Page 124 of Quiet Burn

Whew. Dodged a bullet there.

“Then why the fuck?—”

“Shut up, Jasper,” I say as he starts to growl something shitty. His expression is priceless, as I don’t usually make waves, but I feel like I’ve been shown the ending of the play before intermission. I get why they keep smacking into one another and I know why it feels like they take one step forward, then fourteen backward.

The problem is getting our pissy Prince and the broken ex-human to realize it before they kill one another.

Puttin’ on the Ritz

Kit/Kat

Ihave no idea how I’m going to function at this event.

As if my anxiety about going to an unknown place full of possible bad guys wasn’t enough, I’m sitting in this weird supernatural ride share thing in the middle of seven of the hottest dudes to ever live. My suit is all white with high waisted pants and an open necked shirt under a loose silk jacket. It makes me stand out—something I’m never happy about—but somehow, it looks good as hell. I haven’t worn this much white in my entire life, mind you, but damn, that spider knew what he was doing. It makes me look fancy and confident even though I don’t feel like that inside, and Salem told me it looked ‘fuckin’ awesome’.

I don’t know how he noticed given what Jasper and Slash had on when they emerged, and after the others came out, I almost swallowed my goddamn tongue. Anton was in an all black brocade tux with no bow tie, his lithe form looking elegant but dangerous in the off-beat pattern. Guillermo put Xerxes in this heavily tailored, wide legged black and silver suit with big buttons, a tie at their narrow waist and a deep dip between thelapels—with no shirt. They look sexy yet gender-bending in a way that’s perfect for them.

My eyes drift to the last three of the demons, swallowing hard as I try not to let their appearance make my cheeks burn. Oriel is wearing high waisted black pants with a loose black silk shirt under a midnight blue silk jacket with velour lapels. His emo look is still in place with tattoos and steel peeking out and the shine of his raven hair falling over his kohl rimmed eyes. He winks at me and I duck my chin, looking at Zavida in his brilliant red houndstooth patterned suit with a pale cadmium orange shirt tucked under the shirt jacket. His red hair seems to gleam against it, which I wouldn’t have ever thought would work, so he looks like the fiery fox he is.

But Salem? The panda shifter is in a well tailored suit that’s all black with satin lapels and an open shirt showing off black and white tattoos on his chest. His duotone hair is mussed perfectly like he climbed out of bed, and for some reason, the adorable raccoon assistantinsistedhe put on a pair of thick white glasses with ombre lenses that make him look delectable. He doesn’t evenneedglasses, but they coordinate with the small pocket square sticking out of his jacket pocket in a way that draws everything together.

Of course, I only know all this shit because X gushed over everyone as we got into the car.

What I actually know about fashion you could fit in a thimble, which is why I’m just sitting here drooling like a dumbass as I squirm in my seat between Slash and the Prince. I’d prefer to be sitting with the others, but Jasper threw a hissy fit and I was too damned nervous to fight with him. A miracle, I know; it’s just that I haven’t been this unsettled without having a panic attack in… my life, I think.

“KK, you look like you’re going to hurl. Is sitting next to Jasper that odious?”

I blink, shaking my head a little to clear the inappropriate hot guy thoughts out of it. Once I can focus, I look at Oriel with an amused smile. “I mean, if the shoe fits, buy it in every size, right?”

Xerxes snickers, leaning back in their seat as they smirk at me. “That’smymotto, and lucky for you, we wear the same size. That makes it imminently easier for me to help turn you from the frumpy introvert to an elegant boyfriend to the royal caliphate.”

Wrinkling my nose at them, I hunch forward to pet Dottie inside of the soft, black leather bag I have crossed over my body. Laurel and Gui said it was‘oltre l’eleganza?1’ and I figured they knew what they were talking about. My girl seems comfortable in it, and there was enough room for her and some non-sketchy snacks, so I consented to the switch. Dottie chitters a little, her small digits grabbing mine and the calm rushes over me.

“You should be askingmeif having the shrimp between us is off-putting,” Jasper grumbles as he cocks a brow at the crow shifter. “You know he smells like fruity flowers and I hate that.”

I whip my head around, glaring at the dragon indignantly. “Oh, yeah? You smell like musky citrus and vanilla and… fruity incense. It’s the shower stuff, dumbass. It’s scented and we all use different stuff in the morning. Complain to whoever stocks the damn bathroom, not me.”

Slash leans towards me, sniffing for a second, then shrugs. “My sense of smell is best and I don’t find it offensive.”

“See?” I scowl at the Prince, then turn to give the shark demon a grateful smile. “Thanks, big guy.”

The toothy grin makes my stomach flutter, and Salem bobs his brows at me when I turn to face forward. He lifts his arm, sniffing under it with a frown. “What do I smell like, KK? I pick whatever’s there usually, so I don’t pay attention.”

“Citrus-y with fresh berries and leafy scents,” I reply without thinking and my answer gets immediate chuckles from the guys next to me. “What? I live with him, you guys. Of course I know what he fucking smells like. Why is everyone being so weird today?”

“Because your sense of smell is gettingmuchbetter, Kit Kat.” Anton looks pleased as he crosses his arms over his chest. “The gels from the bathroom aren’t heavily scented like you’d find up here—or so I’m told—but we’re all drawn to things that make our animals happy. The spicy floral scents with musk make my bird feel like he’s doing a happy dance inside. I assume it’s the same for the others.”

Salem nods. “The panda loves that one specific scent, though I don’t much noticewhatit smells like as much as him enjoying it.”

I narrow my eyes at them, not quite sure what I’m missing. There’s something they’re not telling me, especially given the smug look on X’s face. “Zav smells like ginger and cinnamon.”

“No, he smells like ginger, citrus, and saffron,” Jasper growls, bumping my shoulder with his. “I should know; I’m naked with himfarmore often thanyou.”

Just like that, my face goes red and I gawp, at a loss for what to say in response. I mean,obviously ‘Big Bad Demon DaddyJasper’ sees Zavida naked more than me! I’m not trying to see any of them nude, despite my weird inability to take my eyes offof them when they parade around in various stages of undress. I open my mouth to say something, and yet again, not a damned thing comes out.

“Holy fuck, I actually shut the shrimp up. Someone take a fucking picture,” the Prince says, his dark features breaking into an honest-to-Satan grin that lights them up beautifully.

I hate to admit it, but Jasper Eversore is stunningly handsome when he’s not being an evil fuckwit.

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