Page 125 of Quiet Burn

Since I can’t figure out what to say, I slam my elbow backward, hitting his ribs. He doesn’t react and I frown at the carpeted floor angrily. That shithead’s muscles are as hard as rocks and he barely felt my jab, which is even more annoying than his deeply amused chuckles. “You suck, Jasper, and not in a good way.”

“Actually, that’s not true. You see, it’s Zav’s job to?—”

“Oh my fucking god, shut up,” Igroanas I put my hands over my face.“I do not need to know anymore about your sex life than I’ve already heard.”

“Plus, Zav’s gonna turn into a tomato soon,” Oriel says wryly. “I don’t know what’s redder right now—the suit, his hair, or his face.”

Peeking out between my fingers, I see the poor kitsune trying to hide behind his tails as he flushes. I understand his introversion, so I move my hands to smile a little in commiseration. The Prince is enjoying the hell out of making both of us uncomfortable while everyone else is having a grand old time. He deserves a nut punch, and if I can figure out how to give him one without anyone at this party noticing, I’m definitely doing it.

We’ll see who has the last laugh.

The carfinally pulls up to this dingy warehouse district and I look outside skeptically. “I don’t know, guys. This feels like the prelude to one of the gritty cop shows on TV—some skeevy bad guy is going to jump out and crack us over the head before shoving us into cages.”

Slash snorts, shaking his head at me. “They would not be successful, little demon. You are with some of the most fearsome demons of Hell.”

I roll my eyes as we step out of the SUV. “Slash, the point is the bad guys always have shit to like… defeat the powerful humans or vampires or whatever it is. They have their ‘kryptonite’ item like in Superman, and then they use surprise to launch the attack. And it’salwayssome sketchy, bad part of town, abandoned place like this.”

“This is just a mirage,” Jasper says as he pushes past me. “The magic is strong, and it’s definitely the work of multiple species within the supernatural world, but it’s covering the true venue. You don’t have to worry about some axe murderer, shrimp. It’s neutral ground.”

“Just another way to lure you into complacency,” I mutter as I move closer to the big guy. “You guys are used to being the top dogs down there and it’s going to get us Dahmer’d if we’re not careful.”

X walks up and laces their arm in my free one. “C’mon, KK. Less fear, more cheer, dude. We’re dressed for excess and attending a huge party full of Earth’s big players. There’s so much gossip to overhear and clues to sniff out. You gotta let go a little.”

I’ve definitely heard that song before and the ending wasnotsomething I want to repeat.

“I’m not great at parties, for obvious reasons,” I reply as I hold onto Xerxes and Slash tightly. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let it stop us from finding out shit we need to know.”

Salem walks up behind us, leaning in to murmur, “You can do it, Kit Kat. We’re all here, and Xerxes is the best chit chatter of the whole crew. They’ll help you.”

“Ahem,” Jasper coughs as he stands at the rusty door ahead of us. “If you’re all done fucking around, we need to get in here and do this. We’re not scheduled to be up here all fucking weekend, you know.”

Slash glares at him as we approach the door. “You cannot be mean to him here, Prince. We agreed to Xerxes’ plan and that involves playing up our dating status to keep up appearances. Treating the little demon poorly will spoil the plan.”

I grin smugly as I follow him through the door, appreciating the reminder for the surly royal. “What he said.”

Jasper growls at me, but it doesn’t have the usual bite to it. He must be adjusting already, so I just continue into the big warehouse without another word. Once we’re all in the center of the empty room, I look around, not understanding. There’s nothing here besides us and a lot of dust, which seems marginally better than a serial killer, but not very useful.

“Be patient,” Salem says as he stands close enough to feel the heat coming off his form. “Jasper knows what to do.”

The Prince turns to face us, raising his hands in the air as his eyes go dark and fiery. “Ab ignibus Orci petit hseres ad throni ingressum. Revela porta vel face consequatur.?2”

My eyes dart to all the others, then back to the Prince as scales ripple over his skin then fade away quickly. A column of fire shoots up from the floor, making me grip X and Slash in shock until the flames swirl around and form a gateway. I lick my lips as I see a vaguely glitzy background through the portal, hoping I’m going to be able to handle this.

“Okay, people. Time to step into your roles,” X says as they tug me forward. “Follow the plan and don’t force us to get into a battle—especially you, Kit Kat, and you, Prince Pricklypants.”

I nod quietly, following along with Slash and Salem behind me.

I’d love to promise him I’ll be good, but I’ve never been able to do that successfully, even when it would save my skin.

1 beyond elegance

2 From the fires of Hell, the heir to the throne demands entry. Reveal the gateway or face the consequences.

We Like To Party

Xerxes

I’m projecting more confidence than I truly feel right now, but it’s needed. Not coming to the surface much leaves every one of us but KK at a disadvantage, and she’s got enough shit to hide without worrying about keeping the rest of us balanced in this atmosphere. Annie and I need to handle the peopling—me more than him if possible—so the rest of them don’t give away our weak points.

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