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Surprise shows in his eyes. “It’s nothing.”
“I’m familiar with what abuse looks like, Axe. Who is hurting you?”
His gaze hardens, chin rises. “I’ve got it handled, Dove.” He takes hold of my arm. “Now why don’t you tell me why I’m the last heir you’ve decided to take to your bed? I don’t think I deserve such treatment.”
I stare at him. Unbelievable. “Fuck you, Axe.”
“No, fuck you, Dove. I’ve been nothing but kind to you.”
“Sure. If you call being controlling, manipulative, and aggressive a kindness.”
“I’m just gonna go.” Enzo hops out of the hot spring and carefully walks around Axe and me.
“It’s all been for your protection, Dove. Do you think I like keeping you locked here?”
“Well, you sure as hell don’t like actually being here yourself, because you never are.”
“What does that—Look, I don’t think you understand my position here, or my future position in the Syndicate. I’m the top dog, in charge of everything, yet you keep giving me bones and attitude.”
I let out a guttural sigh and push him, hard. “I don’t owe you my body or my time just because you’re the head of whatever stupid crime ring your family started. Got that?”
I grab a towel and march out of my room and into Bastian’s, then lock the door behind me and crawl into his bed to think.
I might have cried a little, too. Should have brought my tablet. It’s hard to remember things like that when you’re storming away from a self-important, entitled, arrogant…
I take a breath. I’m not getting worked up over him again. It’s been hours since we fought. I’m over it.
But it’s also hours since I told Stevie to get over here and she hasn’t yet. Now I have to actually leave Bastian’s room and hope I don’t run into Axe again. I ease open the door, peering out before opening it fully, then run to my room.
I throw on some clothes and type out a quick message to Stevie. She video calls me almost instantly.
“You’ve got great timing, Dove. I’m headed over to the academic building now. We should be there in a few.”
“Good. Good. Get here fast.”
“OK, well, let me go and I can portal.”
“K, bye.” I end the call and head to the bathroom to check whether my face looks like I’ve been crying.
It doesn’t. In fact, my skin looks better than ever. Likely a side effect of whatever thisustruesnonsense is. Like human women looking most attractive when they’re fertile.
I turn and take off my shirt, compelled to check my shoulders, just in case.
Smooth and unmarked.
Just as I pull my shirt back over my head a familiar sheet of magic slides over me.
“You realize I’m not a taxi service,” Chonk says, appearing in the middle of my room with Ms. Greenly and Stevie at his side.
“I do. Thank you very much for your help, all the same,” I say, and without thinking, I touch the demon magic within myring and conjure a slice of meat from the refrigerator. “For your trouble.”
He sniffs my outstretched hand, and his eyes go wide and round as he scents the meat in my palm.
“What is that? I’ve never—” The cat, seemingly without his consent, sprouts several writhing tentacles and snatches the meat off my hand.
Almost snatches my hand off my wrist, too.
“Chonk! That wasn’t very nice,” Ms. Greenly scolds.
