Page 47 of Eat. Prey. Love.

“Fitz?What the hell areyoudoing down here?”

I look up, rubbing tired eyes as my twin walks in with Chessie and Moulin Huge in tow. “I’m hurt, bro. I’ll have you know that I’m doing a fucking brilliant job at this nerdy shit. Ask our girl or Fire Pants.”

They all look at the dragon inquisitively and I chuckle. Of course they won’t trust our bunny not to sugarcoat things when it comes to me.I’mobviously her favorite, no matter what anyone else says. Aubrey sighs heavily, wincing like it’s painful to admit. “He’s actually been doing a good job and not distracting us too much.”

Take that, butt munches.

“Really?” Felix gives both of my co-workers a suspicious look and Dolly narrows her eyes.

“Aubrey wouldnevercover up for him, my grumpy King. Now come over here and kiss me, before I get mad about you picking on Fitzy.”

My brows bob as my cheetah follows my twin, detouring to give me a rewarding smooch. “Thank you, baby. And thank you for defending me, Baby Girl. Hashtag blessed, that’s me.”

Renard rolls his eyes as he heads for the chair next to his mate. His eyes scan over the work we’ve done, and he whistles. “Je serai damné.?1You have been working hard,mes amis.”

“We have and we’re so fucking close to being current. Maybe after we get food, Chester can take earlier pages of one for his board and the twins can do the same? If we get the boards started, this will come together much faster.”

Dolly groans and shakes her head. “You guys can, but I have to work on this fucking paper your asshat cousin gave me. I have a partner and she’s a nasty witch—I don’t trust her as far as I could throw her in the ring before I shift. I may have to do the entire thing and hold back the part she’s responsible for until I see if she’s actually going to do her part.”

Felix’s head whips around with a snarl. “What?”

Holding my hand up, I look at the other possessive alphas in the room. “Everyone calm down. Our Queen has asked that we let her handle this on her own. No killing, but I get to hunt her down for my trophy case once they hand it in.”

“I never assign group projects,” the gargoyle says as he flicks through the pages the dragon worked on in the Fae pile. “They never encourage cooperation and it’s always a battle when grading because one person often pulls more weight than everyone else combined.”

“Exactly!”Dolly says in exasperation. “And I’ve never met this chick before—just like the one in the Pred Games arena. But the two Heathers who haven’t been volunteered as tributes yet seemed pretty smug about Asani’s choice, so they may have had a hand in it. I’ve been pretending I was paranoid because that means I really need to be careful with this assignment. They always have plots going.”

“I still think we could kill the two of them and blame the rebels,” I mutter. “Not the new chicks, but the damn bitches who follow us like obsessed fans trying to fuck up your life because they have none of their own.”

Baby Girl laughs, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together before she kisses them. “Never stop making me feel better with threats of violence against my cartoonish nemeses, Fitzy.”

“Perish the thought,” Ren says with a smirk. “How would we survive without Fitz’ psycho tendencies?”

“You wouldn’t.”

Chess claps his hands, then flushes red as we all look at him. “Okay. If Angel has homework, we need to get food and drinks, then come down here to get our timeline finished while she works in the nook over there.” He pauses sniffing for a moment, then gives Aubrey a wry look. “And possibly grab some air freshener since obviously people were taking abreakearlier.”

The big guy shrugs, and our girl laughs. Standing up, she lets go of me and goes to my mate. “I’m corrupting him very slowly. Sorry, not sorry.”

Felix shakes his head, sighing as if we’re the most trying thing in the universe. “Food. Air freshener. Homework. Research. We have our orders, you malcontents. Let’s get moving or none of us will get ‘breaks’tonight.”

Good one, big bro. Very nice.

Maniac

I can’t keepmy hands from trembling as Raina and the Captain walk me to what Iknowwill be the worst hour of my first week atl’Academie.The guys wanted to accompany me, but even Coco and Rufus agreed that it would be a bad plan to show up with backup. I have to do this myself to show this vile woman I won’t be cowed by her abuse, nor will I hide behind anyone’s skirts to protect myself.

The raccoons look at me sympathetically as we trudge up the steps of the Alexandré building. Raina has been chirping cheery updates about my prey friends, their new duties, and the nicer lodgings they’ve been given here. I’m listening, but I think theyboth know how distracted my mind is. It’s easy to know you could take someone in a physical fight—and I’d wipe the fucking floor with Rockland given the chance—but it’s another to survive a mental and emotional beating once a week for a semester.

I should know; I grew up with Lucille for a mother.

Destruction of self-worth and hope is a long game that narcissists like my mother and this witch play well—it leaves damage that is difficult to heal, even with time. I was doing well despite Lucille and the Heathers’ effort until Carina came along. Now I find myself struggling at the oddest moments, even though my brain knows the garbage she spewed isn’t true. But I refuse to let her win, so I fight it with every fiber of my being and find joy in every one of my successes so she won’t have the control over me she desperately craves.

“Dolly, are you okay?” Raina asks and I blink, looking down at her big, concerned eyes.

Sighing as the Captain opens the door to the building, I nod. “Mostly? I’m just fighting the bad stuff racing through my head and heart so I can show her who she’s messing with. It’s harder than you’d think.”

The Captain squints at me with one eye as we walk past. “Listen up, lassie. I’m the last one to be blowin’ smoke up yer arse, but… me matey is always right. This wench innit worth yer worries, nor the time o’ day compared to ye. Walk the plank with yer head high and yer sword out.”

---