Page 1 of Suspicions on the Stage
the games we play
MORGANA
Meeting Rogue and her men was interesting, but the real treat is going to be this ridiculous sit down with Slade’s father. I’m too old to give a shit what some two-bit fish gangster thinks of me, and after facing down the Society, his level of influence doesn’t scare me, either. But seeing him is making my gentle siren nervous—something Des isn’t happy about. She’s already riled and ducking in and out of my hair as we make our way from the private tent Tracer arranged.
“Man, you guys need to take a super chill pill,” the kraken says as we wind our way through the glitterati in attendance. We’re headed towards a section of the garden that smells distinctly of the sea and I wonder if that’s specifically to accommodate the aquatic gang and other attendees with that background.
“Not possible.”
I roll my eyes at Kaspar even though I agree with the dickface. “There’s far too many variables here for any of us to feel secure, Finn. You may be in your element, but we are not. It’s unsurprising that we’re on edge.”
Tracer sighs heavily and rolls his head on his shoulder. “Look, dudes and dudette, if you go in there projecting all these…bad vibes… Dad will pick up on it. Hammerheads have some of the best senses of smell among sharks and he’s more skilled than most.”
My siren groans softly and I turn to look at him. “He’s telling the truth, then?”
“Yeah,” Slade says softly. “Axel isn’t an empath, but he’s insanely good at using scents to figure out moods and changes in them, even outside of the water. It’s part of how he conquered the docks and held his own against the land dwelling gangs and mobs. He’s like the Fae in terms of lie detector powers.”
Liam frowns. “How is that possible? Tons of shifters have better noses than sharks, especially on land. It’s not something you can train up like fighting skills. I do not understand how your father accomplished this skill.”
“Who the fuck knows? I’ve tried testing for magic, but I come up short. That’s not typical, either,” Iggy adds. “A shifter evadingmymagic? Unheard of. The only reason Lucas’ attackers gave me trouble was because they blended magic, Fae botany, and science. It required other expertise to crack.”
Huffing internally, I consider their input. If Slade confirms Tracer’s claim, then I know it’s true. But Liam and Iggy are elite level magic wielders, so the likelihood of their being wrong is slim. Obviously, Axel will have bodyguards and minions around him; all tiny-dicked fuckers like him surround themselves with ‘yes-men’ twenty-four-seven. We won’t be able to control Slade’s reactions to his estranged parent, but the rest of us have to keep our shit together.
That’s easier said than done with an angry shithead dragon, possessive young bear, and the protective roommate who secretly adores him.
“If it’s too much, you guys don’t have to come,” Slade says softly, ducking his head as he’s not meeting my eyes.
“Fuck that. We’re not leaving you to deal with an asshole parent on your own.” Kaspar’s dark growl surprises the hell out of me, and he shrugs. “I never abandoned Li to his, and I don’t see why I’d start now just because you’ve all forced me to be part of this clown car.”
“Forced?” I arch a brow at the storm dragon and he rolls his eyes, muttering something unintelligible. “So gallant in your phrasing, dragon. My heart goes pitter-patter from a scaly dick who treats me like shit, as everyone on the planet knows.”
Lucas covers his snicker with his hand as he pulls me under his arm. “Give him Hell, Lady M. That grumpy fuck deserves to have his shit served back cold.”
My smile is genuine as I look up at my charming mate, admiring his sparkling blue eyes. “I know, baby. And he’ll always get as good as he gives because the days of me staying quiet when men act like cockwaffles arelonggone. Too bad, so sad, as the kids used to say.”
Slade winces, giving me a look of absolute pain. “Cringey, M. That phrase went out of style with harem pants.”
“Are you calling me old, Slade Finn?”
Every single male in the group, including his brother, winces. Slade blinks, his mouth working for a moment before he stammers, “N-n-o, Morgana. No, ma’am.”
The dominant inside of me enjoys his immediate submission, but the woman balks at the use of that moniker. “Absolutely not. Madam, or variations of Morgana will work, butdefinitely neverma’am. Understood?”
He flushes a pretty pink, dipping his chin as he looks at me through his long lashes. His beautiful eyes reflect his apology without further words, but I wait for him to voice it. If he wants to play this role with me, I won’t let him be a brat. No one likes that shit. Slade finally clears his throat and murmurs huskily, “Yes, Morgana.”
Much better.
Kaspar grunts and I whip my head around to glare at him. “Leave him alone or deal with me. If he’s mine, you don’t get to give him shit.”
A light touch on my arm tells me my Fae Prince agrees. Liam arches his brow at Kaspar with a dark smirk. “The bear and the siren are hers, so they are mine, old friend. Behave.”
“Oh, shit,” Slade mutters and it draws a deep chuckle from my Daybreak mate. “Yes, Sir.”
Tracer stops the group in front of a set of black wrought gates with an annoyed sound. “If you guys are done with exercising your weird sex stuffwith my brother, we’ve arrived.”
Iggy tilts his head, studying the walled off area curiously. “Why did they build an entire zone for a motorcycle gang? Seems like a bit much if all the groups hosting this shindig consider themselves equals.”
“Uh, first off, they maypretendto consider each other equals, but that’s posturing. Second, everyone of these enterpriseshas their own fiefdom in the Apalachin pocket portal. The demons, the shifters, the magicals, the Fae, the mythicals… A full spectrum of criminal organizations share the various zones of Bay City and their meetings are as sectioned off as their territories until the main event.”
