Page 134 of In Prey We Trust

I stop in place, turning my head to look over my shoulder at Chess. “What did you just say?”

He frowns, tilting his head at me. “I said you’re not a mutant.”

My body stiffens, and Felix leans in to whisper in my ear. “Not here, Princess. Turn around and keep moving to our table.”

Giving him a fake flirtatious smile, I pretend we’re having a normal conversation in case someone’s watching. “Of course, dear.”

We’re almost to the goal line—a table near the front that would befit the guys’ professor status and their backgrounds. It doesn’t escape my notice that our spot is located off to one side of the stage where the musicians are playing Bach, almost in the shadows. While no one in my group is excluded from wealthy or well-known families, we’re definitely being seated like the blackest sheep possible. I snicker under my breath as I sweep my eyes over the sheeple watching us descend on our table. To my delight, the triplets appear to greet Rufus, and Giselle follows their lead to sit by Cori.

I was worried she’d chicken out after our entrance, but it looks like Cori’s maybe girlfriend has a stronger spine than my friend thinks.

Fitz pulls my chair out, making sure I’m settled before he grabs the chair to my left. Aubrey and Ren sit next to the triplets, facing the room with suspicious gazes. I blow a kiss at them when Felix takes the open chair between Aubrey and me. Then Chess finally sits between Fitz and Giselle. Our table is packed, more so than most, and I wonder how we got everyone together.

“The Captain,” Rennie says absently as he strains to look at the three head tables full of Council members, the Headmaster, and somehow, my nemesis, Rockland, weaseled an invitation to one of them.

“Again… there it went again,” I murmur to Felix and he frowns.

“What again?”

Licking my lips nervously, I close my eyes, turning away as I think about my answer without saying it. If I’m right about what is going on, I won’t need to repeat myself out loud.

“Oh.” When I turn to face him, my Tiger King is beaming broadly like I just gave him winning lottery numbers. “Perfect timing. It really altered something, just not like a normal shifter.”

His words catch Aubrey’s attention and he stares at us, arching a brow. Felix winks, then taps his temple once, making my dragon blink. He nudges Rennie, tilting his head to me and mimicking the move he saw. They both grin broadly, obviously happy with this turn of events. A small piece of bread flies across the table to hit Fitz in the nose, then they repeat the charade.

Can they not do this with each other?

“Of course some of us can, Angel, but…”

Fitz snorts and leans in to kiss Chess’ temple when it finally hits him. “Welcome to the conversation, baby.”

“Ahem.” We all look over at Rufus, Cori, and their guests when the badger clears his throat. “It’s adorable that you’re all figuring some big secret out, but I should warn you we’ve got a problem.”

Following his discreet pointing, I see Lucille and Bruno rising from their table. Bruiser rushes forward, immediately hovering nearby, and I groan. “Here it comes.”

“We knew the crazy bitch was going to accost us, Dollykins,” Cori says. “Stand your ground. Own your power.”

“Thank you for that YouTube worthy pep talk, Coco,” Rufus chuckles. “My advice is to do that, but make sure the bitch knows who she’s fucking with. You don’t need to look like someone’s going to skin you if her name comes up on your phone.”

“I hate to agree with the Cornbread Mafia, but…” Fitz puts his hands on my cheeks, pulling me close so his forehead rests on mine. “... that woman doesn’t get to treat our girl like shit in front of us. We’re Khans and they’re ill-tempered flying assholes. If you don’t handle them, we will. Capiche, Baby Girl?”

Talk about your Catch-22: hot protective boyfriends or victory over my mother? How the hell do I choose?

“Just do what you feel is right, Princess,” Felix says. “But you need to stand before she gets here or you’ll lose ground.”

Nodding, I rise from my chair, straightening my spine as I lock eyes with the woman who’s tortured me most of my life.

Time to put her in her place, Dolly.

Kings & Queens

Delores

My eyes lock on my mother’s as she and Bruno slink through the crowd. They don’t watch where they’re going; no, it parts for them like some mythical figures moving through the sea. I feel the support of my family from behind me, but they can’t do this for me. It may not be time to take Lucille off the board, but I know in my gut that I have to stand my ground with her tonight.

I don’t move when they reach me—not even to dip my head in acknowledgement, as I would have in the past. The silence is deafening as I hold my ground, staring back at Lucille without flinching. Knowing her, this could have gone on forever, but one of the triplets speaks before either of us breaks.

“Who are these people?” Chisisi asks innocently.

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