Page 52

Renard

“Stop messing me up, Fitz!” Delores’ frustrated cry echoes through the Tower, but I know it’s coming from the kitchen.

Despite her utter lack of cooking knowledge, she’s determined to ‘help’ with our dinner preparation.

Chess tried to get her and Fitz—who is currently nipping at her heels like a lovesick puppy—to go play with the Slaystation, but she insisted, declaring she wasn’t a charity case to be served. No one wanted to push the subject, as we all know she wasn’t welcome in her childhood home over the holiday break. It’s probably why Chess is allowing her in his sacred space at the moment, despite the added distraction of his lover, who is no doubt doing nothing but feeling her up.

“Aw, baby girl! How am I supposed to keep my paws to myself when you’re wearing that frilly apron thingy?” the younger tiger whines.

How indeed.

Delores shrieks again before her giggles fill the air, and I shake my head, glancing at the dragon lounging on his throne with a large, dusty book. Aubrey senses my eyes on him, smirking knowingly as he carefully shuts the book. He’s been feisty since the night of the parents’ meeting.

Could it be that he’s having as much trouble keeping his dragon calm around Dolly as I am with my gargoyle?

“You could go down and mediate,” the dragon suggests, arching a brow at me. “Living in Paris for all of those years must have rubbed off on you a little. Surely you know how to cook?”

I snort. He damn well knows I love to learn things and frequently take up hobbies on a whim. I absolutely know how to cook. Aubrey and I had no need for that skill until the cats came along, and Chess does most of the cooking, but still. “I don’t want to disturb Chess’ workspace, as I had them renovate the kitchen to his specifications. Besides, there’s already too many cooks in there, don’t you think?”

“Fuck, yes, there are,” Felix mutters as he gets up and walks towards the stairs. “I’ll go handle my brother before Chess loses his mind.”

Aubrey watches him go before smirking at me. “If he thinks we believe he’s getting involved to wrangle Fitz and not to ogle the frilly apron and dress combo, he’s in deeper denial than we thought.”

“You know what they say about denial—it’s not just a river in...”

“Stop it,” the dragon huffs grumpily, shifting in his chair. “You’re especially cheeky today. Is that because you agreed to let bite size come hunting with us after dinner?”

Since Fitz’s ‘date’ with Dolly, she’s become a frequent visitor in all levels of the Tower, even on the top floor. Whether she’s plopped at my desk doing homework, playing Slaystation with Fitz, or even simply curled up on the couch with headphones and sheet music, I almost expect her presence at this point. And since Dolly doesn’t like it when I brood on the ledge ‘like emo Spiderman’, I now make a habit of joining the circle.

Shrugging at the pointed question, I rise from my throne and walk to the sidebar, pouring us each a drink. “I promised she could join whenever she wanted. I couldn’t very well take that back, now could I? Besides, you let her spend the night with you, big guy. Don’t throw rocks in glass Towers.”

Take that, you stubborn old lizard. If I have to admit things, you do, too.

Aubrey puffs a few smoke rings, always grumbly when he has to discuss things he’s not ready to. I come back with scotch and I chuckle, wondering if he’ll attempt to redirect. “She was scared, Rennie.”

“She was crying, Flames.”

This is a stand-off we’ve had many times over the years about various things. Furniture? Yes. Hobbies? Yes. His fucking books? Absolutely.

But never a girl.

We eye one another for a moment, and I drop onto my Gothic throne with a satisfied grin. He hates when I logic him out of being purposefully obtuse, and I know it. Our stand-off is broken when Felix comes stomping back into the room, covered in flour from head to toe. My eyes widen as I watch the alpha continue to the bathroom, cursing like a sailor on leave. When I look at my companion, we burst out laughing at the same time.

Felix Khan has met his match in Delores Drew.

“Twenty bucks says Fitz talked her into it,” Aubrey snorts, leaning back on his throne with a grin. Now that someone else’s hangups are in the spotlight, he’s much more amenable.

I shake my head. “Fifty says our girl did that all on her own.”

“You’re on, poetry boy. Shall we go see what trouble the children have gotten into? ”

Nodding, I rise again, taking my absinthe with me. “Chess’ kitchen is probably a fucking mess. He’ll be tearing his hair out.”

“Word.”

“Oh, sweet Aed, never say that again.”

The lights from the chandelier make the crystal glisten, and I find myself amused as hell that Felix demanded we set the big table for dinner. We almost never use this room—I have no idea why it was even built. During the holidays, we typically all eat in the sitting room upstairs while drinking and grousing about the students and staff. But with Dolly here, we apparently need to roll out the red carpet.

We’ve definitely never used this china, nor the silver. I haven’t opened the cabinet they’re stored in since I moved in because I didn’t see the need for the trappings of a king at a place like Apex.

Okay, outside of my chair and my private quarters, I suppose. But who likes to be uncomfortable in their own space?

Once the Raj comes out of the washroom, Aubrey and I could herd Dolly and Fitz so Chess has enough peace in the kitchen to finish. Dolly is relatively clean, and Fitz has stripped to his boxers to rid himself of the dust, although I bet that was his choice. It’s all quite comical, but I know dinner will be burnt to a crisp by the jittery chef if we don’t intervene.

“Does it look right, Rennie?”

I blink when Dolly comes bounding over to me, her full skirt bouncing. She’s dressed in an outfit that could only have been picked by the fucker elected to discuss our… proposition with her. Fitz came back the next day smug as hell, crowing that sh e’d accepted all five of us, but beyond that, he’s kept his mouth shut. I’d never tell him, but I actually respect him for letting everyone—including Dolly—get comfortable with the arrangement instead of running his big fat mouth about their escapades.

Besides, I’m not sure if I could take it.

Of course, he couldn’t completely let it go, judging by how the bunny in question is dressed in a baby pink pin-up style dress that ties around her neck, and the entire delicious looking garment is cherry patterned.

No one ever accused Fitz Khan of being subtle.

Truthfully, Fitz seducing Delores first probably affects Felix more than any of us. It’s usually the Raj who would take on that role in a poly tiger group, but neither he nor Chess are ready for that yet. Aubrey is notoriously slow to let people in, but allowing her in ou r actual bedroom was a big, flashing light that he’s made some sort of decision, even if nothing scandalous happened. And I… benefit from all of their familiarity without having to define anything too closely just yet.

There’s a safety in being the watchful one, and I’ve been quietly arranging things to show that I enjoy her presence in the Tower.

“Rennie?”

Oh, shit. I got lost in my head again.

I smile, tilting my head as I walk around the table slowly, admiring her work. Our girl may not cook, but her sharp mind knew how to set a formal table. “You set it European style.”

Her face lights up and she wiggles a little, making the dress flounce invitingly. “I did! You can always tell by the salad fork.”

Fitz walks up, re-dressed and looking pleased about his part in making his brother and the entire kitchen an absolute nightmare. “You can fork me anytime, baby girl.”

“Preferably with a barbecue fork,” Aubrey adds as he strides in with Felix in tow.

They share a chuckle, and I smile to myself. They’ve always been more alike than not, and not just because they’re both grumpy alphas. Since Dolly arrived, the tiger is slowly becoming the leader his ambush needs, and Aubrey is coming out of his hard shell.

“Excellent burn, spicy lizard. I might enjoy being stabbed a little, but I don’t think our girl’s ready for that kind of play in the bedroom.” Fitz pecks her cheek and trots over to the bar, leaving Dolly with eyes the size of the dinner plates.

Felix gives Dolly a once-over he thinks is subtle, as Aubrey slips his hand into his pocket, looking everywhere except at her.

Oh, this is delicious—they’re both so fucking stubborn, they can’t even admit how attracted to this girl they are. I’m going to have a ball during dinner.

Chess pops his head out of the kitchen, narrowing his eyes at the rest of us. That’s an unusual look, but I suppose I can’t blame him for being frazzled today. “It would be nice if you could all help bring the food in...”

Oh, that was definitely aggressive… I’m going to need some popcorn.

“Oooh! It smells amazing. I’m so hungry I could eat an entire cow,” Dolly says, clapping her hands as she rushes over to help, earning her a smile from Chess that shows she wasn’t the reason for his ire.

Aubrey and I look at the tigers, shock clear on our faces. Fitz snorts, elbowing his brother before smirking at us. “You didn’t know my baby girl is a ravenous meat-eater? Man, you two are sooooo far behind. Tragic.”

My brow furrows. I stocked snacks for Dolly upstairs for when she camped out here, but none with a carnivorous bunny in mind. I suppose this explains her lack of disgust when she joined us on our hunt. Fitz is still gloating about his insider knowledge, and Aubrey puffs another smoke ring, clearly annoyed that he didn’t know this little… eccentricity of hers.

Dolly pokes her head out of the kitchen, interrupting our stand-off with a haughty exclamation. “This isn’t your palace, guys, and neither Chess nor I are June Cleaver. Come in here and help us!”

The enforcer opens his mouth, but Aubrey rolls his eyes, cutting him off before he can speak. “Yes, yes, Fitz. We’re all aware you’re happy to come for her anytime. Move your ass.”

That catches the tiger off guard, and Felix bursts out laughing in a way I’ve never seen before. I’ll be damned—Dolly’s a goddamned miracle worker.

I grin at my companion, holding my fist up for a bump as I pass by him. Felix isn’t the only one she’s good for, and I enjoy seeing him have a little fun, too. Aubrey is far too tightly wound for his own good, especially with anyone who hasn’t been around for centuries, like I have. Much like Felix does, my dragon punishes himself for mistakes of the past more than he’d like to admit.

We wait at the door, allowing Chess to walk through with the turkey, followed by Dolly, carrying an impressive amount of side dishes on her arms like a pro. The rest of us follow Felix into the kitchen, grabbing the various platters full of prime rib, venison, gazelle, and other savory meats. As we set our dishes on the table, Dolly bustles past, then returns with another multi-plate load of side dishes, and I finally give in, asking what I know we’re all thinking.

“ Petite lapin , where did you learn to carry dishes like that? Surely you didn’t serve the food at home. Combined with the place setting—where did you pick that up?”

Aubrey snorts. “We know your mother didn’t teach you.” When he mentions her mother, she gives the dragon a look that could shrivel a lesser pred’s balls, and I cover my mouth with my hand.

I bet she learned that from her mother .

“Over the summer,” she says, sashaying over to the small ice bucket full of Dr. Pepper I left out for her. “I worked at House Growlvinchy for Luc, and it allowed me the freedom to experience real-world things. I made friends with a lot of prey animals who worked in the area, and one of the nicer ones was Clotilda. She’s a skunk who worked in the coffeehouse nearby, but she also had experience catering for Council families. We got to know each other when I helped her cover busy shifts, and she helped me wipe all of Lucille’s spy shit off my devices ‘cause she’s also a hacker.”

No one seems to know what to do with that information. Fitz is looking a little cagey, and I wonder how closely he was stalking her during the break. I clear my throat, waiting for someone to speak, and when they don’t, I sigh.

Not my forte, but okay…

“How did you end up working for… Luc, did you say?”

“I’ll share that information with you, but only if you guys do what I do with Fitz.” She grins, walking up to the table and plopping her cute butt right in the chair at the head.

Five sets of eyes stare at her with open mouths, though whether it’s because of her statement or the chair she chose, I can’t say.

“What… you… do… with Fitz?” Aubrey finally breaks the ice.

Chess snorts as he takes a chair one spot away from the grinning bunny.

Dolly rolls her eyes, sipping her soda as she gestures to the other chairs, implying we should all sit. “Yes. I tell you something about me and you then have to share something about you—something important, not some random factoid.”

That gets everyone’s attention, and Fitz shrugs. “Seemed like a fair trade when she was naked.”

“Fitz!” she hisses, her face flushing as pink as her dress. He just smirks at her like an asshole, then drops into the seat between her and Chess.

To my absolute shock, Aubrey does not point out Delores’ bold choice of seats, instead following suit on her other side, shaking his napkin out and putting it on his lap before he responds. “Seems fair. Is there an out for questions we cannot answer for various reasons? At least, not yet... "

Good question.

My gaze flits between Chess and Felix, both of whom do not look excited about this game. That means I’m the deciding vote, and since I enjoy the hell out of watching everyone cautiously dance around Dolly, I choose chaos. Giving her my most charming grin, I take the seat next to the dragon. “If there’s a way to pass on questions we can’t or won’t answer yet, I’m game.”

“What?!” Chess grumbles, but Fitz ignores him, reaching over the table to high five Aubrey and I.

“Fuck, yeah! Hey bro—come sit your brass balls at the sharing table with us!”

Felix narrows his eyes at his brother and stomps over to the remaining seat. His gaze locks with our girl’s the second his ass hits the chair and she lifts her chin in a challenge.

This couldn’t be more fascinating if it was an episode of The Good Life.

“Okay, baby. If you wanna play with the big preds, we’ll play. What’s your question?” His expression is knowing, as if he’s already won, and he passes a basket of rolls to me while he waits.

Dolly gives him a feral grin as she thinks for a moment and then asks, “How did it fall on Fitz to ask me out on behalf of all you big baddies?”

Felix leans forward on his elbows as the rest of us fill our plates quietly, only the clinking of the silverware in the air as he grins. “ We thought you’d be most comfortable with Fitz, but I may have helped coach him with phrasing.”

“Why would you do that?” Dolly sits back, the smug grin replaced by surprise.

“You owe us an answer first,” Aubrey pipes up, and I turn to look at him again in shock. “How did you end up working for Luc Growlvinchy?”

What’s gotten into him tonight? Spicy lizard, indeed.

She rolls her eyes, making a show of reaching for a gigantic piece of prime rib and slapping it on her plate. “I met him when I bought my dress for prom. He was kind during the fitting, and I think he sensed I needed an ally. He gave me his number, ‘just in case’ I had dress issues, so when I needed to earn money after everyone deserted me, I called him. He has a lot of prey animals working for him, and I knew he wouldn’t mistreat me.”

“Fair enough,” Felix casually replies, although I notice his jaw tick as he no doubt tamps down the instinct to protect. “Who’s next?”

Oh, we are going to need a lot more alcohol for this.