Creep
Kit/Kat
X erxes gapes at me, but Slash merely grunts. Neither of them stop moving towards the building where Dank’s office is located as I wait for someone to say something. My anxiety spikes and Dottie chitters to get my attention so I don’t fly off the rails. As we climb the stairs, X looks around carefully, then looks at me seriously.
“Kit Kat, you definitely can never say that to anyone outside of our caliphate. Not even if you’re angry or scared. It’s really important,” they say urgently.
Frowning, I tilt my head, hoping Slash will put in his two cents. He doesn’t, so I address Xerxes. “I haven’t learned anything about that power so far—even in my personal studying.”
“The Fates do not approve.”
The shark shifter’s comment makes me swallow hard. “Because that can undo their… tapestry thingy?”
X nods, then shakes their head. “No. Yes. No. Well, sort of, KK. Those with chronomancy are as rare as necromancy in every species where the skill is possible. The hags aren’t fond of either power as it screws with their shit and fucks with seers. But it’s so much worse if it occurs in someone with demon lineage. It’s basically illegal in Hell.”
Just fucking marvelous—I’m not just a fraud in this school, but the entire realm.
“Would explain why he was hidden.”
Turning to look at Slash, I wrinkle my nose. “Yeah, I suppose so. Not that I give a shit about anyone who abandoned me to that bullshit for my entire life.”
X grins, clapping me on the shoulder. “I don’t blame you, but he means it might help us reveal your entire lineage, which will tell us what kind of supe you are. Obviously, demon is in there, but there’s more.” They pause for a moment, chewing their lip before adding, “I suspect you’re rare in multiple ways other than what we’ve discussed.”
Slash narrows his eyes at us, but he doesn’t ask what Xerxes means. Instead, he turns to look at the students on the stairs around us and then opens the door to the building. “We will suspend this discussion until we are in the doctor’s office.”
I nod, following X inside and heading for the elevator. The main entrance is busy, students are heading for their classes or lounging on the furniture until their next class. There’s too many of them around to feel safe, but as soon as the thought occurs to me, Slash steps closer. His big arm takes mine, tucking it into his chest as we wait for the elevator to open.
“Thanks,” I murmur softly. “I didn’t realize there’d be so many people in here at this time of the morning.”
While I’ve slowly gotten used to the guys being around me en masse and even some touching, I am definitely not good with the rest of the student body in my space. That’s probably not a bad thing, so I haven’t tried to acclimate myself better. Having an automatic alarm system in place makes it harder for shitheads like Roquefort to get near me without permission.
The door opens and Slash blocks the entrance to any other students waiting, so we’re alone. I open my mouth to ask X about their statement, but the big guy shakes his head. It confuses me, but he looks serious. The bell dings and we exit, heading down the hallway until we get to Dank’s office. Slash lets go of me to bang his fist on it, resulting in a masked Dank opening the door carefully.
“Ah, Master Kit and Master Xerxes. Right on time.”
I frown as I follow the others into his space. “We didn’t have an appointment.”
Removing the plague mask and setting it aside, the elder demon gives me what appears to be a smile. “That does not mean I was unaware you’d come. Please have a seat on a table—both of you. Master Slash, you will have to step out when I examine your newest inductee as before.”
“Fine,” he grumbles as he takes a place between two tables and crosses his arms over his chest stubbornly. “But I will remain here until it is time.”
I’d swear he’s pouting, but how the hell does one identify that on a shark shifter?
Xerxes moves slower than me, but they get up on the table to Slash’s left and I head for the one on the right. Once we’re settled, Dank gives me a weird skull-faced smile again. “Excellent. We are all in agreement, then. I will mix the things I need and return shortly.”
“Thank you, Dank,” I murmur gratefully.
The demon’s fire flares a bit, then he dips his head and shuffles toward the back of his office. After he shuts the door to the room, I turn to my companions with an expectant expression. “Well, spill it before he comes back. I’m nervous enough after X’s pleas for secrecy; I don’t need to get too close to the edge.”
“Breathe, little demon.”
“I am breathing, but I want them to tell me what the hell they were talking about back in the quad.” I cross my arms this time, making a stubborn face as the shark smiles.
“Okay, okay,” X says as they run their hand through their hair. “You know that supes can have two-sides like us, right? The truth is that, while extremely rare, there are a few supernaturals in various realms born with three. The folks above call it tripleskia because the divine folks named it first. It’s unheard of in Hell, but for some ancient texts.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me?”
Slash grunts, rolling his eyes at me and before I can stop it, I smack his big arm. Despite the fact that I hit him, he looks pleased as shit. “Xerxes is trying to say that being here means you have some form of demon blood. Having an affinity for animals and for some of our animals leans toward shifter as your second half. But… the time thing might suggest you are the first tripleskia in the demon world for a very long time.”
My eyes widen and I throw my hands up in frustration. “Well, that’s just dandy. I mean, what better way to put an even bigger target on my goddamn back than being a super secret special supernatural? Fucking hell, Jasper’s going to have a field day bossing me around if he hears this shit.”
“Kit Kat, being… that… would mean you’re going to be immensely powerful. It’s a gift most demons would commit mass murder for,” Xerxes says carefully. “Why are you so upset? Jasper won’t, like, disavow you or anything.”
Groaning as I lean back until I’m reclining on the table, I look up at the ceiling blankly. “X, there’s so much wrong with that question that I can’t even get my hands around it all.”
“Start piece by piece,” Slash rumbles.
I lick my lips and close my eyes so I don’t have to look at either of them as I lay out my worries. “In no particular order, this worries me because of the enemies I already have—both seen and unseen. I’m just getting one set of powers and no one knows what it is or how to control it.
I possibly have a power that will definitely get me killed. I could be a rare supe, which will attract fuck knows what else and we can’t seem to keep me safe already. I’m a raging mess of mental health issues without all of the aforementioned stuff, and I have to deal with constant upheaval as I learn how everything and everyone here works.
This last mess got several people injured, including me, and it’s a goddamn puzzle as to how or what I did. The asshole in charge seems to be directly targeting me personally and through proxies while maybe whipping up a war. Oh, and we have to compete in public to the death trials they say they are preparing us for, but are not.”
They’re both staring at me; I can feel it. Sucking in a deep breath, I blow it out and continue. “Also, I just want a damn education. Jasper said we’re going to surface at some point and that makes me want to hide. I’m getting used to it here and don’t want to go back there. I suck at change.
And for fuck’s sakes, every one of my uniforms, athletic gear, and…. special undergarments have been destroyed except what I’m wearing now. I sure as fuck can’t run around naked or in the Games shit. It’s too damn much to ask me to also be some kind of freak show, too.”
“Whoaaaaaaa…” X’s voice is soft, and it immediately helps me calm a little after being so wound up. “That was a lot of shit at once, KK. Did it feel good to get it out?”
Man, this dude is good.
“Yeah, a little,” I admit as I open my eyes. “Doesn’t make any of it untrue, though.”
Slash leans over me, looking down at me with a frown. “You cannot bottle things up like that, little demon. Your magic will eventually push them out by force. That will have serious consequences.”
“The big dude is right,” Xerxes agrees from their table. “It’s both emotionally and magically better for you to get your pent-up emotions out. Just grab any of us and make us sit down to listen. It will be just like your therapy from the surface.”
I arch a brow, rolling onto my good side to look at them. “ Any of you, huh?”
“Not the Prince.”
X and I both snicker at Slash’s very blunt statement. The cobra shifter sighs, their lips curving up. “Slash is right. Maybe at some point, but not Jasper right now. He has too much baggage weighing him down to be any help. While most of us have figured out how to manage our shit, he’s struggling as hard as you most days.”
Making a face at them, I grumble, “No shit, Sherlock.”
We’re quiet for a moment until X gasps, then smacks their forehead with their palm. They look pained, then turn back to me with a cautious expression. “Of all the things you just word vomited, I think the one thing we can actually address easily is the last one, Kit Kat.”
“The uniform thing? You can?”
“Of course we can,” the big shifter hovering over me says with a dismissive wave. “We will take you to the bookstore after this appointment. You can replace the lost items easily.”
Damn it, no I can’t—at least not all of them.
“Flag on the play, man. I don’t think I can get everything I need there and um… also, does my scholarship cover replacements? Because I’m seriously completely tapped out on the Discordia required stuff other than what I have on. All these stupid attacks have ruined everything.” They both laugh at my admission and I pull back, glaring as they try to stifle their amusement. “What?”
“KK, you’re one of us now. Don’t sweat it.”
I frown, confused at X’s flippant response. “What does that mean?”
“It means they will provide you with anything you need without charging you. All of the caliphate’s needs are met via palace accounts. You have no need to fret.”
The big guy’s words make me bristle a bit, and despite it being stupid to question such a boon, I can’t help shaking my head, “Uh-uh. No way. I don’t want to owe anyone , especially not Jasper or his shithead father.”
“Don’t be stubborn, little demon.”
I glare at Slash, and he shrugs. X finally stops chuckling when my expression turns dark. They sigh, tilting their head as they study me. “We’ll bill it as mine if it makes you feel better. No one will question me needing extra clothes. I’m easily the biggest spender on that sort of thing. That way, the King won’t know a thing. Is that acceptable?”
They’re really trying and I hate to continue being stubborn simply because of pride. Plus, I won’t win that battle given it’s Xerxes’ lineage.
“Okay, fine. But, um… what about the things I can’t get there?” I look at X pleadingly, letting my gaze drift to their chest, then back to their eyes. I need them to understand what I’m trying to say without making me out myself to Slash. I’m not ready for that yet, even though I know the longer I wait, the worse the fallout will be.
“What could you… oh. Oh! ” The handsome demon bats their lashes at me as they catch up. “Well, that is even better. Now I have a reason to poke Prince Prickface to get our passes faster. We will go shopping up there .”
No, no no, no… that is not what I wanted at all.
I would think of all places, Hell would be on Amazon’s route. After all, their founder has to be a crossroads demon in disguise, right?