Page 16 of Misfit Monsters (Pack of Outcasts #1)

Periwinkle

T he silence in the administration room lingers, as if Rollick is waiting out the rest of us to see who’ll break it first. I’m not ashamed to pipe up in the hopes of ending the uncomfortable tension.

“Where are we going, and how are we getting there?”

The demon smiles. “Excellent enthusiasm. I’ll give you a thorough briefing before you leave.”

“Briefing with plenty of grief-ing,” Mirage says in his singsong voice. There’s a swish as his tail appears and promptly vanishes again.

Toni narrows her eyes at the fox shifter. “You need to keep all those inhuman appendages under wraps when you’re away from the academy. We have to stop these shadowkind creatures from catching the attention of mortals, not add to the problem. ”

He offers her a jerky salute, as if he’s trying to be playful but can’t quite pull off his usual irreverence. “And if I mess up again, I’m really in a mess. Mess age received loud and clear.”

How exactly did he mess up in the first place? I haven’t seen Mirage get into any significant trouble here at the school. But then, he could say the same about me.

Hail scoffs. He’s put on a bored expression, but the uneasiness wafting off him tastes bitter as wasabi. “This whole group is a mess. If you want me to prove something, let me do it myself. These duds will only drag me down.”

Raze lets out a growl, tension rippling through his ropey muscles. “If we’re here because we’re duds, I think that means you’re one too.”

They’re all agitated, upset. That’s the opposite of our assignment.

With a bright if cautious smile, I hold up my hands.

“Hey, we’re not duds, any of us, or Rollick wouldn’t think we can handle this problem.

It’s incredibly generous that he’s giving us another chance instead of banishing us.

We’ll find those weirdo shadowkind and figure out what’s up with them, no problem. ”

Raze’s fierce expression softens. Maybe he’s not still pissed off at me over our gore-splattered room.

Hail shakes his head, but he doesn’t outright argue. Despite his dismissive attitude, the bitter flavor of his emotions turns milder.

Mirage shivers and then cracks his knuckles. “Weirdo shadowkind. Takes some to know some, huh?” His chuckle still sounds a bit tight but more honestly amused than before.

Satisfied, I turn back to the table to find all the administrators studying… me. I’m not sure how to read some of their expressions, but Gnash is definitely suspicious an d Pearl is pleased. Rollick has a gleam in his eyes I’d call sly if that made sense.

Al simply looks bemused. “Well, Rollick, your choices might not be quite as inexplicable as they first appeared.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Albumin.” Rollick claps his hands for our full attention.

“You’ll be supplied with phones within the hour, at which point you’ll head out.

I’ve pulled all the details I have into a comprehensive report that I’ll send to your devices.

The unfortunate fact is that we don’t have a tremendous number of details at this point. ”

Raze frowns. “You said the other beings who’ve gone to investigate didn’t come back or returned injured. If we run into trouble where we’re going, what should we do?”

The demon’s eyebrows arch. “I’d imagine you’re more than a match for anything you might find out there if it comes to a physical fight.

The sightings have come from a fairly desolate area of northeastern Canada, where few beings of both the shadow and the human kind make their home.

Jonah will have contact information for associates of mine in nearby cities, but they wouldn’t be able to provide immediate support. ”

If the problem is happening out in the wilderness, it’s no wonder information is scarce. There could be all kinds of things going on up there that no one’s witnessed.

I keep my chin high. We do have a combination of impressive powers. I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll be able to pick up on the emotions of any humans or shadowkind we encounter. That’ll be handy for judging threats.

There’ll also be fewer people around who I could hurt if I have an outburst. It all works in our favor… except for the whole walking into unknown danger part.

“I’m sure we can look after ourselves well enough to get a handle on the situation,” Jonah says. His voice stays calm, but I taste an undercurrent of anxiety with a metallic tang.

He’s not even shadowkind, and he’s getting stuck watching over four of us who’ve done enough harm to nearly get kicked out of the academy. I guess he can work his sorcery if we get too unruly, but from what I’ve seen so far, he wouldn’t enjoy having to enforce order with his magic.

That’s why Rollick is sending him, though. He’s the only one who could control us if we’re acting out—other than by tackling us with physical force.

I’ll take mind control over being shredded to a pulp, thank you.

Rollick nods to Jonah. “The five of you will fly up in one of my jets, and I’ll have a camper van waiting for you—large enough that you can use it as a base of operations.

It’ll be stocked with plenty of food and other supplies.

The more you can steer clear of the human settlements up there, the better.

They’ve already gotten more glimpses of shadowkind than I like. ”

Hail grimaces. “Is this really a test or just another type of banishment? Or a punishment, having to deal with them?” He flicks his fingers toward the rest of us.

“What about us having to deal with you?” Raze snarls.

Mirage laughs and whips himself around in a graceful twirl. “The games are already beginning.”

Shanty stands with a scrape of her chair legs loud enough that all three of the men go still and silent.

She eyes each of them with a stern expression. “I’m only going to remind you once. Rollick is making a very generous offer, but it’s limited to one chance. You’re going to have to figure out how to work together rather than tearing each other’s heads off, or you’ll all be banished.”

I swallow thickly. I’d like to vote for heads staying on.

Rollick rubs his hands together. “I’m going to arrange your vehicle and that briefing. I can see you four had better stay in here and practice your ‘getting along’.”

As he saunters out, another shadowkind appears at the doorway. She murmurs to Pearl, who leans over to speak with her colleagues.

Shanty turns to me. “You have a friend who’s noticed your absence and asked permission to say goodbye. Would you like to reassure her that you’re not banished from this plane of existence just yet?”

My heart leaps with a pang of affection. “Fen?” The siren inclines her head. “Yes, please and thank you.”

As she ushers me to the doorway, Hail lets out a haughty sigh that I ignore. Where’s his fan club gone? Do they even know he nearly got banished?

Do Raze and Mirage have any friends? I’ve never seen Raze talk to… anyone, really. People like to laugh at Mirage’s antics, but I’m not sure I’ve noticed him having an actual conversation either.

Should that make me sad or scared?

Shanty stays with me in the hall. In a matter of minutes, Fen comes hustling toward us. Her face brightens when she sees me.

I open my arms, and she accepts the hug, even though she has to lean over me with our height difference.

When she steps back, her fingers are dripping a murky puddle onto the floor. “I was so worried when I heard they put you in isolation.”

I pat her reassuringly before she needs to go on. “It’s okay. I’m not being banished. I’m doing like an extra credit project to hone my self-control, so I’ll be able to fit in better when I get back.”

That seems like a reasonable way of framing the mission. I glance at Shanty, and she gives me a shrug of casual approval .

“That’s great!” Fen beams. “I’ll miss you, but it won’t be so bad if I know you’ll be back.”

I give her arm another squeeze. “Don’t let the harsher beings get you down. I’ll see you soon.”

I hope.