Chapter 26 Secrets
Secrets
Xerxes
KK was quiet as we headed back, and I don’t blame her.
That was a lot of information, even for me, and I’ve been in this caliphate most of my life.
I get why Jasper kept us in the dark—in his own mega controlling way, but he was trying to protect us.
If Slash and Zav can understand that, I think the rest of us can let go of our frustrations as well.
Those two are the closest to him and have been for a very long time, yet he still did what he deemed necessary to save their lives if he was found out.
Jasper Eversore has a beating heart deep inside of him, but he hides it under layers of trauma and snark that scares most demons away.
Of course, that doesn’t excuse his shitastic behavior at times.
He’s been shoving Kat out the door from the second she walked through it and it wasn’t because he was being noble.
It was because of his father’s absolute fucking inability to care about anyone but himself and his accumulated power.
That attitude being mercilessly drilled into Jas through a mostly stick and occasional crumb of carrot reward system has him completely fucked in the head.
He suspects everyone will hurt him and rarely changes his mind once it’s made up.
The six of us were lucky to fight through that barricade over the centuries, much less mere months.
As we approach Canto IV, I make a small noise to get everyone’s attention.
When things get this introspective, it’s usually my job to bring them all out of their heads.
“I suggest we change and gather in Salem’s room as normal.
We can eat a decent meal, regroup, and discuss this mess without outside company so that tomorrow, we emerge united once more. ”
KK looks at me for a second, her expression unreadable, then nods. “Alright. Dottie, Salem, and I will host if everyone promises not to be jackasses.”
That’s meant for the prince, who only huffs in response.
I smile gently, appreciating what that concession had to have cost her.
She’s probably reeling from all the shit she learned and really needs safety and privacy.
But as is her pattern since she arrived, Kat is adapting to the needs of the group as best she can while still honoring her own boundaries.
Her flexibility alone should have proven to someone up there that she wasn’t human, but perhaps the isolation she forced on herself kept anyone of consequence from noticing her.
Either way, I’m grateful once more that she found her way to our group.
“I’ve got stuff that won’t take long to heat, but it’s not fancy. This will be self-serve, basic fare because we’re all too tired to do more,” Salem warns. “Don’t bitch about it, or I’ll toss you out on your asses.”
Slash frowns as he holds the door open to the dorm, allowing Kat to enter. “Your efforts are always appreciated, Salem, especially now that the little demon is helping.”
Kat snorts as she enters with the big shark shifter hot on her heels.
Salem and Oriel follow closely, hovering behind them.
I squint at the two typically quieter demons, realizing that they’ve been glued to her since our trip above.
I wonder if they have been initiated into my small club; that would explain why they’ve been much racier and clingier than normal.
It could simply be that they admitted their attraction, but I don’t believe KK would continue hiding her secret if that happened, so it’s both or neither.
“You’re thinking awfully hard,” Annie whispers to me as we follow Jasper and Zav inside. “What’s going on in that gorgeous head?”
I lean into him as he wraps an arm around me. “So many things, my love. It’s hard to nail them all down, in fact.”
Anton hums softly as the group files into the elevator.
His solid presence at my side is comforting, and when I look around, I note Zav is doing similar to Jasper, while the other three are tightly ringed around Kat.
I wonder if that will expand to include everyone else eventually, and what will happen when the prickly leader of our group is forced to admit his attraction to the small woman who is evolving our caliphate without trying.
“Food will be ready in about ten minutes,” Salem announces. “Or the beginning of it will. I’ll change quickly so KK can take his time, and once he’s ready, he can help put the rest of the shit in to cook. Don’t fucking dawdle about getting your knobs waxed.”
His vulgarity makes Kat flush, but no one seems to notice it as she ducks her head.
I bet her imagination is running wild, and she doesn’t even know the right way to imagine such a thing.
It’s kind of adorable, and I look at my mate with a knowing grin.
He arches a brow, following my gaze to the red-faced newbie, then chuckles softly.
“Salem, behave,” Annie says firmly. “We get your drift. You’re going to make KitKat turn into a fucking tomato, man.”
The panda demon looks down, his expression devilish as he bumps her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Annie. KK is used to my dirty mouth; he can take it.”
That gets a snort from Oriel, and though it didn’t seem possible, Kat turns even redder as the crow winks at her.
Oh, there’s definitely something rotten in Denmark, and I’m going to find out what as soon as possible.
“Jasper has to learn to trust people,” Anton says as he hands me a fresh set of lounging garb from the dresser. “His reticence will only make Kit pull further away because he continues to get only pieces of the picture.”
I tug on the comfy skort I designed from the original athletic gear I was given, then I add the tee shirt.
I usually cover a bit more, just in case the scales appear.
However, since KK met my snake, he’s been a lot less willing to stay under a basket.
Annie is waiting for my response, so I turn away from the mirror to face him.
“I agree, but we both know that getting Jasper Eversore to do anything he’s not ready for is like pulling teeth from a fucking hellhound. ”
My mate chuckles as he finishes stripping, then bends to find his own sweats.
I modified his as well, though not to be as frilly as my own.
Anton likes things to fit to his form, falling in precise lines to show his body in detail.
That’s not about being vain as much as his need for definition and sharp lines in everything from his art to the way our bed is made.
I’ve never minded his ‘quirks’, but in my research into what humans diagnose in one another, I’ve found a great deal of information about the way his mind works.
I’m far from qualified to be putting a label on him—and even if I were, I wouldn’t—but I believe I’ve figured out new strategies for helping my love function optimally.
“Did you mess with my clothes?” he asks as he looks at his reflection thoughtfully.
I nod, padding closer to wrap my arms around his waist from behind. Setting my chin on his shoulder, I murmur, “Yes. Do you like my alterations?”
“Very much,” he says as his eyes skate over the image in the glass. “This is… more satisfying than any casual wear I’ve owned thus far. I don’t feel… like I’m wearing the wrong skin.”
Beaming brightly, I kiss his cheek, then let go. “That’s exactly what I was aiming at. I’m pleased that it worked.”
Anton tilts his head as he turns away from the dresser. “What made you decide to do this? I didn’t even mention that these things were bothering me, X.”
Now it’s my turn to flush that tantalizing crimson.
“I was reading the books about human psychology that we got to try to understand Kit. There were things in them I was able to recognize in myself, then in all the members of our caliphate. Once I recognized certain traits and behaviors, I sort of just… extrapolated? If it didn’t work, I would have had them replaced, obviously. ”
Annie licks his lips, his mouth quiet, but the expression on his face tells me that his mind is racing. He finally speaks, his eyes earnest. “Will you do the same to the rest of my uniform items? I believe it will increase my ability to focus in classes and effectively optimize my emotional state.”
One thing I’ve learned over the centuries? When he talks like a robot, it’s because he has too much emotion to process it quickly enough to respond to people.
“Absolutely.” I tilt my head and hold my hand out. “Are we ready to face the circus?”
He nods, smoothing his hands over the tailored clothes, then takes my outstretched palm. “Yes, I believe I am.”
I don’t make a big deal of his obvious overwhelm; he will be okay in a bit when he’s had time to let his brain run whatever mental hoops it needs to.
With our hands linked, I pull him out the door and down the hall to Salem’s room, knocking lightly.
There’s a muffled curse from behind the door, then I hear another door shut before heavy footsteps come to yank the impediment open.
“What?!”
Anton blinks at Salem as if he’s lost his mind, and I don’t blame him. Salem is rarely so brusque, and he’s glaring at us like we weren’t supposed to be here. I clear my throat, looking at the panda demon curiously as I say, “We’re here for dinner, not late, and with unpolished knobs, man.”
My joke hits as intended and the big chef is silent for a second before he bursts out laughing. The sudden flip in attitude is a bit jarring, but his eyes are dancing with amusement when he says, “Fuck, man. You hit the nail on the goddamn head. My bad…. come in and make yourselves at home.”
I share a confused look with Annie, but we file in to find our usual seats. There are drinks placed beside them as if someone was already preparing for company, but KK is nowhere to be found. “Uh, where’s Kit? Is he okay?”
Salem whips around from his position at the counter, his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘is he okay’? Of course he’s okay. I’m not a jackass.”
Huh?
“I mean, after the big reveals and theories and stuff? That had to be really hard to take in all at once,” I reply carefully. The laid back demon is weirdly ping-ponging between various emotions, and I’m simply not sure what to do to prevent him from getting all pissy.
“Oh.” The panda runs his hand through his messy, two-toned hair as his posture relaxes. “Well, he changed and came out for a few to help, then he went back in to, uh, get some shit for our discussion. You know how he likes to take notes and shit.”
Anton nods. “He does. Kit is very much like Zavida and I with having his things organized in a specific fashion. I would venture that, also like me, it is a calming influence.”
That’s putting it mildly.
“I’m here; don’t worry,” Kat says as she comes out of the bedroom in her baggy sweats with Dottie and her tablet in tow.
She looks a little rumpled and her eyes are a bit glassy…
she might have been crying—which I can’t blame her for if it’s the case.
This shit just keeps piling up on her and she’s really doing the best she can not to break.
Frowning, I ask, “Are you okay, though? You look…. frazzled.”
Her face heats again as her eyes dart to the kitchen.
Salem is facing the oven as he fiddles with dials and I arch a brow.
KK ignores my questioning look, walking over to place her tech in the chair before she gives me a crooked smile.
“It was a difficult evening, but I think I’m doing better now.
Salem and I have been getting things ready for you guys and that helped a lot. ”
The puffy-chested smirk our chef has on his face as he turns is a dead giveaway. “I’m very soothing. Someone write that down for when Jas says shit about me.”
Somehow, I don’t think that’s the important information here, bro.