Page 1 of In Prey We Trust

Previously On Let Us Prey…

Our intrepid bunny shifter, Dolly, arrived at Apex Academy with a chip on her shoulder and revenge in her heart. She’d spent the summer learning to make it on her own, despite all the attempts at abuse thrown at her by her ex friends and douchebag Todd.

Unfortunately, even her first day turned out to be a trial when she discovered her dorm completely trashed. Luckily for her, Fitz the lovable psycho worked out a solution with the reclusive winged professors for her to take up residence in their Tower—as long as she stayed in her space.

Of course, that would never happen, right?

As school kicks into gear, Dolly joins the theater program with her new friends, Rufus and Cori, hoping to do something she truly loves for once in her life. Her mother continues to be a snarky, calculating sociopath, but our girl is handling it.

What she isn’t handling is the intense attraction to five professors and the constant bullying from the mean girls who just won’t die, the Heathers. They try to have her killed by dingoes, treat her like garbage, and cause trouble in every class they share. Much like a severe case of the clap, she just can’t shake them without some serious doses of their own medicine.

Dolly and Fitz grow closer because she accepts him for who he is. Through all the interactions in their classes, she slowly worms her way into the hearts of Aubrey, Felix, Renard, and Chess. By the time Apex hosts a big Halloween bash, she’s got their trust—mostly—but her efforts are for naught when the dead body of a student gets discovered nearby.

The mystery only deepens from there because not only has no one been able to explain the poisoning at the prom, but this dead student comes out of nowhere as well. Dolly and her men investigate when the administration and Council seem unconcerned with the increasing number of students disappearing after holiday breaks, but every clue they find leads to more questions.

After Yule, more kids from Apex don’t make it back, so the guys form a circle around our bunny, trying their hardest to keep her safe. She muddles her ways through classes and the continued jabs from the Heathers, but the body count just keeps rising.

How’s a girl supposed to concentrate on exams and hottie boyfriends when bodies appear in her home?

By the time midterms are over, everyone is on high alert and it’s rough at Apex. The Heathers try to get her expelled for plagiarism, a dead student drops from the balcony at rehearsal, and the Council still refuses to help. Our makeshift family of shifters has a ton of leads and riddles solved, but they still don’t know how everything connects—until Chess discovers a clue that sends everyone into the secret prey tunnels on the Blood Moon.

Mystery, magic, and mayhem blend as they discover their families and those in the Council have something to do with all of this—and Dolly shows she has more power than being simple prey. When they chase after shadowy figures and a lightning imbued bunny, the guys end up having to save one of their own…or so it seems.

In Prey We Trust picks up a few weeks after Let Us Prey. I recommend you read LUP Bonus Scene #2 here to find out more about what happened in between!

Lush Life

Delores

“They won’t get finished in time for the start of school?”

My screech echoes off the walls of my room and my eyes fly open as I cover my mouth. Lucille and Bruno should be out with their latest flings still, but I hate risking their ire. Staying here during the summer wasn’t my idea nor my choice. In a shocking turn of events that surprised no one, my bitchy mother demanded I come home after the explosions rocked Apex. She pretended it was out of concern, but she was covering her ass.

Lucille was the major vote for not adding security to the campus after the disappearances and deaths. Spinning it as if the violence escalating completely surprised her to the point of destroying most of the campus buildings was a PR move. Pink's family controlled the press, so the Barringtons made sure that was the story people heard. The news said they were confident Apex would get rebuilt and ready for students with additional security by the fall, but it looks like that didn’t work out.

I don’t know how the Council warded off the Sibbies, nor do I know why none of the missing students were found—not even bodies. All I know is that I was a prisoner here all summer, save for working at Luc’s, and my asshole parents haven’t been here more than a handful of days at a time. They’ve been traveling all over the world, leaving me to haunt the halls like I’m fucking Rapunzel. Each day, I get a little more stir crazy, but at least I’ve been able to keep in contact with my friends and my guys.

That’s the only lifeline keeping me sane.

“Girl, my parents got the letter last week! How are you in the dark? Your egg donor is the one who pulls all the strings in this puppet show,” Rufus says as he continues working on Cori’s nails.

I sigh, watching them enviously through our Fangtime chat. “Lucille and Bruno barely speak to me unless it’s threats or nasty comments about my ‘trashy makeover.’ And they’re never here, which is a blessing and curse. Lucille has Mattie with her all the time and Bruno has Bruiser with him. So they hired an entire staff of imposing dickheads who patrol the house, follow me to work, and report back to them every time I take one step out of my room.”

Cori clucks her tongue, her forehead wrinkling as she looks at me with concern. “They really want people to think they give a shit about all the people who died, huh?”

“Absolutely not. They want the masses to think they give a fuck about me because I’m an heir—despite being disowned—and that the Council takes the danger seriously. It doesn’t; Lucille is just pissed someone pulled one over on her spies.” I rub my hands over my face in annoyance, then look at them both seriously. “If Apex won’t be ready, what the fuck are they going to do?”

“Having it ready was a pipe dream, Dollypop. Those fucking bombs took out half the main building, the Shird, the upper section of the library, the academic complex, two dorms, half the staff housing, and the entire gym. And since we know they weren’t just spicy Playdoh like C-4, the area is full of some…” Rufus lowers his voice to a whisper, “... magical contaminant that’s kept the workers dropping like flies. That’s if you believe the rumors on the Prey-net and I do.”

“Poor Aubrey,” I murmur as I rub my chest. “His real treasures were all underground, but it has to be killing him. He can’t get to the things he wants to save down there.”

Cori snorts. “Man, your guys have definitely been trying to keep your spirits up, babe. The National Library sent a team, and the big lizard man was with them. His treasures are fine, as I assume everything in your precious Tower is. Interesting how whoever did this didn’t have the cajones to piss off the two flying warlords by touching their space.”

“How do you know all this? I’ve been searching everywhere for this kind of info, Cori.” My eyes narrow and Rufus trills a knowing laugh. “What? Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, because our darling Coco has been chit-chatting with all the lovely prey friends of your rock man. She talks to Raina and the cranky nurses all the time. Apparently, the prey staff still live onsite because the magic doesn’t affect them as badly. We get all the juicy tidbits.” His expression is smug and I wrinkle my nose, wanting to reach through the screen and throttle my bestie.

“Ugh, fine, you bitches. Tell me what you know that my dickhead parents have failed to mention before one of my stupid bodyguards comes in to do their checks.” I look over my shoulder at the door, infuriated that no amount of strings the guys or Luc tried to pull could free me from this nonsense.

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