Page 66 of Failed State

To do that, we need to figure out how to fuck up the Markers—and I know someone who figured it out.

I’M NICER THAN MY FACE LOOKS

ELIAS

Sipping my coffee,I wait for the others to rise. Last night was irritating for me, but as a royal, I frequently had to give up my personal needs for the good of my kingdom long before the idiotic humans locked me up. If it weren’t for their miraculous invention that keeps us from accessing most of our powers, I’d still be reigning over my people off the West Coast, unconcerned with their bullshit insecurities.

However, that ship sailed four years ago and as much as it chaps my spikes, I’m beholden to their whims.

The vampire was sure the magical Lothario could calm the little rebel down. He practically had to hog-tie the demon and the bear to keep them from joining in, but in the end, we allowed Stormbringer to shoot his shot. The rest of us took care of getting dinner, and when it came, I walked theirs down the hall to her room. The secretive thumbs-up I got when I delivered it made me hopeful, and now I’m simply waiting to see if things have been smoothed over. Our first class is one about social media with Krista, so we all need to be in sync.

“You get up this early every morning, dragon?”

Turning to look at the bloodsucker, I nod. “Force of habit. My kind like to greet the sun over the waves and though I haven’t been able to since my capture, it’s been ingrained for too long to change now.”

Sebastian walks over to pour himself a mug of the caffeinated brew, eyeing me with an amused expression. “That’s a lot of words for you.”

“Sometimes, more words are necessary; sometimes, they are not.”

“Communication is much smoother when everyone is sharing as much as possible, but then, I’m a demon,” Huck says as he stumbles out to join us. He’s still in his joggers, but the damn hat is on his head like it’s glued there permanently.

Shrugging, I take another sip before I respond. “Unsurprising.”

“That’s more like it,” the vampire says with a smirk. “Though you two being on opposing ends of the spectrum isn’t a stretch. Demons enjoy twisting words like the Fae, while dragons have made grunting a language unto itself.”

“Please don’t provoke anyone, Whitmore.” Thad walks out of his room and into the kitchen area with a yawn. “We need to be calm and united for Sydney. She’ll be in a mood for a couple of days after that bullshit yesterday. Trust me, I know.”

We all look at one another, sharing a grimace as the other two pour themselves morning joe. I hope he’s mistaken; the mage was sent to help her come to terms with her anger. If he failed, it will set us back for as long as she rages at something that cannot be changed. I understandwhysomeone raised like a human might attach such significance to a thing that can be taken away at any time—don’t mistake me. But I also know that this will not be the last thing they force on us as we move through this cocked-up contest. That much became clear when they added piercings to places that audiences should never beable to see; they intend to play up our sexuality for popularity, as much as any other skills or attributes.

There may not be lines these fuckers refuse to cross, and we need to slowly prepare ourselves for that.

“Good morning.”

The soft voice catches me off-guard, and as we whip our heads toward the hall to see Sydney coming toward us, I’m struck by the difference in her posture from last night. Her hair is twisted into the long braid again, and she’s got makeup on, though not as much as the humans put on her. Unlike the rest of us, the little rebel is dressed in her uniform, every inch of her looking like she’s ready to face the nonsense downstairs. I have to cover my surprise with my mug because I don’t want to spook her.

“Hey, Syd,” the bear says with a broad grin. He walks over and squeezes her shoulder with a smile that you’d have to be an idiot not to recognize as smitten. “Want a coffee?”

“I think so. Thanks, Thaddy,” she says. Her gaze flits to each of us and she ducks her head as he walks away. “So… I’m sorry I was so sharp. I needed to work through some shit—which I guess you know—but I also needed to get over myself. I didn’t know that, but I do now.”

Sebastian blinks, tilting his head as he stares. “Huh?”

I’m kind of impressed that she shut him the fuck up.

“Rory came to talk to me. He helped me sort through all the shit, although I was pretty determined to feel sorry for myself.” Sydney sighs heavily, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt. “Because of that, I forgot that you guys and every other damn supe in these places have all had to suffer indignities as bad and worse as I did last night. And that perhaps I’d been sticking my head in the sand about how shitty others have it, especially since no one ever called me out on my bullshit.”

Huck and Thad look at each other guiltily, which almost makes me laugh. It’s obvious who was helping her stay angry and focused only on her own injustices. I can’t fault them for it, though; I probably would have wanted her to stay oblivious to the darker side of the camps, too. Sydney looks at them with a stern gaze, her arms crossed over her chest as her posture stiffens again.

“Don’t do that anymore. I know why you did it, and I appreciate you wanting to protect me. But I have to be aware of everything if we’re going to succeed. And I can’t be above criticism, either. Rory called me to the carpet on being self-absorbed and he was right to do it.”

“I am occasionally quite erudite,” the mage says as he strolls down the hall with rumpled hair and a smirk. “People miss it because I’m so damned hot. But the old noggin is just as sharp as yours, guys.”

Huck rolls his eyes as the bear gives our woman her coffee. “But you don’t mind being spoiled as a prize piggy, I assume.”

Sydney shrugs and takes the drink with a grateful smile. “You are supposed to pretend to be courting me. That’s the plan, isn’t it? I don’t know a damn thing about dating, but everything I’ve seen says this kind of thing is part of it.”

“It is.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes at me, and I consider throttling the sarcastic asshole until he nods. “For some of us, it will be easier than others to play the role.”

---