Page 16 of Quiet Burn

I grimace, looking at my sensitive friend with a shrug. “Intuition. Something’s off.”

Kit stops taking notes and elbows me in the side. “What’s off? Is someone going to cause trouble?”

Definitely not the result I was looking for.

Patting his hand lightly, I shake my head. “No, Kit. No one is targeting us at the moment. You can focus on the lesson without worrying.”

Anton grins as the tension even I could feel amping up in the air fades, and once Kit is distracted again, he whispers, “You can tell me later. But I’m not going to let it go now that I have the scent of a secret.”

“Mr. Stryker!”

The sharp reprisal comes out of nowhere and I have to stifle a groan when Kit turns red and gives Salem a mean-looking pinch. It’s only nine a.m. and somehow, the panda shifter is asleep at the wheel. You’d think the professors here would make accommodations for the biological natures of hybrids, but Hell doesn’t have an ADA law. My need to move—sharks don’t stay still—and Salem’s sleepiness are just some of the problems they pretend are misbehavior instead of instinctual traits.

“Shit,” Salem says with a yawn as he stretches. “You fell down on the job, Kit Kat.”

A bolt of magic sizzles past our friend’s ear, and we all turn back to Wormwood. “I’ll thank you tonotuse my lecture as nap time from now on or you’ll get dungeon detention for a month.”

“He didn’t do it on purpose!”

Damn it, Kit. That fucking humanity is going to get us all detention.

“Mr. Camponella, no one asked for your ill-informed opinion. Now if we can all?—”

The kid stands and glares at the mage, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not ‘ill-informed’. Anyone with an internet connection can research pandas and his snoozy issues are common even in non-demon hybrids. It doesn’t deserve an admonishment or a punishment. Obviously, you could have used magic to get him up without even telling the rest of class.”

Wormwood’s teeth lengthen and his scent changes as he heads for the stairs to come up to the seats where we’re camped out. “Since you’re so well versed, Mr. Camponella, perhapsyoushould serve as the proxy for his punishment. You clearly feel powerful enough to intervene.”

“That seems rather unfair,” Anton says as he shifts in his seat. A fluffy feather floats past my face and I groan inwardly.

His peacock doesn’t like the character of people he’s fond of being challenged—Wormwood just insulted two in one go.

“Jasper’s going to fucking murder me,” I grumble to my companions. “But fuck it.”

I rise to my feet, my bulk shielding Annie from people’s view. His bird is too much of a draw not to cause a damn crowd, and I need to shut this shit down before it gets worse. My eyescut to Salem, who’s trying to get his sleep-addled brain back to non-hibernation mode so he’s useless. Putting a hand on Kit’s shoulder, I wait for the professor to get closer. If I need to block something, I will, but I’m not going to attack unless I have to.

“Mr. Scrum, are you vying for dungeon duty as well?”

Giving him a half-shifted, shark toothed grin, I stay quiet until he’s within range. “I think this has escalated far enough. We should move on.”

“As long as Salem isn’t getting in trouble, I’m fine with that,” Kit mutters as he leans into me slightly. “But once I figure out what the fuck I’m doing, I’m hexing this fucker’s dick twelve ways from Tuesday. What a douche.”

“What did you say, Mr. Camponella?” The dhampir’s fury is increasing, and his speed is an issue if he uses that rather than magic. “Would you like to repeat it for the entire room?”

Kit snorts and shakes his head. “I highly doubt you want me to do that.”

None of us do because it will get us sent to Darkstar’s office for certain.

“Texting this mess to the group,” Anton whispers from behind me.

That’s helpful. It means if Wormwood decides to fuck with us via administrative complaints, Jasper will have it handled before we’re out of our second class. “Again, we should move on.”

“The time for moving on has passed, Scrum. Your puny recruit is now the proud recipient of my first month of dungeon detention.” He turns to Kit, his fangs protruding creepily as heeyes the small guy. “Make sure you’re wearing clothes you don’t mind throwing away. I have very special tasks in mind for you.”

A shiver runs through him, and my eyes widen as Kit grabs my hand to squeeze it. “I can take anything you throw at me, asshole. You’re nothing more than a bully using your position to treat demons who are better than you like shit. Bring it on.”

Is this kid trying to give me a fucking heart attack?

By the timeWormwood settles down and class continues, the word has a spread.

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