Page 149 of Let Us Prey

It occurs to me I’ve been ignoring Lucille as she droned on, and I blink in surprise. I never used to tune her out so easily. I was too scared she’d say something important, and I’d be punished for missing it. Shaking my head in amazement, I refocus on her voice, trying to pick up the thread of her conversation.

“...my sources tell me they’ve seen you in the company of several professors outside of class hours. Paired with news that you were ‘claimed’ by two Khans, it sounds like I should prepare for wedding bells?”

Wedding bells? Hera help me, what are her spies telling her, and how much do they know?

During her last call, Lucille fished for information about what shifters lived at Apex and how close I was to certain ones—namely Renard and Aubrey. She’s never specifically asked about my dating life, except to tell me she’ll basically have to sell me off. There’s something going on here and I don’t know what it is, but I have to be very careful how I approach her.

Lucille is many things, but stupid is not one of them—and she didn’t raise a fool, either.

“I don’t feel comfortable discussing my love life yet—everything is so new. I have made no commitments that would require a white dress, so don’t worry. After everything with Todd, I’m not ready to be serious with any one person.”

“Delores, don’t make this so antagonistic! I’m your mother, and I want you to be happy,” Lucille says, her voice dripping with saccharin sweetness.

Okay, what in the actual fuck is going on?

Lucille never speaks to me like this. She didn’t even speak to me like this as a baby—or so I’ve been told by Mattie. In fact, I’ve never heard my mother speak to me in anything but acerbic tones with condescending looks that translate over the phone.

What is her game?

“I am happy, and even though we haven’t defined our relationships the way you’d prefer, I have met men who treat me well. I’ve been on a few casual dates so far this semester. There’s nothing else totell, Lucille.”

“Hmm” is all the answer I get.

I’m sure she wants the specifics, but until I know what her agenda is, I’m not giving up any details—even if only to lead her astray. She’s a crafty old leopard, and can’t be trusted. Information is currency to Lucille, and I’ve watched her use it to her advantage my entire life.

“Why did you call, Lucille? My grades are exemplary, and we’re coming up on final exams soon. I’m sure the Administration staff will report back to you, so there’s no need to follow up with me directly unless you’re unsatisfied.”

“Delores Diamond Drew, I am in no mood for your sass today!”

That sounds more like the Lucille I know and tolerate.

“All I want to know, daughter, is if you are happy and if you’re spending time with people who are equivalent to your stature. I don’t want to hear that you’re dating another mangy hyena who will shame our family in the public arena.”

Ah, there it is.

She’s worried I’m dating someone who is beneath my station, even though it’s perilous and by name only. All of my men would fit her criteria and then some, but for their exile—which doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. “I hate indulging your elitism, mother, but my dates aren’t from the wrong side of the tracks. I know that’s probably surprising given my… what do you call it… disability?”

The sparkling laugh echoing over the line again tells me she switched back to the loving mother personality that I know she isn’t. “Delores, this is why we fight. You don’t know how to take my sense of humor.”

Uh-huh.

“You realize Apex has more pressing issues than my sex life, right?” I reply, unable to keep the disgust from my tone. “Thereare sixteen missing students and a third dead body dropped from the rafters in the middle of my rehearsal. As a Council member, I’d think you’d care far more about dead kids than who I’m having dinner with.”

“Of course I am aware, Delores. I’m not living in a cave, nor am I profoundly stupid. Don’t insult me,” Lucille growls, noticeably not claiming to care. The shift in her tone means she’s done with the pretense; now I’ve questioned her authority, and she’s angry.

That makes two of us.

“I wanted to make sure that I was keeping you informed,” I purr, matching her fake sweetness, knowing it will rile her more, and not giving a fuck. “The campus is a very dangerous place, and the Council doesn’t seem interested in helping us. Staff members have been doing most of the policing. The professors seem to have gone into homework overdrive to keep us locked in our rooms, but what little security there is here falls woefully short.”

“This conversation has taken a turn, Delores, and I’m not interested in hearing you whine. It’s time you learned to defend yourself, like a true predator, and remember that even the people closest to you may be a threat. You’ve been a pampered heir for far too long, and this little ‘serial killer’ issue is the perfect thing to force you to sharpen your instincts and take action. We can’t have you ending up dead outside the Society tunnels like a lesser predator.”

She wants me to go up against a serial killer? No wonder I’m so fucked in the head.

Sucking in a deep breath, I rein in my temper. It’s not like it’s a surprise that Lucille truly doesn’t give a fuck if any of us die, as long as the school—and the families who fund it—look good. If I want to get her off the phone, I need to play nice. “I apologize, Lucille. I didn’t intend to be disrespectful.”

A delicate sniff, followed by a sigh, tells me I appeased her. “I only called you for a status report on your life, Delores, but it seems likeyou’ve developed an attitude problem. I’ve never heard you talk to me in this manner, and I don’t appreciate it.”

Fuck, now what am I going to say?

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