Page 10 of In Prey We Trust

CSpot: What mess?

EmoBatman: Never you mind, nosey pants.

TigerKing: So no one knows where my brother is?

CSpot: Not good.

Of course, I know where the hell he is and if he gets caught by my parents’ goons, I’ll be in the shit knee-deep.

I stand, disengaging the locks on my window and peer out into the darkness. “Fitz! Fitz, what the shit, dude? Where are you?”

A grinning tiger shifter pops out of the gigantic tree outside my window with a slightly unhinged look in his eyes. “Right here, baby girl. I was hiding Delta Force style.”

Rubbing my hand over my face quickly, I grab his arm with the other. “Get in here. If these douchewhistles on guard catch you, Lucille will lose her damn mind. Who knows what kind of shit she’ll pull if she thinks my sentence got cut short?”

“Fire in the hole!” Fitz whisper-yells as he does a flip into the window, landing on the floor with a loud thump. When I shush him, he rolls his eyes and splays his body on the ground like a beached whale. “I’m ready for my closeup, Ms. DeMille.”

I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh. “Has Chessie been making you watch old movies again?”

Fitz nods, his eyes sparkling up at me. “Ever since you told him I learn better by listening, they have subjected me to every movie, TV show, and play he can find on the Preynet. I think he’s trying to cram thirty years of learning into, like, five months.”

A noise outside my door spooks me and I put my finger to my lips as I creep over, listening to the wood for a moment. When it doesn’t happen again, I let out a long breath. “The jibrones must be doing rounds in the house. I think we’re safe.”

His expression is still amused and I know it’s because he wouldn’t hesitate to take every single moron wandering this house out. “Good. I couldn’t wait another fucking minute to see you, baby girl. I jumped on my bike the second you signed off this morning.”

Oh, shit. The other guys are still looking for him.

“Fitz, you didn’t tell anyone where you went and they're blowing up my phone.” I pick it up, firing off a brief explanation before I put my hands on my hips. “You’d lose the damn plot if I took off on you guys like that.”

Smirking, he shrugs. “That’s because it’s my job to help you stay safe and you’ve never told me to back off. Sneaking around me would mean you didn’t like it and we know that’s not true. Besides, I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself.”

“I can take care of myself, too. Your sadist trainer is making sure of that,” I mutter as I narrow my eyes at him. “That doesn’t mean our family isn’t worrying.”

A bright smile splits his face, and he rushes over, grabbing me in his arms and spinning us around. “You said ‘our family’ and you can’t take it back.”

I blink, feeling a flush creep up my neck as he continues whirling us happily. “I did, you crazy fool. Now put me down before I barf my healthy snacks all over your face.”

His eyes widen, and he stops, sitting me down slowly. “Uh, I can deal with a lot of shit, including entrails. But vomit is a hard limit since that prom, baby girl. I’ll toss my cookies like a drunk chick at a frat party if I even catch a whiff. No chunky firehose action, you hear me?”

“Pissing on an enemy’s head? Check. Vomit? Big red ‘X.’ Got it,” I say playfully.

His expression turns dark as he looks down at me. “Snarky little brat.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Oh, you’ll see.”

Bad Things

Fitz

My baby girl looks like every dream I’ve had since that stupid school got blown to smithereens by magic weirdos.

Okay, she’s got more clothes on than my dreams, but that’s fixable.

Running my eyes up and down her frame, I grin wickedly as I take in her attire. She’s got on adorable pink tiger print silk shorts that barely cover her delectable ass and a matching bralette. Her rainbow sherbet hair is in twin ponytails and she has adorably pink polish on her fingers and toes. Her gorgeous tatts and shiny piercings contrast with it perfectly, adding a little dark to her shining light. My hands clench into fists at my waist while I try to figure out where she’s hiding her fun drawer in her Pepto pink monster Mommy approved room.

Felix was right; our sexy bunny is definitely both a Barbie girl and a punk rock princess rolled into one.

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