Page 7 of Fatality on the Field

“You say this as one of the few one shift only members of a cadre of extremely powerful beings?” Jasper asks, his expression condescending. “Perhaps that’s a bit… hypercritical?”

The lion shifter steps in beside me, holding his hand up. “Lucas and I may not be magical or demonic, but we’re both pretty emotionally mature compared to some who are exponentially older than us. We all have strengths and weaknesses, Your Highness. Best remember that when you’re staring down your perfect nose at people, hmm?”

Holy shit, that guy has balls of fucking titanium.

The prince looks like he’s going to lash out, but the crow demon doubles over laughing, and his second-in-command is obviously struggling to hold his stony nonchalance. Kaspar saves us both by rolling his eyes and heading inside the opulent cafeteria as he says, “This is getting us nowhere. I agree with the shark; we should get the fucking food and go back to the safety of your floor.”

“Fine,” Jasper grits as he follows him. “But wait for me. You aren’t familiar with the landscape or the properties of Hell’s cuisine. I’d hate for one of you to accidentally pick something that would turn you into a goddamn pineapple.”

Looking at Oriel, I whisper, “Is that even possible?”

He shrugs, winking at Archie and me as he replies, “Not to my knowledge, but what the fuck do I know about surface dweller physiology?”

Just fucking great. Now I’m going to worry the entire time we’re eating.

The demons work together like a well-trained team when they’re not snarking at one another, I’ll give them that. Between the three of them, we could locate, pack up, and distribute the foods Jasper read from a text. I’d also love to know why their shit works down here and no one else’s does, but as we’re hefting a bunch of heavy shit down the stairs to their over-the-top dining room, I’ll let that go for now.

“I don’t recognize any of the names of this shit,” I mutter to our dragon as we follow the lead of our hosts. “But that crack about turning into a fruit has me a bit concerned.”

Kaspar laughs, surprising me, and then replies, “I doubt any of them would dare. Their recently revealed woman is pretty fiery, and she’s getting tight with Morgana and Rogue. I think they’d make anyone, even someone playing a prank, suffer before they forgave them right now. The goal is developing trust so we can work together, not sowing dissent.”

This, from him? He and the Prince are the worst culprits in the potshot wars.

“Did you have some sort of dragon epiphany last night?” Archie asks with a grin. “Cuz you were prickly as fuck last night, and now you seem to be a bit more mellow.”

“It’s not very strategic to continue making the road tougher to walk. That’s less an epiphany than acceptance of our fates, yes?”

My eyes narrow as I study him for a second. “Acceptance of your fate includes the shit you need to keep making right, doesn’t it? Because if not, there’s no point, man. I think the professor figured that out, and now he’s sort of walking his bullshit back with Slade.”

“How do you know that?” Kaspar says, arching his brow. “Maybe he was simply lonely in exile.”

The lion shakes his head. “No way, man. I saw that kid yesterday and today; there’s a difference in the weight on his shoulders, plus you know he smells like the grumpy teacher. Not a little, but enough for every shifter in the room to know they were very close for a long time.”

My lips curve as I nod. “He’s right, which is why I said it. You’re just jealous that Iggy is getting his shit together first. It’s not a race, dude; when there’s an opportunity, find a bit of alone time with our woman. She’s waiting for you to make the move because she’s done trying to convince you.”

“You think so?” he asks, and I have to control my expression to keep from looking shocked at the vulnerability in the question.

That chick hurt this dude so badly that even though he’s gotten closure, he’s terrified to even approach Morgana.

“I’m not even part of your family, and I can see it,” Archie says. “Don’t be daft.”

I shoot him a grateful look before I add, “Kas, you have some bullshit to get past. That’s fair, and I’m glad the demon chick from Howl helped you see it. But Morgana is already mated to Liam, and we’ve all expressed that we believe the entire group is fated. Maybe you weren’t ready to hear it because of that shit, but you need to think hard about it now and let that guide you.”

“Damn, kid, you’re pretty smart,” my hockey-playing bro says. “Where the hell did you learn all this shit? I thought you were a playboy rich kid before your woman appeared.”

Kaspar snorts, finally showing emotion that isn’t broody. “He was.”

“Well, spill it, dude. How are you so fucking smart about relationships?” The lion tilts his head as he continues, “I’m good ‘cause my mom and dads have a fucking fantastic marriage and shit. There, now it’s your turn.”

I shrug, wrinkling my nose. “I think my Nana raised me with it because she talked a lot about how she failed my dad. The whole ‘arranged’ political marriage to someone as fucked up by growing up in that world is why they’re both useless. When she took guardianship of me, she promised herself that she’d do better with me, and I guess she did. I just wasn’t really using what I knew before Lady M showed up because no one was interested in me beyond my trust funds.”

“Are you ladies done jabbering? We need to get this shit upstairs so Salem can finish breakfast.”

Blinking, I realize that we’re at the door to their dorm, which means we’ll have to split up to use that elevator. “Uh, yeah, just you know… bonding and shit.”

The crow smirks at me, his eyes twinkling as he opens the door. Jasper and Slash head in first, followed by Kaspar, Archie, and finally, me. Oriel picks up his load to fall in behind me before he says, “You’re becoming some kind of guru, huh?”

“I don’t know if I’d say guru…”