I’d like to know as well, but fuck if I’m going to say it.
“While Queznar is high enough that there are limits to the damage I can do outside of class without declaring an official beef… you are not.” Horns sprout from his head, and his wings and tail appear as he stares down the group of hecklers with an eager grin. “I can wipe the seven of you off the face of Hell without breaking a sweat, and no one will give a single fuck because you’re from the bottom of the barrel, boys. Do you think Queznar missed that fact when he formed his little boy band?”
I blink, watching the crow demon, who's been kind to me from the beginning, morph into the dangerous royal heir to the Greed Line as he confronts the bullies. “Oriel…”
“Don’t worry, Kit. They know I’m right. Look at their faces—full of realization that they’re disposable pawns too late.”
“You can’t kill all of us,” Bastion huffs as horns sprout from his head as well. The others shift, and I suck in a breath at the various forms before me. “You’re one demon, Bloodstone, and not even the most powerful one from your stupid group.”
“You’re a drude, and most of your powers require us to be asleep, asshole,” I retort then clap my hand over my mouth.
I did not mean to say that out loud.
“Oh, the little human wants to play, too? That’s perfect because when you’re out cold, I can break your mind just as easily as if you’re asleep. Comas work for me, too.” He licks his lips, and the ice cold hand of past trauma wraps its fingers around my gut.
Oriel flaps his wings, and his size, even in the humanoid form, grows with the fury radiating off of him. “Consent is sexy, fuckwad, and unconscious people can’t give it. If that’s how you get your kicks, no wonder there are rumors about your… lack of staying power.”
I want to laugh, but the hungry gaze of Bastion and his minions is triggering something inside of me. It’s not just the fear again, though, and as the black and red energy moves through my veins, I whisper to Dottie, “Get out of range, girl. Now.”
“What are you yammering about over there?” one meathead growls. “I don’t like mouthy food. Let’s get this over with.”
That comment is the last thing I register before the power inside of me takes hold and my body aches from head to toe. I let out a loud sound that reminds me of being at the zoo, then I see Oriel’s jaw drop as he spins to check on me. Head heavy and bones aching, I throw my head back and let the sound escape again to echo off of the walls. Screams and yelling follow,but I pay it no mind as I stalk towards the group of guys foolish enough to threaten me and the shifted demon next to me.
I want to say something snappy, but I can’t seem to make my mouth work except for the continued bursts of sound I’m emitting as the inches between me and the bullies close.
Whatever the result is, I’m not in control again, and the energy inside of me will not be sated until they have been taught a lesson in respect.
Fire
Oriel
Icouldn’t have predicted this even if I tried.
Fuck, I don’t think a damn seer could have foretold this damn mess.
Looking at KK, I’m stunned as my gaze roams over the preternaturally large, gorgeous, and furrylionessthat’s getting ready to pounce on that idiot Bastion. She’s eyeing him like a nice demon flank steak as a golden aura of power shimmers around her leonine body. No one has said a word about her lack of mane yet, and my brain finally clicks on the fact that I absolutelyhaveto distract them before one of these goobers notices. They’re not the brightest bulbs in the box, but this scene is way too public for someone else not to open their big, fat mouth.
“Kit,” I say in an urgent growl. I let the demon help me push against her; he’s the more dominant half of my supe sides, and I need her to respond to that. “You need to calm down. Focus on me and ignore them. Think about yourself, what you look like normally, and push all that energy into that picture. Do it now before this gets so much worse.”
The lioness looks at me curiously, then goes back to glaring at Bastion and licks her chops.
Damnit. I need someone with a dominantshifterside to pull this shit off.
Before panic sets in, a loud roar—louder than the one Kat let out by far—echoes through the entire common room, shaking the fixtures with its strength. I look up quickly and blow out a thankful breath because I knowexactly who that belongs to. He’s probably going to make the aftermath alotworse, but Jasper Eversore is definitely one of the most dominant shifters I’ve ever met. Kat won’t have a choice but to obey a command from him—even if it’s going to send her over the edge later on.
“Shift…. now!”
I swallow hard as the Prince’s command reverberates through my bones, forcing evenmyanimals to fade without complaint. Kat’s body shimmers again, immediately shrinking, and I strip my coat off, rushing over to get her covered before anyone can see what’s coming. Her clothes are in shreds on the ground, so I shuck my pants, too, as she lies prone on the stone floor. I feel Jasper’s frown from the top of the stairs, but I don’t give a shit what he thinks. Someday, he’ll get it, and for now, he can assume I’m coddling the traumatized kid.
She’s out cold; no surprise for a first-time shift and forced return by an alpha. So I gently work her legs into my baggy-ass uniform pants, getting them on her while I crouch close in my boxers and button down. Once I get them buttoned, I slide her arms into the coat sleeves and wrap it tightly around her so not a peep of skin shows.
“What thefuckhappened in here? Someone tell menow!” Jasper is definitely channeling his dragon because he sounds like a goddamn fantasy villain. His voice is so loud, deep, and resonant that it makes my skin tingle with the power.
“That little shit insulted me, and I was teaching him a lesson when he turned into a fucking lion. Are you daft, Eversore? Your pet has less control than the other weakling you’re fucking.” Bastion wants to die, apparently, because he’s poking the least amiable staff member on campus when he’s already infuriated.
As I lift KK off the ground, cradling her in my arms, I see Zav speed out from behind Jas in a red and white streak of motion. He picks up both of our things, his expression angry and his tails twitching with the intensity of his emotion. I didn’t know he was this attached to our newbie yet, but it explains why he’s been so eager to defy Jasper without backing down. “Thanks, man.”
“You did well, O. He would have been stricken if everyone saw him naked.”
