Page 23

Renard

Being a nocturnal creature, it’s difficult to alter my sleeping schedule to accommodate the diurnal nature of a mixed shifter population academy. When I first arrived, I spent months finding the delicate balance between my nature and the requirements of my position. My concern didn’t lie with being able to socialize or finding compatriots as much as giving the students my best, so I slowly shifted from a completely night time waking period to a swing shift.

It took a long time to rewire my circadian rhythms, but once I did, it became second nature.

Lucking into another shifter with similar inclinations and background as myself was a surprise—especially given how vociferously the dragon fought my attempts to get to know him.

My lips curl as I burrow deeper into my nest, soaking in the warmth and familiarity with a sigh of pleasure. The safety of my huge, hollowed out space filled with soft cushions, blankets, pillows and other comfort items is not something I share with hardly anyone—except the shifter who became the center of my world so slowly I didn’t register it until it was done.

We move between our respective nests depending on the day, and our connection is a well-kept secret. Much like the targets of our hunts, we choose not to share private aspects of ourselves, even with our friends. After all, we have been together for centuries and our new friends’ decade at Apex is a blip on our radar.

I have shoes older than their tenure here.

Thoughts of youth lead me back to the enchanting new student who seems to have captured the attention of everyone in our little clutch. Despite her na?veté, Dolly is the first woman to make Fitz act like a fucking normal man, and though he’s clearly nervous as hell, she also intrigues Chess. Felix grumbles about her as if he’s angry, but I can tell it’s a cover for not comprehending his feelings.

And Aubrey…

Flames struggles with accepting affection because of his past. His emotions about the girl confuse and irritate him, making his temperament volatile. But I know from personal experience he needs to deal with it in his own time—even if it’s not the best way to handle the situation. Dragons cannot be forced to confront anything; it’s not in their nature.

My attraction is easier to parse. She’s intelligent, kind, and reminds me of someone I knew long ago. For that reason, I have to keep a suitable distance—the last time I indulged in such feelings led to my exile. Outside of Aubrey and now the tiger ambush, I have much precedent from distrusting people who catch my interest. Until I came to Apex, no one I loved showed me the loyalty these men have, even my species.

A noise so faint it’s almost not there pricks my hearing, and one of my eyes pops open to look through the darkness of my suite. The outline of the shifter I was just thinking about, clad in some ridiculously huge blanket dress, is as clear as day with my enhanced vision. She looks shocked to find herself in my room and more so to find me curled around the hulking body of the grouchy librarian.

Obviously, we’ve done a bang-up job of keeping our relationship a secret.

I watch her wander around the room, looking at my treasures and keepsakes from my long life. She doesn’t seem to have ill-intent, though she’s definitely violating both our privacy and the edict we gave the tiger when we agreed to allow her refuge in my tower. My body tenses when she pauses at the magical orchid, her hand stopping short of touching it, but wonder is clear in her expression.

It’s a relic and reminder of my painful past, and I don’t allow anyone to see it. My brow furrows, but I can’t find anger at her being here to look at it, and that confuses me. The tigers nor Chess have ever been down here; Aubrey and I keep everyone away from our personal areas in the Tower. They think he sleeps in his cavernous space at the library, as does everyone else. The only person who’s ever guessed he doesn’t live there is currently creeping through my room like a terrible spy in a comedy.

She turns to come closer to my nest and I narrow the open eye to a slit. I can see her, but I don’t want her to know I’m awake yet. Perhaps if I continue faking, she’ll give away a clue as to why she’s up here snooping rather than curled up in her bed like a good little bunny rabbit. I don’t get the feeling they sent her here to spy for her awful parents or the Council, but I don’t trust anyone until they give me reason.

Even if Fitz is so obsessed with her, he can barely make it through the day without constant contact.

Her voice is hardly even a breath as she mutters, “Son of a badger, I didn’t expect this at all.”

I have to fight not to smile at her incredulity.

“Why are they all so fucking hot? It’s not fair,” she grumbles. “Watching Fitz with Chess and now this? No wonder Fitz keeps saying shit about ‘all of us’, like they’re going to adopt me as a group. I’m a total professor slut and I’m going to make a fool of myself. How could any of them really be interested in me? I’m a total failure at everything, even emerging as a pred.”

The sadness in her tone awakens my gargoyle, and he doesn’t like it at all. Since he rarely gives a fuck about anything other than hunting and our dragon, I’m a little shocked. A ripple of his power pushes against my skin and I push back in shock—he never tries to do this shit. Or at least, he hasn’t since I was a wee pup learning to work with my inner beast rather than being controlled by it.

My gargoyle wants me to comfort her, make her feel better—now.

That revelation makes my gut clench, and I have to fight off the urge to jump up and run away in fear. Adding people to my tiny circle of trust is always terrifying, and this girl caught the attention of the one part of me who will not be denied. He asks for very little and aids me in protecting those I do not wish to see harmed. I can’t deny him the few indulgences he demands.

So I open both of my eyes, letting the blue glow of my gargoyle’s gaze find Dolly in the dark. Her hand flies to her mouth when she sees it, and I smile gently. Before she can speak, I scoot back a bit, making room in between myself and my grumpy love.

Whispering low, I hold my hand out. “Come. We will help you feel safe, petite .”

Her expression is unsure, and I watch her struggle with the concept and her own fears. She chews on a fingernail for a moment, probably realizing I heard her talking to herself, but eventually starts padding forward.

“Snacksize, for the love of everything holy, get in here so he goes back to sleep. I have an early class in my fucking library tomorrow.”

Aubrey’s grumble makes both of us blanch and we exchange a sheepish look as she climbs into the recessed space. Dolly crawls over, placing herself between us in the fluffy sleepwear that dwarfs her frame. I note the bunny ears on the hood and let out a soft huff of amusement.

“What did I say about going to sleep?” the dragon rumbles as he reaches back to grab my hand and yank my arm across both of them.

“Sorry,” I say quietly, pressing close to the nervous bunny as I place my hand back on my love’s hip.

Dolly’s body eventually relaxes, and I smile to myself as the breaths of both the people sharing my nest even out. Something about this feels right and my gargoyle is almost purring with happiness inside of me. It worries me, but at the moment, I can’t find it in myself to care.

I haven’t had a real clutch for hundreds of years and much like Aubrey, our kind live in polyamorous groups centered on our females. Neither of us ever expected to find one another, much less a woman that might fill that hole in our beasts’ desires.

Delores Drew may be the answer to everything all of us have ever wanted, and that terrifies the hell out of me.

Aubrey is going to lose his shit when we wake up and he realizes what he did in his sleep.

Did I forget to mention he sleep talks and rarely remembers it in the morning?

It’s going to be hysterical when he wakes.

I can’t wait.