Page 28 of In Prey We Trust

“Of course he is. We like to re-enact things,” she says as she winks at me playfully and sashays past us towards the stairs. “I make a fabulous pirate queen.”

“She really fucking does,” my twin says with a sigh. “She can run her sword through me anytime.”

“Less jaw flapping and more stair climbing,” Dolly calls behind her. “I want to get the clothes next!”

If this happened in a bookstore, I can’t imagine what that is going to be like. Zeus help us.

“I found the uniforms in your size, Baby Girl!” He bounces in, dropping them over the closed door of the dressing room.

If someone told me that my twin, Fitzgerald Ulysses Castor Khan, would be caught dead running around a women’s boutique picking out clothes for his mate with our resident brooder, I would have laughed in their face. It’s only been a little over a year since Delores Drew sashayed into our world and the changes still amaze me constantly.

Renard and Fitz are zipping around, picking out all manner of shit for her, and once she wiggles into them, she comes out into the weird atrium to do her runway walk. Occasionally, someone shouts a suggestion to the two hyper shifters and they come back with a different style dress or pants. I feel like I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Even the snarky lizard is tossing in his two cents.

“Fitz, they have to be altered; I’m sure of it. Apex’s were cut for girls with less… meat than me, so I had to go up a size and have them tailored. Capital Prep isn’t likely to have any better selections.”

I frown as our girl calls that out from behind the door of the room she’s changing in. She’s built exactly how she needs to be, and I don’t like the insinuation that she’s defective because she doesn’t fit into the minuscule garments in her own size. “Princess, this is one of the premier stores for our kind tucked in this area; are you sure about that?”

Her head pokes out of the room, fingers curled around the door as she shrugs. “Pretty sure. They cut clothes from smaller sizes every year, it feels like. Even my prom dress was tailored, but Luc didn’t make me feel like a shit about it.”

“Come here, Princess.” I crook my finger at her, expression serious as I lean back in my chair. Her cheeks flush and I can tell she wants to, but isn’t certain what to do. Looking over at Chess, I jerk my head at the curtains serving as a door to our waiting room. “No one comes in. Now, come out, Princess.”

Dolly sees Chess smiling at her reassuringly and nods, pulling the door to the dressing room open to reveal her half dressed body. She’s wearing a loose uniform skirt that hangs low on her hips, thigh highs, and a rosy pink bra. Her long blond hair is cascading over her shoulders and holy fuck buckets if she isn’t a naughty dream come true. She walks over to me, eyes full of doubt as she murmurs, “Yes, Sir?”

Grabbing her full, round hips, I bring her closer and inhale her scent. Her stomach is soft, though I can feel the muscles she’s been working on with César over the summer. The gentle curves of her body feel like home and all I want is for our girl to understand that we adore every single one of them. So I spin her around, pulling her onto my lap so she can see the hungry gazes of our family. “Do you see that, Princess? Look at what you do to all of us.”

“Fuck fashion,” Fitz growls softly as he adjusts himself without shame. “You know I love every inch of you.”

My hands settle on her thighs, massaging the thick muscles that give her rabbit leaping abilities. “These help you jump and run—though I imagine they feel fucking fantastic wrapped around your ears.”

“They do,” Chess says with a mischievous smile. “I’d rather die smothered in you than at the hands of those hooded freaks, Angel.”

Dolly’s skin heats under my palms, and I know she’s struggling with being turned on and embarrassed at the same time. Her newfound sexuality is a fragile thing—she’s learning to accept her wants and needs as normal, no matter what. That’s why she often ping-pongs between seductress and shyness. It’s endearing as hell and I love it, even if I don’t admit it out loud.

“Shhh! Chessie. Someone might hear,” she hisses, as she squirms around in a very distracting manner.

“Princess,” I groan as I grab her to still her ass. “Do you trust us?”

“Of course I do.” She twists, making me clench my jaw as she looks at me earnestly. “But…”

Placing a finger against her lips, I give her a dark grin. “Shhh. You have to be very quiet, like a good girl. Can you do that?”

Her eyes widen and she nods a little, though I can feel the tremble that runs over her frame. I jerk my chin at Fitz and the smirking duo across from us. “I think our girl needs us to show her rather than tell, gentleman. As long as she behaves, she gets rewarded. Capiche?”

A chorus of growls precludes movement, and I look at Dolly seriously. “Tell me the word, Princess. I know Fitz well enough to know you have one.”

“Beetlejuice,” she whispers. That gets a few chuckles, and she flushes bright red. “I won’t say it by mistake; that’s why!”

I lean in and kiss her pouty lips gently before gripping her chin. “That’s good, baby. Now, I’m going to put you on display for our family and we’re going to show you how beautiful we think you are. But if you make noise, we have to stop. Understand?”

She nods and I arch a brow, waiting. Her eyes dance when the realization hits and she looks at me defiantly as she says, “Yes, sir.”

So deliciously contradictory—I can hardly wait to get her alone. Alas, this will have to suffice for now.

“That’s our girl,” I rumble.

My hands splay over her thighs, pulling them apart to hook over my own. She draws in a quiet breath and I lift the hem of the skirt slowly, revealing the matching dusty pink scrap of lace she’s wearing underneath. It has Fitz written all over it and I’m proved right when he dives across the tile on his knees to kneel in front of the shivering bunny. His eyes skate to mine and I nod, watching Aubrey and Renard move to either side of us and sink to the ground.

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