Page 6 of Quiet Burn

Kit/Kat

Jasper throws the doors open, striding inside as if he owns the place—which he kind of does, I guess. His head is held high, chin tilted arrogantly, and his posture reeks of entitlement. It’s no different than normal, but I know this day is definitely yet another that’s going to change my entire fucking life.

I hate having men be responsible for my world tipping over, by the way.

The low roar of demons chattering dampens a bit as he crosses the floor with Slash and Zav at his side, followed by Anton and X, then Salem and I, and Oriel at the rear. It’s almost a military formation, so I assume the shark is the creator of this plan. He seems to take presentation seriously when people perceive the caliphate’s power, and Jasper made it clear he listens to his friend when it comes to that shit.

“Everyone is staring,” I mutter out of the side of my mouth to my partner. He chuckles softly, barely jerking his head in a nod. “They didn’t gawp this much last week.”

“Last week, the school hadn’t announced a millennia-old tradition returning to a population largely unprepared for that kind of brutality—except for the children and relatives of royals. They’ve come to the realization that caliphates such as ours are primed to survive, while many of them will not.”

Oriel snorts. “Not to mention no one is used to you having someone clutching your arm so confidently.”

Great. That means Jasper and the others were right about how quickly this shit will spread.

I suck in a slow, calming breath. Rumor mills were vicious after my attack, and I was bitter about the fosters sending me back like a poorly cooked steak, but I wasn’t sad about leaving that school. Humans are pack animals, no matter what anyone says, and their innate desire to belong leads them to be absolutely dog shit when it comes to compassion. It’s especially rough in preteen and teen years—not that being a fucking sociopath is ever okay—so the girls tore my reputation to pieces defending that piece of shit.

Their instant acceptance of a false narrative about me without a whiff of proof destroyed what little self-esteem I had left after the incident. My abuser got off scot-free, making sad faces like a wounded dove while I was castigated by his minions every day. Their betrayal wasn’t personal, my therapist told me, but it felt like it was. These chicks saw me all the time, minding my own business and not being troublesome, but they bought into a shiny cover story from someone they thought had more social sway. It took a long time to accept that it was more about their own fragile psyches than mine and I needed to let go of my anger towards the flying monkeys to focus it on the instigator—the true abuser.

“Kit?”

I blink, coming out of my trance to look at Salem as he holds a chair out for me. Shaking my head slightly, I lower myself onto it carefully and force a smile up at him as he scoots me in. Dottie jumps from his shoulder to the table, standing in front of me chittering softly. She knew I was having a moment, I think, so I reach out to let her grasp my finger. The touch is soothing and after a second, I’m able to clear my throat and murmur, “Thanks.”

The panda squints at me briefly, but nods and smiles so the people around us don’t see any strain. “Anytime, Kit Kat.”

Now that I’m seated, Jasper takes his chair at the head with a huff of impatience, then Slash and Zav flank him. Oriel sits on my other side, so X drops down across from me with Anton between him and Slash. They all look at me expectantly and I frown. “What?”

“Tell the big guy to grab your coffees, KK,” X says with a wink. Their flashy blazer has sequins that wink in the bright lights, and I have the strongest urge to ask them to fix my frumpy shit for me.

I can’t, obviously, or my stupid secret will be out, but damn, their shit is hot.

“Sorry,” I mumble. “I didn’t know I needed to… lead this?”

Anton shakes his head. “Not lead, per se. But… guide. Youhaveseen people dating before, right?”

The groan I want to release is full of irritation. Apparently, these assholes don’t have a damn clue how to ‘date’ someone and are using outdated bullshit from… TV shows or somethingas reference. They want me to act like a stereotypical girlfriend, sending them to fetch things and shit. This is going to be a pain in my ass; I’m pretending to be a dude, and I’m just not that kind of chick. No shade to women with those expectations; Kat Camponella is simply not high maintenance but for my stupid issues.

“Um…” I lick my lips, looking to the end of the table with what I hope is a pleasant smile. “Slash, can you get us some coffee? Salem packed my breakfast, but I’m dying for some caffeine.”

Oh, how stupid I feel right now. Shoot me… just shoot me in the face, please.

The big guy grins toothily, rumbling with what actually seems like pleasure. “I would be honored, little demon.”

My jaw drops as he stands, posture puffed up and proud like I handed him a medal. “What the hell?”

Salem snickers as he helps me get my delicious smelling food out of the ‘to go’ bag. “You’re about to find out somereallyinteresting shit about demon hybrids, Kit Kat.”

Burying my face in my hands, I groan as I rub my palms down my cheeks. “I amsonot ready for this crap. It’s too early and I hurt way too much to try to figure that statement out.”

“Relax,” Oriel says as his hand drops to squeeze my knee. “We’ll help you navigate it. You’re doing well so far. Everyone is whispering, and that’s what we wanted—them to watch this, not question why you look beat to hell.”

Perfect. That’s just what I was hoping for—not.

I’m sparklingfrom head-to-toe with anxiety by the time we finish eating. There were more eyes on me for that half-hour than I’ve had on me in alongtime. It was creepy as fuck, but I have to give Salem and Oriel credit for helping me stay anchored. Between them and Dottie, I was able to eat so Slash didn’t snarl at me, parry verbally with Jasper, and not toss my cookies all over the table.

It’s a Christmas miracle, Charlie Brown.

As we head for the doors of theTriclinium, I feel my chest get tighter. The bulk of the group have to head to their own classes, and I’ll have to endure this bullshit on my own. Dottie’s clinging to my neck, making soft sounds near my ear. I know she’s working to keep me level, and I appreciate it, but this charade and my aching body are making it tough.

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