Page 18

Fitz

Normally, I just don’t pay attention to the walking meat bags.

It’s not that I dislike them—they’re simply not part of my life in any significant way.

Felix and I have sheltered at Apex for so long that I almost forgot about them until Baby Girl, and they sure as fuck weren’t around on Bloodstone.

The only time they mattered in my past was touring for Pred Games—and barely then.

I only had to make sure I wasn’t on their turf doing shit that would end up in a tabloid or on the internet.

But today, I have to mingle with them purposefully while traveling and now to snoop.

“Bunch of Minotaur shit is what it is,” I mutter as we enter the lounge car. “They should separate these, too. Alcohol and secrets never mix, you know?”

Felix gives me a reproachful look. “Watch the booze until we’re done with our tasks, brother.”

“How am I supposed to pretend they’re interesting if I’m sober?” I whine, but he’s not listening. My twin is peeling off with Chessie to follow his own orders like a good soldier. I turn to my mate and sigh. “It’s a valid question.”

“We’ve watched so many movies and shows, Fitzy. You know what they talk about—weather, the news, celebrities, fads. You just can’t mention pred stuff.” Dolly grins as she smooths my frown with her fingers. “And no scowling, growling, or snarling. It will make them wary and we need them open.”

“Good luck with getting the Airborne Ancients to comply with that edict,” I snicker. “The Caliente Chameleon practically communicates through those noises with people he doesn’t know. Emo boy is gonna have a real bad time.”

“Be nicer,” she says, smacking my arm playfully. “Rennie and Aubrey are letting us in and being vulnerable now. Just because it’s comfortable for you doesn’t mean it’s easy for others. Even Felix is slowly coming around. You just have to exercise the same patience with them as you have with me.”

I snort, then wink at her. “But I’m not fucking them, Baby Girl. That makes it imminently harder to extend that limited courtesy.”

She slaps me again, frowning as she leads me over to the bar. “Don’t be a pig, baby. I know you better than that BS line. You’re a good man, Fitzgerald Kahn, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.”

To my family and those I care for? Definitely. With people who threaten that? Absolutely not.

“Okay, okay,” I say as I place my hands on the bar, squinting at the shelves behind it to see what they have in stock. “What would you like to drink? I’ll do my best to follow big bro’s stupid directions, but that doesn’t mean no alcohol. That’s as far as I can compromise.”

“Mmmm. A Dr. Pupper, please. You know I hate drinking in public.” Her eyes are shadowed and I have to grit my jaw to keep from growling low. That fear of letting go comes from her evil bio donors and it makes me want to kill the ugly reptile again for his part in it.

Hailing the bartender, I order her drink and a double scotch for myself.

This isn’t enough to affect a shifter, especially one of my level.

It will take the edge off a bit, so I’m not bouncing all over and alienating the people we’re supposed to chat up.

Once we have our glasses, I tilt my head at the tall tables by the piano where people are gathered. “Over there, you think?”

“Looks good, baby,” she replies as she takes the arm I offer. “Let’s go.”

As we move to the corner, I note Felix and Chess talking to a couple that I think humans consider middle age.

Their expressions are animated, and my brother is doing an admirable job of not looking bored as fuck.

Across the car, Aubrey is listening as the gargoyle talks to an old ass guy in a fedora.

The dragon seems marginally interested, so Broody McPoetryPants must be blabbing about something he’s interested in.

Okay, Fitz, if they can do this shit, so can you. Turn on the charm.

“I don’t understand why they keep closing everything. It’s just so inconvenient!”

I have to look away from the bubbly brunette my girl is talking to for a moment before my eyes pop out of my head.

We approached her and what turned out to be her fiance because they were a younger looking age group than the others’ marks.

However, once Veronica and Butch really got to talking, I quickly realized that we made an error.

Not only are they the least self-aware people I’ve ever met, they’re also fake as fuck.

There’s this veneer of falsehood about them that makes my tiger want to snap their heads off because it grates on me.

“I can see how that would be upsetting,” Baby Girl says as she nods sympathetically.

“It’s frustrating when businesses and governments do things that don’t benefit you directly.

Having those locations closed for repairs as you’re touring on your vacation seems like they’re targeting you. How incredibly outrageous.”

That comment has me holding my breath for a moment, so the laughter doesn’t escape.

Dolly’s tone is as full of fake emotion as their perfectly symmetrical surgery enhanced faces are silicone.

Yet, the two tools from the States are eating it up.

I suppose she learned to do this from her shithead mom, but I’m consistently amazed at how much control our mate has over herself.

She’s been listening to these two idiots whine about everything from the current topic to people who won’t speak English, to everything being too small for them to feel comfortable.

Not once has she faltered as she pretended to agree with their self-centered tripe.

“Exactly! I mean, it’s like the Europeans don’t even want us to spend our money and support their economies. And they need it!” That blink-worthy statement is made by Butch the bitch, and I have no idea how anyone is supposed to respond to such blatant nonsense.

But Baby Girl nods, pausing for a moment before she sighs. “I prefer to shop local, but some people make it hard. I’ll never understand why they don’t get how the real business world works.”

Damn, that was a good answer. She was definitely listening to her parents’ shit as a kid.

“Exactly!” Veronica claps, her face alight with snooty joy. “If you make people of our calibre wait , you’ll lose us entirely. Why should we bother to wait when so many others are dying to serve us?”

A slight tightening at the corners of her mouth is the only hint that Dolly gives this wacko, that she might not agree with her point of view.

But that’s gone as quickly as it appeared as she lifts her drinks to lips, nodding.

“Yes, it’s very annoying when others don’t recognize our worth as ambassadors.

However, I suppose renovations in those places must be planned well in advance, no?

Perhaps they lack the sense to warn their customers of the inconvenience. ”

Butch rolls his eyes. “Absolutely not, my dear. Our brokers checked the places we intended to visit prior to scheduling this jaunt. Everything should have been available—in fact, we were supposed to get VIP tours. Yet we arrived to find things closed up and draped with ugly tarps. Very unsatisfying.”

“That seems odd, doesn’t it? If your staff booked things and double-checked before you got there, why would…

whatever it was… suddenly getting repairs?

” My mate tilts her head, pretending to look confused, but I know she’s zeroed in on something important.

“What were you trying to tour, anyway? I want to make sure it’s not on our list.”

“Excellent plan, love,” I say as I focus on the insufferable snobs now that they’re saying something useful. “I’ll relay the information to our guides.”

Veronica huffs, then sips her martini before she replies.

“It’s been a nightmare all across our path.

First, we were in Ireland and they had some sort of ecological problem with the Hill of Tara—I couldn’t get my Scarlett on.

Then the Faerie Bridges and Loughcrew Cairns were roped off for some ridiculous reason.

We got upset and left early for Paris, and when we arrived, we had no trouble at all there.

At least they have their shit together.”

Scoffing, Butch tosses back the rest of his whiskey as he sneers.

“Too bad they can’t win a war. But we headed down through the Lorraine region into Germany, which went well.

Then we hit Poland and the Underground Museum was shut down.

I told Ronnie we just needed to leave so we could catch this train for our tour of Romania via Budapest. I can’t believe half the things we were interested in went up in smoke.

It had better not be that way when we arrive in Sighi?oara tomorrow. ”

I have no idea why these humans are so angry, though I guess their short life spans make everything seem immediate.

They obviously have the money to go back to whatever they missed, but they’re too busy being indignant about the world not catering to their whims. I note the places they mentioned quickly on my phone to show the ancients, then mock a sigh. “You can’t depend on anyone anymore.”

“Very true,” Veronica says as she looks at her extremely expensive gold watch. “But if we can tour the castles on this leg, I suppose all will not be a complete loss.”

Oh, their precious trip around the country is a write-off if they’re told ‘no’ more than once; these people are just awful.

My eyes cut to my girl, hoping she’ll let me tell them off or maybe even kill them, but she shakes her head.

Frowning, I look at my phone again, trying not to make irritated noises.

Dolly clears her throat, then smiles at the couple broadly.

“It’s been a joy getting to know you both, but I think my companion needs a refill.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip—especially because of your hardships until now. ”

The woman leans forward, air-kissing with my mate, and I keep my eyes on the male to warn him off.

Obviously, Dolly wouldn’t be interested in that empty-headed twat, but I don’t want him anywhere near her lips.

He wisely extends a hand for me to shake, which I grip hard to amuse myself when he winces.

“What a shake you have there. Well, as you said, I hope you enjoy your vacation, too.”

Dolly nods, her fake expression still in place as she takes my arm and lets me lead her back to the bar. When we get there, she hisses, “Fitz! You could have broken his hand and then someone definitely would have noticed.”

I shrug. “I’m sorry, Baby Girl, but those two were the least tolerable people I’ve met in a long fucking time. I had to imagine ripping their heads off just to get through that shit. No wonder we don’t mingle with their kind much.”

“I think the idle rich thing made it worse,” she replies, her eyes sparkling. “They were pretty terrible, and I grew up with a lot of awful people. However…”

“However, what?” I ask as I gesture for the bartender to come over again.

“They might be useful. It’s pretty weird that Fae sites are being blocked off to humans at the last minute with flimsy excuses when we’re having a Fae-related revolution, mmm?” Dolly grins as she hands her glass to the guy, and I push mine to him as well.

Nodding, I wait for the guy to leave before I respond. “It seems very coincidental. I wonder what the things they’re seeing in Poland or Romania have to do with it? I’m not familiar with the Underground Museum, unfortunately, but we know someone who will be.”

“Yes, we do.”

Now we have to wait for those two grumpy assholes to pry themselves away from that old man so we can ask what they think of our intel.