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Blinked in with me, and I didn’t realize it.
Dashel pulls me closer, tighter, and a silent tear trails down my cheek.
I will be eternally grateful to that strange orange creature. Thank the Flames the little shit didn’t decide to out me completely. I throw the cat a grateful glance.
Bastian notices the tear and wipes it away with his thumb, but that just ushers more through the floodgates.
“Shshsh,” he whispers as he wraps himself around my back creating a three-person hug with me in the middle. “You’re safe, Dove. We’ll figure this out.”
I believe him. Truly, deeply, to my cells, I believe him, and for the first time since being here, no…
For the first time since my father murdered my mother in front of me for the high crime of defying him, I allow myself to let go and relax fully. Entirely. To curve into their bodies and delight in the tingles of their skin on mine. To get caught in the current of their mingled scents, the rhythm of their steady breathing, and float away with it.
To imagine a life without Malachi.
“Where is she safest?” Axe asks immediately, not of his fellow heirs but of the demon cat. His voice seems far away.
“Here, with you in the Cinder Realm. The headmaster’s already granted permission for her to take the rest of her classes virtually.”
“And the rest of us are supposed to leave her here all day, vulnerable and alone?” Bastian’s voice rumbles against my back. He shakes his head. “Not happening, cat. Find another way.”
“I already have, oh presumptuous heir. You’ve all been granted permission for virtual learning.”
Mmm. This might work.
I can stay safe here long enough…
And the heirs don’t fuck me over…
I might just find Gael and get out before Malachi reigns bloody vengeance on me and everyone who’s helped me.
“What’s the deal with your father?” Enzo asks.
“I told you already,” I mumble into Dash’s chest. “Egomaniacal dictator who thinks the mortal realm is full of sin and depravity and that I’ll be tainted if I stay here too long.”
Skirting kind of close, but it works.
“What kind of demon is opposed to depravity?” Dashel asks.
"The worst kind,” Chonk says before I can screw it up. “The kind that will be your ruin if you don’t protect her.”
“The school… It’s not in danger, is it?” I ask, unsure I’m prepared for his answer.
“Not if you’re not in it, Dove.” And with that, the orange tentacled cat blinks out. But not before a final message directly to my mind.Stay with heirs. Stay on Cinder.
The heirs say nothing as I continue to enjoy being pressed between the two biggest ones.
“I need a nap,” I slur when drool starts pooling on Dash’s shirt.
So fast I don’t have time to miss his warmth on my back, Bastian steps away, and Dashel sweeps me up in his arms. He carries me to my room.
“Is Bash coming?” I ask, my sleep-thickened voice cracking.
“I’m right here, baby,” he coos, and the sound of that pet name makes my stomach flip.
Dashel puts me in the bed and arranges the blankets. When I sense his departure, my eyes fly open. “Stay.” I pat the bed in front of me and both heirs seem to get the hint, climbing in on either side. Like the hug, Dash is in front, holding me face-first to his chest. He scoops my leg up with his and puts it between his, in a full body cuddle.
Bash gets under the covers behind me, pressing his body to mine.
