Page 30

Chess

Fitz is gleefully hopping up the steps to the first floor of the Tower, his enthusiasm buzzing over me like fine champagne. Ever since he got his hands on her the other night, he’s barely been in control of his hyperactivity. I don’t know how in Fenrir his students are dealing with him; Felix and I are at our wits’ end.

He insisted we come visit her because, according to him, ‘you’ve been avoiding my baby girl and I know it upsets her’. I can’t correct him, unfortunately; my struggle with accepting my attraction to Delores is making me too nervous to be around her. Fitz always knows when I’m having trouble with shit, and I suppose he gave me two weeks to sort it out on my own. Now, he’s pushing the envelope because he can.

If I didn’t love him, I’d throttle him.

“What if she’s… indisposed, Fitz? We can’t just bust into her room,” I protest weakly.

My lover claps a hand on my shoulder, grinning broadly. “I do it every day, babe. My girl expects me to visit her after class and she enjoyed my visit when she was indisposed the other night. ”

I roll my eyes, sighing at his typical cluelessness. While I’m sure he took care of our angel, I’m less certain she wants him showing up without notice constantly. If we weren’t so secure in our relationship, I’d be jealous, but I know Fitz would never let me go. His fury at his father’s edict with Felix told me everything I needed to know about my place with him.

He yanks the door to the room open, calling out to her as we walk in. “Baby Girl, I’m here! By all means, stay undressed if you’re naked. Chess is dying to see.”

Heat travels to my face so fast I get a head rush and I glare at the tiger. “I… I…”

Luckily, she’s not standing starkers in the outer room. It takes a moment, but I hear water in the en suite and her lilting soprano singing a pop song. It makes me smile broadly; encouraging her to pursue her genuine passion is one of the best things I’ve done since we came to this place. I’m still patting myself on the back when I realize Fitz is opening the door to the occupied bathroom. A muffled admonishment follows a squeak of surprise and he swaggers back out with a satisfied grin.

“She’ll be out soon,” he tells me before he flops on her bed. “Come sit with me.”

I give him a doubtful look, eyeing the bed. “I don’t know if I should climb onto Delores’ bed without her giving me permission, Fitz.”

“Aw, Chessie, don’t be so tight-assed. Our girl thinks you’re hot, too. She won’t mind, I promise.” He bats his lashes, sprawling out in a delicious pose that makes his shirt ride up over his chiseled abs. His hand pats the spot next to him again and I take a step closer, tentatively.

Shifters who live in groups like ours, particularly canines and felines, enjoy contact. Fitz has never been good with respecting people’s space—something that likely comes from being part of the royal family. No one tells the Raj’s family ‘no’, though I know for sure Fitz would accept it if they did. Neither he nor Felix have ever had to work for companionship, and they definitely didn’t need to force it. If Dolly had told him to fuck off and meant it, he’d be pouting like a child, but he’d do it.

That tells me she’s allowing him to virtually stalk her; he’s got her consent.

Instead of joining him, I walk over to the bookshelves she’s filling. My lips curve as I see the usual assortment of romance novels, fantasy, and mysteries I’d expect. I bet she has overflowing cases at home because there are stacks of songbooks and sheet music covering her piano bench. Between her love of singing and theater, I see a dreamer in this girl. Reading was likely an escape from her home life and I understand that. My hobbies are all how I kept myself occupied when all I had at Bloodstone was Fitz.

“Do you think we should invite her on our trip to town? She’d love it, and I’m sure she needs more supplies food-wise by now.” Fitz’s eyes light up and he whispers, “If we get her proper food, she’ll have to come to our place to cook it!”

That makes my cat purr happily. He likes the idea of us caring for the girl, especially if I get to cook for her. I’ve always done the meals for the three Khan refugees and it makes me giddy to think Dolly might join us. My brow furrows for a second when I consider whether Felix will be okay with it, but from the look on Fitz’s face, that will not matter.

My enforcer plans to brute force this girl into all our lives if it kills him, it seems.

I give into Fitz as my feline rumbles in my chest, walking over and dropping next to him to curl up. He knows I enjoy taking care of people, especially those I care about, and I know he’s stroking my cheetah in perfect time to his plans. His arms wrap around me and he presses a kiss to my temple. “I had a good plan, didn’t I, baby?”

“Yes,” I admit with a sigh. “I would like that very much. ”

The door to the bathroom opens, letting steam out as the lovely Dolly exits wrapped in a big, fluffy towel. “Hey, Chess! I haven’t seen you in forever. I’m glad Fitz brought you to see the room that he helped me commandeer.”

My eyes widen at the array of tattoos visible on her pale skin. She definitely went buck wild this summer, like Fitz told us. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the ones crawling up her legs because of her fishnets and she has one on her left bicep of a goth-styled cartoon bunny that’s adorable as hell. I take a moment to find my voice to reply, and when I do, it’s rough. “You got ink over the summer, huh?”

Her smile brightens before she walks over to her dresser, pulling out lingerie that makes me gulp, and Fitz squeezes me to his side. “Sure did. My friends talked me into it and I’m a little addicted. I’d love to get more, but I have to wait for the right ideas to strike me.”

“We could take you, baby girl. I’ve got plenty of my own, but I’m always game to add more,” the tiger says before giving me an excited look. “Chessie doesn’t have much—maybe you can talk him into more? I mean, all three of us have the required Khan ink and brands, but he’s never gone past that.”

She turns quickly, holding onto the towel to keep it from falling. “I’d love to! We could have a big outing. Maybe even the other grumpy pusses would come. I mean, since I discovered that amazing kitchen, I want to get food I can make like a normal person. Delivery is getting boring.”

I cock a brow at her with a shy smile. “Do you know how to cook?”

“Well, no.” She wrinkles her nose and walks over to the bathroom with her clothes, talking to us from just inside the door as she dresses. “But I’m a fast learner. I can use YouTube and with that setup, I should be good. ”

Fitz’s lack of movement when she didn’t close the door was distracting, but after a moment, I catch what she actually said. “Did you say… you discovered a kitchen? Where?”

That gets my lover’s attention and his eyes get wide as saucers. “Here?”

Dolly pops her head out as she braids her gorgeous sherbet colored locks. “Yes, here, you goons. I couldn’t sleep the other night and I kind of went on a walkabout… I found out that the second floor is a big dining room and kitchen with so much cool shit. It’s ridiculous for it to sit empty.”

Renard and Aubrey do not let people explore their domain.

“Uh, Angel? What… What happened when you were wandering? Did you… run into anyone?” I ask carefully. Neither of the winged members of our group mentioned this, and I’m astounded.

“Duh,” she replies as she walks out in a pair of skintight ripped jeans and a cropped black hoodie with strategic cuts in the arms. “But it’s okay. I’m allowed to clean up the second floor and get the kitchen working. Scout’s honor.”

My mouth hangs open in shock as she makes the gesture everyone recognizes for pledging, and I turn to look at Fitz. He’s in a similar state of shock and even shakes his head as if trying to make sure he heard correctly. “Aubrey or Renard… gave you permission to use another floor? Alone?”

She rolls her eyes at me and plops on the bench to pull on her boots. “Yes. In fact, I’m free to roam wherever I want. So ha!”

That revelation is paired with her sticking her tongue out at us, and I laugh softly. Fitz was right for once; this girl has literally wrapped all five of us in some weird web. Not even the grouchy book dragon is immune to her charms. They don't allow us free rein in their Tower, and we've been friends for over a decade. Yet Delores Drew waltzed in with the sound of punk rock and her middle finger raised… only to enchant every single one of us.

She really might be an angel.

“Are you ready to go, Angel?” I ask with a soft smile. She nods and I roll to my feet, holding a hand out to Fitz.

“We can take Felix’s Jag since there’s three of us. His bike only seats two safely.”

She snorts, covering her mouth as her sapphire eyes dance. “You don’t want to ride on the handlebars, Chess? It’d be dangerous, but fun as shit if it isn’t far.”

“No, no,” I blurt. “We can take the convertible. No need for danger.”

Both my wicked tiger and the smoky eyed temptress look at me with similar teasing smiles on their face. It occurs to me that I have a thing for bad boys—and girls—who push my boundaries. Dolly was teasing, but I know she would have tried that stunt if I’d said yes. Fitz absolutely would have let her and I’m going to be the voice of reason in this little triad, for sure.

I can live with that.

“Now that we’ve established Chessie is a wet blanket, can we go? I can’t wait for you to feel that engine purr for you, baby girl.” She gives Fitz a reproving look and I rub my hand over my face. “What? She likes vibration and we both know it! I’m being considerate of her needs.”

“I’d rather take my Mustang and let you feel my girl purr,” Dolly interjects. “Both of you.”

My face flames as I look at Fitz for help, but he’s just giving her a dreamy look. He finally snaps out of it and replies with a smirk. “I’d love to see how you handle a stick, and so would Chess. Lead the way.”

Merciful Bast, I hope these two don’t get worse while we’re out or I will not survive this trip—and we’ll get kicked out of the store for certain.