Page 13 of House of Lilith

I throw him a grin, using my most casual voice. “What do you think of Brogan?”

Ricky’s eyebrows shoot up. “Um,” he starts, obviously not having expected the question, “she’s a good Archon, I guess. Strong, takes really good care of us.”

“A woman of her word?” I cut in.

He thinks for a second. Then he vigorously nods. “Yes. Yes, I believe she is. But why do you ask?”

I want to know, provided I did everything she told me to, if she’d really give me the professorship. But I can’t tell Rickythat. So I just say, “She promised she’d kick all our butts if we didn’t make it till the end,” I say jokingly.

My friend laughs. “I guess we’d deserve it.”

I let out a laugh, too, but it’s not cheerful. My eyes sweep over dozens of my one hundred little proteges. And just like that, I’m back to feeling the full weight of the pressure. Staying on good terms with our stuck-up hosts, keeping all my people alive, being strong and clever enough to make it to the end…

And I know exactly what I’m working towards, but there’s virtually no room for error here. It feels as if my shoulders are caving in.

But just as I decide to stop bitching and just push through it, my fox senses something again.

“Hold on a minute, Ricky,” I say as I decide enough’s enough.

And I feel him move to follow me, but I just dive into the crowd, pushing my chest out and pulling my eyebrows down. The closer I get, the stronger the feeling gets. Yeah, there’s definitely something going on.

The crowd starts parting, sensing an alpha’s displeasure. It’s then that I see it. A couple of my own standing in a half-circle with their backs turned to me.

“Let him go,” one of the O’Malley brothers yells out.

And just as he yells that, they sense me. Most of them at least. They turn to face me and in doing that, they reveal what’s going on within the circle.

I frown, my fox starting to growl. I see the other O’Malley brother and one of the Grimm students, a fae-blooded one by the looks of him, staring each other down, hands balled into fists vibrating with rage at their sides.

Kill the son of a bitch, my fox demands.

I feel my pack members nervously shift on their feet. I throw a wink in their general direction and I enter the circle, shifting my focus back onto O’Malley and his playdate.

I put my hands in my pockets. “What’s the story here?” I ask in a voice that doesn’t betray my anger. It comes off amused.

“No need for you to get involved, Boss,” O’Malley says, but he doesn’t take his eyes away from his opponent.

“No need foranyoneto get involved,” the Grimm student spits out. “I’ll be takingthis onedown myself.”

“Rip his fucking throat out,” I hear my fox’s snarl.

For fuck’s sake, I think to myself as I let him know this won’t be one ofthosesituations. Just as things were starting to go well. But at least my fox decides he’s bored and retreats.

“What’s your name, mate?” I ask as I shift my focus back onto the Grimm student.

“It’s none of your business.”

I sense Ricky get closer and I hear him whisper in my ear, “Jhaeros.”

I glance at the Runes hanging around Jhaeros’ neck and I say, “Why don’t you come here and we’ll get a drink, you and I.”

To that, Jhaeros spins around to face me. “Sure,” he drawls, “as soon as I get revenge for my great-great-grandfather being called a wuss.”

“I just said,” O’Malley rushes to explain, exhausted desperation in his voice, “that I believemygreat-great-grandfather andhisfought in the Games of 1860.”

“Defeated,” Jhaeros yells out, “you said hedefeatedhim. But who won in the Umbrage, huh?”

I successfully fight the need to roll my eyes. Instead, I let out a laugh and I come to stand between them, looking down on both their sorry asses.

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