Page 43 of Nope, No Regrets
“We all hate the Aether Circle, Rei. Bael has called the best minds in Hell together, trying to find a solution to make them pay for their crimes against demons while minimizing the number of innocent lives lost on both sides. Earth wouldn’t listen when Bael sent Barbatos to investigate our missing demons. They flat out refused to look at anything Solron dug up because of how it was obtained. They have rules about obtaining evidence there.
“They can’t ignore this. Sabrina is alive in Bael’s dungeon, and she’ll be kept in that state until Bael has used her to destroy them. This is bigger than you, Rei-chan. Yes, Sabrina came charging down here because of that grimoire, but that was their plan this entire time.
“Because you stole the grimoire, Sabrina acted on emotion, despite her coven trying to talk sense into her. She could have rebuilt the grimoire, and waited until all of them were on board. It was the whole principle of you breaking into their sacred space and taking their most prized possession when they thought no one would dare come for them. You are the reason we can finally make them pay, Rei-chan.”
“All those demons at the gate died, though. Everyone threatened to torture them if they let Kudan through, and they died valiantly defending the gates.”
“Hell isn’t perfect, Rei-chan. We don’t allow demons to live in poverty, and crime is low, but greed has a way of persisting in every realm, no matter the safeguards put in place to prevent it. Everyone in Hell knew there was a manhunt for Kudan, but he could still bribe his way out of the gates. We knew he was going to try to get back in, so we doubled the guards, and in doing so we just doubled the number of chances he had to find a palm to grease. This story could have gone down several ways. The demons at the gate could have taken a bribe, fled to Earth, and Kudan and the Aether Circle would have gotten through. If so, we wouldn’t have known until the next shift got there and found the gate unguarded. Or, they could have been decent, upstanding demons and defended the gates with their lives, which is what they signed up for when they took the job.”
Rei was sulking, and she looked fucking adorable. I wanted to bite that pouty lower lip. She wasn’t feeling guilty anymore. I think it was just now hitting her how influential she was in Hell, and how this wouldn’t be the first time people were willing to die, and had died, to keep her safe. Fuck, I wasn’t just speaking for myself. Everyone who came here with her would. Even that little psychopath witch, whose self-preservation skills involved killing anyone she viewed as a threat, would die for her.
Kudan wasn’t suited to rule this place. He thought they owed him everything, and from what Sota had told us, he wasn’t even that powerful of a Kitsune. Despite that, he seemed to inspire this weird loyalty, and he even had the usually careful Sabrina charging down here against the advice of her coven. Rei needed to hear a theory of mine.
“I don’t know your bother, Rei. I only saw his face the once outside the prison. I’ve met Sota, and I have enormous respect for him. He handled Warden Snow like a master. I’ve been trying to manage that witch for years, and Sota outmaneuvered her like he’s been the one working for her.
“We’ve all heard that Kudan is a spoiled traitor, and a weak Kitsune, but he’s not stupid, or he would have been caught by now. He skillfully manipulated demons into following him, and it’s entirely possible he did the same with Sabrina. Think about it… he wouldn’t have wanted the entire Aether Circle here, because everyone knows you can’t trust them.
“I fuckingloathethe Aether Circle, but everything they told Sabrina was perfectly logical. Sabrina wouldn’t be running the US branch if she didn’t listen to the rest of the coven. Really, think about it. Even if she wanted revenge for stealing from her, she wouldn’t have charged into an entire realm with so few people just to kill you! That is, not unless someone was whispering in her ear that she could pull it off and come out of it as a hero to her coven.”
“That’s chillingly accurate,” Sota said. “Kudan tried to keep the gifts he got with each tail a secret unless he absolutely had to reveal them. I was able to identify five powers from his tails, but I’ve long suspected telepathy was one of them. I think he gained that with his second tail. He’s always known exactly what to say to usually sane, and obstinate demons to get his way.”
“You’re not wrong,” Rei’s father said. “He showed the second tail off at the party we threw him, but said he wanted to keep the ability it bestowed upon him secret for a little while. His mother and I thought he was just ashamed of it and would get over it. We gave him space, and he used it to turn people against me. He tried to have me killed shortly after.”
Idid notlike the idea of anyone reading my private thoughts, and I could see how that skill could be abused if you were an idiot trying to insert yourself into a post by force.
“It’s a rare skill, and one that most demons don’t want,” Sota said. “Those that do, use it to help people. Kudan could have used it for conflict resolution instead of digging into people’s private thoughts to find out the best way to bribe them.”
“Yes, well, that nonsense is over,” Rei’s dad said. “Soon, the Aether Circle will not be having a very good time. Bael took it personally when they killed demons, and Earth wouldn’t turn them over to us. Solron and Bael have talked about it a lot. She’s just as furious as he is. For now, we need to relax and celebrate.”
Rei let out a little growl and jumped from the table. She crouched in the corner and bared her canines at us. What the fuck?! No one was barging into the room and attacking us! Sota and her father didn’t look the slightest bit worried. Her father was straight up beaming.
“Iknewthe massacre was going to give you another tail. You’re going to be so powerful!” he said, clapping his hands.
Sure enough, that red cloud surrounded Rei, and her silver fox was back with a new tail. Before we even had time to process, the windows shook with a loud clap of thunder, and the room lit up with lightning. I thought her father was going to wet himself, he was that giddy.
“Storm powers!” he squealed. “Highly rare and very coveted.”
Rei growled, and her gaze landed on Rajack and Dakarys. That was our cue to leave. Her fox instincts got stronger with every tail, and right now her fox wanted a sphinx and a gargoyle. I ushered everyone out of the room and fired a text off to Skoll.
They had already spelled my phone so that it could communicate between realms. I’d been in contact with Hauser to let him know where Rei was. Skoll invited me to dinner, and I asked him if he could make room for a psycho witch, and a Tengu.
I was sure Sota could amuse himself, and he knew everyone here, but Wren didn’t, and she would be all alone when I left. Still, Sota was one of us, and I couldn’t help but like him.
Skoll had no problem with that, and said he would invite Charley. Wren would be amused while I asked Skoll a million questions. I was starting to get what he was saying about how a wolf could share, but there was something nagging at me… something I didn’t get, and didn’t think I would be okay with; Skoll’s mate was pregnant, and the child wasn’t his. I wanted pups with Rei, but I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t snap and want to kill the others if she got pregnant and the baby wasn’t mine.
