Page 26 of Fatality on the Field

“Thanks, Morgana,” Salem says as he breathes out slowly. “Okay, I’m heading to get Arces. Stay. Calm. And. Don’t. Piss. Him. Off. Please.”

The lioness makes another chuffing sound that might be a laugh as her roommate heads for the back of the house. Kat definitely doesn’t fear the big, Viking-esque demon, much like she doesn’t fear the burning doctor. Her anxiety is more focused on threats to her emotional well-being than physically threatening people, and I guess that comes from the attack she suffered being by someone she trusted. Otherwise, it sounds like she just dives headfirst into danger like a maniac—see taking on the prince’s dragon on her own—and I can’t decide if I love that or hate it.

I certainly respect it; Kat hasn’t let anyone hold her back since her assault, it seems.

When Salem finally returns from the house with the big demon and a shiny bird familiar, I sigh in relief. The only thing keeping us all balanced was the quiet, but I doubt it would have lasted much longer. Between the extroverts and the mouthy ones, that detente was bound to break if he’d taken much longer.

“Now, what’s all this nonsense going on in my backyard, eh? Why is young Aldaric acting like he’s going to molt on the spot?”

“We don’t know,” I reply ruefully. “But Salem thought you could help.”

Arces looks at Anton, then smiles broadly at CatKat for a second like a proud parent. “Ah, she did it! And I know what’s going on now—oh yes, I definitely know what’s happened.” His laugh echoes across the vast expanse of his land, and everyone looks at him expectantly.

This had better be good.

sixteen

SLADE

Iggy really wants to make my mate happy.

He never uses the secret powers and abilities outside of the apartment and definitely not for something this public. I realize no one here knows just what he’s hiding except for me, so they probably feel justified looking a little skeptical. But I’ve known Ignatius Briarton for almost a decade, and even though we’ve not been good at communicating honestly, the depth of his magic is something I’m very familiar with.

I also know he is terrified that his family—or worse, his father—will find out what he’s truly capable of and lock him up to use at their leisure.

“Are you going to do something spectacular or what?” The crow demon winks at me, so I know he’s being playful, not mean. I know he’s anxious about their girl being out on campus with some of them stuck here, and that’s probably fueling his snarky commentary.

Looking over at Iggy, I nod slightly, telling him that I think he should do it. His eyes soften slightly before he turns back to the gathered magic and energy, sighing. He tugs off his borrowed sweatshirt and pulls a small blade out of his pocket. Our hosts look surprised, but I’m not, so I stay quiet as he flicks the blade out to cut a deep slice on both forearms. We’ve worked hard to mitigate the scars there with my healing powers over the years; that’s why no one has picked up on it yet.

Once the blood is flowing, my stoic friend chants under his breath as it slides down his hands to his fingertips. There’s a chill in the air almost immediately, and the ground rumbles beneath our feet as his chanting gets a little louder and much deeper in tone. By the time darkness flows from his fingertips, everyone is staring.

“Umbrae me sequuntur et devorant... In tenebris silvae mortuae sagae, umbra custos ego ero.” Iggy’s eyes open and they’re pitch black, not a soul to be found within them. “Adiuva me in conatu removendi seram ex hoc obiecto. In nomine terrarum ignearum et inanitatis aereae, te obsecro.⁠*”

The first one to shoot a narrowed gaze at me is the Gemini twins. Damon holds a free hand up to his twin as he remarks, “Your professor has been holding out.”

I shrug slightly, not stopping my song to reply. Of course he has; this kind of shit isn’t just frowned upon among his people, it’s like asking to become an imprisoned lab rat. For Iggy, that would be worse than being executed; he cannot be so out of control and filthy without having serious issues. There’s a method to his arrogant, meticulous exterior that is crafted to hide every possible flaw that someone could report back to the mage and wizard council.

“Soooo…. we’re just supposed to be okay with this?” Rogue says with an arched brow. “I mean, gotta say, Morgana’s gonna lose her shit. It’s obvious you two haven’t mentioned his… whatever the fuck this is… to the others.”

Surprisingly, the shark demon is the one to put a stop to the chatter. “My brothers and I have things we keep hidden to prevent our enemies and families from knowing about them. I assume since the mage said it was illegal, he is doing something similar. His reasons are his own, and no one should look to disturb the peace by revealing things people are not ready to reveal.”

“Good point, Ssssslasssshhhhhh,” X hisses from their anchor point.

I get why they’re saying it—they’re talking more about the girl demon than Iggy, but I’ll take it.

“Aperi hunc librum et revela malum intus compositum. Spiritibus mortuorum, morientium, et intermediorum impero ut vocem meam audiant!⁠*”

Pausing to breathe for a moment, I look over at the man I’ve spent much of my life with. He’s emanating both an inky and a smoky power now, the two twining together to funnel into the pot with everything else. Rainbow, ocean scents, sounds, golden, blues, grays, and darkness combine with the flames from the Kitsuné in an indescribable whirl of magical energy. Once they’re blended enough to form a solid, they slam into the book with a force strong enough to throw us all off our feet.

I hit the wall, groaning in pain as my spine protests. Thuds echo around the room as the others are treated to the same, and I hear muttered curses in various voices while I’m trying to get my head straight. When I open my eyes again, the only ones standing are Xerxes and Iggy, their opposing powers beating the shit out of the still intact book. Competing Latin is filling the air as they work, and I loll my head over to see the person closest to me.

It’s the fox demon, and he laughs brokenly as he adjusts his glasses, too. “This is always how magic goes for me, you know. I have it, and I’m not weak, but it’s just not where my power is most useful.” I frown and he adds, “In front of like, spell stuff, I mean. Magic in the digital world and on the keys? I’m a maestro, man.”

“I know a guy you should definitely meet,” I mumble as Jackson’s boy toy technomage flits through my brain. “Think you’d find he has the same struggles.”

Zavida grins a little and his tails twitch at the tips. “Man, this is gonna suck. I’m so pale and I bruise like a peach. Jas loves it, but uh… this isn’t the same.”

His face goes bright red, and I laugh softly. “When we get done, I’ll try to help everyone with your doctor. I mean, I assume someone is gonna need him before the day is out. We sent the worst tempers out to face some big, scary demon guys with invisible animals, right?”