Page 19 of Quiet Burn

Annnnd we’re back to panic at the doorway… What am I going to do?!

Swallowing hard, I sneak my hand into the bag and stroke Dottie’s head. “Um, what… what do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know about Slash for certain, granted, and we know Zavida and Jasper are clueless as hell. But X, Oriel, Salem, and I definitely realize you have no positive experience with dating.Your symptoms and issues make it clear that your incident made you shy away from trying to find another guy.” He winks and pulls the door open, holding it for me. “Not to mention, demon courting is a bit different, and that’s something you’re learning as well. We’ll help you.”

My heart stops hammering in my chest, and the hand petting Dottie stops trembling at his words. Damn, I thought I was screwed for sure. That was a close one. I need to be much more cautious about what I say when I’m already worked up. “Oh. Well… that’s really nice of you. People don’t usually try to accommodate my annoying quirks like that. I’m not used to it.”

He waits until I walk into the classroom, then leads me over to where Zav and X are seated. “Then those people are fools, and even if it takes some of us a bit to get there, we shall endeavor to be better. Not that it’shardfor demons to be better than humans…”

X gives me a bright grin as they make room for us to get settled into the seats they saved for us. “He’s right. Demons and supes are much higher on the evolutionary scale, so whatever Annie thinks we’ll do better—we will.”

I laugh softly, enjoying his cheery disposition after the heavy atmosphere of lunch. “I’m sure you will. He can tell you all about it later. We have to beverycareful what we say and how we act here today.”

“I’ve got notes today,” Zavida says as he gives me a shy smile. “That way, the two of you can focus on helping Kit stay calm. Does that work?”

Well, look who wants to go to the head of the class?

Anton nods. “That’s a good plan, Zav. Darkstar is likely to be an ass—as usual—and Kit’s natural inclinations will make this our most difficult class to manage all semester.”

“Harder than Prince Prickface’s Arms sections? I highly doubt that,” I mutter as Dottie climbs out of my bag and sits on my shoulder. “I don’t care what promises he’s making—being in charge brings out the douchebag in him.”

X snorts, covering their mouth with their hand. “He’s not wrong.”

“But… he’s a professor…”

All gazes cut to the kitsune and he flushes. “Sorry. Force of habit. But… It is true that he’s judged on how well he can teach and control the classroom. That doesn’t excuse his behavior last time, though.”

Baby steps, ginger fox, but you’re coming along.

“That’s definitely not wrong, either,” Anton agrees. “Jasper needs to balance how he’s been raised with what he knows is right. Honestly, no one’s forced him to do that in such a bold manner before. Though, I suspect he enjoys the battle as much as the control.”

Zav’s blush gets deeper and he shakes his head. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, Sammy Subby,” X crows gleefully. “No shade, but your relationship with old Scaly Balls is less Spike and more Drusilla. But you’ll get there, man.”

I frown, considering that reference for a moment. “You have to mean in later sea?—”

“Good morning, students. Please turn your texts to page one hundred fifty-seven. We will be discussing the mythology of the Greeks today.”

Wincing as I flick the screen of my tablet to the right page, I look down at Lucian as he points to the big screen behind him. Pictured on it is a collage of mythicals beasts and he has a dark smirk on face as he looks at our group.

That isn’t good.

“As you can see,many of the creatures we’ve discussed today are depicted in various cultures with different names and abilities. Hybrid demons can be created from any number of supernaturals, including the creatures non-humans have classified as ‘mythical.’ Can one of you who paid attention list the mostcommonmythicals seen in our current age?”

Lucian behaved most of the class, surprisingly, but the information provided today has damn near blown my mind. Knowing that dragons, gorgons, unicorns, krakens, gargoyles and a host of things deemed ‘made-up’ in my previous world is hitting me especially hard at the moment. I know Zavida is Kitsune and Jasper’s a dragon, but the rest of them are pretty normal animals, so their shifter thing isn’t quite as awe-inspiring. This stuff is making me reel with questions and I can’t ask a single one because it would draw attention to myself.

Fucking asshole is shock-blocking me and I want to punch him.

“Are you okay, dude?”

Turning my head slowly to look at X, I shrug. “This is a bit… difficult. So many things we’re taught are myths—from the creatures to the stories of deities—are real. Maybe exaggerated for effect, but… imagining a unicorn striding into the room or Hades showing up for tea is mind blowing.”

Zavida grins as he pushes his ‘note taking’ glasses up. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain isn’t just a phrase, huh?”

I nod, running my fingers over Dottie’s head gently. “Exactly. It makes me wonder how much ‘fixing’ goes on to keep them unaware of things.”

Anton leans in, his eyes dancing. “That’s handled by all the agents. Demons could give a fuck less if they find out about us. The others care a ton because they live among the meat bagsorthey’ll be made to do shit when they pray. The jokers who work for the Society have all these rules and enforcers and cleaners to deal with it.”

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