Justin looked at him sideways, still chewing a mouthful of oatmeal. It smelled like there was a lot of brown sugar and maple syrup in that bowl, and Declan only had a human nose to pick that up.

“Wasn’t being nosy. I mind my own business, see. But I couldn’t help overhearing you and Mr. Gordon talking about attacks. I’m thinking there’s a demon around here, isn’t there?”

Declan was just biting his own forkful of food and immediately had to keep from choking. Damn werebear hearing.

“Yeah. There is. Incarnate, so she’s even more dangerous. But unless you get in her way or are super unlucky, she is unlikely to bother you. Much easier prey than a big bear.”

Those dark eyes in that dark face shot sideways at him again. “Like witches?”

Declan found himself nodding. “Yeah, true. Like witches.”

“But they usually travel in pairs or threes,” Justin said, clearly worried. “Only a moron takes on two witches.”

“Yeah, and our girls are better prepared than most witches. Much better training, and most of them are pretty powerful.”

“But you go by yourself,” Justin said. It wasn’t a question. Declan wondered where this was going.

“True. I’m pretty good at protecting myself though,” Declan said carefully.

The big guy nodded. “Scariest guy I know,” he said, serious as a heart attack.

“Well, I don’t know about scary, but I would be a handful for her,” Declan said. “Plus, Dellwood’s the scariest guy we know.”

Justin shook his head. “Not Dellwood. He’s scared of you.” He reached up and touched his nose, indicating he’d smelled it. “Don’t know about demons, but heard you f’d up a Queen of Fairie. So a handful for a demon? More… if you see her in time.”

Ahh. Justin was worried, just not about himself. “That’s what Stacia says.”

Another assistant cook came out of the kitchen with a second big pot of breakfast food. She set it down in front of Declan with an incredulous look on her face. Without saying a word, but still watching him from the corner of her eye, she headed back into the kitchen.

As soon as she was gone, Declan started laughing. “She thinks it’s for me. Hey, you got a minute? I want to introduce you to someone.”

Justin was carefully scraping the bowl, getting the last bits of sweetened oats. He nodded, giving the big bowl a curious look of his own.

Declan picked up the heavy container in both hands and led Justin out of the dining room and down the hall, where he knocked on one of the Arcane guest room doors. Chris Gordon opened the door a second later, immediately spotting Justin behind Declan. He gave the big kid a nod and then looked down at the bowl Declan was carrying. “Good timing.”