I looked over at the sleeping mountain that was Maddox before wandering into the bathroom and feeling like an ass for going through his stuff. Finally, with my prizes in hand, I went down three rags with cold water and rung them out as best I could. Maddox was still lying face down on the bed. Before waking him, I tried to just roll him over. Safe to say he weighed as much as he looked. I shook his shoulder until his eyes blinked open slowly. "Maddox, can you roll over?"

At first, I didn't think he heard me but then he rolled to his back. It seemed to take a lot of effort based on the time it took for him to complete the task. I folded two of the rags and put one on his forehead and the other across his neck. The last I opened and laid across his chest or what it would cover anyway. Maybe I should have grabbed a hand towel. Maddox's face seemed to register some relief. I almost expected some sound of pleasure or appreciation, but he couldn't do that. He purred sometimes but there was no sign of that either. I would have to rely on his facial expressions to tell me if everything was okay.

Every twenty minutes I rinsed the rags and set them back down. His cheeks were less flushed now than they had been when I had gotten there. After I had been there for two and a half hours Maddox's eyes opened and he seemed to be more lucid than the few times he had cracked them before. I was sitting on the edge of the bed flipping through his movies when I felt his stir. His arms lifted and it didn't look like it took too much energy. "What are you doing here?" He sat up slowly.

"Dante texted us because you were sick. I'm the only one who didn't have anything important to do in class today." I stood and grabbed the thermometer before bringing it over to him and holding it up expectantly.

He took it gingerly into his mouth like he was afraid I would shove it down his throat or something. "He asked for help?" His face looked confused.

I nodded. "I guess he had a big test in math or something. He looked really guilty about leaving you though." I told him.

When the thermometer beeped, I took it and read the digital pad. "113," I announced.

Maddox grimaced. "Normal for me is 108." His arms fell to his sides in exhaustion.

"Are you hungry? You missed breakfast." I questioned.

He nodded but didn't give any more to go by. "Want some more soup?" I asked, remembering that was what he had wanted the night before.

A small smile played across his lips before he nodded. I called up the same restaurant from the night before and put in a delivery order. They weren't open now, but they would be in thirty minutes for lunch. I requested a sandwich for myself and a bowl of soup for Maddox. I made sure to ask for some toasted sourdough bread for him to dip in it. I wanted to get him to eat something a little more substantial than soup. I bit my lip. I wanted to go back to my room to change into something more comfortable, but I also didn't want to leave Maddox here by himself.

"Will you be okay if I run back to my room to change?" I asked him.

He nodded before saying anything, "You can grab something from my closet too if you want." He shrugged.

I thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Are you sure that's okay with you?"

He nodded, "Of course. Just grab whatever you want."

I let myself into the bathroom and approached his closet. Something just seemed so intimate about getting into his stuff without him there. I wondered if this was how the twins felt while they were doing my laundry. I grabbed a tee shirt from the hanger and set it down. I took off my uniform while leaving the socks and my underwear on of course before I slipped the shirt on over my head. It was soft and smelled like Maddox. With the closet being in the bathroom the scent of his soap and cologne had permeated into the fabric. I glanced in the mirror. The shirt was huge on me, and the hem fell past where my school skirt did. I figured it was decent enough and went back into the room.

Maddox was sitting against the headboard now. He had selected a movie and was waiting for me. "This, okay?" He asked and then gestured towards the tv.

I looked at it and saw he had picked Deadpool. "Yeah, sounds great." I smiled.

He patted the bed next to him and I walked over. Even though his shirt covered more than my uniform I felt a little more exposed when his eyes really looked me over. I was careful to be sure the back didn't ride up as I crawled into the bed and settled in next to Maddox.

He started the movie, and we were silent as it started. I glanced over to see him blinking slowly. It was obvious that he was tired and fighting it. We watched the movie until there was a knock at the door. I paid the delivery driver and brought the food in. I gave Maddox his food and we both ate in silence while watching the movie.

After lunch, Maddox settled down and was blinking sleepily again. I took his temperature again and it had gone up a little to 114.5. After getting him some more medicine, I let him fall asleep. My eyes started to feel a little droopy, so I set a timer to go off in twenty minutes to rinse out the rags just in case I fell asleep.

I was startled awake by the vibrating of my phone on the bed next to me. There was a heavy weight across my stomach. At some point, while I had been asleep Maddox had wound himself around me. One arm under my neck and the other wrapped around my waist. He was awake now though. I looked down to see his fingers gently caressing a black feather. It was like the small downy feathers that I had always found around me with a slight purple sheen when it's hit by the light but this one was longer and had a sleek definition that the small fluffy feathers I usually found didn't have. The ones I usually found were also smaller, only two to three inches in length. This one pinched between Maddox's fingers was a little longer than the length of my hand from the heel of my palm to the point of my middle finger.

Maddox ran the feather along the skin of my forearm. Obviously knowing that I was awake. "These seem to follow you." He signed the words with his arms wrapped around me.

The feather glinted in the light making me almost feel something. It was a longing I didn't quite understand. "I've always found random black feathers but until recently they were just short fluffy ones," I whisper to him.

"There are some demons that have feathers but no wings. But there are few that have wings with feathers. Some are extinct, others are born or made with their wings already intact. We thought maybe you could be a phoenix but that isn't a demonic species, and they get their abilities much earlier than you are. Most demons like Caden and Aiden are born with a portion of their abilities, but they develop more over time through puberty and other milestones." Maddox explains.

"So, a wingless feather creature is likely?" I asked.

Maddox does that silent laughing thing where his chest moves in the pantomime of a hearty laugh. "Most likely. There are things that are extinct with wings but everything else is things like fallen angels and ancient demon lords and mistresses that are born with a portion of their abilities." He reiterates.

I nod my head in understanding. I couldn't picture myself covered in feathers though. Sadly, the thought of having wings was an exhilarating thing. I had always been intrigued by the idea of flying. Those dreams where I imagined soaring through the air would never happen. The condemnation was crushing in a way I had never experienced even knowing as a human that I would never be able to fly without assistance from technology. I guess after I learned there were people who could turn into lion hyena hybrids and mystical foxes there was hope in my mind that I could turn into a bird and fly freely into the sky. I pushed that thought away and turned to face Maddox.

"When are you going to let me see you shift? Or is that like a super personal thing?" I still wasn't aware of the social norms of this arcane society.

Maddox pulled his arms back to himself, so they were positioned between us. "You'd want to see that?" He asked.

I nodded, "Of course. I want to see Dante too but he's kind of unapproachable." I shrugged my shoulders like it didn't bother me.

Maddox studied me. "You know my abilities, right? That I can literally eat people's souls and steal their voices." He spoke slowly.

I nodded my head again, "I know. I doubt that you would start off by stealing the voice of a tiny female. Seems like it would be disproportionate." I give his body an up and down sweep of my eyes.

He laughed in his silent joyous way again. Without thinking I rested my palm on his chest so I could feel the movement. His laugh cut off and was replaced by the soft rumbling sound of his purr. "How can you purr when you can't talk? Both need vocal cords to happen." I questioned.

He frowned. "I never purred in this form before that first time with you. I've always been able to purr and growl when shifted but not like this. I don't have human vocal cords, but I do have animal ones."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Then wouldn't you be able to laugh audibly?" I had done some research though I didn't know if everything I read about crocotta was true I did know that spotted hyenas were the kind that could laugh.

Maddox's cheeks turned pink before he nodded. "I can and I have before when I was younger but other people made me feel broken for not being able to laugh properly." Maddox signed

I had a feeling that by other people he meant his family. Reaching forward I cupped his jaw. "You know the guys would never think that. I would never think that." He nodded in contrite agreement, so I continued, "Don't hide part of who you are from us." I felt a little foreign lumping myself in with the group but it felt right as I said it.

Maddox studied me for a long moment before leaning closer to me. He pressed me onto my back before straddling my hips and leaning in much like Dante had done the night before. For a heart-thumping moment, I thought he would kiss me, but he nuzzled his head into my neck and rubbed his cheek against me. The short stubble on his cheek sent goose bumps over the sensitive skin there. I wasn't sure what was going on but didn't complain when he repeated the process on the other side of my neck and then both cheeks. He started going through the process again which is how Dante found us. Me giggling, from the brush of Maddox's scruff, as he rubbed his face against my neck and shoulder that had poked out of the collar of his shirt. "What the hell are you two doing?" He demanded.

Maddox stiffened, having not noticed his entry before he leaned over me with his chest. His face towards Dante a deep growl reverberated through his chest. I rubbed my hand up and down his chest where the deep vibrations originated. Dante took a step back, his brows rising in surprise. "Shhhh, it's okay. It's just Dante. We're safe." I tell him in soothing tones with an almost musical quality to my voice.

His growl tampers off before he shakes his head and looks down at me in horror. Sitting back, he was still straddling me as he started to apologize. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what came over me." He looked like he was about to be sick.

"I'm not mad. It's okay, pretty sure it was just your instincts. You didn't hurt me." I assured him.

Cara had cats as we were growing up. I knew he had been scenting me. He was claiming me in a way. I was pretty sure it was in a platonic way cats did when they claim people as their human slaves. Maddox held himself above me with his hands planted on either side of my head. He watched me for a moment before accepting my words. Carefully he got off me and sat back against the headboard.

"Okay then. Sage needs to get ready for work." Dante says mildly.

I nodded and looked over at Maddox. "I'll come to check on you after work, okay?" I waited until he nodded before I leaned in and brushed a kiss against his cheek and gave him a quick nuzzle.

I wasn't sure what had possessed me to do it but the rumbling purr that escaped him made me happy that I had. Dante walked me out of the room. "He had a spike after lunch, and I gave him more medicine. He's been good since then." I told him when the door closed behind him.

Dante nodded and stepped toward me. "Don't move." He spoke in a gruff voice.

For some reason, I listened and planted my feet when he reached out and took my wrists into one hand. I didn't move or protest when he rubbed his cheek against my cheeks and neck before stepping back again. "He won't get protective of you with us if you're scented by all of us. I'll let the twins know too." He explained.

"Okay," I said in a daze before turning towards my room to get dressed for work.