Page 4 of In Prey We Trust

This place is weird as fuck and I can’t even imagine why fucking rock stars send their kids here.

“Calm down, Fitz,” Chess says as he grabs my hand. “We’ll work something out; we always do. You said Dolly took jujitsu this summer, right? She can hold her own for the first week until we work this shit out.”

I grumble and squeeze his hand. “I know; I know. We don’t have sway here yet because we haven’t dominated the staff or administration, so we don’t have the pull we need. I fucking hate waiting, though.”

Felix pauses before he swipes us out of the library proper. “Oh, but I have plans, brother. Don’t worry about how we’ll fix things; worry about what we need to do in the first staff Pred Games to show everyone who’s in charge at Capital Prep this year.”

That makes my tiger roar inside of me, and I crack my knuckles. “At your command, big bro. Always.”

We head down the short hallway to the double doors of the dragon’s lair, and I frown at the plush carpeting beneath my feet. Classical music plays from hidden speakers. The paintings are original. This damn place is swanky as hell. Suddenly, I’m less worried about killing fuckers in the staff games as much as pissed these two wankers landed in the sweetest place on campus. Irritation ramps my energy up again, so I let go of Chess’ hand and shoot to the front of the group.

Throwing open the heavy doors in agitation, I call out, “Oh, Lucy, I’m hooooome!”

After all, their casa is me casa, right? It’s only fair.

“Holy shit,” Felix mutters as we take in the scene before us. “How did these assholes hit the goddamn jackpot?”

“Better question: where are these assholes?” I retort as I stride into the vast dome ceilinged room that serves as their living area. They have a giant sitting area, a fully stocked bar, and a kitchen that’s making Chess drool as he stares at it. The floor plan is completely open, rooms blending seamlessly into one luxurious space big enough to hold them even when they shift—including the damn dragon.

“This place is amazing,” Chess says as he toddles like a zombie toward the huge professional grade kitchen.

Whatever. It’s not like we haven’t seen places even ritzier than this shit.

“I still want to know where poetry boy and Scaly Fried Chicken are,” I mutter as Felix heads for the bar to pour himself something stupidly expensive.

Neither of my brothers are acting like they’ve ever seen a fancy fucking house before. I stride down the adjoining hallway, narrowing my eyes at the doors there. I suppose there’s enough room for them to have guests, but why aren’t they coming out to greet us? Rude, that’s what it is. I throw open the door at the very end of the hall, hoping it’s one of their bedrooms, as I grin like a lunatic.

“Heeeere’s Fitzy!” I shout as I pop my head in.

The sight that greets me makes my jaw drop and, for the first time in a very long time, I have absolutely no words.

“Close the door, you psycho!”

Too shocked to answer, I just do as instructed, turning on my heel to head back into the living room. I plop down onto the couch, blinking as the information races through my head like some online meme full of equations and confused looking humans.

Did I just see…?

“Fitz, you look like you saw a ghost. What the hell is wrong with you?” Felix says as he drops onto a cushy armchair next to my seat. He sips his drink, looking pleased as hell at the amber liquid he chose. “One minute, you’re here being hyper and pissy, now you’re acting like your brain is broken. What gives, man?”

My eyes cut back and forth between my brother and my consort, unsure how to answer that question. I may be off my nut most of the time, but I know when I’ve stepped in some shit. This was definitely some major fucking shit, and I have no idea how to handle this.

I’m not made for moral quandaries, for fuck’s sake.

Chess frowns as he joins me on the couch, scooting close until I wrap my arm around him. “Maybe we should call my angel. Talking to her always makes him feel better.”

Swallowing, I nod at him, still not speaking for fear I’ll lose my grip on my tongue and spill the damn beans about my discovery. Felix rolls his eyes, but he nods and Chess sets the DiePad up on the table so she can see all of us when she answers. The little ringing sound is mesmerizing, but the second she answers, the tightness in my chest recedes.

Baby Girl always knows what to do. She’ll tell me.

“Fitz! Chess! Felix!” she cries out as she leans into the screen with a bright smile. “I’m so glad you called. I’m dying of boredom here. Where’s Aubrey and Rennie?”

I feel the color drain out of my face and I cough. “Uh, we just got here and uh, I went looking, but I think they’re busy…”

Felix rolls his eyes and Chess chuckles. “Busy fighting over wall sconces or some shit, I bet.”

“No…”

That one word catches my girl’s ear and she tilts her head, squinting at me. “I’m sure they’ll be free soon. I know they’d be upset to miss the video chat, no matter what shenanigans they’re getting up to.”

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