Salem and I move at the same time, ignoring Xerxes’s question as we rush over to our newest member to look him over. The panda reaches down, tipping the kid’s chin up so he looks at him, then sighs in relief. I circle him as Salem rubs the back of his neck, my eyes checking every inch I can see carefully.
“I’m okay, guys.”
Jasper’s eyes narrow, and I wonder if he’s finally going to admit he’s been worried. Instead, he points at the leader of the acolytes, his voice dark as he says, “If there’s one mark on my brothers, one scar in their psyche… you will regret the day you were summoned, seer. Know that.”
Kit looks surprised, but he murmurs softly to us. “Can we go back to Hell now? I’ve definitely had enough of this fucking place for a lifetime.”
“Little demon, it would be our pleasure to take you home.”
That’s when Dottie scrambles out of the bag again, perching on Kit’s shoulder as she pumps a tiny fist in victory.
I guess that’s her way of saying ‘there’s no place like home’.
Home
Kit/Kat
We were extremely careful as we made our way to a bank of elevators opposite of the original set, and the guys got us in without fanfare. I wish we could have gone further so I could see Rogue again, but I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to go home. My social battery is on its last legs and the stress of worrying about someone outing me, someone attacking us, or any number of other terrible things happening is exhausting. I’ve done exceptionally well for me, even when I had to tell Salem the truth in the middle of a battle, so I think I’ve earned some mental rest time. Dottie hugs me as that thought runs through my head and I wonder again exactly how much my companion knows.
I’ll have to make them take me to that bestiary place this week to find out more, I guess.
“You called Hell your home, KK.”
I look at Zavida, smiling as he hugs his tails while we wait for the stupid Suber driver to arrive. He’s been as naked as me without his coping mechanism, and since we’re in this damn serial killer spot again, I suppose it’s okay that he’s showing his demonic parts. Obviously, the driver won’t give a shit, and I definitely don’t. As long as Jasper doesn’t scold him, I think it’s fine for the nervous Kitsuné to comfort himself after all we’ve been through.
“None of the foster places were actually my home, so I’ve never had a real one. Discordia is close enough, right? I’ve got a family, sort of, and a room… That’s what defines it, right? A space where you can feel safe and people who mostly support you?” I frown, not sure if I’ve understood the concept correctly now that he asked.
Oriel arches a brow at me, his brows furrowed. “Mostly?”
Jasper snorts, knowing what I mean by that, and I grin a little. “It’s a lot like ‘mostly dead’. Know what I mean?”
“You’re right about it being your home now,” Salem interjects, his eyes dancing with merriment. “Even if you’ve got a reluctant housemate giving you shit all the time, we’re your family, Kit Kat.”
The kisses from earlier make that description iffy, but I’ll let it go.
“Thanks,” I murmur as the car pulls up. “I’m still getting used to it, and to figuring out myself as I heal, but you guys help a lot. Truly.”
That makes almost all the demons in my caliphate smile wide, and the prince rolls his eyes with a huff. I don’t care if he likes it or not; it’s true. These guys have done more for me in the short time I’ve been in Hell than most people have done in my whole life, and I want them to know how much I appreciate it.
“Stop blubbering and get in the car, shrimp,” Jasper grumbles, and for once, I just follow his instructions. Surprisingly, he ruffles my hair as I do, and I have to swallow my shock as I find my place in the seats.
Miracles happen, and I think I just experienced one.
It takesanother hour to get back to the portal and when we walk into the weird room from earlier in the day; I breathe an enormous sigh of relief. The demons look at me with knowing looks and I flip them off, no longer able to keep the veneer of ‘good behavior’ up. That doesn’t get me much more than chuckles, so I ignore them as we head back to the room. I just need all the damn stress of being in my old world around dangerous people to fade, so the knots in my back will release.
I definitely could eat, too.
“Feeling hungry yet, KK?”
My head swivels slowly to look at Salem, my eyes wide as his question comes out at a very coincidental moment. “What?”
He grins, nodding at the ding of the elevator doors. “We’ll all change and get comfy, then I’ll whip up some stuff. It’s really tiring to be up there and I can only imagine how much you’ve burned yourself up having to juggle all the worries and anxiety. Not that you’dtellus that, of course.”
“Right,” I reply carefully. I don’t want Jasper to mock me, but the panda demon is definitely on the money with his assumptions. I’m tired, sore, confused, anxious, and really eager to get out of these ‘beautiful but way too fancy for me’ clothes. “What do we do with the… outfits?”
Xerxes gives me a stern look. “Put them in your laundry bag and bring it to the living room when you come out. I’m takingallthe stuff to the laundry myself so I can instruct them on how to deal with the fancy shit. I’ll be damned if those dingbats are going to ruinRigolettooriginals.”
Thank fuck they knows what to do because I am fucking clueless about couture.
