Chapter 11 One of Us
One of Us
Kit/Kat
The rest of the guys slink in eventually, and I can tell they’ve all…
calmed themselves. Jasper looks much less on edge than he did on the surface, and Zav isn’t even clutching his tails.
Whatever they do in private is clearly beneficial to both, and that thought comforts me a bit.
I’m not one to judge their dynamic if they’re happy and healthy; it seems silly.
I wouldn’t want people commenting on whatever the fuck I figure out I like just because it doesn’t fit in their neat little boxes.
I’m kind of amazed that I could think about having preferences related to that without a single shudder—that’s some serious fucking progress.
As Slash and Oriel help my roomie get the plates and stuff set up, Dottie and I curl up in my big chair.
They all insisted I’d done enough repeatedly, so I quit fighting the overbearing dudes because I honestly am very exhausted.
Not having to mask that is helping my energy store immensely—or I think it is.
My brain is definitely less fuzzy, and my limbs feel less heavy than when I first emerged from my room.
Slash’s preaching about eating and keeping my reserves up is also smacking me in the face pretty hard right now; he wasn’t joking about how different it is when you have this thing inside of you trying to wiggle its way free twenty-four-seven.
“Little demon, I’m bringing your plate first. You are looking better, but still pale.” He turns to Salem, his gaze narrowed as he grunts. “Watch more closely, panda. You are here with him most often and need to help him learn to manage his energy levels.”
Salem smirks, then winks at me. “I promise I will absolutely keep very close track of KK’s energy and exhaustion from now on, big guy. In fact, I’ll monitor so closely, he’ll think I’m breathing down his neck.”
Ooh, that sneaky son of a bitch.
I snort, tilting my chin up as I mutter, “So you think, sleepy boy. You’re not my keeper anymore than the others are.”
“Ah, but I am the chef,” he snarks back and I feel my eyes widen as color floods my cheeks. “And what I say goes in this kitchen.”
Emotions flood my veins as I fight off a multitude of sensations and feelings coursing through me as the clever panda strikes a very surreptitious blow.
He wasn’t lying about keeping my secret, but he definitely left out how much he’s going to tease and taunt me.
I swallow hard as I sink into my chair lower, ignoring the suspicious laughter-like chitters from my kinkajou.
They can both suck it—I’m fighting for my life here.
“That’s correct,” Slash says as he pours another glass of my juice. “Assert your control, and remain vigilant, my brother. I am pleased with your dedication.”
Oh, come on! The big guy is supposed to be on my side.
Xerxes looks at me, biting their lower lip as they dart between looking at me, then Salem, and suddenly, they press their fist against their mouth.
I’m not great at reading people, but I’m pretty sure they just realized Salem is ‘in the know’.
Shaking my head a tiny bit, I hope they get that this isn’t a topic we can discuss now.
In fact, we need to wait until absolutely no one else is nearby.
The cobra finally lifts their hand, a knowing smirk forming almost immediately.
“Shit,” I mutter to myself as I tear my eyes away so I don’t fuck up this very delicate balance of ‘I know he knows you know he knows’ game. “Slash, are you done piling my plate full enough to feed all of Hell’s armies or what?”
That distracts everyone long enough for Oriel to add, “Don’t forget the crunkleberries.”
“A point to the crow. KK loves those and he’ll be much less cranky once he has eaten a few,” Salem says as he finishes loading the dishwasher. “They make him giddy.”
Anton looks up from his book for a second. “They make everyone giddy, Salem. However, I do believe they affect KK a bit more than us. Probably because his demon isn’t quite done baking, so to speak.”
“And no one checked me to see how I’d react to the food down here before feeding me; don’t think I forgot that tidbit from our visit with the fortune teller tree.” I glare at the guys, and Jasper finally stops grading papers to give me a shrug.
“Because at first we didn’t give a shit what happened, shrimp. Perhaps not the answer you’d like, but it’s the truth. Those aren’t always pretty in Hell, as you know.”
I can’t decide if he’s a bigger dick when he’s just being honest or when he’s aiming for my kidneys, but the Prince is a pain in my ass either way.
“I’m aware my safety was of little concern until some of your better demons decided not to be huge asshats, Jasper. You don’t have to rub it in every time I say something that highlights your poor choices.”
Zavida gives a reproachful look as he pushes his glasses up. “He wasn’t really being mean, Kit.”
“Oh, how the spines soften when they’ve gotten some,” Oriel snarks as he and Slash walk into the living room with what I assume is my food and drink.
The crow follows the big guy over to me, handing me the glass and silverware first, then Slash waits until I’m situated to give me the full plate.
“Jumping back to Prince Pricklypants’ defense, mmm? ”
“No,” Zav says firmly. “At least, not like that, Oriel. I’m simply being fair. He was being blunt and truthful, but not mean this time. It’s a step, right?”
Fuck. The bushy-tailed gamer is right.
“Okay, fine. Sorry that I snapped a little when you were making a minor effort.”
Slash gives me a toothy grin of approval. “Excellent, little demon. Now eat while we get our dinner, so we can finally discuss the trip and the fruits of our labor.”
I should tell him to fuck right off, but strangely?
I don’t want to. The more I get to know my caliphate and understand why they behave as they do, the less I want to defy every single command simply to be ornery.
Sometimes, it’s because they are used to speaking a certain way and it isn’t about controlling me.
Other times, it’s about gentle reminders that are firm, but also not trying to force me.
And I don’t mind that as much as I did when I first arrived.
The care they show me is like a warm blanket wrapped tightly to help me feel safe and supported—something I haven’t ever had in the past. So I let things go and the reactions I get from them make me feel ridiculously happy.
There has to be a name for that and the only person I can ask without feeling stupid is X.
Making a mental note to talk to them about my newfound emotion later, I nod at Slash so he’ll go get his own food.
After he goes, the others rise from their chairs and I dig into my plate hungrily.
The food Salem and I made is delicious, and I marvel again at the fact that he never uses a recipe or looks a damn thing up.
Salem’s style is all vibes and on-the-spot decisions that never seem to have negative consequences.
It’s not to do with his demon magic—his stuff is all dreams—nor his lazy panda.
I don’t know where the cooking instincts come from in his line, but damn, the dude should have his own fucking restaurant.
“Taste good, KK?”
My head lifts as Oriel chuckles, then Anton and X follow suit. “Um, yeah? Why?”
“Because you’re making insane noises and obviously don’t even realize it,” X says smugly. They pile roast on their plate as their eyes sparkle merrily at me. “They’re porn noises again, if you’re wondering.”
Damn it, how do I stop that?!
“Doesn’t bother me in the slightest,” Salem announces as he pulls a bottle of the Fae wine from the cabinet for the others. “I think it’s almost musical.”
“You would,” X shoots back as they take the bottle, pop a fang, and uncork it. My eyes widen because I haven’t seen them do shit like that yet, and their tone is much less laid back than it was before.
Wondering what happened to the laid back cobra from a moment ago, I pause eating so I can study their face.
The fang has receded as they pour, but there’s a dark flashing in their eyes that I recognize from the snake form.
For some reason, X’s cobra is an unhappy nope rope and I have no idea what changed so abruptly.
I lick my lips as I fret internally, hoping I haven’t messed something up big time without realizing it.
“Everything okay, Xerxes?” I murmur softly.
Salem snickers, shaking his head as he ignores the dig. “They’re just fine, KK. Don’t worry your little mop-head. Sometimes, our animals get temperamental and it’s hard to explain why.”
“No, it’s not,” Jasper says as he grabs the wine to pour his glass. “Don’t be dense, Salem. The animals are motivated by the four ‘F’ words, mostly. Other emotions they feel all boil down to the basics in the end. They’re animals, after all.”
Gee, thanks, Prince Fuckface—there’s two ‘fs’ for you.
This time, I keep my sarcasm inside, though, because the prince is trying to be helpful, I think. Zav turns and gives me a thumbs up, which tells me that my assessment was correct. “Fear, flight, feeding, and um…”
“Fucking.” Salem grins wickedly as he says it.
Xerxes hisses under their breath, taking their plate and glass to the living area without comment.
Scales shimmer in a few places on them, and I fret again as they drop into their chair.
Anton ambles over not long after, joining them in the same chair and arranging their bodies so they can share the space.
The bird demon is also frowning as he looks at his mate, so I’m not sure that he knows why X is being weird, either.
“Don’t be crass, Salem,” Slash says as he bumps the panda. “You’ll make the little demon uncomfortable while he eats. That will not help our objective.”
“It’s okay,” I say with a small smile. “I’m getting used to it. I promise I’ll say something if it’s really bothering me, but… I have to get used to some of this stuff so the other competitors can’t use it against me. And um… I think I’m doing well.”
“Yes, yes, you’re amazing. For fuck’s sake,” Jasper grumbles as he joins us in the living room with Zav on his tail. “Will you all get your shit together so we can debrief?”
Slash heads for his chair, settling in, and waits until O and Salem bring up the rear. “Now we can begin, Prince. Where would you like to start?”
“Telling me orcs exist would have been helpful,” I mutter before I take another bite of my potatoes.
That makes the shark grin, and he shrugs.
“There is no possible way for us to communicate how many supernaturals, hybrids, and other variations could exist, especially given that ones in the realms other than the surface are very tight-lipped about numbers and species proliferation. It’s a hold-out from before the Society banded everyone together; no one wants to share their true kingdom statistics in case there’s war. ”
“Great.” I take a drink, then frown. “I’ll never know what the hell I might run into anywhere, then?”
“No different from the rest of us, shrimp,” Jasper shoots back. “I was surprised by the fucking thing, too. I didn’t think Faerie had a lot of giant-sized shit like that hidden, but now I’m reconsidering that assumption.”
“Think the Prince will share with us?” Oriel asks suddenly. “He and his little family seem fairly decent. Not trustworthy yet, obviously, but I got a good vibe from them.”
“Slash and I will continue working with that new channel to see what it brings,” Jasper replies as he scratches his chin. “And perhaps the shrimp will make friends with the gargoyle hybrid.”
“I get an actual assignment?” I blink as I look at the demon royal in shock. “Seriously?”
He shrugs. “Don’t act as if you didn’t intend to contact her or the Geminis’ mate, anyway. This is simply a task to go along with your own desires.”
I don’t care what the fuck he calls it—Jasper Eversore just included me in the caliphate business and I’m not letting that go for a fucking second.