Chapter 33 Born Under A Bad Sign
Born Under A Bad Sign
Kit/Kat
My body is aching and my brain is muzzy, but Oriel said I have to help calm Jasper or everything is going to explode.
I’m not sure why that’s happening or how I’m going to do this, but I can’t refuse to try.
Blinking as my vision comes into better focus, I see the chaos around us as he moves closer to the Prince’s back, and shock floods my veins.
What in the fuck happened between now and the last moment I remember looking at those nasty assholes?
Oriel’s lips press to my ear. “Don’t worry about the rest of this shit; it will be fine. Just keep your energy focused on Jas.”
I lick my dry lips, pushing away the feeling of dread lodged in my gut as the screams of agony echo off the high ceilings.
Blowing out a slow breath, I close my eyes for a moment to compartmentalize, but they pop open immediately when a thought occurs to me.
“Where is Dottie?” I croak in panic. “You don’t have her! ”
The crow demon stops and looks down at me again.
“You’re right, little shadow, I don’t. There was a lot going on when this all went sideways, but the last time I saw her, you’d told her to scram and get out of the line of fire.
She’s a smart girl; I’m sure she did exactly what you told her.
Familiars are good like that—at least, that’s what I’ve been told. ”
Trembling a little as my concern battles with my brain, I nod. “I know I can’t do anything right now, but once we get Jasper… whatever… we have to find her. Promise me, O.”
His expression is both gentle and sincere as he replies, “I promise. For now, though, we have to avert disaster, okay?”
I don’t know why he’s so damn certain I am the one who’s going to save us, but I have to try—no one’s ever had faith in me like this before.
Nodding, I wait for him to inch closer to the raging dragon and the bloody mess in front of him. Once we’re within hearing range for my less-than-powerful voice, I say, “Jasper. Jasper, listen to me.”
Nothing happens, and my hands shake as the fear that I’m going to fail everyone tries to wrestle me into an episode.
Suddenly, the energy that was pushing at my skin earlier rears its head again, this time the red and black meet a deep purple that worms its way into the mix as if it’s always been there.
They all shove at one another, and I squeeze my eyes shut, internally yelling at whatever this is to fucking stop like the energy is a bunch of recalcitrant toddlers.
To my surprise, they stop when pain slices through me, as if taking notice that something is wrong.
“You can do this, KK,” I hear Oriel murmur from what sounds far away. “Take control and use that to get his attention.”
Easier said than done, my guy. I don’t even know what the hell is going on inside me, much less how to wrangle it.
I ignore the physical issues that precede an attack and the voices of doubt in my mind that normally help it manifest at his words.
If this demon thinks I have the strength to figure this out, maybe I do.
After all, I’ve survived a shit ton of nastiness before and I can do it again.
This year has been hard, but it’s shown me I can heal, and I owe it to the guys and myself to stay on that path.
So, I suck in a shaky breath and yell at the battling prisms of energy again.
Only this time, they seem to really listen.
The pause gives me time to let in hope—something I rarely do—and I use it to push another command to the power.
I ask it to help me convince the prince to shift back, to regain his control, and most of all, to hear me.
Babbling for a few seconds, I finally trail off when the three opposing forces seem to stop fighting one another and pay attention to my words.
Then, something crazy happens… they bundle together like a magical DNA strand.
By Lucifer’s sweaty nutsack, I think I’ve got it.
Opening my eyes again, I look at the prince’s back, then my voice comes out stronger than before. “Jasper Eversore, you self-centered fucknugget, listen to me!”
The room goes silent almost immediately, and I feel panic creep in. Before it can take hold, I speak again. “Turn around and look, you jackass.”
Insulting the infuriated dragon demon isn’t the best plan, I’ll admit, but in times of uncertainty, you gotta go with what feels right.
Telling Jasper he’s a fucking douchebag has worked the entire time I’ve been in Hell, and I will not stop now just because he’s gone loco.
If I’m going to lasso all this shit, I have to be me, and Kat Camponella is the only person who gives the Prince of Hell as much shit as he throws out.
Hopefully, I don’t die doing it…
Luckily for me, the dragon/demon/humanoid version of Jasper is angry or amused enough to turn around and rest his slitted eyes on me as I rest in O’s arms. His lip hitches in a sneer, but I can see past that to what’s really got him spinning out of control—fear.
It’s not the human part of him, I don’t think, and maybe not even the demon.
The dragon is upset, and lashing out as violently as it can to resolve the problem the way it knows best. That’s why he’s not listening to anyone, and it’s why he isn’t making the logical decisions he makes more often than not.
“Jasper, look at me. See me. I’m begging you to get control of it.
” The reptilian eyes study me closely, roaming over every inch of me as I hold on to his brother.
“Out of anyone, I understand this reaction. The primal part of you is in protection mode—it has to make certain that you and everything you care about are safe. It hungers for vengeance against those who harmed or sought to harm those things. It wants to destroy everyone who allowed the bad things to happen.”
Oriel’s arms tighten on me, and I swallow hard as I draw on those damn colored strands for the strength to continue on this path in public. I don’t even like admitting this shit to my fucking therapist, but the dragon isn’t tearing everyone to pieces right now, so I have to continue.
“That part of you is right—it shouldn’t let shit like that happen and it should be able to take the pound of flesh it desires.
Because it knows in its gullet that no one will avenge this wrong with the ferocity and equivalence that it demands.
” I suck on my lower lip, biting it with my teeth to feel the sting for a second.
The slight pain helps me focus again and push away my own fear before it gets a hold on me.
“The truth is, nothing can actually make wrongs like that balance out. You can only take what petty revenge you can and the rest is about making sure it doesn’t happen again. I know that and I think you do, too.”
Tilting his head, Jasper moves close enough to lean in and sniff me curiously.
I want to pull away because I’m not quite comfortable enough to be this damn intimate with the prince yet, but I can’t.
Something in my brain is shouting that I need to let him figure out that the immediate danger is over or he won’t be able to wrest control from the animal inside.
A skinny, long as hell, forked tongue flicks out as if tasting the air, and I’m reminded of X doing something similar in his cobra form.
The prince is verifying me for some reason, and I can’t reject it—everything in me is screaming to let him.
“See?” I say shakily. “I’m here. Oriel’s here. Everything is… well, it’s not okay, per se, but you know. It’s um… less dangerous except for… you?”
Jasper blinks, then looks around the room as if things have snapped into place.
The oppressive feel to the air pauses, and I let out a breath of relief.
I don’t know what he was doing before, but I definitely felt like it was amping up the fight between my own internal bullshit.
Now, they’re not only intertwined, but feeling much less combative.
His wings flex as he turns back to me, and I note his tail isn’t whipping back and forth like a pissed-off feline anymore.
“That’s good, KK. You’re doing it. Keep it up.”
O’s whisper of encouragement has me swallowing around the dry ache in my throat as I look the dragon in the eyes again.
“I wasn’t lying, was I? Those slimy shitballs are cowering, right?
” A slow nod is my answer, so I press on.
“They’ve probably been punished pretty well for…
whatever. I smell a lot of blood, so I guess you dealt with all the passive idiots, too. You can come back now. It’s safe.”
Scales shimmer on his chest, and I’m stuck for a moment staring at the intricate tattoos littered with dragon attributes, and piercings sprinkled over seriously muscular bulk.
Not now, stupid female brain! I don’t have time to ogle him.
Of course, that part of my brain is as much lizard as he is at that moment and doesn’t give a solitary fuck what I say.
I shiver a bit in the crow demon’s arms, and a low chuckle rumbles against my back.
His lips brush my ear again as he says, “Don’t worry, little shadow.
I won’t tell anyone your deep, dark secrets… including that one.”
“Especially that,” I mutter before I grit my teeth and look up at the fading dragon in Jasper’s eyes. “You did your job and protected people. Let him have the reins again before we’re all hauled in front of some really unpleasant committee or slammed in a jail cell.”
That grabs its attention, and within seconds, the slitted eyes and wings are gone. It leaves an angry, shirtless royal looking at me in utter disbelief. He runs a hand over his hair, then looks around the room quickly before he growls, “Son of a bitch.”
“Yeah,” Oriel says. “You had a moment again, and Zav and I couldn’t get the big guy to back off. This is a shitshow, man.”
Before Jasper can answer, I feel a rush of air, and when I look down, Zavida is standing next to us with a worried look on his face. I would ask if he’s okay, but my eyes catch the small bundle of fur in his arms and my heart seizes in my chest.
“Dottie!” My kinkajou uncurls, chittering loudly as she escapes Zav’s clutches to run up Oriel’s arm and look at me carefully like she’s waiting to see if I’m hurt. “Zavida, you’re a hero.”
The Kitsune flushes bright red, and his tails swish up to engulf his frame. “Not really. She found me when O took you to Jas. I’ve just been keeping her from getting hit by debris or magic or whatever.”
“Focus, people,” Jasper snarls, and we all look at him to make sure he’s not slipping back into crazy reptile mode. “We need to get the fuck out of here before Darkstar or any of our guests arrive. If we can get upstairs and appear to be doing normal things, we might be able to claim that—”
He’s cut off by the dorm’s heavy doors flying open like we’re in Helm’s Deep, revealing the conniving fuckwhistle himself, along with his demon flunkies, and the exact emissary from the Court we hoped to avoid in tow.
“What do we have here?” Darkstar says as he smirks gleefully. “Violations of the behavior code involving the royal caliphate—how shocking.”
Born under a bad sign, indeed.