Secrets
Oriel
I’m more than stunned as I stare at the guy in front of me. He’s giving me a look like I’m crazy, but he hasno ideawhat this means. If I was looking for a sign about whether I should shoot my shot with him…thisis the big flashing one I can’t ignore. No one… and I meanno one…can see the entrances to my hoards because they’re created from my shadows and sealed with Greed line magic. The only person who could subvert that kind of power is a fated mate, and I think I’m going to lose feathers in a few seconds.
Shit, shit, shit.Is it really possible that he’s fated toallof us?
Some supes, especially shifters, have a handful of mates, but it’s not normal for demons to have them at all, much less seven. But KK isdefinitelypart demon, but his origin is nebulous enough that none of us has truly landed on what we think he’s going to be. The powers he’s shown so far—chronomancy, that weird darkness thing, and a few other quirks—don’t match up with most of the options. The scales would lean toward a dragon, obviously, and the tattoos are… unusual and not easily attributed to anything as far as I know. He’s just a huge fucking question mark all around, but…he can see the goddamn doors.
“O, you’re freaking me out now,” Kit whispers. “Mostly because you’re gaping at me and not speaking, which makes me worry I’ve done something wrong. That’s probably just me, but honestly, I can’t help thinking?—”
I grab his face and grin crazily at the babbling dummy I’m growing entirely too fond of. “KK, you gotta breathe. I swear, I’m going to make you put a nickel in a jar every time I have to say that, you know? It’d make for a nice little savings account for you.”
He blinks, giving me an owlish look. “Oriel, I don’t have nickels to use and um, it’s hard to breathe when you’re squishing my cheeks like that.”
Oh, fuck. That’s true.
Letting go, I suck my lower lip through my teeth, chewing on my lip ring for a second while I think. “Okay. So I’m gonna say something that will sound really weird, but.. those doors are invisible.”
“Uh, no, they’re not. Why are you yanking my chain? I can see them plain as day—all purple and spiky and sparkly like you. What the hell are you talking about?” Kit frowns, crossing his arms over his chest as his brows drop. “That’s not funny, Oriel.”
“I’mnotlying, KK. But I might have been unclear, so here it goes…” I suck in a sharp breath and then blow it out. “That door is invisible to everyone but me… normally. See, it’s made from my shadows and sealed with my family magic to keep people from finding my… um, well,oneof my hoards.”
His eyes widen as I feel my face get red, and I rake my hand through my hair, tugging on it a little. Kit reaches out, pulling my hand away from the anxiety coping mechanism, then gives me a lop-sided smile. “Well, why the hell can I see it, then? Because it’s very clear and I didn’t even know it wasn’t an actual door in the middle of this damn hallway.”
Okay, I’m not having this discussion out in the open—not a single fucking chance of that.
“Come with me, then, and we’ll chat,” I say as I wave my free hand, making the immense door open enough for us to get inside. “I don’t want to talk about it out here.”
KK grins a bit, nodding at me as he accepts my proposal. “Alright. But I have to admit that everyone talking about these famous hoards and how you don’t share them has made me really curious about this topic. Am I sworn to secrecy?”
“Uh,yeah,” I reply quickly. “None of those dickheads areevercoming in one of my doors, thank you very much.”
“Then why me?”
I’d love to tell him, but he’s not ready for that much honesty yet—but someday,I hope.
“Don’t you want to see what’sinsidethe special room?” I tease gently. “We don’t have all day, you know.”
Nodding, Kit shakes his head and straightens his posture up like he’s preparing himself. “Okay, lay it on me. Open the doors, Oriel.”
I press my lips together in an amused grin, then reach out to grab the ornate handles of the doors, throwing them open as I walk in. Sensing that he’s following, I stride deeper into the outer chamber of the Gothic-style space that fits in between the light and the dark. It’s all shadow magic, of course, and it’s how demons like me can slip from place to place without being seen if we choose. Some of my kind prefer to always travel this way, but I use it when it’s necessary and avoid being here when it’s not. I’ve always felt like too much time in a liminal space like this drains the ‘humanity’ out of my fellow demons, and we have less than other supes to start with.
“I see nothing but a fancy entryway, O. So far, mildly impressive, but not a five-star experience worth hiding.”
Turning to face him, I sigh. “You know, I miss when the magic stuff filled you with wonder, KK. You’re getting jaded.”
He chuckles and shrugs. “Bound to happen, I suppose. I mean, if I’m always gaping, I’m not ready to fight, and that’s no good, right?”
Fair point.
“Come on, then. This is the more exciting part,” I say as I offer my hand. Kit takes it, and my bird caws with happiness inside as his warm palm meets mine.
Leading him to the smaller set of doors ahead, I press my free hand to the surface and they open, revealing a room filled to the brim with pilfered treasures of every conceivable kind. Crows aren’t picky, truthfully, so this room is not only stuffed withactualgems and artifacts, but also treasured items from random demons I’ve encountered throughout my life. The Greed part of me is why I have several hoards—I can’t stop myself from stealing things everywhere I land to hide away—but the animal portion of me enjoys loot that fits a myriad of definitions. It doesn’t have to be monetarily valuable for the crow to see value in it, which is why I had the tee-shirt I gave KK when we went to the surface.
“Holy fuck, O. This is… enormous.” Kit looks up at me with wide eyes. “You havemoreof these?”
“Quite a few,” I admit with a sheepish expression. “Between the heritage and the bird, this is probably my biggest fixation. The others have their ownfoibles like this, you know. It’s not just me—though, I’m definitely better at hiding mine than the rest. It’s part of our blood, you know?”
