Page 30 of Prey It Ain't So

I snort, then wink at her. “But I’m not fucking them, Baby Girl. That makes it imminently harder to extend that limited courtesy.”

She slaps me again, frowning as she leads me over to the bar. “Don’t be a pig, baby. I know you better than that BS line. You’re a good man, Fitzgerald Kahn, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.”

To my family and those I care for? Definitely. With people who threaten that? Absolutely not.

“Okay, okay,” I say as I place my hands on the bar, squinting at the shelves behind it to see what they have in stock. “What would you like to drink? I’ll do my best to follow big bro’s stupiddirections, but that doesn’t meannoalcohol. That’s as far as I can compromise.”

“Mmmm. A Dr. Pupper, please. You know I hate drinking in public.” Her eyes are shadowed and I have to grit my jaw to keep from growling low. That fear of letting go comes from her evil bio donors and it makes me want to kill the ugly reptile again for his part in it.

Hailing the bartender, I order her drink and a double scotch for myself. This isn’t enough to affect a shifter, especially one of my level. Itwilltake the edge off a bit, so I’m not bouncing all over and alienating the people we’re supposed to chat up. Once we have our glasses, I tilt my head at the tall tables by the piano where people are gathered. “Over there, you think?”

“Looks good, baby,” she replies as she takes the arm I offer. “Let’s go.”

As we move to the corner, I note Felix and Chess talking to a couple that Ithinkhumans consider middle age. Their expressions are animated, and my brother is doing an admirable job of not looking bored as fuck. Across the car, Aubrey is listening as the gargoyle talks to an old ass guy in a fedora. The dragon seems marginally interested, so Broody McPoetryPants must be blabbing about something he’s interested in.

Okay, Fitz, if they can do this shit, so can you. Turn on the charm.

“I don’t understandwhy they keep closing everything. It’s just so inconvenient!”

I have to look away from the bubbly brunette my girl is talking to for a moment before my eyes pop out of my head. We approached her and what turned out to be her fiance because they were a younger looking age group than the others’ marks. However, once Veronica and Butch really got to talking, I quickly realized that we made an error. Not only are they the least self-aware people I’ve ever met, they’re also fake as fuck. There’s this veneer of falsehood about them that makes my tiger want to snap their heads off because it grates on me.

“I can see how that would be upsetting,” Baby Girl says as she nods sympathetically. “It’s frustrating when businesses and governments do things that don’t benefit you directly. Having those locations closed for repairs as you’re touring on your vacation seems like they’re targeting you. How incredibly outrageous.”

That comment has me holding my breath for a moment, so the laughter doesn’t escape. Dolly’s tone is as full of fake emotion as their perfectly symmetrical surgery enhanced faces are silicone. Yet, the two tools from the States are eating it up. I suppose she learned to do this from her shithead mom, but I’m consistently amazed at how much control our mate has over herself. She’s been listening to these two idiots whine about everything from the current topic to people who won’t speak English, to everything being too small for them to feel comfortable. Not once has she faltered as she pretended to agree with their self-centered tripe.

“Exactly! I mean, it’s like the Europeans don’t evenwantus to spend our money and support their economies. And they need it!” That blink-worthy statement is made by Butch the bitch, and I have no idea how anyone is supposed to respond to such blatant nonsense.

But Baby Girl nods, pausing for a moment before she sighs. “I prefer to shop local, but some people make it hard. I’ll never understand why they don’t get how therealbusiness world works.”

Damn, that was a good answer. She was definitely listening to her parents’ shit as a kid.

“Exactly!” Veronica claps, her face alight with snooty joy. “If you make people of our calibrewait, you’ll lose us entirely. Why should we bother to wait when so many others are dying to serve us?”

A slight tightening at the corners of her mouth is the only hint that Dolly gives this wacko, that she might not agree with her point of view. But that’s gone as quickly as it appeared as she lifts her drinks to lips, nodding. “Yes, it’s very annoying when others don’t recognize our worth as ambassadors. However, I suppose renovations in those places must be planned well in advance, no? Perhaps they lack the sense to warn their customers of the inconvenience.”

Butch rolls his eyes. “Absolutely not, my dear. Our brokers checked the places we intended to visit prior to scheduling this jaunt. Everythingshouldhave been available—in fact, we weresupposedto get VIP tours. Yet we arrived to find things closed up and draped with ugly tarps. Very unsatisfying.”

“That seems odd, doesn’t it? If your staff booked things and double-checked before you got there, why would… whatever it was… suddenly getting repairs?” My mate tilts her head, pretending to look confused, but I know she’s zeroed in on something important. “What were you trying to tour, anyway? I want to make sure it’s not onourlist.”

“Excellent plan, love,” I say as I focus on the insufferable snobs now that they’re saying something useful. “I’ll relay the information to our guides.”

Veronica huffs, then sips her martini before she replies. “It’s been anightmareall across our path. First, we were in Ireland and they had some sort of ecological problem with the Hill of Tara—I couldn’t get my Scarlett on. Then the Faerie Bridges and Loughcrew Cairns were roped off for some ridiculous reason. We got upset and left early for Paris, and when we arrived, we had no trouble at all there. At leasttheyhave their shit together.”

Scoffing, Butch tosses back the rest of his whiskey as he sneers. “Too bad they can’t win a war. But we headed down through the Lorraine region into Germany, which went well. Then we hit Poland and the Underground Museum was shut down. I told Ronnie we just needed to leave so we could catch this train for our tour of Romania via Budapest. I can’tbelievehalf the things we were interested in went up in smoke. It had better not be that way when we arrive in Sighi?oara tomorrow.”

I have no idea why these humans are so angry, though I guess their short life spans make everything seem immediate. They obviously have the money to go back to whatever they missed, but they’re too busy being indignant about the world not catering to their whims. I note the places they mentioned quickly on my phone to show the ancients, then mock a sigh. “You can’t depend on anyone anymore.”

“Very true,” Veronica says as she looks at her extremely expensive gold watch. “But if we can tour the castles on this leg, I suppose all will not be a complete loss.”

Oh, their precious trip around the country is a write-off if they’re told ‘no’ more than once; these people are just awful.

My eyes cut to my girl, hoping she’ll let me tell them off or maybe even kill them, but she shakes her head. Frowning, I look at my phone again, trying not to make irritated noises. Dolly clears her throat, then smiles at the couple broadly. “It’s been a joy getting to know you both, but I think my companion needs a refill. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip—especially because of your hardships until now.”

The woman leans forward, air-kissing with my mate, and I keep my eyes on the male to warn him off. Obviously, Dolly wouldn’t be interested in that empty-headed twat, but I don’t want him anywhere near her lips. He wisely extends a hand for me to shake, which I grip hard to amuse myself when he winces.

“What a shake you have there. Well, as you said, I hope you enjoy your vacation, too.”

Dolly nods, her fake expression still in place as she takes my arm and lets me lead her back to the bar. When we get there, she hisses, “Fitz! You could have broken his hand and then someonedefinitelywould have noticed.”

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