Page 34 of Prey It Ain't So

“Then came summer, and you guys were isolated in an empty campus, so it kept you from doing much besides waiting,” Dolly says. “They moved us to a better school for me—major-wise, at least—but it also had an even worse program and zero staff that would help Fitzy deal with his shit.”

Chess ponders for a moment, then chuckles. “Sex can’t be the answer all the time, or no one would be able to walk.”

“Right-o, baby,” Fitz says as he taps the cheetah’s nose. “So again, more distractions so I could tamp my bullshit down. I mean, Felix has always been expected to be the smooth diplomat and powerful leader. He wasalwaystaught to control shit, whereas I… was meant to be the hammer of Khan, so to speak. Always ready to protect and destroy, you know? It’s fine ‘cause Ilovethat shit, but not being able to get it out of my system has been abitch.”

Inhaling deeply, I look at my family. We are far from perfect, nor are we shining examples to be held up for others to emulate. However, we are survivors—each of our own traumas—and we are trying our damndest to put our shit on hold until we help stop the war that could tear our world apart. It’s honorable, even if our initial motivation was to keep everyone from harming the girl we all love.

I suppose a band of somewhat good people who are doing the best they can in a world full of pain and hate is all one can ask for in the end.

Firecracker

Delores

Much to thechagrin of my cabin-mates, we spent the better part of the evening doing our tasks and sharing the responses. We were together, sipping drinks, and snacking, but my winged mates didnotget to experience the ‘train sex’ they were promised. I snuggled in with them to sleep before dawn, but as we woke up, their grumbles were much louder. I had to promise they got the first night on our return trip, and that I’d be as loud as possible to taunt the others.

That’s not something that I can control very well anyway, so it felt like a fair trade.

“We will pull into Sighisoara in a few hours,” Aubrey says as he carefully re-packs their case with the dirty laundry. “Once we’re there, we should find a guide to the trails as soon as possible.”

Renard hands me my things and I bend to pack up my stuff as well. “Scouting the right offerings will be key. It will need to be a supernatural on good terms with the clan to know the winding roads and paths they use to access their roost on foot. Being able to fly means they have fortified their position over time, and willfiercely guard the secrets of entry from the bi-pedal beings to protect themselves.”

I frown as I muddle that out. “You mean they fly down and back normally, but there’s probably a secret way to get in if you don’t?”

“Exactly,” Rennie says as he boops my nose. “The clutch would need that for deliveries and supplies. It’s not uncommon for my kind to leave loopholes, just in case. Gargoyle had to move a lot as humans expanded their reach in various ages, so it became second nature to create other escape routes.”

“Bounty hunter, too, right?” I ask with a sad frown. “Lucille always said that humanandshifter bounty hunters are always after mythical shifters.”

Aubrey snorts. “Not dragons, that’s for sure. Many of the stories humans tell about us have been flipped to give them the winning valor, but it’s not true. We’re the least defeated mythicals in all of history.”

Rennie rolls his eyes. “Yes, we move to get away from them, and they send people after us. I think you’ll find that many species are thriving more than the Council and their cronies want the public to believe. Also, it is widely assumed that the shifter bounty hunters are actually being contracted by the elite families. Getting rid of the most powerful creatures would open a lot of doors for dominance and close ones for possible rebellion.”

“I mean….” I huff as I stand, my suitcase finished and zipped up for our departure. “Is there anything evil those motherfuckersaren’tpart of? It feels like they’ve been playing this really long game over time, hoping to just conquer the goddamn planet.”

“No one is saying they have, snack size.” Aubrey gives me a sheepish grin, and I stomp my foot in anger. “Sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you; I’m just pissed that I come from their ‘stock’, so to speak.” My expression is rueful, but I walk over to hug the big guy. “Truthfully, it makes me feel guilty all the time. It’s not why I’m fighting all this shit—not entirely—but that guilt informs a lot of stuff. I can’t help it, you know?”

“Again,ma petite, where you come from doesnotguarantee who you will be. We’re all proof of that.” Rennie walks over, dropping a kiss on my head and joins the hug with a sigh of happiness. “No one would have predicted this little circle of love, eh? But here we are, and we will be joined by the rest of our compatriots for breakfast once we scoot out of this car.Non?”

I smile widely, squeezing them both before I pull away. “Alright, then, sweet talkers. Feed me, baby.”

The hungry looks they give mealmostcause us to be late, but luckily, I’m a paragon of self-control—for now.

“The Captain has addedhis new destinations to their itinerary,” Rennie says as he looks at the buzzing phone on the table. “He also says that Raina wishes you to know that Jinx is doing fine with our prey medical staff. Argyle has not sprayed her yet, and Bettina believes she actually enjoys the company.”

I sigh in relief. Argyle is the most contentious of their little group and I was worried that she’d get completely bonkers about my sand kitten staying with them. “Good. Jinx is well-behaved, butI worried a bit. Thank him for me, and Raina, too. It takes a tiny piece of pressure off of my plate to know that.”

Aubrey reaches for the eggs, scooping another pile onto my plate. “More protein, snack size. I’m sure your trainers agree, but we will burn a lot of energy as we ascend to the gargoyles’ nest. I want to ensure that you have the right amount of fuel.”

“Absolutely spot fucking on, Anal Anole,” Fitz crows as he grabs some bacon and sausage. He adds a bit to my china setting just like Aubrey, then shoves the rest in his mouth. I frown at him, looking around the elegant car to make sure no one saw. “Relax, Baby Girl..”

Felix huffs at his unrefined manners and I chuckle as he elbows the younger tiger. “Behave, Fitz. We don’t want to appear to be uncouth in front of all these eyes. If someone recognizes us…”

“Fuck, I hope not,” I mutter as I take another big bite of eggs. Once I chew, I revel in the buttery goodness of less healthy food for a second, then shake my head. “I don’t want our journey tracked on social or mainstream media. We have enough problems to work around, you know?”

“Word.” Fitz holds his fist up to bump, grinning. “If we don’t have cameras on us, I have to watch my ass a lot less. That means we can breathe easily. Well, easier than normal—the whole ‘exiled royalty’ thing is a drag, plus we’d like to avoid your raging cunt mother.”

I blow out a breath, then take a sip of my juice. He’s definitely right about that. “Amen, baby. I don’t know what connections she has in this part of the world and I don’t want to know, especially given how close it is to her homeland.”

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