Start A War

A s curious as I am about Slash’s gaming prowess, the tone in his voice when he gave the orders told me this alarm thing was serious. It hurt, but I scooted myself to the edge of the bed until Salem returned with my stuff. Luckily, I keep nothing incriminating about my real identity where someone snooping would stumble across it. Otherwise, I might have had a heart attack when the shark shifter sent him to find my shit.

I look at Anton, X, and Salem pointedly as they lounge on the chairs. “Um, can you…” I wave my fingers at the door and they nod, though the panda shifter frowns. “I’ll call out if I need help, promise.”

My quiet addition seems to pacify my roomie, and he follows the others out the door, closing it behind them. I’m not wearing the same clothes I got buried in, and when I stop to sniff the shirt, I realize it’s a loaner from Salem. That explains why it’s huge, but not how much Dank really knows. My binder is still on, dirty as it is, and I won’t be able to change it before I head to this fucking emergency. I probably stink, and I have to do something about it before I put my clothes on.

Wincing, I scoot forward until my feet touch the floor and ease myself up to a standing position. Fuck, that hurts. Having a ceiling fall on you is a ‘zero out of ten—do not recommend’ experience for goddamn certain. Dottie makes soft clicking sounds I think means she’s worried as I pad across the floor in bare feet until I get to the dresser. I need something to make sure I don’t smell like two days of bed bound nastiness, even if dudes frequently don’t care about smell.

Demons wear deodorant, right? Fuck, I hope so.

There’s a spray can of something in the weird demon symbol language, and I squint at it. Maybe if I glare hard enough—Suddenly, the symbols re-arrange into letters and I’m looking at a can labeled ‘Old Scratch Flaming Spicy Scent’ that has to be some sort of demon smell good shit. My hand shakes for a second, but I gather myself and pull the cap off. Spraying it under my arms, up my back and between my boobs, I pray it helps. I don’t know what in Pandora’s box just happened, but I also don’t have time to figure it out. One of those impatient fuckers will knock on the door soon and I’m not even closed to dressed.

“Dottie, shit is getting weird up in this house,” I mutter to my pet as I grit my teeth and make my way back to the bed. She blinks at me, then nods, her gigantic eyes full of understanding. I wish she could talk because I’d feel like I had someone besides the ocean of testosterone to communicate with, but alas, that’s just not how it works. At least, I think it’s not.

Who the fuck knows what’s going to happen next in Hell?

As carefully as I can, I pull on the uniform pants, my socks, shoes, and then my button-down shirt. My body is aching by the time I get to the tie, and I groan as my arms feel like limp noodles. I can’t fucking do this shit, and I’m going to look as bad as Jasper thinks when we go to this bullshit.

“Kit? Do you need some help?”

Salem’s soft question makes my chest flutter, and I put my hand on it. No time for weird feelings. I have to finish this crap and get moving. “Um, maybe with my tie? My arms are?—”

Before I can finish my sentence, the big dude is in the room, kneeling in front of me with a lopsided grin. “No problem, man. You’re still recovering. Glad to help.”

He’s really close—like super duper scary close again. I lick my lips nervously as he fiddles with the accessory until it’s close to my normal messy knot, grinning up at me proudly when he finishes. We keep looking at one another quietly until I clear my throat, hoping the flush on my cheeks isn’t as bright as it feels. “Thanks. I’m trying, but um… I hurt a lot.”

“Oh, shit. Kit Kat, we could give you more painkillers. Dr. D left some and if you?—”

I shake my head emphatically. “No fucking chance I’m going to this thing high as a kite, Salem. Maybe when I go to bed, but not now. I can suffer through as long as you guys just… keep an eye? I’m stubborn and I might… not have a great gauge of my ability to fool the masses.”

His grin is damn near brilliant as he nods. “Assignment accepted. Keep Kit Kat upright and looking pissed during the meeting. Got it.”

Of course, I’m asking the guy who falls asleep at the drop of a hat, which might not be my most intelligent idea.

“Make sure Oriel and X know, too?”

“Done,” Salem says as he holds his hand out. “Come along, roomie. Dottie, you, too. We need to get out there so Oriel can give you back the knives the doc took off you.”

My face gets redder and I mumble, “Trauma.”

Salem frowns at me. “Being armed is not considered weird here, little man. You don’t have to explain. But Dr. D couldn’t leave you strapped while he examined you. What if you woke up and stabbed him? It’d take hours to regenerate.”

Regenerate? What the bloody fuck is Dank?

Instead of asking him, I nod and take his hand. Dottie scrambles up my arm to perch on my shoulder, and we head into the main room. I blink when I see Oriel handing out various small weaponry and the rest of them dutifully stowing the gear under their uniforms. X places a wicked-looking dagger in their thigh sheath and I make a note to tell them how fucking badass that set-up is. I feel like I’m in the middle of a scene from Vampire Diaries or Buffy—and I’m definitely fucking Xander. I hate that asshole, so I cough softly to get the crow demon’s attention.

O’s dark face brightens a bit, and he strides over to hand me the knives I had hidden under my binder, and at the small of my back. “Kit Kat, these are pretty cool. Let me help with the other one so you don’t have to bend, okay?”

I wait for panic to grip me at the suggestion he touches me, but surprisingly, my stomach doesn’t do a backflip. “Okay. Thanks.”

That’s all I’ve got for now—I’ll deal with the rest later.

He drops to his knees, lifting the cuff of my baggy pants to put the small ankle sheath on me. I swallow hard as I watch a hot guy kneeling in front of me for the second time in an hour , hoping I don’t make an idiot of myself. His hands are gentle as he adjusts it so it doesn’t slide down, then pats the cuff into place. My skin feels like it’s on fire, especially the weird patches. The temperature change tells me those spots are in more places than the ones on my arms the guys showed me and I have to shove my hands in my pockets to hide the shaking.

“There we go,” he murmurs as he stands and brushes the knees of his pants off. “All good here. Where are Jas and Slash?”

“In the hall waiting,” Zavida says as he peeks in the door. His red hair is sticking up all over and I think he’s been running his hands through it in frustration. He looks worried, and since he’s one of the three closest people to the prince, that means the dickhead is as well.

Just fucking great; we’re all going to die.

“Your aura just got super weird, Kit Kat,” X says. “You okay?”

I shrug, holding onto Salem’s hand as much as I can until we’re in public view. “I don’t like surprises. They’ve never been a source of good things for me. It makes me anxious.”

“Don’t worry,” Anton says confidently. “I know you can’t help it, but you’re part of us now. We’re bound to help you, no matter what. Just put your chin up and give everyone the glare you give Jasper. You’ll be fine.”

Salem snorts as he squeezes my palm. “If you give them that look, it’ll wither their balls off. Good idea, Annie.”

Ducking my head, I grin a bit, then nod. “Alright, let’s go face the music before they come in to blame me for making us late.”

If I can keep my resting bitch face on, I’ll be okay—that ’s what they said, right?

The trip to the stadium was full of quiet brooding—mostly from Prince Cocknozzle—but I noticed that none of the caliphates or unmatched students looked any less worried. Even the demons in the upper classes look as if this isn’t a normal occurrence, and I can’t help wondering if my presence triggered this. But then, Jasper’s guys being here could be the reason just as easily. They’ve made it very clear they’re up to shit with his dad and don’t get along with Lucian.

If their bullshit is putting me in the thick of things, I’m going to strangle someone.

“Stay stoic. Do not let any emotion show when they tell us what the fuck this is about,” Slash says under his breath. We’re all walking close enough to hear, so he continues. “You can look amused or haughty, but not concerned or afraid. Whatever it is, we need everyone to believe it’s meaningless to our group.”

As we approach the stadium, I let go of Salem’s hand and Dottie hugs me tightly. She knows I was using the connection to settle myself, it seems, and I’m grateful for the added support. Every inch of my body is aching from the induction or itching with my anxiety. I’m grinding my back teeth hard to keep the bored expression plastered on my face as instructed, but this is the most demons I’ve seen since I arrived. The lunchroom isn’t even this crowded, so I assume the older demons must take meals elsewhere.

Jasper and Slash lead us to a weird open space that swirls with magic, and I stop short. The Prince rolls his eyes dramatically, then walks into the void without a word. He disappears and I look at the others wide-eyed.

“What the fuck is that?” I hiss in a low tone.

Oriel looks chagrined as Slash chuckles and does the same thing Jasper did, completely dissipating from the spot. “We forgot. This is… think of it as a portal elevator combo. It’s how we get to the royal boxes. Only those in the bloodlines or tied to them can access it. You just walk in and… yoink.”

Oh, I’m going to murder these idiots when this is over.

“Fine,” I grit out as Zavida takes his turn. “But if I re-appear missing limbs or fucking pants, I’m punching every one of you in the balls twice.”

All the remaining members of my caliphate wince and I smile triumphantly. Obviously, that got my message across. Swallowing hard, Anton nods, then walks into the void, followed soon after by Xerxes.

“After you, Kit Kat,” Oriel says. “We’ll come after, so you feel safer.”

“Oh, gee, will you?” I sniff in irritation, ambling toward the weird transport with my girl clinging to me. This is ridiculous and I’m probably being set up, but what choice do I have? I can’t stand here and make a scene with thousands of demons wandering about.

Once more into the breach, I suppose.

Dottie and I step into the whirlpool of magic and my body feels like it’s being ripped into pieces, then reassembled just as quickly. When my eyes open, I’m facing a fancy ass open air box full of students I don’t know and insanely opulent decorations. I look up when a glint catches my eye and I realize the awning thing over us is made of a precious metal mesh dotted with jewels in an intricate pattern. Everything here is over-the-top rich demon shit, and I don’t get to take it all in before Salem and Oriel appear behind me. The latter takes my elbow surreptitiously, guiding me towards the highest section in the booth where the others are sitting.

“Who are these people?” I ask him quietly.

“Other royal caliphates and dudes within all the families’ structures. Not anywhere near our level, but they get access just the same. Jasper hates it, too.”

For that reason alone, I kind of want to mingle with the other hybrids, but I know that’s a bad idea. I’m not full strength for human Kit, much less for what I need to represent to rich demonic classmates. “Got it.”

Once we join the rest of the guys, I settle into my seat in relief. This makes it much easier on me, and I’m glad we’re in the fancy place, so we’re at least comfortable. It’s not my usual style to enjoy this kind of excess, but fuck , my body aches. I need the support.

“Slash told you all what to do. Don’t disappoint me,” Jasper growls as we stare at the big screen projecting the stage full of faculty on the stadium floor. “I’ve had enough of that for today.”

I don’t blame him for being pissed—the entire staff is down there and he’s up here with us.

Something bad is coming.