Page 21 of O Holy Spite

He nods, looking regretful. “We do. Pick out your treat from here and put it in your bag so we can head for the roof. I don’t want you to freeze your fluffy tail off on the way home.”

Planting another light kiss on his lips, I push to my feet and sashay over to my suit. “We can come back sometime, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Next time, we’re bringing my partner in crime along. I have plans.

The flight was faster on the way home than it was getting to his secret castle. Aubrey caught a tailwind and we raced through the skies like we were headed for a battlefield. He wasn’t wrong about the weather; it got worse as we flew, turning from small flakes to big, fat ones that stuck to my cheeks and hair.

By the time we landed at Cappie, I was shivering. The heat from the dragon’s fire and my suit were barely enough to keep my nipples from being hard enough to cut glass. Jumping off Aubrey’s back with my pack full of treasure in tow, I wait for him to shift before I head for the back door of our library nest. I noticed Rennie in the bell tower as we flew by, so I know we’ll get bum rushed the second we walk in the door.

The welcoming party will have a billion questions I can’t answer and my winged mates will love that.

“Come on. They’re waiting for us, Bowser.” My eyes twinkle as I tease him and he grunts irritably. “Now, now. Don’t be a grouch. We had a lovely day and our family probably missed us.”

“Fine.”

Naked and completely unconcerned, Aubrey takes my hand and leads me through the snow starting to accumulate on the grass. It sizzles as he walks, reacting to the heat inside of him from the dragon’s efforts to keep him warm. He doesn’t even notice, but it makes me smile. When we had the big snowball fight last year, he must have asked his dragon not to spoil his stealth by heating him up.

Is part of learning to live with my animal having conversations with the bunny like that?

Maybe that’s why I struggled for so long and why I’m finally getting a modicum of control over the aspects of shifting this year. Blinking, I stop when a thought hits me. Aubrey turns to look at me, his head tilted in curiosity. I have to pause to formulate words because I’m shocked that none of us considered this before.

“Aubrey, you talk to your dragon, right? They all talk to their animals, too. I started doing better with my bunny when I began speaking to her like another part of me.”

He nods, cocking a brow. “Yeeeeees?”

“I know. This feels out of the blue, but hear me out. What if I need to talk to my… other powers… to get them to work when I’m not in mortal danger?”

“Holy shit, lunchable. It never even crossed my mind. Not surprising since I’m not exactly knowledgeable about that particular subject—not like Rennie.” Stroking his jaw, he thinks about it. “We need to talk to our sulky Shakespeare. You may be on to something.”

Grinning in excitement, I squeeze his hand and tug him towards the door, almost tripping over my own feet to get there. I wave my arm over the sensor impatiently, busting inside as soon as the door springs open. Four pairs of eyes greet us as I rush in, pulling the naked librarian behind me. “Guys, guys, guys!”

“What the fuck?” Felix whispers as I barrel towards them.

“You’re never going to believe what I figured out. I mean, maybe. I don’t know. But I think I’m right. Rennie, you’ll have to help me.”

Fitz covers his mouth with a snort. “Baby Girl, you look like me when I’m manic mode. Take a breath before you pass out.”

Shooting him a dirty look, I stop and breathe for a second like he asked. I know if I don’t they’ll all go into cave shifter mode and I won’t be able to get this out. Once they look satisfied, I grin broadly. “I think I have to talk to my magic like I do my bunny.”

My gargoyle blinks, staying silent as he does the same muddling Aubrey did. Finally, he clears his throat and we all listen. “You may be right. We will have to experiment, ma petite.”

“Way to downplay the moment, Broody Pants,” Fitz says as he jogs forward and lifts me up to spin us in a circle. “Good job, Baby Girl. Whatever you and Savory Skink got up to while you were away kick-started the old noggin.”

I glance at Aubrey, but he’s disappeared. I assume he’s grabbing some clothes that aren’t wet from the snow, so I nod. “I think it did, baby. We had a really great trip.”

“Don’t think I’m not pissed that I didn’t get to go flying again, but I’m happy you figured something out. Chessie and the Stony Sad Man have been hard at work making a bunch of snacks for us to eat while settling in tonight.” He leans in and puts his lips on my ear, whispering, “Hint: there’s a lot of cheese involved.”

Tapping his shoulder, I get Fitz to let me down as I rush over to the proud cheetah. “Did you and Rennie play Iron Chef while I was gone?”

“We did, Angel. You’re going to love eating our practice.”

I clap my hands, bouncing on my toes. This silly weather and lockdown have made the past few days the best I’ve had in months, all while keeping away all the assholes trying to get their hands on me. I almost don’t care why it’s happening or what it means. Spending time with my guys and being able to just live has been the best holiday gift I could have ever received.

“How about you go change and we’ll get the nest set up so we can all curl up?”

Walking over to Felix, I kiss him lightly. “That sounds amazing, sir. I’ll be right back.”

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