Page 10

Keep On Lovin’ You

Fitz

They don’t appreciate how much I’m holding back the kinetic excitement flooding my entire system.

If they did, the Flying Frenchie wouldn’t have suggested we hangout in this stuffed shirt, fancy pants lounge for money-grubbing assholes.

Not only do I have to be quiet here , but we can’t feel up my girl or do anything fun at all.

The preds in here all look like they’re walking around with their holes sewn shut, and I’d be surprised if they ever did anything but boring shit for their entire lives.

I’m ready to stab myself in the eyeball just to make sure I stay awake.

Well, except for the gut deep urge to bounce around like the tiger in the kids’ books.

“Fitzy…”

Whipping my head around to look at her, I smile as not crazily as I can. “Yes, Baby Girl?”

“You feel really… confusing. In the bond, I mean.”

My body hums with happiness when she admits to checking on me through our connection, which is both soothing and hypes me up simultaneously.

Dolly Drew is sharp as a tack because she nailed the competing dichotomy inside of me with just a few words.

“I’m having trouble with balancing my need to behave like Felix said and the crawling bugs in my veins and brain saying we should do the opposite.

You know, because it’s fun and you’re hot AF all the time. ”

Her smirk makes my stress worse, but I will not tell her that. “Aw, Fitzy. You’re so adorable when you pout; if I wasn’t trying like hell to rein in my anxiety, I’d be feeling the same way. This is all new for me, and being naked with you guys distracts me perfectly.”

Count backwards in Khan…. imagine gross things… bite my cheek… something has to help soon.

“Baby Girl, that was evil,” I grumble as my fingers thread with hers. “You know I want to jump your bones any chance I get. This damn room is one of the places I can’t, according to my twin, and my boner is grumpy about it.”

“Fitz…”

I whip my head around to look at my twin with a challenging glare, and Felix rolls his eyes to the ceiling in supplication. “Shut it, bro. This is painfully boring, and I don’t think we’re going to learn a damn thing. How long do we have to wait again?”

“Thirty minutes—which is five minutes shorter than the last time you asked,” Aubrey mutters from behind his newspaper. “Get a grip.”

“I would if she could help,” I shoot back as I slump in my chair. “Or even Chessie, but noooo. I have to behave .”

Dolly covers her mouth to prevent them from hearing the giggles that bubble up at my snooty, mocking tone on the last word.

She knows I’m trying not to be a jerk, but I’m definitely trapped in a version of Hell.

The broody gargoyle wanted us to be, among other preds, to make certain we don’t get in trouble, but he didn’t mention how insufferable this area would be.

It’s clearly only for the very wealthy, and the atmosphere is stiff and quiet.

It’s not m y vibe, and that’s making everything worse.

Maybe I could convince my bro to take Baby Girl on a little walkabout with us? Thirty minutes is plenty.

“Don’t even think about it,” Chessie whispers to me. “I know what that look means, baby.”

“Damn it,” I swear as I sink further into my chair. “I’m a big boy; I could take care of myself, you know. Everyone acting like I won’t gut a motherfucker for looking at me wrong….”

My beautiful bunny snuggles into my side, putting her chin on my shoulder as she looks at me. “We should get my Kindle out and go sit in a corner so we can read. You like when we read together, and it calms you down.”

Wrinkling my nose, I suck a deep breath in through my nose as I drown in her blue eyes.

It barely takes a moment before the love reflecting at me melts the frustration away.

My prior statement about being a ‘big boy’ feels a bit silly since I’m struggling not to be inappropriate in public while my fierce, younger mate is calmly offering to help me wrangle my errant brain.

I let the breath out slowly, then smile at her.

“Yes, Baby Girl, I would like that, if you’re willing to baby-sit your fucked up mate when he’s spiraling.”

She frowns, giving me a pissy expression. “Don’t you dare suggest there’s anything wrong with you or accepting my help, Fitz Khan, or you’re going on the ‘no-fly zone’ list for a week!”

Swallowing hard, I raise my hands in supplication. “I won’t; I won’t! I’m not missing train sex or any other freaky-fun nookie because I was being a mopey Mo. You made your point and I am one thousand percent on board with whatever you want, Baby Girl.”

Aubrey makes a soft sound like a whip cracking and whirls to glare at the dragon. “Don’t be mad, lunchable. It’s just a novelty watching playboy Fitz turn into a squishy ball of jelly for you. His twin thinks it’s funny, too, and so do the others, but I’m the only one with stones to admit it.”

“Men are fucking ridiculous ,” Dolly grumbles as she rises to her feet and holds her hand out to me. “Some days, I want to kiss you breathless and others, I’d be happy to sell you to a damn circus. Come on, Fitzy.”

“I believe they call that ‘love’, ma petite ,” Rennie says as he sips his wine and peeks out from behind his book. “Or so the songs say…”

“No. No. No!” Aubrey growls as his paper folds down again so he can make sure we know how annoyed he is. “Do not let him start the ‘many-splendored thing’ Moulin Rouge refrain. I know you just mated, but for all our sakes, walk away to read your dirty books with the hyper tiger.”

“But Flames, you love me, too,” the gargoyle coos as he bats his lashes.

I’d love to get in on aggravating him, but I’m worried that his assessment of the moody stone man turning into a poetry spouting tenor is probably accurate.

“Zip it—all of you.” Felix stabs a finger at me and our bunny, his expression serious. “The dragon is right; go occupy my brother while we keep the Frenchman from devolving into whatever flowery shit he thinks of next.”

“Sir, yes, Sir !” My mate salutes my twin, and he looks like he wants to paddle the shit out of her for the sass, but he goes back to his phone without another word.

She leans in, whispering in my ear. “I can’t help myself, you know.

I adore making him grumpy and growly as much as I enjoy getting you riled up. ”

If she thinks we don’t know that, she’s out of her adorable, whip-smart little mind.

Time goes quickly as Dolly and I curl up behind a large chair, away from prying eyes.

I like switching off back and forth as we read through the racy books she and the gargoyle love so much.

I doubt she could read them as much when she lived with her shithead parents, but between the broody Frenchman and the book-loving librarian, she’s really tearing through shit now.

I have to go back and review stuff occasionally because she’s gotten ahead of where we were, but that’s okay.

I think it’s a healthy way for her to explore things we might try in real life and not feel embarrassed about her inexperience.

Plus, she smells delightful when we read the steamy scenes and even though I can’t do anything now, it’s fucking baller to enjoy.

“Fitzy…”

I pause my low-toned reading of the chapter about the ingenue arriving at the mysterious magic school to look up. “Mmmmhmm, Baby Girl?”

“Do you really think bad guys will attack while we’re on the train? Like, with their being human cars, too?” Her eyes are wide and I know it’s because even though most preds don’t give a red, raring shit about the other species that inhabit the planet, our girl is softer than she wants to appear.

Thinking about it for a moment, I shrug.

“I don’t think Fae rebels or magical misfits care about them, so maybe?

Our pred enemies might pause at causing a big, nasty clean-up that will enrage the few parts of their government that have knowledge of our existence.

It’d be stupid for people like that bitchy counselor or my stupid cousin to do anything—that’s for certain. ”

“That’s not a ‘no’. It’s a ‘maybe, but it’d be dumb’, and I dislike that thought.

” She shakes her head, leaning back against the wall.

“I don’t have any attachment to them, obviously, but I’m not a fan of collateral damage.

I think when you stop caring about who else gets hurt in your quest for victory, you invite in a host of other moral quandaries that you will not consider, either. ”

This might be a bit high-brow for my taste, but if she wants to talk to me about it, I won’t complain.

“Well, I’m not a genius like the dragon or a philosopher like the Rockman…

But collateral damage is hard to avoid once the gears of war turn, you know?

I’m not saying that you have to ignore what lives are worth in the big picture to succeed, but hard decisions are impossible to duck if the other side is less ethical than you. ”

She blinks, tilting her head as she stares at me. “Have you been reading The Art of War again?”

I shrug, winking at her playfully. “I’ve been boning up on my ‘wartime strategy’ books now that I focus better, yeah.

I didn’t really comprehend the texts I had to read on Bloodstone because I wasn’t as…

able to translate them in my head as well as I can now.

But it is my job to protect my brother, my mates, and our family, so…

I listen to audiobooks sometimes when I’m running around doing my thing. ”

“You might be more auditory than you realized,” she says as she squeezes my knee. “I’ve noticed how much easier it is for you to grasp stuff when we’re reading out loud. They probably never tried to teach you in any other way but visual or kinesthetic learning styles, so you struggled even harder.”

“I think you’re right, Baby Girl,” I reply as I rack my brain for memories. “But you aren’t entirely like that, right? You gotta see and do, too, yeah?”

She nods, her face bright as she says, “For music, I have to hear, then see, then do. Other things, I’m more visual.

It’s a mixed bag, really, and that’s probably because I taught myself so many things I wasn’t supposed to learn.

I sort of made my own curriculum and adjusted when it wasn’t working. ”

“They didn’t give you enough credit for so many things, Delores Drew, but your brain is the absolute biggest miss of all.

You’re definitely as smart as the Scoville Salamander, and easily as talented as Lord Broody.

But all your stupid mother saw was competition and it would have been a big fucking tragedy for the world to lose out on what you have to offer. ”

Her eyes shimmer and I wag my finger at her. “Now, don’t you cry, woman. We’re not supposed to be drawing attention over here and if you get all weepy, people will notice when we get up because they called for boarding.”

Dolly gives me a watery smile, sniffing a bit, and I wait for her to shake off the huge swell of emotion I felt inside of our bond.

“Okay, Crazypants. I’ll get it together if you keep reading me this chapter.

I feel a great kinship to this poor girl being sent somewhere that everyone is treating her like crap for reasons outside of her control. ”

I snort, my lips curving up knowingly. “I’ll just bet you do, Baby Girl. I’ll just bet you do.”