Page 47 of Prey It Ain't So

But no one moves because my father bursts out laughing, the bass tone ringing off the stone walls of the hall like a klaxon. My mother turns toward him, her features creased in amusement as she says, “Oh, Ilikeher, my darling. This one is absolutely delightful; don’t you think?”

What the fuck?

“I agree, my sapphire sweetheart,” he says as he rises from his chair. “It has been far too long since we hosted anyone with a backbone—and she smells of such a heady combination of questions that beg for answers. I believe we should all find our seats to feast or I won’t be able to hold back long enough to feed.”

My eyes widen again, both shocked by his statement, the nod my mother gives to the staff that sends them scurrying, and her fangy smile that faces my family when she returns her gaze to us.

“My mate is spot on, as usual. We will bring in the feast, the sacrifices, and the mead for our celebration. Afterward, everyone will disperse, so we might convene a conclave between our leaders and our guests.” She claps her hands, and chairs fly away from the table, indicating where we’re supposed to sit. “Be seated so we might break bread.”

Unfortunately, I have not shared the secrets of our nutrition with anyone but Dolly and Flames, so this is going to be fascinating indeed.

You’re No Good

Delores

It’spossible Fitz has rubbed off on me so much that I’ve lost my mind entirely. I have no idea what got into me when I shoved my way through the twins to face the queen of the gargoyles. The only thing I can say is that every fiber of my being screamed that I had to meet her on her terms to keep my men safe. For once, the human-ish part of my brain, my predatory rabbit, and the zinging blue magic inside of me were completely in agreement—which I couldn’t ignore. So I did what they wanted, and surprisingly, now I’m sitting in a high-backed chair at the left hand of the female royal.

They made Renard sit on my other side, with Aubrey next to him. Felix, followed by Fitz and then Chess, are across from us to the left of the king. There’s a flurry of staff bringing out silver lidded trays and tureens and an absolute shit ton of what I suppose is regular food. I know how Rennie and Aubrey gain their nutrition, though, and this is a very puzzling state of affairs. As the table is filled, more gargoyles filter in, led by two younger looking clutch members that I suppose are some sort of valets. It’s more stiff and formal than I expected from Rennie’s kind, but that, too, may be for show.

The Queen certainly behaved with both regalness and a shimmer of normality once I threw down my gauntlet.

“Bienvenue, ma chère famille!”?1 The queen says as she rises from her seat at the head with a glass of wine in her hand. “Since we have guests, I will say our blessing in English this evening.”

My eyes dart to the men across from me. Lucille and Bruno certainly were not religious, and despite colorful curses, Renard hasn’t seemed such, either. I have no idea what to do right now and it’s a lot scarier than facing this woman down.

“May the wind carry our wings to victory, may our troubles be far behind. May the strength of our stone protect us, and the warmth of our nests call us home. May Aine receive our prayers, and her children be given their land.”

The rest of the table repeats the strange poem, and I turn to look at Renard. He’s gobsmacked, completely silent as he stares at his mother. I don’t know why he’s so shocked, but it’s definitely a big deal. So I wait for the queen to be seated, hoping I can distract her from her son’s small breakdown.

She doesn’t sit, though. Instead, she claps again to get everyone’s attention. “My kin, tonight’s feast is in honor of our guests, and therefore, the chef would like you to note that trays inlaid with rubies on the edge shouldonlybe consumed by gargoyles. Anything else on the table will suit the palates of all shifters in the room.”

Ah, there it is—her subtle way of nodding to the eating habits of their kind without spilling the beans.

Renard lets out a breath of relief at my side, and I give him a tiny grin. “You were worried, weren’t you?”

“A little bit,oui. I am not ready for that conversation just yet.”

My answer is cut off by the queen clearing her throat. I look back to see her holding a basket of fluffy looking rolls with a very suspicious grin. “Consoling my son, young leader?”

That’s the first time either of them have mentioned their relation to Rennie and he tenses again. I arch a brow as I take the basket, placing one on my butter plate, and shoot back, “Simply marveling that I’ve never been handed bread by a queen before.”

“Very smooth,” Felix mutters and I swear, the king he’s next to huffs in quiet laughter.

“Oh, darling, you needn’t dance around the obvious,” the queen says as I pass the basket along. “We will have a more private conversation once the meal has been cleared, but neither Maël nor I are fools. Your merry band is far more than a group of friends accompanying my errant child to our realm.”

What the hell am I supposed to say to that in mixed company?!

“Your Majesty,” Aubrey rumbles as he helps himself to things from the forbidden trays, then piles some on Rennie’s plate. “We do not seek to hide anything from you. It would be a massive breach of protocol between all our kinds, regardless of any status with those species.”

“Very diplomatic of you, Draconis,” the king says as he picks up something that looks like a gravy boat but is ringed with rubies. The royal drizzles the sauce over his meat, then passes it to his wife nonchalantly. “Dragons are always quite respectful of tradition, I find. They have a strong connection to the past that allows them to almost see into the future at times.”

“The world is full of repeating patterns; it’s true,” my biggest mate says carefully. “I am surprised you will share with someone from my clash, though.”

The queen sighs dramatically, then drops her fork. “Oh, I cannotstandthis nonsense! Maël, the jig is up, my love. You win—I didn’t last the meal.”

“Ha! I knew it, Doireann,” the male gargoyle says, pointing at her as his expression turns giddy. “I will have to think of something extremely appropriate for my prize.” When he turns to look at us, the king looks more joyful than he has the entire time we’ve been in this room. “I bet her she could not hold this pretentious bullshit for a whole feast without breaking, and I won.”

“It helped thateveryonehere but for our guests was in on it, Maël.” The queen sighs again and gives us an apologetic look. “I apologize for our silliness, Delores. We don’t get many visitors up here by design, and when our son wrote for the first time in hundreds of years, it inspired us to be a bit juvenile.”

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