Page 23 of Eat. Prey. Love. (Apex Academy Capers #5)

“So the entire class was that gigolo pontificating and the remaining Heathers simpering,” I tell my raccoon friend as we walk toward the newest Shirdal building. “I might have to order barf bags in bulk to get through the semester.”

Raina titters next to me. “I’ll make sure the boys know to check that classroom a couple times a week.”

I roll my eyes, smiling at her fondly. “If you do that, I’ll make more work for them. You guys help us out enough as it is. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass. ”

“Miss Dolly Drew!” She stops and looks at me, her tiny hands on her hips as she wags a finger at me. “Never say that. You are my friend and Monsieur Renard is the Captain’s friend. This is what we do for one another, yes?”

Putting my hand over my mouth, I cover the giggle threatening to well up at her small body looking so deadly furious. Once I’m sure I’ve got it swallowed, I nod at the tiny prey animal. “Your family is part of mine, Raina. I can’t tell you how glad I am you were the one to take my order in the cafeteria at Apex.”

She flushes—I think—and turns towards the building so we can start walking again. “Dolly, you were the first pred outside of our gracious gargoyle to ever treat me so well. I knew the moment we met that you were special and I was right.”

Well, shit, I’m going to cry if she doesn’t stop that.

“Shhh, Raina! I can’t go into the shark tank all weepy,” I chuckle as I wipe the corner of my eye. “They’ll eat me alive in Modern Dance.”

Her laugh tinkles in the air as we finish the walk to the French version of the Shird.

Maybe I wasn’t born under a bad sign, I just had to wait for the sun to shine on me.

“Faster! You’re all far too slow and lack control. How you got this far is beyond me,” the huge female wolf growls as the lines of dancers move across the floor one after another.

My legs, arms, and feet are aching from the vigorous beating they’re taking. For the first class, I’m pretty winded, and if this is how they’re all going to be, I’m in trouble. Nadia Antonovidrovna doesn’t like anyone , but she’s definitely been sneering at me more than anyone else. I don’t have a fucking clue why; I’ve never met the woman until today. So I’ve pushed myself as hard as possible, hoping to win her over with my effort.

Fat lot of good that’s done—she just got harsher.

When the buzzer at the front of the room goes off, I lean on the barre, panting softly for a moment. I can feel the eyes on me; it’s almost as bad as when I started at Apex. The arts focused people are cut throat here, so they see me as competition who didn’t earn their spot. I’ve got professors who seem to want to string me up, and the few Heathers not kidnapped are starting their shit again.

“It’s almost like I’ve done the fucking Time Warp,” I mutter as I walk over to change my shoes. Spraying them so they don’t stink up the entire bag, I pull on my socks and boots, then get up to tug my uniform skirt over my leotard. I’m not changing entirely for my short lunch break because I have theater practicum afterward. “Everyone is rewinding back to 2022.”

“Your gear certainly is,” one of the willowy dancers snarks as she walks by and I sigh.

For fuck’s sake, I can’t escape this rubber stamp mean girl shit no matter what I do.

“Yeah, yeah,” I say as I wave her off. “Maybe I’ll feel like serving you your ass next time, but today, I’m not in the mood.”

She huffs, but at least she doesn’t take that unintentional opening to insult my love life. Winging a prayer of thanks at the ceiling, and gathering my shit. I’m meeting Felix outside to go check out the salt water lake while we have a quick bite. I know he’s really coming because he wants to know what the hell his cousin did in class, but that’s okay. Indulging his worry makes him less over-the-top and I enjoy spending time with my guys no matter how I get it.

Once I have everything, I limp out to the front of the Shird, grinning broadly at the handsome Raj waiting for me. He frowns at my gait, and I move a little faster to get close enough to soothe his ire. “Difficult dance class, baby. Don’t worry.”

“Princess, you’re hobbling like the Winged Weenies had you strung up last night.”

There goes my focus…

His laugh glides over my skin and I make a face at him. “The professor for Modern is a real hard ass. I can’t believe others didn’t come out looking as wrecked as me.”

“Were they working as hard as you? Somehow, I doubt it,” the tiger says before turning to give me his back. “Come on, then. Hop on and we’ll head for the lake before we waste all our time.”

Recoiling, I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”

Felix looks over his shoulder in exasperation. “Princess, you hop on my twin all the time. What’s the problem?”

I snicker for a sec and he rolls his eyes as if chastising me for my immaturity. But then my feet start throbbing again from standing for so long and I give in. “Damn you for being right and knowing exactly what would happen if I refused. But you should note that I hop on everyone at home and this is the only time you’ve suggested it in public.”

“Touché, love.” He turns again, waiting for me to jump on, so I do. Once he has my thighs arranged on his waist, he grabs the picnic basket he must have gotten from Chessie in his other hand. “Now hang on…”

I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on as he takes off like a shot. It still amazes the hell out of me when they do stuff like this—I’m not a small bunny—but I’ve learned to swallow that ingrained fear. Lucille may have spent most of my childhood destroying my self-image, but the past few years have helped me stop cringing every time they haul me in their arms. “You know, you’re very strong, Your Highness. ”

He rumbles a chuckle and I feel it against my chest. “Princess, if that’s your way to cheat the rule about not picking on yourself… you’re not fooling me.”

Leaning in, I kiss his ear. “I could never trick you, Raj. You’re far too smart for that.”

“Oops too far, bunny rabbit. Now I know you’re tugging the tiger tail.” His hands pinch my legs and I wiggle with a gasp. “I don’t respond to flattery nearly as well as my brother.”

“Yes, Sir ,” I chirp as I squeeze him tighter. “Duly noted.”

He groans as we approach the shore of the north lake, finally putting me down and spinning around to face me. “You’re as bad as the gargoyle, Princess. You know exactly how to rile me up and how to perfectly stroke my fur to calm me down again.”

I arch a brow at him. “Rennie is stroking your fur?”

“For the love of Apollo’s sunburn, Princess, no. He does it to the grumpy dragon constantly.” Felix gives me a wry look. “I’m still a bit irked that I missed it all those years.”

Winking, I lower myself to the grass by the shore. “Your head was too far up your ass to see anything until I came into your life.”

His jaw drops and he joins me, opening the basket to hand me a bento box that screams Chessie. “I take exception to that!”

“Do whatever you want, Felix Khan, but you know I’m right.” I open my box and the water he gave me, taking a swig of the cold liquid before I wipe my mouth on my hand and look him in the eye. “And if you think you’re any less obvious, don’t think I missed you taking the lunch after my first class with your smooth-talking cousin.”

His face flushes and he growls low, “Watch it, Princess.”

I arch a brow at him, enjoying his discomfort enough to play with him a little. “I don’t know if I could possibly talk about it with my feet aching so badly.”

He rolls his eyes, yanking my shoe off first, then my sock, and starts working the aches out of my arch. “If anyone else in the universe tried to blackmail me this way, I’d slice open their guts and eat their liver.”

Cupping my hand to my ear, I call out, “Fitz? Fitz, is that you? Oh, Fitzzzzz…”

“Who do you think taught him to be crazy?” Felix says as he wrings my toes through his strong fingers and I groan. “I am three minutes older than him, you know.”

“Fine, fine. Okay, you win. Asani was pretty douche-y, though I could definitely see the relation.” I take a bite of the wrap from my box, chewing it quickly before I continue. “But I also felt this… ugly streak I’ve never felt from you or Fitzy. It’s like he has the perfect looks and suave delivery you guys do, but there’s just a bad vibe coming from him.”

He snorts. “You have no idea .”

Frowning, I look at him curiously. “He was making flirty faces at the Heathers. I have a pretty good idea of what an asshat he has to be.”

“No, it’s worse than consorting with a few bobble headed fools, I’m afraid. And that’s probably why I’m so edgy about it.” Felix licks his lips and looks out into the lake for a moment, then back at me. “Asani was my brother Titus’ right hand. He helped make sure I was exiled and provided the evidence about my consort’s betrayal.”

Ohhhhhhhh, that explains—wait a minute.

“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch with my bare hands,” I snarl as I drop my food. My eyes burn as they turn red and I feel the electricity shooting through my veins. “I’ll even put his gonads in a jar for you.”

“You are spending way too much time with my twin,” he says with a soft smile. “But I wouldn’t mind watching it; you’re hot when you tear people to pieces, I hear.”

“I’m hot when I do a lot of things,” I pout and sparks jump from my arms to his as I think about how much I want to destroy the people who hurt my kind-hearted king. “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to slice your asshole tiger relatives into black market steaks.”

Felix laughs, scooting closer to cup my face in his hands. “Somehow, I’m a lot less worried about you having him in class two days a week and a lot more worried about what’s going to happen when he inevitably pisses you off.”

“Again, I’m considering fileting,” I mumble. “Perhaps julienne.”

A splash of water hits us both and we sputter in tandem, then look over to the lake. Standing on the back of a huge whale shifter is the Captain, grinning with his small raccoon features as he waves. Behind him, a comically small boat with Raina and a few other prey animals floats by as they toss food into water for the shifters.

“I suppose I deserved that for thinking you couldn’t defend yourself to start with,” Felix says as we wave back at our friends. “The Captain has impeccable timing; it’s quite remarkable.”

“Raina made me teary earlier.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“Because she said something so sweet I could hardly stand it, and I was so happy. This time two years ago, I didn’t think I’d survive the next month, much less have all of you and friends. And now we’re in France on an adventure to solve a mystery… it’s… overwhelming. Good, of course, but so different from what I thought was going to happen.”

The Raj gives me a mischievous grin. “Do you think I had a clue two years ago that the girl my twin was stalking was anything more than one of his passing fancies? Hell no. We all thought he’d get in trouble and end up with another restraining order. ”

“Never.”

“Delores Drew, you’re the best thing that could have ever happened to us, and we don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. Don’t let those girls back into your head.” He gives me a stern look and I grin.

“Again, sir, yes, sir.”

This time, it’s definitely on purpose—a little torture never hurt anyone.