I’m Just A Kid

T he next morning, I’m awakened by a weird sound that makes my veins hum. Looking around, I see the tech Oriel brought me lit up on the charging station on my tiny desk. All three screens show a different picture of what I can only assume are different parts of Hell, plus a pop up in the middle that says ‘ Tempus fugit, students. Arise and join your fellow demons for breakfast in the Triclinium.’ Frowning, I climb out of bed and walk over to pick up the phone. If this is something these assholes do every day, I’m going to be really pissed. It’s fucking five a.m. and my first class is at seven; why in the… here … would I need to be awake now?

“Boys don’t primp, so what’s the damn deal?” I mutter to myself as Dottie climbs out of the small nest I made her at the end of my bed. She scampers up my arm to sit on my shoulder as I rub my eyes and yawn. “Let’s go see if we have food here. I don’t think I’m ready to eat in an enormous hall yet. We can look at it, though.”

Dottie makes a soft trilling sound as we head into the main area of our dorm. I need caffeine like I need oxygen, and my stomach growls when the scent coming from the kitchen hits my nostrils. I have to hide a smile as I watch Salem shaking his very cute butt to some music as he flips pancakes. He’s only wearing sleep shorts and his skin is covered in fascinating whorls of black and white that look like iridescent tattoos.

Of course, he’s also unfairly hot with tons of muscles that would make an action hero drool, but we’re ignoring that.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead!” Salem says as he pushes a plate towards me. “You’ll get used to the sleep schedule in a week or two. Hell runs on super early morning to early evening like what humans call a ‘morning shift’? At least that’s what Zav said when I asked him how to explain because you weren’t up yet.”

My brain struggles to keep up with his animated chatter. It doesn’t seem like the Salem from yesterday, but I arrived later in the day. Perhaps he’s so used to that schedule that he turns into a lazy sloth when it gets close to bedtime? I climb onto the stool at the island, sniffing the plate despite its delicious smell. “Thank you. What, um, what kind of pancakes are they?”

His grin is full of sharp teeth and I see his eyes flash white, then go black again. “Best not to ask that question until you’re more used to this place, Kit. The answers will sound disturbing, and they really aren’t. Culture shock, you know?”

Sighing, I nod. “Right. Can Dottie eat them?”

Another plate slides across the marble countertop, this one smaller and decorated with greens as well. “Guaranteed. Now eat up and get dressed. Jasper will expect us in the elevator at six fifteen sharp. The caliphate has to appear in the Triclinium even if we won’t eat that garbage.”

An appearance? That sounds… precarious.

“Okay, Salem,” I say before I shovel his breakfast in. It’s amazing, like yesterday’s snacks, and I wing a little ‘thanks’ to the universe for giving me a roommate who doesn’t seem awful and cooks for us. I’m not sure that uses up all my goodwill for a bit, but it’s damn amazing.

“I’m heading for the showers in ten.”

My eyes widen, and I thump my head on the counter once he leaves. Of course, our floor shares a bathroom rather than these fancy ass rooms having their own. How I’m going to deal with this, I don’t know, but it looks like I don’t have a choice. I look at Dottie as she’s shoving greens into her mouth and whisper, “This is going to suck.”

Once I’m done eating, I gather my uniform, a towel, and some toiletries. My stomach is a nervous mess and I have to grip my things tightly as I follow Salem down the hall to the big double doors. I wondered what they were when Jasper brought me up here, but didn’t get the chance to ask during my interrogation. Now I know they lead to what is surely my doom—a room full of naked, grouchy, and inexplicably hot demon guys who think I’m the enemy.

I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly as we enter a vast room. My brows furrow as I look at the couches and chairs in the plush area. To the left, there are stalls I assume are toilets and to the right, mirrors sparkle over a bank of five sinks with plenty of room to get ready.

What the hell is this place?

The sound of water gets my attention and I walk a little further in, following my roomie towards it. Everything inside of me tightens until I see eight separate stalls with doors that stretch from ankle height to well over my head. I’m not short, but the coverage those outer doors give makes my gut unclench. I should be able to shower and change in here with no one seeing shit I don’t want them to. Licking my lips, I pad over to one of the open doors and scurry inside quickly.

“You can do this, Kit,” I whisper to myself as I turn the shower on. Salem is definitely naked in the stall nearby, and I have no idea who the other five shower rooms hold. Knowing they’re all here, inches from being able to expose me for the fraud I am, makes me shiver. I don’t want these guys to catch me because I’m terrified of being unbound around them, so I may have to figure out my shower schedule.

That decided, I step into the spray and get clean as quickly as possible. My hair doesn’t need much now, so I reach into my toiletry bin and use the towel to dry it before I get out. It only takes me a few minutes to rebind myself and pull on my baggy, oddly fitting uniform. Having it on helps me breathe more easily, so I pick up my stuff and head out into the main room. I almost trip over my own feet when I see Jasper, Salem, and Zavida standing in front of the sinks, brushing their teeth.

Not a single one of them is wearing more than a tight pair of boxers that hide nothing.

It takes everything in me not to slap my hand over my eyes as my heart rate speeds for a reason that isn’t anxiety. They’re all different, but they have beautiful bodies, tattoo-like markings that must be species based, and various steel. Swallowing hard, I lick my lips as I try to get myself under control enough to go brush my damn teeth. When I approach, Jasper arches a brow at me as I pull out my stuff with shaky hands.

“Something wrong, new guy?”

Salem throws a tissue at him when I flinch at his tone. He scowls, but I straighten up, giving the emo demon a cool look. “Nope. Just brushing my teeth. Got an issue with that?”

Jasper’s eyes narrow and he whirls around, stalking close enough for me to feel his breath on my face. The heat coming from him is choking me as he glares down into my eyes. “That’s ‘got an issue with that, sir ,’ plebeian.”

I snort, turning back to the mirror. “If you say so.”

Zavida snickers, ducking his head when Jasper turns on him. “Looks like you have your work cut out for you, Jas.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Still irritated by the scene in the bathroom, I mutter to myself as I gather my things. Dottie is ready to go, her bright eyes watching me while I shove all the shit Zav and Oriel swore I’d need yesterday into my bag. It’s heavier than normal, but luckily they assured me she doesn’t need to hide here. Familiars, as they called it, might be rare, but they aren’t relegated to ducking into bookbags or being locked up in our room. That makes me feel a lot better, but I still swallow back my morning meds and tuck the emergency supplies in the side pocket.

Anxiety is like a stalker that follows you everywhere you go, just waiting for the perfect time to strike.

I look around the room one more time, checking to see if I have forgotten anything. Nothing comes to mind, so I walk into the main part of our room to meet Salem. His eyes light up when I come out and he holds up a small package wrapped in paper with a string holding it closed. I take it, looking at him in confusion as I turn the bundle over in my hands.

“Um, thanks? What is this for?”

Salem runs his hand through his snow white hair and sighs heavily. “Sustenance, little dude. No one ever gets this shit, and I was hoping you would. Like, even demons gotta keep their energy bar filled, right?”

My eyes widen and I look down again, a smile curving the edges of my lips. “So it’s like a care package? For me?”

“Duh. I mean, I might have included some tidbits for the furry gal, too, but…”

Before I can stop myself, I walk over and throw my arms around him in a tight hug. No one’s ever given shit if I was taking care of myself, whether it was eating, sleeping, or even taking my meds. I’ve always managed that on my own as best I could. The big guy puts his hands on my arms carefully and I suddenly realize what I just did. My face turns bright red and I pull away, clearing my throat in embarrassment. “Um, sorry. It was just… really cool of you. And um… I hope it doesn’t get you in trouble.”

My roommate tilts his head, looking at me oddly as he shrugs. “Fuck if I care what Jasper wants. Only Zav and Slash are that far up his ass, Kit. The rest of us are less uptight; you should remember that.”

I nod, wishing I could believe him. Gangs of boys and girls at my former schools have taught me not to trust anyone who promises to break from the fold. It’s never true and the hierarchy never changes, no matter how hard people fight against it. Demons aren’t likely to be any different from humans in that regard, and I won’t forget Jasper’s words. He doesn’t want me here, so nothing Salem or anyone else says will convince him otherwise.

“Cool,” I say as I tuck the provisions in my bag. “Should we get moving? I don’t want to make the Prince mad.”

“Then disappear into the aether, little dude, because that’s the only way anyone can avoid making Jas mad,” Salem snorts. He sees me blinking hesitantly and gestures to the door. “The Triclinium awaits.”

Dottie chitters as I pass him, and I can feel his stare as I head for the elevator at the opposite end of the hall. Salem might be lazy and entirely focused on food, but he’s not stupid. I have to be careful around him. The hug was an instinct and it may have given me away. My boobs aren’t that noticable and the binding garment is doing its job according to the mirrors, but finding out my secret would give Jasper the ammunition he needs to have me tossed out.

No more making nice with the adorable roommate or his less ass kissing friends, Kit.

“Nice of you two to join us,” Slash growls as he stabs the button with a thick finger. The Prince’s sidekick looks just as intimidating in his uniform as he did in the meeting, but this time it’s more like an icy version of the big FBI agent in the Disney cartoon with the blue alien. He’s even got sunglasses over his gray eyes and his silver hair buzzed short. My eyes drift over the dorsal fin he wears despite his human form, and I shiver.

“Something wrong, Kit Kat?”

Anton’s dulcet tones bring me out of my meandering thoughts. His rainbow hair and gorgeous face make me pause for a moment, too tongue-tied to speak. When I finally get control of myself, Xerxes has joined us and the group is complete. Their golden hair and eyes are fascinating, but I’m suddenly poked in the side like cattle and I have to move into the elevator. Oriel’s eyes crinkle at the corners as I meet his gaze and I duck my head.

I am in the worst fucking trouble of my life.

The surrounding men are all Milan runaway level hot, and I’m pretending to be a fucking dude to stay on a scholarship here. I don’t know how I’m going to balance school, avoiding Jasper’s machinations and my overwrought hormones at the same time. Finding guys attractive has never derailed me this much before and I don’t understand why I seem unable to find my brain cells every time I look at one of them. It’s infuriating and I’m about to wear sunglasses of my own.

“Listen up, freshman.” Jasper’s voice carries in the small box we’re crammed into and I feel Dottie wrap her tail around my wrist. “The Triclinium is the first step in re-establishing the pecking order for the year. Our caliphate rules this place and has since it was formed. You will walk in with your head held high, your gaze aloft, and your attitude befitting the royals of the school. Do you understand?”

In theory, yes. In practice? Fuck no.

But I can’t say that to asshole Jasper, so I clear my throat. “I’m not stupid. Those instructions weren’t above my comprehension level, Prince .”

The mouth that led to the incident has reared its head and despite my suppression of the sassier side of myself, this place and his behavior are bringing it out. I know I need to keep my head down and make people ignore me, but I can’t seem to stop taking the bait with this fucker. He’s ten times worse than Blake or Brett—and I controlled myself with them most of the time.

Slash snarls, but Jasper raises his hand, waving me off like a gnat. “Good. I have no idea what nonsense humans taught you, so for all I know, you can barely read.”

All my instincts tell me to slap the shit out of him, but my gut says to wait. I give him a cool look when the bell dings and it’s time to exit the carriage. “At least they taught me basic manners and decency. Your demon education seems to have omitted the section on not treating others like shit to make yourself feel better.”

The fury in the air ratchets up, but we’re facing lots of eyes as we walk out into the atrium of the dorm. Jasper glares at me, but he turns on his heel and curls his finger for the rest of us to follow.

We’ve been summoned.