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I swear, my animals hate me. Why torture me this way? Can’t they see that I’m stuck and have no clue what they are talking about? Everything has changed. I’m in Hell. I’ve met the infamous L.A.M.B.—minus Murmur—whom most of us have heard horror stories about since we were kids. Lilith looks like she’s Betty Freaking Crocker. Levi is about to permanently tie himself to Emer on Sunday. Shit. That’s only three days away. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. The Rebels are—
‘It seems I have to spell everything out for you.’ Baron lets out a sigh. ‘You have a mate!’
‘Oh! That’s what was keeping me from hearing you guys?’ I ask, confused. ‘That doesn’t make any sense. My peers don’t have mates, and they can hear their animals.’ I grab the shampoo and wash my hair as I listen to Fluffers continue to cough up a lung while Baron berates me.
‘There you go, being silly once more. They are not your peers. They might be around your age, but we are superior to them; that is why your power comes in different forms,’ Baron informs me.
‘Yeah. What he said,’ Fluffers adds when he finally catches his breath.
I rinse and dry off, wrapping a towel around my waist before going to the bathroom counter to brush my teeth and fix my hair.
‘What do you mean, my power comes in different forms? I’m a little lost here.’ I admit.
‘You’re more than lost. You’re like Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf is stalking your ass,’ Fluffers chuckles at his pun. All it does is ruffle my… well, shit… feathers.
‘Okay, you mangy mutt. If you don’t help me, then you’re practically not helping yourself. Ever think of that?’ I picture Fluffers’ eyes going wide as that comment sinks in, and I laugh, knowing that I finally got the upper hand.
‘You’re going to have to trust us. You won’t find out anything about your powers in a stuffy old book or by mimicking your so-called peers, as you call them. You are more powerful than you know, and judging by the space inside of you, we aren’t the only powers you will have,’ Baron says, giving me an all-knowing look only he could pull off, the fucker.
I lean against the counter and look at myself in the mirror as a sigh escapes me. My black spiky hair is a little longer than I like, but it’s my green eyes that catch my attention. They seem brighter than usual, yet there’s something else different about them. It’s as if there’s a darker ring around the irises.
‘Do you know what the power is?’ I ask, hoping that someone has an answer. Instead of Baron elaborating, I get an image of him rolling his eyes, like he can’t be expected to spell everything out for me, before he straightens out a few feathers.
‘The birdbrain is done talking. It’s his preening time. He’ll be at it all night. I swear, with all the time he spends on it, I’m surprised he’s not a naked goose. Oh! Do you think Lilith will have fowl for dinner? I’m starving!’ Fluffers says, and my stomach growls in agreement.
Well, that was a lot of help, same goes for the fucking shower, I’m still burning up.
‘If you would just ask, I would be glad to regulate our body so it’s not so hot,’ a meek voice speaks up in my mind, causing an embarrassing squeak to escape me.
‘Who’s that?’ I ask, thankful that no one was around to hear that unmasculine noise leave my lips.
‘Well, no one has named me yet, but I’m your smaller form. So, I guess until you name me, I’ll go by Dusky, your Stardust Kitten.’
The thrill goes through me at the fact that I could give him another name. I wouldn’t know where to start with so many prospects to choose from. Hell, it almost seems like magic that Kitten came up with Baron and Fluffers. Though, I sense Dusky is wise beyond his years, so I’ll keep the name he chose.
I smile at my fierce little guy. He’s always been in the background and he hasn’t come out of his shell in the time that he’s been active, so this is a real treat.
‘Well, it’s nice to officially meet you, Dusky. I didn’t know you could control our body that way. Thank you,’ I say in relief as I feel the heat slowly dissipate from our body.
‘It’s no problem. I’m loving this recent development of being able to communicate with you. You can get to know us better as we teach you more. But for now, since I’m more comfortable… I want a cat nap.’
I look over at the clothes I had picked out and scoff. Now that I’m not burning up, I walk back to the closet to get my usual black on black outfit.
Now, to just survive dinner.
CHAPTER 6
The Mad Hatter of Hell
Rez
Shortly after I get dressed, I show Lynx how to use the closet. I’m ashamed to say it took longer than it should have because he had to do an ‘80s fashion montage. It amazed me and had me cracking up that he could remember that decade but didn’t remember me. He walked out with more gold around his neck than Mr. T. I think I died for a few seconds when he came out wearing leotards and did a short Jazzercise routine. After the double denim phase, I begged him to find some clothes so we could eat. He finally settled on jeans and a white tank that said: Kiss me, cause I’m Lynx.
Afterward, we meet up with the others in the hallway, heading back for dinner. Levi is back in his usual attire: a sharp gray suit with a black shirt and tie. Zeke is wearing a red wife-beater and black shorts which compliments JP’s blue t-shirt and black jeans. Knox is in a fresh pair of jeans and a wife-beater, black as always, while Ryker wears a white casual long-sleeve shirt. But Ryker doesn’t do anything simple. The sleeves are rolled up, showing off his sexy forearms, and since only the bottom three buttons are closed on his shirt, his tatted chest is on full display. The only one that isn’t wearing shoes is Lynx, and I can’t help but smile to see his personality showing through; he’s always hated foot prisons.
Him wearing shoes when we were younger was practically unheard of. Hell, because of Lynx, some stores we used to frequent put up signs saying: No shirt, no shoes, no service! I remember one time we got kicked out of a store for his lack of shoes. I turn to share that memory with Lynx, only to be hit hard by the fact he wouldn’t remember. It makes me feel sick. Fuck, this sucks.
As our group walks back to the parlor, I observe how Moni’s wings and tail wrap around her blue body. JP pulls her into a side hug, making her smile as her bark lightens to green. Knox gently pulls me into him, and I melt against his side as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Did you work anything out with Lynx?”
