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Chess

Since our family chat about the multitude of issues facing my angel, I’ve been in overdrive. I found a rolling board for the main living area in the Tower and I’ve been here every chance I get, laying out the mysteries we’re trying to solve. I was ecstatic to create a huge transparent vellum cling for the back of the clear board, so there’s a timeline at the top and a map of the school underneath. There are dates and times of the incidents so far ranging from the prom disaster to the most recent disappearances. Locations for all the problems, including the bullying shit, are marked with magnets holding a list of names of those involved.

This looks totally fucking professional and I’m super jazzed about finishing up the last part. I have space for columns listing unanswered questions, theories, and tasks for each of us. Right now, Aubrey and Renard are focused on the bullshit fake paper, so Felix is nosing around the staff. Most of them are terrified of him, so he can ask about all the dangers without worrying whether they’ll respond. Fitz is helping Delores with more self-defense training and I’m supposed to create more clings of the mysterious pictures.

For once, I feel like a genuine part of the team because I can help. My skills and meticulous eye for detail are perfect for creating our workspace. No one threw me a bone; they want me to contribute. It makes my heart sing with happiness.

Of course, some of that is being able to connect with our angel physically. We haven’t had Fitz join us yet, but the time is coming soon and my cheetah is practically vibrating with excitement. Being with the two people I cherish most, together, is almost a dream come true.

And Fitz and Dolly are equally eager.

I know because I’ve caught the hungry look in my tiger’s eyes and the shy glances from the bunny. Neither of them has said anything to me, but I can smell them. We’re very close and it makes me a little giddy. Maybe I should start another chat with the three of us so we can play? I bet Fitz would love that shit, and I know our girl would enjoy the naughtiness of it.

After all, what kind of future mate would I be if I didn’t take care of the people I love?

Blinking, I put my hand over my mouth when that thought pops into my head. It’s not as if I’m in danger of spilling the beans—no one but me has this period free. Fuck knows, Fitz and I have said those words plenty of times before, but I don’t think he’s said them to her and I know I haven’t. But as I think about it, I know with all my heart that it’s true, just as I knew when I fell for my consort. My angel is part of our forever now, and I can’t wait to share her with the tiger I adore.

I let out a deep breath, thinking about how wonderful our night was New Year’s Eve, and how supportive the rest of the guys were the next day. They ribbed me a little, which was expected, but no one made me feel silly for being so happy. When I mentioned the way she marked me, we all looked at one another for a moment before agreeing the class with Zhenga was totally necessary.

My face heats as I continue using the markers to list clues on the board. Having to attend her class in person to learn about the fables fated mate shit was embarrassing as hell. Even Fitz was hyper as hell afterward, so we all had a long talk about what happened to us with our bunny rabbit. Felix looked pained—I don’t think he ever considered having a proper girlfriend again, much less a mate sent by the Fates. The two ancients exchanged a lot of ‘eyebrow talk’, which I’m familiar with enough to know it surprised them, too.

Something has been going on with those two since before my angel arrived and now it’s spread to her, as well. I don’t know what they’re hiding or why they took her into their confidence, but even before Ren’s date, I could see her gravitating towards them. Not just separately, either—together.

I ponder that for a moment, frowning as I try to imagine the two of them together like Felix and me, but it simply doesn’t compute. My thought train must be on the wrong track—whatever they’re hiding isn’t a relationship. I have no fucking clue what it could be, but that doesn’t seem likely when I try to spin it in my head.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me out of my musings. Pulling it out of my pocket, I see a message from the gargoyle of the hour, asking me to meet him at the spot where we found the dead weasel. I have no idea why he’d want to meet there, though I guess we never went into that prey tunnel to check it out. Maybe doing a little y-Doo will help us shake loose some connections between the poison, the dead kid, and the disappearances?

It definitely can’t hurt to check it out.

Texting him back to say I’m on my way, I set all my shit aside and take off down the Tower steps. I’d do anything to keep our girl safe and if part of that is crawling through creepy, bug filled prey tunnels, I can take it.

I mean, Dolly uses them all the time, so they can’t be that bad, right?

Right?

Wrong.

After I zoom across campus like a maniac, I find a perfectly composed gargoyle leaning against a tree. His expression is amused when I come to a halt in front of him. I run a hand through my tousled hair and shrug. “You said it was important.”

“And it is, mon ami , but perhaps not a five alarm fire?” Chuckling, he shakes his head and gestures at the spot with the mass of brush covering the door. “It occurred to me we could explore down here and see if we find anything that connects to what Aubrey and Dolly have been researching in the archives.”

I nod. “The thought crossed my mind as well. The whole dead body thing was distracting, and we lost track of what might be a source of clues while we dealt with the aftermath.”

“Exactly!” he says, clapping me on the back. He bends down, brushing the debris off the door before he gives it a big yank. “Let’s get to sleuthing, my friend.”

I follow him down the rickety ladder, and when I get to the bottom, I pull my phone out to use as a flashlight. There’s probably some way to light the tunnels outside of tech, but I don’t see it yet. Not every prey species has excellent night vision, though, so we’ll stumble on it, eventually. Squinting, I look at the rough-hewn walls, noticing there are drawings scratched into them. They don’t appear to be anything more than old warnings about certain staff or students, so I don’t think they mean much.

Except that prey staff feel scared enough that they have to leave one another cave drawings as warnings… which is awful.

Renard is examining a door ahead, so I walk over, tilting my head to look at it. The door doesn’t have a handle or knob, instead it has a knocker shaped like an eagle. “This must be a secret storage area for things belonging to Shirdals. Much like some rooms in the Tower, it can only be opened if you know the specific pattern it requires. That will take more research—a fact that will give our librarian a giant woody, I’m sure.”

“Do you think it has anything we need in it?” I wrinkle my nose as I look at the construction of the entrance, wondering if we could simply take the damn thing apart.

The gargoyle gives me a knowing look. “People do not put things behind locked doors that are not important, Chess. Whether it applies to our current situation, I can’t say. However, it won’t be surpassed by a mere drill. This has magic and from the feel, it’s ancient magic.”

He leans in to sniff the wood, looking very serious as he does so, and I frown. What is he doing? And if we’ve all been raised that magic is gone from the shifter world, why do we keep bumping into it? Everything about this adventure is curious, especially since none of this has been an issue in previous years on campus.

“Interesting,” he murmurs. Ren turns and looks at me, his expression puzzled. “When ma petite and I were out, I felt a presence that concerned me. The scent of someone long dead and dusted floated through the air from a dark alley, but I did not want to investigate with her along. I thought perhaps I was imagining things because it’s impossible for that person to be here, much less alive.”

I know for a fact this is more than I’ve ever heard about the gargoyle’s past and I’m afraid to ask who he believes has risen from the grave. I don’t think he’s ready to share the story yet and from the pained look on his face, it’s not a happy tale. “This magic also feels like that?”

“Yes. But again, it may simply be someone with a similar lineage. There are those who are not dead, and this could be their signature. We have no idea how long these tunnels or the doors have been here.” Renard pauses and sighs. “I flew around the campus after a hunt, looking for signs of the person, and the familiar scent led me here. Another reason to check it out, non ?”

I nod, chewing on my lower lip thoughtfully. Does that mean all of this is tied to Ren’s past, not my angel? Or are we looking at this as one complete picture with a singular villain when there are many angles at play? That seems like something we should consider, so I tap his shoulder. “I realized we’re assuming something connected these things to one another, but what if some things we connect, but others are a result rather than a part of the scheme?”

“Very good question, Chess. It is possible that the murder is not connected to the disappearances, but to something else entirely. It seemed unusual for one student to die while others vanish. If we also consider the different factions warring for control right now, that seems even more plausible.”

We head down the corridor further, both of us keeping our eyes sharp for details. If we can find more clues, that might tell us why my friend is picking up traces of someone who should be long dead on our campus. I frown, sniffing a bit when we approach an atrium that has a lingering scent that feels familiar to me. I’m not sure where I’ve smelled this before—perhaps in town?

“You smell it, too? And you recognize it?” Renard’s gaze is curious as he watches me circle the space.

“Yes. I can’t place it, though. It’s quite faint here and I don’t know where I recall it from.” I walk up to a pedestal in the middle of the room, studying its construction and the symbols carved into the marble. “I know a few of these—I’ve seen them on Bloodstone.”

His brow furrows, and he bends, moving around the piece. “I see a few I know as well. Let's locate a torch and we will snap more photos for Aubrey.”

While he searches the tunnel for its actual lighting system, I look at the murals on the walls. There’s a lot of greenery, but when I touch it, the paint feels… off. Reaching behind me to the small of my back, I pull out the utility knife Felix insists we should always carry, despite having claws. Our Raj believes we are weapons, but it never hurts to have an option that won’t damage our bodies.

I suppose he was right.

Using it to scrape carefully, I work to remove the lush leaves of a large tree. It’s slow going, but Ren seems to have trouble figuring out how to get more light in here, anyway. A growl of triumph echoes in my throat when it reveals what looks to be an ocean illustration.

Why the hell paint over an ocean with trees?

I keep scraping little by little, but I only find more of the same. Huffing, I move to a new section of wall, hoping that will give me a better answer. Ren finally comes in with the torch, looking at me curiously.

“I didn’t take you for a vandal, cheetah.”

Snorting in response, I shake my head. “There’s something under this and, like you said, no one covers shit up if it’s not important.”

“Then we’ll find the equipment to reveal its secrets, Chess. With that knife, you’re digging a hole to China with a spoon.” His lips curve and he tilts his head. “Let’s take our pictures and head back to the Tower. I bet our resident authenticator has some whizbang in his archives to x-ray or black light things.”

Turning bright red, I nod. “That’s probably a better plan.”

“I’m not just here for my looks, Chess.”