn’t hold onto someone and push the pain of moving normally into my feet.
They all wave, heading in various directions as Slash leads me away from the cafeteria and towards the academic building. The distance has never seemed this daunting before, but I also haven’t had to do this when someone healed my bones the day before. The crowds milling about are much more subdued than they were last week; there’s no one jacking around, shooting magic at one another or hanging out on the Gothic architecture of the buildings.
The campus atmosphere is like a damn funeral home now.
“It’s weird, right?” I ask the shark hybrid as we walk toward the building where my class is. “This quiet?”
“Very.” He pauses at the base of the steps in front of our destination when we reach it, studying me. “This will be okay?”
“Dude, you gotta use more syllables,” I grumble. “I know you only say shit when it matters, but that doesn’t mean you have to be damn near mute.”
His smile is bigger this time, and his huge hand lands on top of mine on his bicep. “I find people listen harder when you talk less. They assume what you say is important.”
I frown, tilting my head as I look at him. “X talks all the time and people listen.”
Jerking his head to the steps, he guides me up the first one as he replies, “X is sparkly. Everyone enjoys shiny things.”
The snort that escapes my lips is followed by a giggle, and I slap my free hand over my mouth. Fuck, fuck, fuck. That was incredibly stupid, and it might have blown my cover. When Slash doesn’t comment, I force out a fake cough. “Well, that’s definitely true. But Jasper never shuts the fuck up, either.”
He huffs and I know this time, he’s trying to cover a laugh. “Jasper is the Prince.”
“Oh, I know. He makes sure everyone knows,” I shoot back grumpily. “I meant that despite the stupid shit he spews, people don’t take him less seriously because he talks a lot. Salem and O are similar, but they’re not assholes like the prince.”
Slash stops in the middle of the steps, turning to look down at me seriously. “You are mistaken.”
“About what?” This seems like something I should listen to regardless of how much he does or doesn’t babble—his expression is very firm.
“Those two were very quiet, though not as much as me, prior to your arrival.”
My mouth drops open and I blink for a second. “Really?”
“Indeed. Oriel in particular often stayed quiet for days unless he was filling Jasper in on assignments. Their behavior is surprising to all of us.” A gentle tug on my arm gets me moving again and as we ascend, he continues, “X and Anton flittered off to their own world a lot. It is very different now, and I believe that is what scares my old friend so much.”
Well, shit. I told him to talk more and I’ll be damned if he didn’t listen.
Licking my lips nervously, I realize that while we’ve been talking, I completely ignored all the whispers and eyes on us. We’re standing at the doors to the academic building, ready to walk in, and I stopped thinking about how much I hurt and who was watching me. I simply felt safe while he was by my side. That hits me like a smelly trout to the face, and I draw in a shuddering breath.
“What’s wrong, little demon?” Slash asks as he pulls the huge door open.
“I… It’s nothing.” I shake my head, barely able to comprehend the situation, much less explain it to anyone. “We should get in there before Lilibet goes bonkers. I think she’s going to be pissed about you hanging around as it is.”
“No, she won’t.”
I frown, giving him a doubtful expression. “How do you know that?”
“Because if she gives you trouble again… I’ll eat her.”
The worst part is, I believe him without a doubt.