Page 19

Dumb Blonde

Delores

Fitz and I hung out until the others slowly returned to the group.

Both sets of guys had a pained expression on their faces, but it appeared we might all have been successful.

The call for dinner came not long after, so we filed into the dinner car together.

Felix playfully announced that our meal was off-limits for gossip; he didn’t need to say anything else to keep everyone’s mouths shut about our secret mission.

The food was fancy as hell, but delicious, and even Chessie looked pleased.

By the time we finished, the sun had set outside, and we headed back to our small but luxurious rooms to discuss the fruits of our earlier labor.

“Get comfy, then meet us in ours,” I say to the cats as they open their door. “We’ll discuss this nonsense once we’re together. Oh, and someone order drinks? That will probably make it easier.”

Felix eyes me for a moment, but then nods. “Okay, Princess. But you have to make sure you will not distract anyone. Got it?”

That won’t be easy given the shit we packed for nighttime, but alright.

Aubrey chuckles as he opens the door to our room, waiting for Rennie and me to enter before he joins us. “The Raj doesn’t get that it won’t matter what you’re wearing, mm?”

“It will because you had me pack tiny stuff, you big ninny,” I hiss back playfully. “It’s not lingerie, but it doesn’t cover a lot, either.”

Rennie peels his shirt off, heading for the suitcases with a shrug. “I believe that was a wise idea, Flames. There’s no reason for her to be covered like a nun in our rooms, and she won’t be going anywhere in those skimpy PJs.”

“Men,” I mutter with a shake of my head. “Always an excuse to ogle, even when they need to be aware of what the fuck is going on.”

“We are who we are, nibblet.” Aubrey winks as he goes to change as well. “No sense pretending we’re not animals through and through.”

I tilt my head, smiling a little as they make quick work of their outfits.

Watching them is just as fun for me as it is for them in reverse.

Plus, I love that Aubrey is making peace with his dragon more often than he fights it now.

It’s made his temper and control better, and as a side benefit, he’s much less grumpy than he was when I arrived at Apex.

That’s part of who he is, but the edge of isolation and anger is gone.

I can’t take credit for all of that, but it warms my heart to know that he’s happy.

I’m happy and that’s all because of their acceptance and support.

“You’re thinking awfully hard for us being naked,” Rennie jokes. “Is there something you wish to add to our frames?”

Blinking, I blush hard as I fumble for words. “No! I mean, you’re both hot as fuck, but… um. Truthfully, I was kinda lost in my head, but also…I noticed those tattoo thingies have changed on the people I finished the bond with? Is that normal?”

Aubrey bends to find his pants, and I have to stop myself from licking my lips. His ass is fucking stellar, and I don’t even have many to compare it to. I just know. “Since I have not been with dragons since I was too young for the mating talks, I am uncertain. Did the tigers say so?”

“I was old enough to have some of the talk when they exiled me, but… I do not know about cross-species or multiple matings.” Rennie frowns as he tugs his silk PJ pants on and then heads over to gather his hair in a scrunchie.

“Gargoyle marks were more visible in our stony forms rather than our human.”

“Fuck knows, I haven’t met predatory bunnies, so that’s out the window.” My grumbles make them laugh, but I’m serious. With their new theory about Fae blood, it’s not my only concern. “I hate to ask something touchy…”

“Just do it.” Aubrey pulls on sweats, standing up as he looks at me seriously. “Honesty is the best thing, remember?”

I blow out a long breath and nod. “Rennie, what do you know about Fae mating? You know… because of reasons.”

The gargoyle turns to face me, his smile sad. “Not much, unfortunately. We were… not at that point yet. The hurdle of speaking to our parents was the first step to commitment, and that went poorly, as you know. Our discussions about logistics had not happened yet, when she was supposedly killed.”

“Just fucking great,” I mutter as I stomp to my suitcase.

“Who the hell are we going to ask? Z knew about biological mating basics, but she won’t know this shit.

The Councils have hidden or destroyed most of the Fae's documentation to support their stupid exile. How will we know if things are even done correctly? Maybe the tatts have stayed hidden in public because I did the animal thing right, but not the Fae thing right. If I’m actually part of their species, of course. ”

They looked both puzzled and regretful, which only makes me more frustrated.

I have one man left to mate—ostensibly—and now I don’t know if it’s really done.

This secretive bullshit is going to send me right over the deep end, I swear to Hera’s peckish peacocks.

Growling as I yank my PJ set out, I rip off my clothes and toss them to get the angry energy out of my body.

“Snack size… You know we consider it done, even if whatever else has to be completed once we know what it is. Right?” Aubrey frowns as he walks over to help me button my top with a soft tsk’ing sound. “Stop, stop. It’s okay. Calm down.”

Rennie comes up behind me, his fingers running through my loose hair and I tilt my head back as he separates it.

He works on braiding it slowly, making my blood pressure slow as he methodically gets the long strands under control and out of my face.

“ Ma petite , I know there are a lot of questions we cannot answer and even more we do not know to ask. But between the six of us and our merry crew? We will find the solutions to our problems and help you learn your heritage. It will require patience, though, because of the obstacles in our path.”

He’s right; I’m losing my shit like a kid and I have to not let this get to me when it comes up.

“If it upsets me now, it will also be in public. Our enemies are many and they have enough weapons,” I whisper to myself. Aubrey smiles at me, his fingers brushing my collarbone as I talk to myself.

“That is very true. We must keep them from discovering sore spots other than the ones everyone is aware of. Emotional manipulation is just as painful and disarming as physical violence.” The dragon looks proud, and that makes my stomach flutter happily. “Why help them do more harm?”

“Yeah. I know.” I say as I continue to lean into them both, soaking up their relaxing presence. “Sometimes my Fitz-like temper is less helpful than others. I’m working on it.”

A knock sounds at the door and we all turn as a voice calls, “But I like your me-like temper, Baby Girl!”

“Of course he does,” Aubrey snorts as he lets go of me. “Let them in, Rennie. We should get this over with, so we have time to enjoy our train night with the lunchable.”

The gargoyle smirks, then heads for the door to open it, allowing my other mates to clamber in.

This should be good.

“So we figured out that a bunch of tourist-y human things that sort of connect to legends and tales of Fae and other things have been closed down without notice. Our humans were insufferable, but they gave us a pretty good list that trails from Ireland to this region,” I finish as they all listen.

“And I kept Fitz from killing them for being boring, so that was a win.”

“Ugh, no wonder we avoid them like the fucking shifter pox,” Fitz says, as he tucks Chessie into his side. “I can’t imagine working in the capitals or places where I’d have to endure that shit day after day. That would make me ready for fucking rubber rooms.”

Aubrey and Rennie laugh, both looking amused as hell by our difficult choice of targets. Felix sighs, rolling his eyes to the ceiling, and when he looks at me again, there’s a serious look in his gaze. “Who thinks that the other ‘sides’ are doing a little thieving like we did in that vamp museum?”

I blink, the dots connecting quickly as I consider it. “That would make sense. Maybe some of the ‘human’ landmarks have private collections of books or artifacts that the Fae want back. It could be a need or a want, but it tracks.”

“The last place? The Underground?” Chess looks up from his phone with a grimace. “It’s in Poland, which isn’t far, but…”

“But what, Chester?” Rennie says curiously. “Go on.”

The cheetah frowns as he responds, “It’s a historic underground site with seven hundred years of Krakow’s dead and artifacts.

At the time, people believed you could prevent vampires from rising by tying their hands, cutting off their heads, and placing them at their feet.

Many of the remains are lying in just that fashion. ”

“Not those motherfuckers again,” I groan as I lean against Aubrey. “Is this what the… clan… from school is doing? Running around Europe stealing from vampire tourist traps?”

“They could be, petite lapin ,” Rennie murmurs. “If the Fae are gathering objects or texts to increase power, it follows that their partners in this would be as well. Did your humans mention any other site that could be linked to them?”

“No, but we’re literally pulling into bloodsucker central tomorrow morning, bro.

” Fitz gives the gargoyle a look that screams ‘duh’.

“I mean, the damn brochures I read earlier say this town we’re hopping off at…

Sighisoara? Is where Vlad the Impaler was born.

Every stop on this train line is associated with them from his castle to the church where his kid was buried to the Bram Stoker castle, man. How did you not know?”

“I knew, I sort of… forgot how close my clutch is settled near to the place people ascribe to the origin story of their kind. We protected people from them when I was young, but my direct experience was nil. The older gargoyles did some of those things, and I merely heard the tales of victory in celebration.” Renard looks irritated by his mistake, but Aubrey puts his hand on his knee.

“You’ve spent centuries blocking out your life before Apex. You have tucked away details and facts that were part of it, so that you did not have to feel the pain of rejection. Stop beating yourself up.” The big guy grins, and I reach over him to pat Rennie comfortingly as well.

“This makes our voyage to your family a bit dicier, I’m afraid,” Felix muses as he strokes his chin. “We will have to ensure that we are armed very well as we travel and that our night time accommodations are secure before we sleep.”

“I believe they’re back—or some never left and have come out of hiding,” Renard says seriously. “So finding the right supplies for our travel up the mountains is a good plan. I know we haven’t seen any yet, but this robbery makes no sense for the Fae.”

Aubrey holds his hand up. “I know we’re trying to be cautious, but keep in mind that we don’t know for certain that it was a robbery at any of the places.

Your humans simply said they were closed for renovations, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t run-of-the-mill vandalism versus destroying things to find shit. ”

“True,” I reply. “What did your old man say?”

“He was a historian from Le Louvre traveling to a conference!” Rennie’s voice is excited as he sits up again. “We got nothing too interesting from him, except that…” The gargoyle stops and I can see the wheels turning in his mind as something sparks.

Aubrey groans as he slaps his hand on his eyes.

“Pierre mentioned that several minor artifacts have disappeared from museums in France and Britain. His colleagues have been abuzz about them because they could not fathom who would bypass all that security and not steal the most valuable items, but rather things that are not even on display most of the time.”

“Shit,” I mutter as my scowl deepens. “They’re definitely shopping for stuff, and we have no idea what because all of these institutions are keeping it under wraps.”

Too bad the whole ‘no press is bad press’ doesn’t apply to academia, apparently.