Page 4 of Fatality on the Field

“It has to be hard when you’re the Prince of Hell—demons are more fluid than people up where we live, but old money is always kind of behind the times.”

“And focused on breeding,” he mutters with a disgusted look. “That’s not how it should be when mates or lovers are considering having children. I’ve never liked that aspect of ‘old world’ supernatural shit; it’s gross.”

How would he know about that? He’s got sisters who the Finns could control a lot more easily with procreation.

I shrug that off for later, saying, “It’s mages and my kin as well, you know, not just shifters or demons or whatever. My father definitely has expectations I’ve never addressed. Luckily, my lack of commitment has left him unable to push on the topic.”

Slade arches a brow as he turns to look at me. “He didn’t try to marry you off, then?”

I give him a grin full of teeth. “Oh, he tried once or twice over the years, but I made it so embarrassing that he stopped. The candidates backed out on their own after a month or two of dealing with me and my… pretend proclivities.”

His eyes widen, and he snorts. “I didn’t know that. I mean, it was while we were at SU, right?”

Nodding, I gesture toward the door. “Yeah. I just kept it under the radar by not introducing those people to anyone important or connected to work. Since I knew the goal was to scare them away, I made sure they had nothing to grab onto.”

Moving toward the door, he looks at me seriously. “You’re sure that’s not going on anymore, Iggy? Because… not just for me, but for the whole family, it would be bad. Morgana’s been screwed over enough.”

Always the savior, even when people don’t know he’s doing it—that’s Slade.

“You don’t have to tell me that. I know that Liam and Lucas would skin me alive if I hurt her… and you.” I look down, feeling a bit ashamed that everyone has to worry because of the image I’ve cultivated for so long. It’s my fault, but I had good reasons; the whole ‘arranged marriage’ bullshit isn’t the only obstacle we’re going to face when this thing becomes public knowledge.

“Shall we head for the bathroom before we meet up with people in Kat's room?” he breathes.

I stop my progress, letting go of the knob to walk over to my oldest and closest friend. My hands land on his waist, and though I’m not incredibly experienced in this area, I wait until he’s looking at me to lean in for a kiss. It starts gently, but builds in an achingly sweet way that I’m surprised to find out how much it affects me. Our tongues tangle briefly, and when we pull apart, I rest my forehead on his.

“Slade, I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing or how badly I’ll occasionally step in it while I’m learning.” I squeeze his hips lightly and continue. “But I promise that I’m trying, and that you’re not just a step on the path to making anyone else happy. Sure, I’ve had my ass handed to me a couple of times recently over being a dumbass with you and Morgana, but… That doesn’t mean you’re a consolation prize now or ever.”

He blinks for a moment as if that will help him process, so I just wait. Once he’s able to speak, his voice crackles with emotion. “Thank you for telling me that. I don’t know that I could have said my fears out loud—not yet—but it was there, hiding in the corners of my mind. And now, I’m not feeling quite so unsteady about leaving this cocoon to face reality.”

My lips curve up as I pull back to look at him sincerely. “I know how it feels to wonder about that kind of shit, Slade. Trust me, I think about it at work, with my bio family, and in many random moments where the insecurities my childhood gave me escape their cages. But I don’t want you to feel it with me—not anymore, at least, if you did before.”

“We should get out of here before this gets so involved that we don’t make out without more intrusions,” he says with a shy smile. “Emotions get me worked up, but how it gets me going if it’s positive isn’t a good thing to learn here.”

Well, that is entirely new information, and I have no idea what else to do besides hope my face isn’t as red as it feels.

three

MORGANA

Rogue didn’t let me off the hook until I’d relayed my escapades in the bathroom with Li and Lucas, and when we stepped back into Kat’s room, she was smirking like crazy. My fae prince just shook his head as I walked over to sit beside him on the couch. The guys from Bay City are spread out on the chairs, and Lucas is on the floor playing with the phoenix. The bird looks a bit bigger today, and I arch a brow as I clock the twins.

“Is he getting bigger? I hope so if you guys are heading into the capital, eventually.”

Damon smiles at me, nodding. “It seems like it. We still need to chat with their doctor about his cycle. Rogue told us last night that he may have some insight, but that will have to be after we deal with that book.”

The door opens as if we summoned them, and I watch as the panda, the crow, the bulky shark, and my friend enter the fray. Kat looks well rested, which is a tiny bit surprising to me since she wasn’t in her own space. However, whatever sleeping arrangements the big guy made for her obviously worked—and the other demons with them look just as cheery. My lips curve, and I look over at Rogue, getting her attention surreptitiously to jerk my chin at the group. She grins a bit, nodding in response as Angelo runs his hand over her hair.

I don’t think Kat got sexy time, but she got something that made her relax and truly rest—whatever it was, she should do it again.

“We’re here to get this feast started,” the two-toned demon says as he claps his hands together from a spot near the island. “That will require Slash and a few helpers to raid the Triclinium stores for more supplies. I suggest you send the puck boys and the dragon, while we will send Slash, Oriel, and Jasper.”

Kat snorts, looking at him curiously. “You really think Jasper is going to go help haul shit?”

“No, but I’ll grease the way to get us inside and find what we need.” The appearance of the Prince of Hell and his fiery fox companion stops the conversation for a moment, and I roll my eyes. Kat has to get that dude to calm down a bit, or she’s going to go nuts.

“Jasper can get the kitchen imps to keep quiet without it getting back to Darkstar,” Zavida adds as he rubs his hand over his hair. “Perks of being royal and stuff.”

Lucas looks up from his spot entertaining the bird and asks, “Are Kat and her little gal gonna help keep the turkey occupied? Cause that’s what I’ve been doing so Archie could go shower, but then you guys all came piling in.”