Page 79 of In Prey We Trust

I wouldn’t put it past him to get his minions trained in crime scene shit after we got everything out of Apex. Renard always seems one step ahead of everyone else, watching the pieces move while he perches on shit and smirks. He’s got that Moriarty vibe—focus, Fitz. I rub my temples, letting out a frustrated sound when I have to stop my brain from running off again. It’s gotten easier since my baby girl came along; she’s worked with me on reining in the chaos in my head. But when I get emotional, it’s a fucking challenge.

“Henny, you know damn well Dolly didn’t kill this girl. Whoever she is, we stumbled on her while picking up some books from her dorm. I was escorting her to the library to study.” I try to look nonchalant, not wanting to give away exactly what she planned to study. We don’t need the administration questioning why she’s spending so much time there.

The frazzled avian throws her hands up, squawking something in a high pitch I don’t catch. Dolly does, though, because she stands up to face the assistant to our absent Headmaster. “Ma’am, I don’t know what happened here, but I-I don’t think I can stay in this dorm. It’s too gruesome after this.”

Oh, clever girl.

“Where do you recommend you stay then, Miss Drew? You cannot live in the other dorms as it’s too much of a temptation. Despite your skills on the Games field, a mob would be too dangerous. Your mother will be furious if we put you in jeopardy.”

“Ahem,” I say with a bright smile. “I believe there’s room in the library staff quarters, Henny. I’ve visited my friends there, and it seems to have open rooms. Perhaps having staff members to watch over her would make Dolly feel safer. Obviously, the dorms have proven themselves too exposed to allow her to continue living there.”

Dolly blinks her big blue eyes and fat tears roll down her face. I have to look away as she works the Shirdal woman with those badass skills that should have gained her a part in the stupid play here. She’s upset; don’t get me wrong. But this little show is about using this bullshit to our advantage. Our girl may be worried, but she’s not stupid and she’s always using that gorgeous brain in her head. It reminds me of Felix sometimes; he’s always watching the angles, too.

That’s why he’s the King and Delores Drew is our motherfucking Queen.

“I suppose I could clear it with Professor Draconis. He’s rather protective of his space, but he would never let a student remain in a dangerous situation.” The bird hems and haws for a moment, then nods, looking at the Captain. “Can you have some of your crew assist Miss Drew in packing up after we examine this entire scene?”

“Aye, Madame. Consider it done.” When she turns away, he looks at Dolly and winks. The little shit knows everything in here is throwaway and that’s likely what he’ll do. We purposefully made sure our girl didn’t need a damn thing. She left here so no one could use it against her.

Henrietta turns back to us, looking tired and strung out. “Fitz, please take Miss Drew to the library with her things. I’ll contact you when I have an answer. Captain, I’ll expect you to handle all of this quickly, quietly, and then meet with campus security to file reports. I have to contact the Headmaster and after we identify her, the student’s parents.”

That said, our fearful leader gives us one last reproachful look and leaves.

“Guess we’re not calling law enforcement,” Dolly mutters. “Quelle surprise.”

“Baby Girl, I love it when you talk all voulez-vous, but for now, let’s go home.” I take her hand, squeezing it as we walk to the door. Before we leave, I pause. “You know what to do, right, gents?”

“Anything we find, make sure the Admiral is informed,” Holliday says grimly. “Aye, aye.”

I slip my other hand in my pocket, feeling the tube there. “We’re going to catch this son of a bitch and make him pay; I guarantee you that.”

And the price is going to be very, very high for making my Queen upset.

River

Aubrey

While I’m incredibly glad our bunny convinced Henny to allow her to move in, I can tell the incident earlier in the week is weighing on her. Fitz brought her home, and she waved everyone off to take a shower before heading to bed. She spent her free time this week working on homework and doing yoga in the backyard. Everyone but Fitz tried to give her space so she could process, but it’s been several days now and she’s still hiding out. I could deal with that if it was the only bullshit going on, but Rennie has been moping since we did our trip to Apex and Felix is damn near ready to burst because we haven’t gotten answers about the hair Fitz found.

My dragon is very displeased that our family is not happy, which makes me cranky.

That’s why I got up in the middle of the night to pace around the living area, staring at the boards in irritation. There are connections we aren’t seeing and machinations we’re not prepared for. I hoped being forced to come here might calm down some of this chaos, but it’s ramped up. We’ve got more people and more clues, but none of it seems to lead to anything but more questions. The situation is infuriating because we’re going in enormous circles only to end up back where we started with dead bodies.

Except this time, they left it in Snack Size’s bed.

A soft noise from the other side of the library doors makes me pause. There shouldn’t be anyone in my library at this time of night. All the assistants are long gone and the cleaning crew comes in the morning. Scales ripple over my skin as I stalk towards the doors, growling low as my dragon rears his head. I’m going to murder whoever dares to break into my space, then I’m going to kick both Fitz and Rennie’s asses because their security failed.

My wings break free as I wave my arm at the stupid scanner and stride onto the large, ornate main floor. It’s dark and there’s not even the scent of another shifter in the room. My eyes bleed to my dragon’s as I look for heat trails. When I see a faint trace, I grimace and head for the bookshelf that conceals the way down to the underground archives. The intruder is headed for the most valuable pieces in the Cappie collection, and that ignites the fire in my gut, making my blood burn with fury.

I can’t wait to crisp this motherfucker after they give up who sent them.

The shelf swings out when I pull the correct combination of books and I push it closed quietly. Making my way down the roughly hewn rock stairs, I work to contain my fury. They have hunted me in the past—all dragons have, at some point—but the factions after our bunny aren’t torch wielding idiots. They have money, power, and influence, so there’s no need to fear a college girl, even if she is an heir with an anomaly. She might have never even discovered the blue lightning if they hadn’t tried to level Apex last year. Nothing they’re doing is stopping whatever is coming; it’s making it more certain, so they’re getting more desperate.

“Too bad for you, sacrificial lamb,” I mutter under my breath. “They sent you to get roasted.”

Creeping around the corner, I make my way into the cool, dark archives as I look for the thief. A small light catches my gaze and I make my way towards it silently. This criminal is bold; I’ll give them that. They’re sitting at the table, looking through the volumes I stacked on the tables yesterday. My eyes narrow as I get close enough and snatch the hood off their head with a snarl of triumph.

Except all I see is our bento bunny’s rainbow locks in a messy bun and her pale face with purple circles under her eyes. She gasps and frowns at me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Aubrey! What the hell are you doing?”

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