Page 40 of Come Out & Prey

It’s defiance and I won’t stand for it.

“Felix. Felix, stop. Hey, bro. Calm down,” Fitz says.

Blinking, I look down at my hand where my claws are digging into the arms of my large armchair. Shit. “Sorry,” I mutter.

My twin is in front of me in a blink, pressing his cheek to mine in a soothing gesture. When my tiger settles, he pulls back and grins. “I may have more intel to share. Some cockrocket named Todd spiked the punch, so if we can find out what he and his fellow douchenozzles were drinking, we can rule something out.”

“That would help us determine why that alcohol neutralized the poison’s effects enough to only cause vomiting!” Aubrey givesme a begrudgingly pleased look as he re-settles on his throne. “Do you want to locate him, or should I?”

Fitz gives him a shrug, but I can see the wheels turning in my brother’s head. “You do it, man. I have another project to work on.”

What the fuck is up with him and that girl?

I chuckle as Aubrey pulls out his phone and starts stabbing at it with a muttered curse. Looking down at Fitz, I ruffle my hand over his hair. “Where did you get this info? You know, I enjoy hearing about your methods of squeezing intel out of people.”

“I just asked her, man. It’s not like I need to beat on a chick,” Fitz says, looking uncomfortable. “Unlike Señor Firepants over there, I found her on prom night.”

Every one of us stare at my twin as if he’s grown a third head.

“When did this happen?” Aubrey and Chess blurt at almost the same time.

Fitz winks at Chess, ignoring Aubrey so he can needle the cheetah. “I thought you’d all but forgotten her?”

“Stop,” I growl in warning. We need to work together, not provoke one another if we’re going to identify the threat to our home. I don’t mind Fitz giving them shit when it’s not serious, but now isn’t the time to divide us to amuse himself.

Waiting until Fitz submits, I sigh and let go of his hair. “Aubrey is tracking the Council heirs. We’ll find out who they are so we can pay them a visit this summer when everyone is far away from their schools and most of the parents have fucked off to their summer homes.”

“That’s a good idea, Felix,” Chess says softly. “Obviously, most of them aren’t as powerful as Khans, but we don’t want to draw unwanted attention. Also, I’d prefer if no one got hurt by an overzealous bodyguard.”

“I won’t allow anyone to be harmed, Chess,” I reply on a rumble.

Renard snorts from the balcony, but not everyone has rocky armor like him.

“Oh, save me, Mr. Growly Tiger King,” Aubrey says as he looks up from his phone with a smirk.

That makes Fitz snarl and his white tiger ripples under his skin as he looks at the dragon mocking me. Aubrey simply smirks, his eyes turning iridescent as scales appear and disappear at will on his bare skin. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that his beast could swallow all of us whole and not even get indigestion, and I don’t miss it.

And Bast help us if the damn gargoyle joins him.

“We may poke fun, but you are correct, my tiger friend.” I almost jump out of my chair when the silent gargoyle actually speaks. “For all we know, the Council themselves are behind this.”

His suggestion sucks the playfulness out of the room, and we all look at one another in apprehension. Being exiles, we don’t give a fuck about them unless they specifically come for us, but every other shifter at the school is under their rule. People who piss off the Council usually get sent to Bloodstone—not poisoned at their crown jewel school.

“Why would they do this and put their own heirs at risk? Seems like a dumb plan,” I say as I scratch my chin.

His eyes are pitch black as he looks at us. “I watch things. Therefore, I see more than most. In the many years I’ve been at Apex, I have never seen so many potential targets in one place. The bulk of the kids here are heirs or have ties to them. We should find this Todd, but it’s unlikely he did anything but make a lucky mistake. Something of this scale feels like a larger plot aimed at much bigger prey.”

Who is bigger than the Council and their heirs?

“I’m going after the moron myself,” Fitz growls as he rolls to his feet and walks over to sit with Chess. “I have unfinished business with him.”

Frowning, I look at him as he snuggles Chess and buries his face in his neck. Fitz is rarely ever this worked up over a chick. He’s almost protective, and that only extends to our ambush. This silly girl, a Council heir, has wrapped him around her finger and I don’t have a clue how she did it.

Courtesans and queens have tried to entice my brother, but he fucks them and moves on.

We’re in big trouble.

This Is Me

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