Page 14 of Let Us Prey

Of fucking course they didn’t tell me.

Our not-so-esteemed dean, Henrietta, is so focused on pleasing the fucking Council and the wealthy donors that she barely sees the inside of a classroom, let alone the library. The Admissions staff is a flock of overworked birds with little concern for anything outside of completing their tasks, with enough time left over to keep the gossip mill churning. And with the volume of goddamn password reset requests from new students and staff—all of which I forward to Betsy before deleting—I haven’t been able to look at my email for a week without wanting to poke my eyes out. Even if they sent a message, I wouldn’t have seen it in the deluge of bullshit I have flooding my inbox.

I suddenly realize the Botticelli-esque girl is patiently waiting for my reply, so I take a breath to calm my dragon.

“No.”

“Oh. That’s why you’re...” She gestures at me with an airy ease, as if being charged at by a half-shifted predator in a mindless fury is completely normal. “No worries. I can come back on Wednesday if this is a bad time. I just wanted to get everything sorted before my classes start up.”

I frown, tilting my head as I observe her more closely. Her gaze is steady and her posture is almost combative, but the scent of prey emanates from every pore. Someone like her shouldn’t even be here at Apex; it’s damned near a death sentence. But here she is,flitting into my library without a care in the world, and looking me straight in the eyes despite my scales and snout.

It occurs to me that no prey animal wouldwillinglyenroll here as a student, so there must be more to her story. Not for the first time, I wish I had interrogated her—find out what makes her tick. She’s different from the girl I saw at the Vom Prom, and it’s not just her emerged animal.

Delores Drew is idiotic or very brave, and I find myself curious to find out which.

Walking closer, I let my wings spread and my claws dig deeper into the wood. I’ll have to replace the fucking floor again anyway, so why not see how this Council heir reacts to the full display? She maintains eye contact as I approach, though I can sense her heart rate speeding up. Towering over her, I don’t see a sniveling rabbit like I should. Instead, there’s a fire in her blue-eyed gaze that makes my breath catch. She gives me a haughty look that all rich girls seem to master before they can even walk, and I have to suppress a chuckle.

Brave it is, then.

No wonder this slip of a girl, barely alive long enough to be a good scotch, has been dominating the conversation in Renard’s Tower all summer long. Most of that talk has been from Fitz, because out of our band of outcasts, he had the most one-on-one contact with her on prom night. Chess met her the day of the tour, but he’s been noticeably close mouthed about that encounter. I’d find it weird if I wasn’t sure he’s in love with the effusive tiger.

“Does my dragon worry you?” I ask, deciding to test the mettle Delores is showing. My dragon seems interested in her, and since that’s only happened one other time, I’m curious about what her reaction will be to him in return.

She snorts, covering her mouth with her hand. “Are you going to crisp me if I say no?”

I shake my head, wondering again what the hell they made this girl of as I stare at her. “No. I’m unused to people being so… at ease with this form. It is not how I present myself in public. Most shifters are raised to fear or covet those unlike them—nefarious intentions motivate both. I, however, am rare and unused to people being so at ease with this form.”

“I’m not like most shifters; I was raised not to fear anyone.” She lifts her chin defiantly, and suddenly, I canseewho she is—who she came from.

This is the daughter of Bruno and Lucille Drew, a shipping magnate and the undisputed queen of Apex society. No wonder Delores isn’t scared by my dragon; her father is known for eating business rivals during negotiations, and her mother is a drunken sociopath. Despite being an heiress, her home life must be hell on earth, especially now that she’s emerged as anything but an apex predator, although it gave her the backbone to not be terrified by any of our beasts.

Even those of us with uncommon shifted forms.

“That’s good, because it would be hard to instruct you in the care and keeping of my books if you couldn’t be near me without fainting,” I reply as I shift into full human form again. “There are many delicate texts here that require frequent monitoring in the basement, and part of your duties will be to assist me with these archives.”

Her mouth drops open, and I frown. I expected her to be excited that I wasn’t forcing her to be nothing but a shelving monkey—which I could, given she’s only a first-year—but she seemed more dumbstruck than anything.

Did I break her brain or something?

Finally, she swallows hard and nods at me. “Yes, I imagine it would be… hard. I’d like to take care of that. Your books, I mean. I want to learn the books.”

Her rapid babble makes me take a step back, unsure if I’ve somehow hit a switch and turned her into the bobblehead who come in here looking for the latest copy ofFifty Shades of Greywolves,as if I don’t know what it’s about. The sound of her heart jackhammering in her chest again makes me wonder if I’ve somehow triggered a response from her past, and I hold up my hand to stop the flow of jabber.

“Delores, it’s getting late. I’m sure you need to get to the cafeteria before the bigger preds scarf up all the good food. But come back on Wednesday and I will instruct you on the different parts of the library. Deal?”

“Yes. You’re right. It’s late and I need to eat because I haven’t had a bite all day and...” She takes a breath and shifts the bag on her shoulder, her knotted oxford riding up to showcase a diamond bunny decorating her navel. “I’m famished. I’m sure you are, too. So, um, have a good dinner, and I’ll be back on Wednesday. Thank you.” Before I can respond, she turns on her heel and practically runs out of the library like she has hellhounds on her tail.

I track the bounce of her hair and flutter of her skirt, considering the walking contradiction that just invaded my space. I’m not sure what whim of Horus or Bast or even Set put this girl on my path, but encounters like this are rarely a coincidence. The wheel of fate turns slowly, but it is always turning. Even a being as old as I am knows that the gods wrote our destinies in the stars long before we were born, and Delores Drew has flounced her way into mine like a fluffy-tailed wrecking ball.

Hmmm. Dinner it is—and I’m starving.

Joke’s On You

Delores

For the loveof everything holy, why are all the goddess-blessed male professors here so fucking hot?

I barely made it out of that library with my dignity intact, not helped by the fact I arrived flustered. After my nerve wracking audition, I had to quickly stop by Admissions and rearrange my schedule to accommodate switching my major last minute. They packed the office with impatient—and probably hungry—preds, and I thanked Cori and Rufus for coming with me at least ten times. I wouldn’t have felt safe without them, and despite Fitz’s constant barrage of flirty texts, he wasn’t nearby to help if someone cornered me while the owls were busy hooting and screeching about password resets.

---