Page 47 of Hell on Wheels
“I suppose not.” Rogue’s head tilts, and she gives me a serious look. “Is there a place for, like, kids? If so, none of this shit is being taught to us. You’d think as Guardians we’d need to know.”
Angelo grins. “They probably don’t tell you until you’re active, Princess, but those of us who live on the wrong side of the law know. If they’re under eighteen and out of control, they send them to Blackmoor Academy, and if they’re over eighteen, Discordia University. Unless they’ve done something unforgivable and then the Society chooses between prison on The Ramble, punishment, or death.”
Good gods, even I didn’t know that.
“I don’t know where or whatanyof those are,” Rogue whispers. “Our bosses are total shitheads. What if our charges end up there?”
“You’d be a failure as a Guardian and probably lose your job,” I reply as I sigh. “Let’s not worry about problems wedon’thave yet.”
“Fine,” she replies as she tucks her knees up. “What about the timing? The next day Saturn transits to Neptune. Have we checked that yet?”
“It’s February 28th today, so…” I wait for D to flip through his phone impatiently. “We have until March 3rd and it’s not a Leap Year.”
“This is gonna be the longest three days ever,” Archie says as he stretches. “Because if we’re not telling Reb or our folks before this thing… it’s not gonna escape people’s notice when we show up.”
Damon and Angelo look at one another for a moment, exchanging their crazy twin shit before they turn back to the rest of us. “Luca will shit a brick—we’re in.”
“I don’t know, guys,” Rogue says as she twists her fingers. “Samara will probably be okay, but Luca and Javi’s moms are going to lose their minds. A public announcement?”
“Luca will pretend he knows and has blessed it, especially in front of all the others. He won’t want anyone to assume we feel independent enough to do this without his knowledge; it would signal to the demons that it’s time for him to step down.” Angelo bobs his brows. “Which I believe it is, but I won’t push it.”
“You’d better not,” I mutter as I roll my eyes. “We have enough bullshit on our plates right now. We don’t need you challenging your dad for his thrones in Hell or in the mob.”
“Javi? You haven’t answered me yet.” Rogue’s voice is quiet and for the first time all day, unsure.
Damn those lowly ass parents of hers for making her feel unworthy.
I scoot closer, resting my head on her leg. “Dragonfly, you know I haven’t cared what my parents think for years. If I did, I wouldn’t be a bartender; I’d be running the family business with my father.”
Her expression softens, and she puts her hand over her mouth as she chuckles. “I can’t see you as a high-powered lawyer like your mom or a CEO like your dad. You have far too much flair to be so beige.”
“Excuse me? I thought of a problem we have that no one is mentioning,” Archie interjects as he raises his hand.
The twins roll their eyes. “This isn’t high school, dummy.”
“We need matching tux shit.”
I blink, frowning as I look at the lion shifter. “What? We all have tuxes.” I pause for a moment and reconsider. “Okay, perhaps everyone butRebelhas a tux.”
“No, he’s right,” Damon says with an inaudible sigh. “We have to match her dress and they have to be perfect. If the Appalachin is some sort of fancy affair this time, we will be expected to be kitted out to match her to a tee. They took care of our girl, but if we don’t get ourselves in line, we may not be allowed in.”
“That’s why they did it with such a tight deadline,” I growl as I shake my head. “They invited us to make sure they followed protocol, but with so little time to prepare that we could be prevented from coming along.”
Motherfucker. Whoever is behind this, they know the rules inside and out.
“How do you all propose we get the pissed off asswipe to the store to pick his shit?” Archie looks at all of us, momentarily serious. “Because we know he’s racing around like a fool right now and he might dig his heels in if we won’t tell him what he wants to know.”
Rogue flops back onto the pillows behind her, closing her eyes as she groans. “I’ll text the idiot. If I ask, he’ll come even if he’s mad at me.”
That makes me look at the others, and none of us can help smirking. How neither of them seems to realize that they’re both head over heels for one another is beyond me, but it’s going to get ugly before it gets better. I nip her knee lightly to get her attention, and she lifts her arm off of her face, looking down her body at me.
“What?”
“I think it’s interesting that the only person in this room who can get that hard-headed dick to comply is you. Don’t you think that’s interesting, Damon?”
The vengeance demon nods, looking serious. “I find it fascinating, Javier. What do you think, Archer?”
Yawning as his broad, golden body moves next to her, our leonine friend looks at her across the pillows. “I’vealwaysfoundthat suspicious, Damon. She’s the only one who can piss him off with very little consequences, too. Angelo, tell us what you think.”