Page 12

ANARCHY IN THE FSHA

HUCKLEBERRY

The damn unicorn shifter in charge of my exam was a perv, I’m sure of it. He sent his mage nurse packing for some bullshit reason and after that, I got the most thorough exam of my entire existence. That’s a long damn time, and it’s definitely topping my list for the weirdest shit since the damn Unveiling.

I’m a fucking fear demon; what could they possibly be worried about in regards to my constitution?

Now that I’m done with my creepy check-up, I plop down next to Syd. She’s sitting far enough away from Krista that I know it’s intentional and it makes me chuckle. Our girl doesn’t trust anyone, which is probably what kept her alive when her father was killed. It’s saved her ass in Tempest a few times, but nothing quite as dramatic as evading death squads. She doesn't seem upset by her experience, so her doc must not have been quite so handsy.

“Ready for the next step in the shit show, sweet pea?” I ask in a low voice.

Her head jerks up and I realize I caught her in the middle of a deep thought. “Shit, Huck. I almost stabbed you.”

Blinking, I look down to see her hand covering the knife she carries as it points at my ribs. I know she can take care of herself—mostly—but it’s still hot when I get to witness it. “Gotta keep your noggin in the game right now. I got too close before you snapped out of it, don’t you reckon?”

“Yes,” she admits grumpily. “It’s just… I can’t talk about it here. I’m muddling something and it feels important. But I don’t know what the fuck it means or what to do with it.”

Arching a brow, I look at her seriously. “Your doc or nurse didn’t… get too touchy-feely, did they? ‘Cause mine was fucking weird.”

“Weird, yes; creepy, no.” Sydney frowns as she tucks the knife back into hiding. “How was your exam creepy?”

“It was pretty damn comprehensive for a demon exam. We’re built different, with extreme life spans, and hard to target weaknesses. Medical personnel aren’t typically so careful and meticulous with us. This unicorn dude was toes-to-nose with me and it was strange.”

Her reply is cut off by Thaddeus’ emergence from his room. The bear doesn’t look particularly bothered, either, so I wonder if it was just me. “Thad’s coming.”

“Syd, everything okay?” His huge frame wrestles into the open seat on her other side and she lets out a slow breath. “You seem…contemplative.”

I snort. “In other words, she’s thinkin’ too hard, as always.”

“Hush,” is all our girl says. Her eyes are fixed on the other doors and I realize she’s focused on something I don’t see. “They’re coming out soon, I think. I don’t want to be overheard.”

The first door opens to the smarmy mage laughing as his nymph nurse leads him out to the waiting area. Sparks dance over his limbs as he walks towards us, finally wriggling out of her grasp when he reaches the seats. Rory frowns when he notices the chairs on either side of Sydney are taken and I smirk at him.

No way in hell I’m letting these douches anywhere near her.

“The two of you are just adorable , protecting our teammate from us big bads.” The mage tilts his head as he looks at me with a knowing grin. “She hasn’t even given her name yet and she was given mine. It’s very rude.”

Sydney’s head whips up and she leans forward in her chair to glare at the arrogant magic wielder. “My name is Sydney Jolie and knowing that won’t help you in the slightest. But hey, at least the cheesy mage won’t think I’m rude now.”

“Ouch,” Thad says, his chuckle rumbling darkly. “Guess that’s what you asked for, though.”

Stormbringer just laughs, his eyes dancing with the same electricity his skin does. “Excellent response. Now, about your bodyguards…”

Her sigh is heavy and full of disdain, but Syd looks him in the eyes. “Thaddeus is the bear and Huck is the fear demon. They’re not my bodyguards, and you’re not my friend. Stop acting like the three of you won’t sell us out at the first chance for glory or riches.”

“That would be counter-productive, as Krista has pointed out. Is there something wrong with your hearing?”

The motherfucking vampire moved so fast none of us even knew he’d exited his damn room.

“Why would that matter to a traitorous blood-sucking scumbag like you?” Our girl’s eyes narrow, and I’m a little surprised at her venom. She can be rough, but this feels… personal.

Rory whistles, slapping his palms on his large thighs. “ Vicious . I love it. That’s your new name, Sydney Jolie— Vicious .”

Oh, he thinks he’s clever referencing the human punk rocker. How quaint.

“Again, I believe your ability to process information must be flawed.” Sebastian shakes his head, foregoing the chairs to lean against a wall opposite from us. “We cannot win as individuals and the prize is not meant for an individual.”

Thad glares at the mage, then at the vampire before he speaks. “Why in the hell would we believe anything they or you tell us? Trusting that either of your species has a better nature is why all of us are in camps, Whitmore.”

“Naivete is why everyone is in camps,” the vampire says as he pushes the hair out of his face. “Believing that every member of any species is capable of learning new information without panic or able to accept change was a grave mistake made by the entirety of the supernatural community. That fact doesn’t absolve humanity of it’s role in genocide, nor does it excuse it; it simply explains why our situation exists.”

Krista clears her throat, finally looking up from her phone. “I’m not certain this conversation is appropriate…”

“Then get the fuck away from us.” The snarl comes from the enormous tattooed dragon shifter as he stalks out of his room. A doctor and a nurse scurry away from him as quickly as they can, faces white as ghosts. He stomps over to our group, looking at all of us with a narrowed sea green stare. “We should proceed to the next step before I decide I’m tired of all the yapping and do something about it.”

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, the human once said.

The ‘mental health’ review went about as expected—an outdated battery of questions geared for humans on a bank of computers. The predatory nature of most supes means it will classify us all as psychopaths or sociopaths, if only because we view the world differently than they do. With the trauma of the past four years thrown into the mix, it’s a recipe for a bunch of angry, powerless beings who were used to having the universe at their fingertips, even in secret. I can’t imagine what the hell any of those results will do beyond identify the competitors mostly likely to be feral.

That would make for good ratings, so maybe that’s the goal.

Krista has stayed quiet as we trudge to the next big area. Her phone dinged while we were walking, so maybe she got the analysis of the absolutely insane team they gave her. Syd’s answers couldn’t have been encouraging, and it would only get worse from there. Thad might be the sanest egg in the carton, but he’s an apex predator in animal form, so his relative sanity won’t mesh with what humans expect, either. Regardless, the chick has shut her yap and it makes it a lot easier to think.

“Wait here,” she snaps, and I smirk at my friends as we claim seats.

She definitely got the results.

“If they don’t feed us soon, I’m going to eat her,” Sydney says grouchily. “They’ve gotten us used to not eating much, but this is bullshit. It’s been hours since breakfast and we’re in the part of the building with zero ability to see outside. It could be nine p.m. for all we know.”

The dark scoff from the vampire makes her bristle and she glares, but he shrugs. “It’s afternoon. Again, your knowledge of my kind is shockingly deficient for someone judging me so ferociously.”

Thad leans forward, putting his biceps on his knees. “You can tell time with your… mojo?”

“Yes… mojo ,” Sebastian snorts, shaking his head. “Vampires have a very sensitive internal clock. It’s an old trait from when we had to be more mindful of the sun setting and rising. In recent centuries, we’ve evolved to have a higher threshold for its rays, so it’s not an instant puff of smoke as you know.”

Sydney gives him a knowing look, her eyes dark. “Ah, but eventually, you all go up. It’s just variable based on age and power levels. And chopping your goddamn heads off still works.”

“Now, children,” Rory interjects. “Personal differences aside, we all have weaknesses. Vicious here is the most limited because her Marker has fritzed her development… I think.”

Awfully intuitive for a sleazy magical himbo, but the sun even shines on a dog’s ass some days.

“Her magic is none of your business, dickhead,” Thad growls and I have to swallow a laugh. The boy is simply unable to keep his damn weaknesses to himself. If that was fishing, he just got hooked.

“Interesting.” Sebastian tilts his head, his eyes glittering with pleasure. “The bear’s weakness is not only his species based ones—overheating at speed and shitty turn radius—but also the girl. Good to know.”

“The mage is overconfident and lacks control,” I offer as I lean my chair back, balancing on the back legs. “Syd covered yours, fang face.”

“Holy water.” Everyone looks at the silent, hulking dragon standing a couple feet away from us in surprise. I tilt my head at him, curious why he was a lockdown loser beyond looking dangerous as fuck.

“Nada, compadre. That’s old news since the Church scandals. You’d have to find very specific priests and unsullied people to produce any that would burn me now. Weird loophole our kind found, but we’re crafty.”

His huge teeth are bared when he gives us a creepy grin. “You think they won’t find clean people if it makes this more exciting? Now who’s overconfident?”

Fuck me, the damn monster is right.

“We all have weaknesses, by species and personally.” Sydney pins each one of us with a stare, her expression serious. “It will take time for the second half of that to feel safe to share—if ever. But if the crap they’ve been spewing about ‘all or none’ is true, then you motherfuckers need to get your dicks in line. I want the hell out of here.”

Elias studies her for a moment, then nods. “That should be our primary goal. We have little time to execute.”

My brow furrows as his words trigger something in the back of my mind. “You speak like someone who’s seen the back of battle, dragon.”

“I have. This will likely be worse.”

“Why?” Thad asks as his hand lands on our girl’s knee. “I mean, I don’t know what battles or why you’re locked up, but…”

The dragon grunts as he shifts, looking around the space for a moment before he responds. “I’m old enough to have survived many wars these people don’t even know happened. The seas, the air, the dragons, the leadership… My kind is built to swing the balance, no matter what flavor of dragon we are.”

“You’re super old !” Sydney gasps as she looks at him. Her lips quirk up and the tattooed lizard snarls softly. “Don’t worry, old man. Huck’s not a spring chicken, either.”

For fuck’s sake…

“The vampire is likely far older than he appears,” Rory says as his chest puffs up. “That leaves us and your teddy bear as the youthful contingent.”

“Shut. Up. Spellsucker.”

I have to turn away so I don’t laugh as the vampire grits his fangs and the dragon huffs. Caring about age is such a fucking human concept; it only proves Syd and the bouncy mage are the closest to their species in our group. Magic users always have been on that thin line between the two, and only when they have a great deal of power do they exceed their mostly weak meat suits.

Another reason I’m making nice with these fools—I’m fond of our girl’s meat suit and I’d like it to stay intact—not that they need to know that.

The balancing act of living after The Unveiling just got infinitely harder.