Chapter 31
Thirty-One
MORGANA
Before Kat can respond, there’s a loud knock at the door. Rogue and I both freeze, looking at her as the kinkajou poses like a fighter and the chicken screeches.
She blinks as if confused, tilting her head when another knock rings out. “Who would knock? The guys all have the code, and I doubt we have the only polite bad guy in the world standing out there.”
“Perhaps you should see who it is through the peephole or something?” Rogue suggests as she tries to quiet the baby phoenix. “That might help.”
The kid smacks her forehead, muttering, “Duh, Kat.” Scooping up the tiny animal, she pads over to the door. I watch carefully, ready to pop up and defend her if need be. Placing her face against the door, she closes her eyes and inhales.
I suppose she’s working on developing her shifter skills, but I’d prefer her just to check it out right now.
“Oh!” Kat says as she pulls away with a vaguely tipsy but happy smile. “It’s Dank. He’s the doctor for Jasper’s family—or maybe one of them? I don’t know, but he has an office here to take care of the caliphate.”
Rogue arches a brow. “They sent a royal physician to set up shop at the school for those dudes? Fancy.”
“Wait!” I say as I hold up my hand. “How do you know he’s not reporting to those fuckers at the court? He might even tell the admin we’re here, Kat. Think for a minute.”
That makes her laugh, and I have no idea why. State U is full to the brim with snakes and spies; I can barely get coffee without it being an online gossip piece on the message boards. Is it that different here? I frown, looking at Rogue again, who shrugs.
“Dank picked me up from the surface and brought me here. He was kind, and ever since, he’s been helping me without telling anyone, even the prince, the things he’s figured out.
Trust me when I say that if I have learned to put faith in him, you should, too.
” Her grin is a little proud, and she reaches for the door to open it.
I could stop her again, but something about the way she’s so confident in herself makes me pause.
Kat is still learning to believe in her men, and they’re around her twenty-four-seven.
If she’s found someone who her gut is telling her is good, contradicting that because of my trauma would only set her back.
Rogue and I will have to extend the same courtesy to her as she is to us; she needs us to acknowledge that she’s capable of making the right decisions.
“Okay,” I finally sigh. “Let the random doctor in so he can tell us why the shit he’s here.”
The sparkly Fae claps her hands and nods. “Our healer is a stone-cold bitch, so I’m kind of excited to meet one who isn’t a judgy, hippie-dippie pain in my tight ass.”
My lips curve as I shrug. “Li, Slade, and Iggy do most of our healing, but a really amazing professor in the shifter department helped them when Lucas was poisoned. I would definitely trust Zuzanne again if we needed her.”
The heavy door swings open as our new friend greets what looks like a goddamn plague doctor—and I should know because they were still roaming about when I was a damn kid.
I gape in surprise as the demon glides into the room with a black bag, sparking extremely long-lost memories to run through my mind.
I shake my head to clear it of the death and decay images and then give Kat a judgmental look.
“You might have warned us about his appearance.”
She wrinkles her nose. “What does that matter? Just because he’s suited up doesn’t mean he’s bad. Dank does this because his actual appearance scares people. It doesn’t bother me at all, but I guess others are shitty, so he covers up. I think it’s very cool, actually.”
Man, this girl has some weird-ass lines.
An odd, metallic chuckle comes out of the mask, and I look at the doctor curiously. “Is Dank your real name? I know demons have interesting monikers, especially ones who are older. By your choice of garb, I assume ancient as fuck, which is why I asked.”
“I am very old indeed, Madame Morgana of Swallowtail.” I blink in surprise, and he laughs again before pulling off the mask.
His flaming bird skull and ashy feathers are less shocking now that Kat mentioned he frightens people, but I can see why he stays behind the disguise unless he’s comfortable.
“Far older than you or most of your families… though your prince is quite seasoned as well.”
Rogue frowns, pushing to her feet a tad bit unsteadily. “How do you know all about her? Do you know about me? Did Kat tell you, or is this some tricksy demon thing?”
The feathers fly, burning up mid-air as Dank shakes his head.
“No, it is not a trick, young Fae. However, you have asked many questions, and I shall answer them in order. Madame Katarina has considered me an ally, to my great pleasure, but she did not tell me about you. My real name is not one you’d be able to pronounce, and Dank is what your demonic friend calls me.
Dr. Danckwardt is the more formal version.
I know your family as well, but it’s from your own mates. ”
“Dank, what do you mean it’s from their mates?” Kat looks confused, but her kinkajou chitters a bit at the doctor before hopping down to head back to the plucked game hen. That makes the demon smile, and I’ll admit, it’s a bit terrifying. “How do you know their mates?”
“Allow me to sit with you, as I am here on urgent business, but I will explain as I prepare. Is that agreeable, Madame Katarina?”
Wrinkling her nose, Kat grumbles. “Stop calling me that. These people know and my guys know, but let’s go with Kit until everyone knows, just in case. I was getting used to it, anyway.”
Dank floats over to the couch, sitting down with his robes splayed out around him.
He places his mask next to him and reaches down to open his bag.
“I have brought what we need for your stony friend, Master Kit, but also more of your potion as well. You should stock it in greater quantities now that your caliphate is aware of your true nature.”
Rogue snaps her fingers, grinning broadly. “I get it. Those mojo bottles help you fool the other demons with scents and pheromones and whatever. I bet it has a little something-something to prevent summoning little demon babies, too, huh? Scary bird man is on point, Kat.”
Kat’s face turns almost purple, and the doc lets out a rusty chuckle that is obviously tinged with fondness. “I mean, I’m sure it does, doesn’t it?”
“Of course, Master Kit. I aim to protect you whether you are in danger from others or from your own choices. That is what family physicians do, and you are part of the royal caliphate family.”
I get it now, and I kind of like this dude, too. I know why the kid trusts him so much.
“What’s the thing we need to give someone?” Rogue asks as she arches a brow. “And who else had to take it?”
Kat nods and then looks at her gruesome friend. “That’s a good question, Dank. What is it and why is it urgent?”
“The potion was assembled by me, the Gemini, and the Kitsune when the bear succumbed to the air in Hell. Luckily, your bird doesn’t need it.But it has been stated over and over by now that the caliphate, including Prince Jasper, forgot to deal with Hell’s built-in security for non-demons.”
I almost knock over my scotch bottle as I scramble to get up. “Lucas succumbed to what now?!”
Dank raises his gloved hand, waving it to dismiss my panic.
“Do not fret, Madame. The three of us gave him the tincture, and then your professor took it as well. After that, we traveled to the siren and the dragon. Now I am here to administer the last bit to you. It has not become a problem for you as you came here and stayed inside, but it will eventually suffocate you.”
“Oh, fuck, they talked about that once…” Kat looks upset as she wrings her hands. “I forgot about it, too. I’m sorry, guys. My… revelation caused a rift in the caliphate and communication broke down. If that’s distracting all of them as you said… it’s why they didn’t remember, either.”
“Master Kit, apologies are very mature, but I have watched the heirs and now you stumble over a simple mistake. One with negative consequences, to be certain, but not one that needs constant groveling.”
Well, look at this guy, teaching the kiddo how to behave like he’s her father; I’ll be damned.
I jump in to save the geezer, smiling my agreement at Kat. “Your friend is right. We don’t think you or your men did this on purpose, right, Rogue?”
“Affirmative, M. There was a lot of chaos when we arrived, and the decision to bring your fam along was sudden. Shit happens; we get that.” The Fae beams as she takes another drink of her wine, and then says, “This booze won’t affect smelly stuff, will it?
Morgana’s had a lot of that expensive scotch. ”
The doctor chuckles again, shaking his head so feathers fly through the air.
“No, it will not. An astute query, but she will be fine.” He pauses for a moment, staring at the floor in a manner that I think is intense.
“Is that bundle a re-birthed phoenix? It has been many centuries since I have seen one in this state.”
Kat takes the bowl he pulls out of his robes as he offers it, bringing it to me as she replies, “Yeah, Rogue’s mate went boom and now he’s a very loud, opinionated naked bird. Do you know how long this process will take or what it will look like, Dank? ‘Cause Rogue does not.”
“Hey, I didn’t even know he could do this shit. Don’t blame me.”
Dank gestures for me to sip the remaining contents of the bowl, and I sigh, holding my nose with one hand. Once I’m drinking the foul shit, he answers our friend. “Yes, I am very well versed in that process—in fact, I went through it many times prior to the curse.”
Excuse me, what?!
I almost spit out my potion as the flaming bird guy basically admits he was once a phoenix—or sort of one, I don’t know—and the bony physician gives me a reproachful look.
After I get it down, I wipe my mouth and say what everyone has to be thinking as they gawp at him. “You were a… phoenix at one time?”
“I am an early demon/shifter hybrid, yes. However, in those dark times, creating one such as me was not as simple as it is now. Demons do not procreate their young in the same way as other species, and the process had not been perfected yet. Hence, I am considered cursed by my form.” The doctor doesn’t seem emotional about it in any way, despite the fact that he is telling us the skeletal, flaming body he lives in was basically experimentation.
“Dank…” Kat says as she turns to walk over to the ancient being, kneeling on the floor to look up at him. “They made you this way by accident? Really?”
“Indeed, Master Kit. It was so long ago that you won’t find anyone involved lingering around, but yes.
I am a remnant of a time when many species were doing unthinkable things to find out what results they’d get.
I believe it is also the reason they made such strict laws on the surface about breeding.
” He gives her a smile as he pats her hand.
“Do not fret! I accepted that fate long before the current occupants of the court were even twinkles in their parents’ eyes. ”
Arching a brow, I study the doctor carefully for a moment before I ask, “Does that mean you have a clue about Kat’s provenance that you haven’t shared?”
“I have ideas about many things, Madame Morgana, but I think you know it is best not to tempt the universe when a plan is in place to prevent chaos and death. Much of what is happening now is centuries or millennia in the making; I would not dare to derail fortunes written in the stars and flames.”
No one told me this guy was a goddamn fortune teller or I wouldn’t have asked—awesome.