But The Major just stares creepily at the lump in Oriel’s arms rather than doing anything.
“He’ll never let someone threaten one of us without attempting to defend,” Salem whispers. “It’s not in his nature; he can’t stop himself.”
X sighs and tosses their hair over their shoulder. “It’s true, Zav. KK pretends to be this prickly-ass fucker to protect himself, but that skin is something he developed. He wasn’t born with it. Instinct always wins; you know that."
“Lions aren’t particularly forgiving creatures,” I reply in a low tone. “It’s another part of him.”
“Indeed,” Anton agrees.
Finally, the demon’s lips curve up in a dark smile, something that seems to make Slash even angrier. “Right you are, Prince Jasper. My job here is to qualify the competitors for the Games and report back to both of your fathers on the progress at Discordia. I feel I will have more information to relate as my stay continues—at least, if today’s events are anyindicator of the future.”
Jasper snarls softly as The Major turns his gaze to Oriel. “You should get your brother to the doctor if he’s injured, Bloodstone. Wouldn’t want to give the impression that other than his mouth, he’s weak.”
That said, the Major looks over his shoulder at Lucian. The head is dusting himself off still, his pathetic minions helping to get the pieces of flesh and ick from the floor off his cape. “Take me to the arena, Darkstar. Of course, that’s only if you’re capable after the General’s heir shook your brain out of your candyass.”
Lucian gives my caliphate a sneer that promises retribution as the Major heads for the door. Great, now both of them are gunning for Kit, and we have no idea what they’re going to do in retaliation.
Just what we needed.
Surprise, Surprise
Kit/Kat
All this drama is really fucking hard to follow when I feel like I’ve been hit by a damn building. I’m sleepy, achy, and my brain is so much slower than normal—even after I’ve had an episode. But I did the best I could to talk Jasper off the ledge when Oriel pleaded with me, and I stuck my nose in when Lucian was giving my guys shit. That definitely burned off what little energy I had to spare, but fortunately for me, O is now walking away from that scene with Dottie and me safely in his arms. I close my eyes as I feel him starting up the steps, and my body relaxes a bit when the sounds of the others following his lead hit my ears.
It might be okay to rest now—everyone is here and unharmed.
So I let myself drift, catching only the merest snatches of their conversation as the caliphate moves through our dorm to our floor.
At least, I think that’s where we’re going. I’ll find out later.
My eyes flutter open,and I squint into the dark room as my vision slowly adjusts to the lack of light. I don’t know if it’s dark because the lights are off, the time of day, or both. To be honest, I don’t actually care because as much as my head is throbbing; I think it’s best that this is the atmosphereI woke up in. I breathe in, then out, letting the calm vibe in the atmosphere settle into me as my mind comes into focus as well. I’m glad we’re in what I’m pretty sure is the dorm room Salem and I share rather than a bay in the doc’s office. I already saw him recently, and I haven’t really had time to process the info he gave me about the guys’ animals and demons regarding sex.
Dank wouldn’t rat me out, but I feel ridiculous having to go in and out of there so often.
That’smyhang-up, I know, but no matter how supportive and kind he is, it’s hard to move past the judgment I felt at most medical offices after the incident. It’s yet another layer of bullshit that came out of that damn night that pops up when I least need it to. People simply donotunderstand how many intricate, complex webs of trauma can result from a single event—medical, legal, parental, sexual, physical, emotional, therapeutic… The list goes on and on because up there, the system is set up to pretend to protect victims while it mostly re-abuses them.
I shift a bit, pushing the thoughts of the past away so I can focus on the here and now. The scent of incense or candles tickles my nose, and I inhale it, my lips curving up a little as it soothes me. Someone took great pains to make certain this space was set and maintained with care so that when I woke up, I’d feel safe and secure. My initial guess would be X, but after the recent behavior of O and Salem, it could have been them as well. Or maybe a combo…
“You’re awake,” a raspy voice under me murmurs, and my eyes widen.
How did I not realize I’m lying on someone? Who the fuck am I right now?
My frame tenses, and the arms around me tighten just a bit. “Careful. You’ve been in and out for a while, and you might not want to just jump up.”
I move my head a bit, just a tiny shake, to clear the cobwebs and purposefully calm the atmosphere so I can identify who has me in their grasp. When I finally look up, I sigh with relief when I see Salem. Swallowing around my dry throat, I reply softly, “Two fucking days? Really?”
“Really,” he says with a gentle smile. “We’ve taken turns being here to make sure you had what you needed, but no one missed too much class.”
“The professors are going to give me such a hard time,” I groan. “I keep missing classes for ‘medical’ shit.”
The panda chuckles, his hand patting between my shoulder blades gently. “They won’t. Not only do they know you’re attending withoutpowers—to their knowledge—but your bestie, Dr. D, personally visited them the morning after that damn fight.”
“Dank went to myteachers?” I ask incredulously. “In person?”
Salem laughs again, his expression filled with mischief. “He did, and from what I understand from Zav, it was made crystal clear that any pressure placed on you for medical absences would be considered an affront to his position as royal physician. Zav said some of them looked like they were going to quit on the spot and hightail it the fuck off campus.”
“I’ll be damned.”
