Alyssa felt her life slowly get back to normal. Of course, the last week had been a shit show with the replicators or whatever the fuck they were called. Too bad she and Damien didnât go on the trip this past week. But, she did want to go away with Damien for her birthday and heâd spoiled her of course.
Tonight they planned on hitting up Verdant and then going back to Damienâs. Her hand remained in her vampireâs as they walked, Alyssa staying close to the blue-eyed vampire.
As they rounded the corner, a guy suddenly appeared and Alyssa basically slammed on the brakes to avoid walking into him. Oh God. Another new person. If Alyssa could stop being around for random arrivals that would be great.
She looked at Damien and knew heâd want to keep walking. Unfortunately for him, heâd grown to care about a Netherling who still cared about people. Instead of walking away, she took in the guy in front of her and said, âAre you okay?â He dressed a bit old-fashioned, and had a cane, but Alyssa didnât want to pry at the moment.
One moment they were on their way to Verdant, Alyssaâs hand in his, and preparing for a good time and the next there was a young man in front of them on the sidewalk. Alyssa came to a sudden halt to avoid running into him and Damien quickly moved to steady her with a protective arm around the waist.
It was clear the young man dressed in old-fashioned clothing and clutching a cane was a new arrival, but that didnât mean Damien wanted anything to do with him. Unfortunately, Alyssa had other plans. Of fucking course.
Though annoyed, Damien stayed close, an arm still around her waist as the Netherling inquired how the young man was doing. Damien could have answered that question. He was no doubt pissed off to find himself here and probably fucking confused.
Watching as Injej ran towards her family, Kaz had felt a sense of happiness and peace he hadnât known in so long. Perhaps even nervous at the thought of meeting that family heâd had the honor of hearing so much about during the time heâd known their incredible daughter. Kaz was about to start after her, a foot raised and cane in place, when suddenly the world shifted around him. Blinking, his vision became blurry, the images running together like ink, and then it sharpened again.
Except Kaz wasnât in Ketterdam anymore and he was no longer looking at Inej greeting her family at the docks. Instead, he was facing a young woman with wings(?) and a stern, pale man who gave off an air of annoyance and superiority. The bastard of the barrel blinked in confusion and took a step back from the pair. Who the fuck were they? Where the hell was he? Where was Inej?
The thought that heâd been drugged did cross Kazâs mind, but how? When? No, somehow, as much as he hated to admit it, Kaz knew this was real. These people were real. Inej. Kazâs hand still radiated with the warmth of her touch beneath the black leather of his glove. He clenched his fist; no, he had to focus. To find Inej, he had to figure out what was going on first.
The young woman asked if he was okay and Kaz âs expression remained neutral, but there was annoyance visible in the depths of his gaze. âOf course Iâm not. Where am I? And who the hell are you?â And why the hell was she dressed like an actor on stage?
Alyssa opened her mouth when the welcoming committee showed up, rather faster than Alyssa expected. The woman gave the whole spiel to the young man and then turned to look at Alyssa and Damien. âIt would appear your guardian is already here,â before leaving.
DidâŚthe woman mean Damien or Alyssa? Given the pair didnât live together, she had to assume they meant one or the other. Either way, it would undoubtedly give her vampire an aneurysm. Alyssa moved closer to Damien, as a way to assure him she still stood next to him.
âNo, of course you arenât. That was a stupid question that just left my mouth,â Alyssa admitted. âIâm Alyssa.â She noticed the gloves on his hands and didnât move to shake a hand or anything. âThis is Damien. Welcome to Madison Valley.â The blonde added, because she noticed him eyeing her wings, âThe wings are real.â Lying seemed pointless when the young man appeared clearly annoyed and could obviously see her wings. Honestly, he seemed older than one who needed a guardian, but considering Alyssa ended up with one when she arrived, she knew ages here did not always correspond with looks. After all, she and Kol looked close in age and her big brother was centuries older than her.
Damien could not blame the young man for reacting the way he was towards both of them. Heâd arrived in a situation, a setting, without any explanation. While part of Damien wanted to rip him apart for being rude to Alyssa, he could also understand those feelings of annoyance and anger. Because heâd felt them too upon arriving in Madison Valley. Sometimes, when he was alone, he still felt them.
Before he could say anything anyway, the welcoming committee showed up and promptly appointed Alyssa or Damien to be this guyâs guardian. Damienâs gaze shifted to Alyssa and then to the young man standing before them who looked equally confused if not also insulted. He didnât look young enough to need a guardian, but obviously, looks were deceiving and he was a teenager. The thought of Alyssa being a guardian to whoever the fuck this was did not sit well with Damien. Hell, Damien possibly being his guardian did not sit well with the vampire. He already had his hands full with Bran.
Even as Alyssa moved closer in an attempt to reassure him, Damien eyed Kaz warily. Not surprising, the young man looked at him much the same way. Alyssa introduced them, but Damienâs gaze was on the paper in Kazâs hand. After she finished explaining her wings, Damien nodded towards it.
âWho is your guardian? The welcoming committee didnât exactly narrow it down.â
And a woman was suddenly in front of him, explaining what they could about his arrival and presenting him with information concerning his guardian. Guardian? What the hell? Kaz did not need a guardian, but even as he argued the woman simply shrugged her shoulders. Apparently, it was illegal for him to be on his own here because he was under eighteen. Fuck that. Kaz glanced down at the paper in his hand, noting the name and address of the young woman who was now officially his guardian. No doubt they would be as thrilled as he was.
And apparently she was the winged woman right in front of him. What? While the representative had not been specific, as soon as Alyssa introduced herself and her boyfriend, Kaz knew it was her. Damien looked as if he wanted to eat Kaz and the Bastard of the Barrel wasnât surprised that he was overly protective. It was a typical reaction given the situation. Not that he had to worry. Kaz only had eyes for one woman and she wasnât here.
Inej. Kaz pushed the thought away and focused on the two people before him. âMy name is Kaz,â he replied, then shifted his gaze to Damien. He didnât say it was nice to meet them because it wasnât. He didnât want to be here. âAnd your wing woman is my guardian.â
Alyssa planned on thanking Damien appropriately, later, for not tearing apart someone whoâd been ripped from his world and kidnapped. When the Dome brought her back this last time, sheâd wanted to burn down the entire world to get back home; watch in glee as every atom in this Dome turned to ash. Hell, she still considered it at times, to maybe get back to her children, Ivory, Rabid. Thankfully, returning to therapy helped, even if Alyssa preferred Cami to Linda. Plus that damn wish sheâd made helped keep her from falling to pieces. Alyssa loved too many people here to actually burn it all at this point and she looked forward to a future with Damien. As if, to keep from falling too much into her feelings, Alyssa squeezed her vampireâs hand to bring herself back to the here and now. Lately, sheâd found times where sheâd have to force herself out of her own little world. Snapping off snippets of oneâs sanity had that effect.
âHello Kaz. Iâm really sorry youâve been pulled into this place.â A pause. âYou strike me as someone who is used to being on his own, so I promise not to interfere too much.â Her free hand pushed her hair out of her face. âYouâll have your own room, of course. I live with my sister and her boyfriend.â Another pause, because Alyssa didnât want to just keep throwing information at him. On the plus side, he hadnât eyed her like he wanted to hit on her which worked out well for all three people in this current situation.
Damien was capable of empathy, but it truly depended on the person and the situation. While heâd killed someone for far less than Kaz popping into existence in front of them, Madison Valley was a variable that changed those rules considerably. Kaz had no control over the situation he found himself in now just like every single other person that arrived in this town. For the moment, he was willing to cut Kaz some slack.
Plus, it helped considerably that Kaz was not looking at Alyssa like he wanted to fuck her. If Kaz had been looking at Alyssa like that, Damien would have snapped his neck like a twig in a second. The pressure of Alyssaâs hand in his, squeezing his fingers, pulled Damien back to reality.
She was explaining to Kaz how she wouldnât interfere and heâd have his own space. The young man remained impassive. His poker face was nearly as good as Damien. However, his vitals told a completely different story. He was on edge and it was clear he didnât trust either of them.
âYouâll have your freedom, but if you do anything to put her in danger, you will have to deal with me,â Damien replied coldly. âAnd I promise I wonât be nearly as empathetic as I am being right now.â
While Alyssa talked, Kazâs expression remained impassive. For someone that came from a world where he could do whatever he wanted, where he held power, her offer of not interfering too much felt like an insult. Hell, her offer of him having his own room felt childish. Yet the woman had explained to him that not having a guardian was illegal. Kaz had zero hesitation about engaging in illegal behavior, but he wanted to get a lay of the land first. He despised playing by these rules, but heâd go with it for now. Begrudgingly.
âMy own room and your minimum interference,â Kaz replied. âUnlimited privacy and you cannot enter my room or go through any of my things.â His eyes shifted to Damien and while the man was intimidating, Kaz had faced down others of equally terrifying calibur.
âIf she keeps her word and keeps her interference to a minimum, you wonât have to worry about that.â
âHi? Yes. Iâm standing right here. Can we please not discuss me like Iâm a fucking cat.â Chessie appeared, slipping inside one of Damienâs jacket pockets, with only his waving tail visible. âSorry Chessie. I didnât mean you.â He turned and grinned at Alyssa.
âI wonât enter your room or go through your things, but I expect the same courtesy extended to my sister, her boyfriend, and myself.â Alyssaâs hand still hadnât left Damienâs.
âHomeschooling perhaps?â The Netherling didnât think he would want to go to a public school. âI can take you to the house if youâd like? Is there a food you like? We had a new person arrive recently and her greeting on the network involved the word waffles, so I have to assume itâs a food she enjoys. I could order you some food you like?â She felt torn, because while she knew she should stay and get him settled, Alyssa didnât think heâd want that. And, truthfully, she wanted to celebrate her new role as owner of the art store with Damien. Also, apparently, she wanted nothing more than to word vomit at Kaz.
At this point, Damien was accustomed to Chessie appearing in random places and even came to like the netherling. Though, Chessie popping in when Alyss and himself were in far more compromising positions was not welcomed. After the eyefull he received last time, Damien didnât think he would be venturing in at any inopportune times anymore. But his presence in Damienâs jacket pocket was rather amusing and there was a brief hint of such an emotion visible in the depths of Damienâs eyes.
âIt wasnât my intention. I only wanted to make sure your new ward and I are crystal clear on what will happen if anything happens to you because of him.â Damienâs gaze shifted from Alyssaâs face to Kazâs. He could appreciate the courage the young man displayed in facing him down. However, he also knew that if Kaz was aware that Damien was not human, he might not be so fearless.
The sight of the strange creature popping into Damienâs pocket and then grinning at Alyssa surprised Kaz. Heâd never seen anything of that sort in his entire life and he wasnât sure how to respond to it. Luckily, none of this shock or surprise registered on his face and somehow, he managed to keep himself from taking a step back. It could have simply been that he was too shocked to move too.
âWhat the hell is Chessie?â Kaz gestured at Damienâs pocket with his cane. âAnd will I have to worry about that finding its way into my stuff?â
Was Kaz happy to make that deal? No. He thrived and survived on knowledge and knowing peopleâs weaknesses. However, he wasnât exactly in control of the situation as he would have been back in Ketterdam. Trying to make it seem as if it wasnât such a big deal, Kaz shrugged. âFine.â Heâd find other ways to learn about his housemates and Damien.
âHomeschooling? Why do I need school?â Kaz had never attended school. His entire education came from experience and living on the streets of Ketterdam. He doubted they could teach him anything of value in a classroom or by private tutor.
She was offering to take him to the house. To get him any food he wanted and then she mentioned waffles. The first name that came to mind was âNina.â Kaz looked interested for the first time since the conversation started. âYou can take me to the house. I donât have much of an appetite at the moment, but you can tell me the name of the woman who asked about waffles.â
Poor Chessie had been mortified when he appeared while Alyssa and Damien were engaged in sex. Thankfully, heâd learned his lesson, which worked for all three. The Red Queen felt grateful that Damien liked Chessie. Heâd been one of her most loyal friends and companions since her arrival in Wonderland and Alyssa couldnât handle it if Damien didnât like him. She noticed the amusement found in the depths of Damienâs eyes.
âHeâs from my home. Netherling creature. Part raccoon, part hummingbird, feline face.â Chessie floated and grinned at the unknown boy before returning to Damienâs pocket. One could not tame Chessie, but Alyssaâs voice spoke quietly. âChessie, you wonât go into his things, okay?â Although it certainly made the Netherling far too curious. Her companion grinned. âChessie.â This time he nodded.
She hadnât expected pushback about school and this time her voice sounded more firm. âBecause like a guardian itâs expected youâll attend school. However, I can already tell going to the school wonât make you happy.â
As they started to walk to the house, Alyssa still grasping Damienâs hand, she thought for a second. âNina? I believe. She arrived at the beginning of the month?â
Chessie may have promised to behave himself where Kaz was concerned, but Damien had made no such oath. He was going to be keeping a close eye on Kaz. At least when he wasnât making sure Bran didnât end up getting them both killed. Damien didnât trust Kaz and it was obvious that Kaz did not trust either of them.
He clearly didnât like the idea of school either. To be fair, Damien couldnât blame him for feeling this way. If he was the same age as Kaz and human, he would feel the same way. Of course, to someone that was over two hundred years old, school was pointless. Though, for some reason, Kaz felt much the same way and Damien doubted he could claim immortality as a reason.
âI donât think school makes most teenagers happy,â Damien replied, glancing over at Alyssa briefly before he shifted his blue eyes to Kaz. âBut you will go or, if Alyssa is feeling generous and wants to homeschool you, then you will do that.â
At least the weird creature agreed to stay out of his things. From the way Damien was looking at him, Kaz doubted he would receive the same consideration from him. Kaz couldnât fault him; if he was in Damienâs position, he would be suspicious too.
But the idea of school annoyed Kaz to no end. At least she was smart enough to realize the idea of it angered him. âFine, but I will not attend school. I will do this âhomeschool.ââ Kaz guessed it was a private tutoring of sorts. Part of Kaz wanted to make it very difficult for Alyssa, but the other half of him didnât. Why? Because if he behaved, there was less of a chance of her poking around in his business and Kaz fully expected to figure out a way to have a business here. But that was only if he couldnât find a way back to Ketterdam. To Inej.
They started down the street towards his new âhomeâ and Kaz listened intently as Alyssa addressed his question. He was right. It was Nina. At least he had one Crow here. Instead of confirming or denying he knew her, Kaz simply nodded his head. He would have to figure out this device so he could reach out to Nina as soon as possible.
The Red Queen knew better than to expect Damienâs agreement to such terms. Her vampire would look at her like sheâd lost her mind if she tried to ask such things of him. Not to mention, Bran would be even less inclined, friends or not. She squeezed Damienâs hand again.
âIâm happy to help with homeschooling.â Although, Alyssa wondered what sort of schooling Kaz knew. She honestly got the impression heâd learned a lot from the school of life. Unlike her older brother, Alyssa probably wouldnât be as strict with her ward. If, for no other reason, then she felt a slightâŚsomething about him reminded her of Jeb and pressuring him to conform to what the world wanted of him? Nope.
The Netherling sent texts to Rebekah, Marcel, and Kol to let them know it was her turn with a ward.
As though Alyssa read Kazâs mind, she added, âIf you want, I can give you a brief rundown on how the phones work.â
If Alyssa hadnât agreed to homeschool Kaz, Damien would have found someone willing to take on the task. If his negotiation skills failed, heâd simply use his compulsion to force them to take the job. However, Alyssa agreed to homeschooling Kaz, but if at any time she decided she didnât want to be responsible for that aspect of Kazâs life, Damien would look for someone to replace her. He kept this to himself. Instead, choosing to squeeze Alyssaâs hand in return. He wanted her to know that he wasnât going to leave her to face this challenge alone.
Surprisingly, Alyssa agreed to homeschooling him. Kaz figured sheâd want to pawn him off on someone else as soon as she had the chance. She had compassion and the ability to empathize; two things Kaz tried very hard never to do because they both showed glimpses of weakness. Perhaps in Madison it was less hostile than Ketterdam and it was okay to show your hand. That didnât mean Kaz was about to willingly show anyone his.
It did slightly creep Kaz out that she offered to show him the phone after heâd just thought about it. Kaz didnât answer for a moment, choosing to keep his gaze straight ahead, but he already knew he had to accept the offer. He had to contact Nina immediately. Hopefully, she hadnât showcased her abilities to anyone or spoken too much about home.
âYes, I want to know how the phone works. It is clearly an integral part of existing here.â He was pretty sure Alyssa had used hers to communicate with a few people moments before.
They finally paused outside the home and Kaz studied it with curious eyes. It was in a different style than he was accustomed to seeing in Ketterdam, but it wasnât dilapidated or poor condition.
Alyssa had some experience with homeschooling, so she saw no reason to ask someone else to do it. Unless it became apparent she couldnât keep up with the subject matter and the Red Queen never backed down from a challenge. Thankfully she had Damien in her corner.
She would laugh if she realized Kaz saw those as weaknesses in the Netherling. Sure, the blonde might be kind and empathetic, but those were what helped her save her home. Hell, sheâd be the first to help if anything happened to her friends, and would snip off pieces of her sanity to save those she loved. But, Alyssa could be ruthless, determined, chaotic, and she once murdered an entire arena in Any Elsewhere to save her home.
Moreso, Alyssa assumed based on Kazâs outfit, he might not know modern technology. When they arrived at the house, Alyssa added, âYouâll have to sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms until we finish renovating the downstairs, so you can have the area for yourself.â A pause as the blonde pushed hair behind her ear. âWeâll go get you clothing tomorrow and anything else you might need. Iâll order pizza and show you how to use the phone.â Hopefully Damien would be okay with staying in tonight. She didnât quite want to leave the house tonight until Kaz settled in a bit.
They could go out to celebrate Alyssaâs ownership of the art store another night. He was slightly annoyed, but it was at the boy and not at Alyssa. The blond was only trying to care for her new ward. He knew how much she grew to care about people and how protective she could be over those she came to care for. He didnât doubt that she could come to look at Kaz as one of those people too. In time.
Damien stayed with Alyssa as she showed Kaz to his room upstairs. There was no way she was leaving him alone with Alyssa even if it was clear he didnât look at her like that.
âWeâll order pizza,â Damien replied, looking over at her. He was curious to see how Kaz handled that experience. Somehow he doubted they had such food where he was from.
Kaz studied the room Alyssa showed him. It wasnât nearly as big as his room above the Crow club, but it would have to do. Until she finished preparing downstairs or Kaz finished it for her. He would need to do something to occupy his time since school certainly wouldnât be doing it.
âItâs adequate,â he replied. He was mildly curious as to what kind of clothes he could possibly find to fit with his tastes. He looked at Damienâs clothes and found he didnât favor them in the least, but he knew how important it was to blend in. He nodded.
Pizza? Kaz had never heard of such a food before. No doubt Nina had gobbled up a good portion of it already. Food, particularly waffles, was her Achillesâ heel after all.
He shifted his gaze to the room again. âFine. But show me how to use the phone first thenâŚpizza.â The comment earned a glare from Damien, but Kaz ignored it. He wasnât going to let him bully him.
âShow him how to use the phone. Iâll order the pizza.â Damien dug out his own phone and Kaz did the same.