Page 19

Delores

This week has been fucking exhausting. I knew coming to Apex would be awful, but I didn’t expect the onslaught of bullshit I’m dealing with. The only reason I’m sleeping soundly is that I’m ensconced in the Tower, where I know the assholes hunting me aren’t able to get to me. Everything else is a damn toss-up, depending on who's around to walk with me or if I can find the right tunnels.

Arriving at Shifter Basics before the door shuts is a minor miracle given the route I chose, but I’ll take it. I can’t deal with another verbal smack down if I cause problems here again.

Looking around, I see other preds, but no canines, so I try to relax a little. Maybe this period won’t be so b?—

“Miss Drew, you’ll be assisting me today.” The tiger smirks at me in a challenge, then adds, “Unless you aren’t up for it?”

There’s no way I can say ‘no’ without letting him win, so I sigh and roll my gaze up to the ceiling in supplication. Once I’ve calmed my nerves, I look Fitz’s brother square in the eye. “I’m game if you are, Professor.”

Take that, you domineering shithead. I won’t let you make me cower.

His lips quirk up and he rises from his chair, stalking over to stand close enough to make me look up at him. “I’d advise thinking about it long and hard before you accept a challenge from a Khan. You might not like the result.”

I snort, shaking my head as I push my desk back a little to give myself space. “I’m pretty sure saying ‘no’ isn’t an option here, Sir.”

My retort makes him frown, and he says softly, “Withdrawal of consent is always an option, Delores. I may be a Khan, but I’m not a scumbag.”

It feels like we’re talking about something else entirely right now, and I’m not sure if Fitz filled him in on my shitty prom night or not. Regardless, I nod, studying his conflicted features as I consider what I’m going to say. “Then I accept your challenge, Professor. Give it to me good.”

His eyes widen, and I know I got to him when he turns on his heel to stalk to his desk. Big, bad Felix Khan is speechless, and I caused it. I lean back in my chair and stack my hands behind my head, feeling satisfied. That is until he comes thundering back over and yanks me out of the chair with a dark grin.

“Hell yes! Professor Khan is teaching DD a lesson,” Gold crows as she walks in at the exact moment he tugs me away from the safety of my seat. Her acolytes titter as they follow her to their places, and I roll my eyes.

My pulse is pounding from surprise, but I don’t believe Fitz’s twin will hurt me. He seems demanding and arrogant, but not cruel. He probably wants to make me an example because I snarked back at him previously. If so, I’ll have to take my medicine like anyone else. After all, I earned it despite what I told him in front of everyone.

Relax, Dolly. You can handle this; it’s not Lucille.

“Sit down and shut up, plebs!” Felix looks at the students straggling in as he plants me in front of the whiteboard with a dark glare. “Miss Drew is going to take notes while we discuss why predators dominate prey.”

Arching a brow at him, I turn to the board and pick up a marker, gripping in my hand. “You mean besides being petty tyrants?”

He barks a laugh, looking out at the other students. “None of you, including Miss Drew, have seen petty yet. I suggest you never find out. Now one of you dipshits tell me why we’re dominant and the prey animals aren’t.”

“Wealth and fame,” Purple says with a big, shit-eating grin. “We have it; they don’t.”

Professor Khan makes a sound like a buzzer and shakes his head. “Wrong, mutt. Plenty of prey families make good money servicing prey specific needs, and some of them are skilled enough to work for preds in highly skilled areas. You’d be surprised how many extremely rich and sought after prey species there are. Try again.”

I shrug and write ‘Try again’ on the board dutifully. It’s no surprise that my ex friends have zero clue about how the world works outside of their cushy bubbles. Working for Luc opened up a whole new world for me, even if the prey species didn’t all accept me. For instance, most preds can’t do the fine detail work the pangolins do for him or construct the miniature computer chips the Ericksons put in all their devices. That’s all done by different prey species—their economy is vastly ignored, but super important.

Not that I’m telling Purple that.

Felix hides a smile as he nods at me, then looks expectantly at the class again. “Next?”

“We’re bigger and stronger,” a random kid in the third row ventures.

The tiger buzzes again, shaking his head. “Wrong again. Elephants are bigger than many apex predators, and so are hippos. If you’d ever seen a hippopotamus fighting a crocodile, you’d question that little theory. Prey species have the same instinct to survive as we do, except they have to use it to save their necks far more often than us.”

I write ‘pampered and complacent’ on the board, which makes a couple of the dipshits gasp, but Felix smiles.

“She’s right. By sheer numbers alone, if the prey animals concocted a revolution and spent a considerable amount of time planning, they could overtake preds. We win in toe-to-toe battles, but many of us are no longer in fighting trim or even very smart. In comparison, the prey species have had to use their brains constantly to avoid being killed.” The professor tilts his head, looking at me again. “Why do you think we’re still dominant?”

The Heathers look at me with disdain and Todd’s crew snickers behind their hands as I think about it for a moment. The disgust on my ex’s face makes my gut clench and I curse internally, unable to forgive myself for missing what an absolute twit he is. Giving that weak little shit my virginity was a stupid move and I’ll never forgive him for the shit he pulled afterward.

My bunny pushes against my skin, outraged at how we were treated. I blink in surprise because bunnies aren’t known for being angry or aggressive. However, mine is ready to tear the eyes out of my ex-boyfriend for daring to look at us.

Fucking weird, man.

“Barbie, answer my question.” Felix’s voice brings me out of my trance and I shake my head to clear it.

He seems to know something’s up with me because he’s pushing that stupid alpha thing at me. It makes my skin itch and I wrinkle my nose in irritation. If he’s so big on consent, he needs to back the fuck off with that shit. “The only reason preds still dominate is because they are allowed to. With enough support, it could change at any moment.”

That makes the room explode in indignant shouts, people waving fists and baring fangs as they yell. I catch his satisfied expression for a second before the tiger turns to the class and lets out a bone rattling roar. It stops the riotous noise completely and some students even freeze in place. When he sees they’re done, he points at the board. “Add that. It’s technically correct, though I’d challenge your premise unless you provide proof.”

I scribble my words, and when I’m done, I look at him smugly. “Power is about perception, Professor. If you allow disrespect or lose face, you can’t control the masses. All it takes is one voice of dissension to start a coup.”

The look on his face is resigned as he replies, “Quite so, Miss Drew. Controlling the narrative often leads to controlling the people.”

It’s the only reason anyone pays attention to Pink—that’s for sure.

After that, he lets the rest of the students offer reasons, knocking down the stupid ones about jobs or titles that can disappear at a moment’s notice. I write whatever he tells me, putting my spin on the idiotic shit they throw out. It’s fairly obvious his point about intelligence is well met, because I can’t understand how any of these people would have gotten into such an elite university if they weren’t loaded.

By the end of class, even my brain hurts from listening to it.

Felix dismisses the class at the bell, tilting his head as he watches me. “Don’t bother with erasing it. I’d like it to marinate in this bullshit before I get any of them in a ring.”

I shrug, heading over to the spot I left my stuff to gather it. Once I’m ready, I pause. “Is that everything you need today, Sir?”

Okay, I’m not above torturing the asshole professor a little. Sue me.

He stalks closer as I descend the steps. “You seemed to have a control issue earlier, Barbie.”

“It won’t happen again. I promise, Sir,” I reply automatically.

The tiger frowns and shakes his head. “Something tells me that isn’t true and perhaps isn’t the right answer, anyway. You will need to let your animal out and learn to control it in this class, but it shouldn’t be because those idiots who hate you got under your skin. Never let shitheads like that win; if you do, you’ll never be rid of them.”

I watch him as he stands in front of me, looking up because I’m poised two steps above the ground. It’s probably the only way I’d be taller because while Fitz is buff and bulky, Felix is tall, lean and muscled in a way that isn’t as obvious. His tiger is probably faster and more vicious because he seems to have brains. I lick my lips as I consider that, remembering how sexy Fitz was in tiger form.

Suddenly, Felix’s eyes flash with his animal and I feel the primal ripple over him. “Hit the bunny trail, Miss Drew. I won’t be giving you a note to excuse tardiness for your other professors—no matter what the reason is.”

“Understood, Captain Asshat,” I grumble under my breath as I push past him, hoping the slickness coating my thighs isn’t as noticeable to him as it is for me. I hear his deep chuckle echoing behind me as I haul ass out of the gym to get to Gothic Lit on time.

* * *

“… so you’ll need to visit the library before you head home tonight, unless you’re using an app to read along.” The gargoyle pauses by my desk, his brows drawing together as he looks at me. He seems to be unsure what to say next and I duck my head, not wanting to draw attention to his staring.

“Professor Renard? The librarian won’t let us in without appointments. What are we supposed to do?”

I cover my mouth, hiding a snort at the whiny voice of the small shifter from my Shifter History class. He transferred in after the first week, and I don’t have a clue why. It’s obvious he doesn’t give a shit about literature and is woefully unprepared for the curriculum.

Though, he’s not wrong about Professor Draconis…

“Get on the Apex application and set up an appointment, Craig. It’s easy and though Professor Draconis will probably lose his mind at the amount of last-minute requests, I’m sure he has assistants who will be happy to help him.”

Lifting my head, I turn it slowly to look at the now smirking gargoyle in horror. I don’t have to work there tonight, but after a very frustrating day, I was planning to go home and have a little ‘me time’. He’s just guaranteed I’ll be summoned to the library instead, because Betsy doesn’t work after dark.

That son of a warthog!

“Payback’s a bitch when people know where you live,” I mutter just loud enough for him to hear.

Coughing, he leans down and whispers, “Sure would suck to be hunted and homeless.”

I laugh softly, giving him a sweet smile. “Felix will love dealing with you when Fitz moves me into their townhouse without asking.”

He groans and looks around before admitting, “You win this one, petite .”

Fuck, the French gets me every time. This guy is determined to torture me.