Page 48

Chess

The amount of time we spend sitting in this living room discussing my angel is getting ridiculous. Like Fitz said last time, we really need to just invite her up here to join us. She’s smart and brave, so I don’t think a group of men trying to decide her fate without her will sit well.

It’s certainly not getting any of us closer to sampling what Fitz has.

His new feminist leanings make me chuckle; he’s never been a misogynist, per se, but he’s always been callous with his playboy attitude towards women. Delores Drew is subtly changing the bad boy of Bloodstone, and she doesn’t even realize how powerful that influence is.

Looking around at my makeshift ambush, I smile to myself. She’s having a similar effect on the others, too. Felix is more interested in the bigger picture at Apex than he ever has been—more like a true king. My book loving friend is still grumpy as fuck, but his smiles are more frequent and his humor less toothy. And the loner gargoyle joins us in the circle rather than grunt from his perch all the time .

My angel is turning us into a genuine family and it makes my heart squish because it’s what I’ve always wanted.

I don’t even mind that my cat is more demanding and present in my mind. His desire to protect her rides me constantly and though I’m the smallest pred in the room, I would charge a giant motherfucker like Gregor to save her, just as I would with Fitz and Felix. The cheetah looks at her differently than Fitz, but I think eventually they will be equal in importance.

If I can figure out how to approach her, that is.

“None of you were there, but I watched Lucille Rostoff Drew rip someone’s throat out in the middle of a meeting and no one did a damn thing. I can only imagine what she’s been doing to the lunchable most of her life.” Aubrey looks at each of us and though I know he’s not one to be dramatic about death, he’s trying to warn us of the danger my angel is in.

Renard snorts. “Don’t tell me it made your stomach turn, old friend. I know better.”

“Of course not. I’m not upset by the violence as much as her iron grip on everyone. You didn’t see how Delores behaved when her family was on campus afterward. The confidence she’s built up over the past few months dropped like a stone and she cowered like prey.”

“She is prey,” Felix reminds him. “But I understand your point. She may be capable of holding her own here against her old enemies and the students, but her parents are another level of fear she has yet to face. Their betrayal and decision to send her here to be killed must cut deeply, even for someone used to their abuse. I can relate to that.”

Wisdom like that from Felix is unusual since we left Bloodstone, and I tilt my head to watch his reaction. “It’s how you behave when your father or his minions reach out. ”

Fitz glares at me, opening his mouth to defend his twin, but Felix gives me an impressed look. “Yes, Chess. That’s exactly what it’s like. Being victimized isn’t only for the weaker species; strong preds like me can have trauma that is triggered, too. My father definitely qualifies as one of those.”

Suddenly, my lover frowns and whips his head around to look at the dragon with narrowed eyes. “Wait a minute. Where the hell did you find my baby girl on Friday? I couldn’t find her anywhere and I even used the tracking shit I put on her phone. I checked with her nutty friends and even looked in on Three-Finger Todd to see if he needed a beating. But nada enchilada, man. The last location I saw on the network was your damn book dungeon, Lizard Lothario.”

That gets the attention of both me and my king; our eyes snap to Aubrey, who shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “When I ran into her, she was in a very precarious mental state, Fitz. I recommended she allow me to walk her to the townhouse or the Tower and turn her phone off. She needed rest and comfort.”

Renard snorts, shooting the dragon a knowing look, and I frown. He’s usually quite eager to poke at things, but this topic has him tight-lipped. Felix arches a brow, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees as he watches the two of them.

“Ooh, tell me more, Hot Lips. Did your special brand of comfort include a paper cut inducing roll in the pages of dusty old books where she worshiped at the altar of your teeny dragon weenie?”

Fucking hell, Fitz. Get us all roasted like pigs on a spit, why don’t you?

The dragon pops out of his chair, his wings spreading as he shifts while walking towards my big mouthed lover. Smoke billows from his nose as he glares fiery rings of promised pain at him and growls, “Fitzgerald Ulysses Castor Khan! That is none of your fucking business.”

Holy shit, he came for the full name.

Fitzy hates that shit with a passion. This is going to be bad. I get ready to throw myself between them when Felix stands, holding his hands out to calm them. He gives me a nod and I rise slowly, just watching this play out.

“It is all of our business, dragon. Delores has aligned herself with each of us, and we have all been receptive in our own ways. As Fitz and Chess have repeatedly suggested, we are on the precipice of something bigger than one pred’s pride or need for secrecy.”

“Well said, kitty cat,” Renard comments. He’s still lazing in his chair, not perturbed for a second about the Shifter War about to start in his living room. “Especially since you publicly claimed her in the name of Spain in the faculty lounge. We know it got back to your dear old dictator, so that complicates everything.”

“But—”

“He’s right,” I say as I look at the infuriated lizard. “Put your dicks away, both of you, and let’s figure out what Delores needs from her ambush.”

The two ancients glare at my word and I roll my eyes over to Felix, who sighs. “Whatever we want to call it. By Zeus’ wandering dick, you’re even touchier since she showed up than before.”

I think about that for a moment and realize Felix is spot on. They’ve gotten even more secretive since Fitz stuffed our girl in this private oasis and she’s been silent about everything to do with it and them. There must be something they have instructed her not to talk about because normally, she vomits info like she has the flu. Nothing to do with our winged companions comes up when Fitz verbally downloads their chats to me when he gets home.

“You took her flying while you hunted,” I say as it slowly dawns on me. “And walked her home to this place when she was upset.” Fitz and Felix look at me expectantly, and I grin when I get it. “She knows what you eat and where you sleep. Son of a bug-eating wombat! ”

Aubrey lets out an annoyed huff and Renard shrugs nonchalantly. That neither will confirm nor deny the statement tells me everything, and I drop back onto the couch in amazement. I’ve been here a decade and not once have either of them given us even a hint about those topics.

“I’m sorry to disappoint your need for details, Fitz, but nothing happened when she came back to the Tower. There’s no hanky panky to report.” Felix stares at him and I feel my Raj knows something we don’t. “Fine. She kissed me. That’s all.”

Fitz’s eyes widen comically and he clasps his hands together with glee. “Salty Salamander, that’s fucking great! I cannot wait until?—”

“But I put a stop to it when she bit me,” Aubrey adds with a grimace.

The room freezes as we all look at one another in panic. Biting is a very serious topic, and doing with intent is sacred to all shifters. For fated mates—something rarely seen anymore—intent isn’t even required. If they break skin and share their kind’s marking, it’s done. The animals within us know, even if we aren’t taught them by our parents.

“Yeah, she definitely loves when I give her teeth, man. And I know she’s left a mark or two on me.” He grins fangily. “My kitty likes it, and so does hers.”

“Fucking hell, Fitz,” Felix grumbles as he shakes his head. “While I’d think prey animals would be terrified of that, the princess isn’t. It fits in well with my theory about her behavior in the ring. I wonder if she’ll feel a push to be more dominating as she gets more accustomed to her animal.”

Aubrey turns bright red and I flush a little as well. I guess she’s been more forward with us than we expected.

Fitz snorts and shrugs. “I’d say that’s possible. My baby girl is getting more comfortable and with that, sexy as fuck when she wants shit.”

“With her fangs?” Felix asks.

Our stony friend sits up, tilting his head. “She has fangs? Not just big teeth?” Felix and Fitz nod simultaneously and he stands, walking over to stare at a woodland landscape hanging on the wall. “Interesting.”

“Care to share, asshole?” Aubrey prods, aiming a stern look at the gargoyle.

“Tell us, fucker. I can’t deal with all this mysterious bullshit going on. I feel like we’re in the middle of some big fucking plot on a TV show and we missed two seasons. I’m not stupid, but I don’t enjoy feeling out of the loop,” Fitz growls as he looks around.

“I’m uncertain about my theories. The memories I’m recalling are much older and most of those tales are mere legends now. It wouldn’t help to spout off and be wrong.” Renard turns back to us and eyes Felix. “We should ensure ma petit lapin is taking Zhenga’s Shifter Sex Ed class next semester. She’s obviously a student whose parents didn’t educate their child appropriately. No shifter with any sense bites another without knowing what it means.”

“It’s like some idiotic human with no knowledge of how any of this works in their shitty smut novels,” Aubrey sneers. “I have to cull my library of that sort of nonsense all the time. Some of our kind will read anything if it gives them spank bank material.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Renard beats me. “ Mon ami , don’t be such an elitist twat. There are many wonderful, yet steamy tales in that section. A few rotten apples don’t spoil the bushel entirely. Besides, like every genre, the flash in the pan people will die out, eventually.”

This is going nowhere.

“While this literary discussion is fascinating, the point is she needs to know about breeding and mating before accidents happen,” I interject. “None of you would be happy with that.”

I see the tension ratchet up in the room and it proves my point. Not everyone is ready to claim her out loud, much less permanently, but they sure as fuck don’t want someone else treading on their territory without a discussion. It would cause a major rift in our evolving family and no one wants to cause it, least of all me. My cheetah being so interested in her is new and I’ve avoided her because I have no clue what he’ll do when I actually get to touch my angel.

“We need to get on board with this—all of us—while she’s learning. Take her out, show her a good time, and get her mind off murder and fucking bullies. That’s how we can make sure everything develops honestly and with open communication,” Fitz says with a shrug. “You assholes all need to up your game. I’ll go first because I fucking earned it.”

Glaring at him, I jerk my chin up, but his knowing look calms me. He’s right, of course. I’ve run away at every turn unless he’s there and my relationship with my angel has to be solid before it can include both of us. I don’t want her to invite me because he said so.

I give my love a small nod, smiling a little in understanding, but I can’t help noticing the brooding aerial preds also communicating without words.

What the hell are they on about?

And where does that leave Felix?

This is going to be a long night.