Page 10 of Let Us Prey

That information makes me feel a shit ton better. I thought he was focused on me because of Fitz, but he’s just an asshole to everyone. Now I’m not worried I should avoid their house like the plague if my tiger friend asks me to visit. “Holy shit. I thought it was me. You haveno ideahow much better I feel knowing he’s simply a dickhead.”

Chess turns and looks at us, frowning. “Felix isn’t really a dickhead. He’s got a lot of issues, and anger is the way he deals with them. Don’t write him off like everyone else.”

“I wouldn’t if he hadn’t started calling me Barbie,” I grumble to myself. “I’m not a dumb blonde like my ex-friends.”

That gets a frown from the cute cheetah, and he shakes his head. “Sometimes he doesn’t think before he speaks. Especially when he’s dealing with new students. Fear is the way he keeps the spoiled kids in line.”

“That’s kinda true,” Cori says with an apologetic smile. “He didn’t turn into a ray of sunshine, but once everyone in my class calmed down enough to listen, Professor Felix mellowed a little last year.”

“Exactly,” Chess calls over his shoulder. “Give it time.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. They might be right, but that doesn’t make dealing with his derision any easier. “Fine. I’ll try, but that’s not why I came here, anyway.”

Rufus looks up from the notes he’s making on a score book, his lips curving into a wicked smirk. He rolls to his feet and walks close, eyeing me with a predatory stare. “Then why are you here? Tell me more, tell me more, girl.”

I chuckle, enjoying his playful response. If I had any doubts about this change before, I definitely don’t when I hear Cori snicker, and even Chess huff a laugh. Lucille always wanted me to get a job where I couldn’t screw anything up and I chose English because Icould work in communications, a library, or somewhere my mother wouldn’t be caught dead. Back then, Todd wanted to intern in D.C. with the Council and I thought I could follow him during the summers. There were plenty of places an English major could work there and eventually, we might even have escaped my fucking parents.

Even I’m shocked at how naïve I was a few months ago.

I’ll never get rid of Lucille and Bruno—not completely. My dream of a job in the capital is gone now that I’ve emerged as prey and Todd’s been revealed as a total wanker. Everything IthoughtI wanted went up in a puff of smoke and it’s time to grab the bull by the horns if I want to make a life for myself. Licking my lips, I prepare to give my mother the biggest finger yet—pursuing a career in the arts.

“I came here to get Professor Chess to sign my form so I can switch my major to performing arts.” That gets everyone’s attention and I smile shyly as I wait.

The cheetah grins a little, wiping his hands on a rag and putting his brush down. “Apex requires a singing audition for this program. Would you be able to do that… now?”

“Dolly, you have to. You’ll love our program. We’d get to see you every Tuesday and Thursday,” Cori gushes as she squeezes my arm.

I give her a tiny smile, my nervousness making it hard to match her excitement. I’ve never played piano in front of anyone before. I didn’t even show Todd my songs on paper because he and our ‘friends’ openly mocked all the theater kids at Shifter Secondary. My love of music and singing was my dirty little secret, and even though my keyboard wasn’t hidden when the Heathers came over, they never once asked about it.

Yet another red flag I ignored.

If I’mbeing honest, they barely asked about anything I did unless it directly affected them. I should have seen the ugliness beneath their facade sooner, but I was too wrapped up in dreams of running away to the big city with my douche-y ex to pay attention to their glaring self-centeredness.

“Uh-oh, Coco. I can see the little frown lines forming as we speak. Are you scared to audition? How can we help?” Rufus asks as he drops his book on the piano.

Chewing on my lower lip, I look between them, taking in the earnest expressions on their faces. I haven’t had the greatest experiences lately with showing people my underbelly, and outside of Fitz, I haven’t considered giving anyone the opportunity to get close enough to hurt me. I know the crazy tiger is an odd choice to place my shaky trust in, but his obsessive protectiveness has made me feel safer. Not that we won’t have a conversation about his family—because they’re known murderers with ties to my parents—but he hasn’t asked for a single thing in return, besides the kiss, which I was happy to give. He’s pervy, but I kind of like it, and he seems to be the only person in this hellhole who gives a shit about my safety.

Cori’s eyes soften as she watches my internal struggle. “Ru-Ru, she’s terrified. I recognize that look—someone’s done a real number on our girl.” She holds her hand out, clasping mine when I tentatively take hers. “I don’t know who hurt you or why, but I swear on my Meemaw’s peanut butter pie recipe that we won’t do you dirty.”

Her pretty words are pleasant, but I’ve heard them before. It’s hard to accept anything at face value after you’ve grown up in a viper’s nest, and lost every ally you thought you had in an instant. “I...”

“I second that, sister. Give us a chance to help you through this, and we’ll prove we’re not the enemy,” Rufus cajoles.

“Okay,” I murmur, taking a deep breath. “I never performed in public. All of my experience with singing, dancing, or acting has been in front of my mirror, with a YouTube video behind me. I don’t know if I actually suck or not.”

Their eyes widen as they share a look. Twisting my lips, I drop Cori’s hand and stare at the marble floor beneath my feet, wondering if they’re going to take back their offer to help. After a few quiet moments, I look up to find them both grinning at me.

Since I have no way of knowing what’s going through their heads, I hesitantly add, “I might embarrass the hell out of all of you.”

Rufus snorts, cutting me off. “You won’t embarrass us, babe. The people we have to accept just to fill a production or show here at Apex arenotprofessionals. Preds heredespisethis building because it teaches ‘soft studies’. Those of us who have thecajonesto major in the arts among ruthless business-types have pretty thick skin. You’ll develop one, too.”

“Let me call the other professors so we can get it done,” Chess says softly. “You’ll only getmorenervous if you wait.”

This time, my answering smile is genuine. If I can survive the horror of my prom night, I can survive a train wreck audition, right?

“What experience do you have… Dolly?”The tall, imposing woman glares at me as if I’ve wronged her ancestors by setting foot on the stage. Her willowy frame, fluid movements and the tiny remnant of sibilance in words with ‘s' sounds gave away Professor Bindi Sarabhai's species immediately.

I’d told everyone what I prefer to be called now when they arrived. My mother calls me Delores and my ex-friends called meDD, neither of which I really want my new friends or professors to use.

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