Page 41 of Suspicions on the Stage
“Okay, okay,” I sigh and I lean back into him. “I’ll believe you, but we’re going to have another damn conversation with him when he gets back. He has to at least say he’s going somewhere, so we don’t worry. I know he hates me, but it’s just rude and inconsiderate to the rest of you to fuck off with no word.”
“Agreed,” Iggy says as he walks past us. “Even I think it’s bullshit, and I know I’m still earning my spot, but I’ve been more open than that.”
I hate that he’s right, but I like that it makes Slade look happy as hell, so I’ll let it go.
Liam pockets his phone when it goes to voicemail again, his expression tight. “Unfortunately, the professor is right. He’s behaving better than before and my old friend is not. We’ll have that discussion when he returns, but for now, we’ll go talk about the other situation.”
I step back, smiling as I head in the direction Iggy went. “Yeah, I have to admit that I’m pretty curious about what held you up. It’s why I made all this stuff; I wanted to ask, but I also didn’t want to be a nanny goat nagging about when you’d all be home. It felt stupid.”
Slade joins me as I walk out the back door, and I hear Lucas’s footsteps behind him. I know Liam will be at the back of the group, making sure the gentler men are sandwiched between us for their protection. He doesn’ttellme that’s what he’s doing, but I see him forming a protective layer around Lucas and Slade without a word more and more. The Prince is a lot more possessive and aggressive than he lets on with his demeanor; I think.
Once we’re all on the patio, Liam claps his hand once like that human device and I hear a distinct‘pop!’that must be the magic sealing our private headquarters. He smiles, choosing a spot on the other side of Lucas facing me, and I sip my drink before I say anything.
“Come on, guys. We’re safe and the bubble is closed. Let’s hear it.”
Lucas swallows his huge bite of taco, then rubs his stomach. “First, the tacos are delish, babe. Second, the incident isn’t as big a deal as we’re making, but the implications are pretty shitty. You should know that we would have called if there was imminent danger.”
“No, we wouldn’t have,” Iggy mutters, then holds his hands up when I glare. “I don’t mean we would have hid it, Morgana. I mean, there would bezeroreason to invite you into a bad situation if we had it handled. The bear mis-spoke, I believe.”
Heaving a deep sigh, I nod. “Fine. So why did Lucas call you guys over?”
“Because I went there and grabbed a bunch of my stuff to fully move in here after class. I figured I’d get my important things and have a service to do the rest tomorrow. However, whenI got inside my dorm, there was this weird sensation that it had been invaded. Like, I just knew someone had been inside that shouldn’t have.” He shakes his head, looking annoyed, then shrugs. “So instead of dealing with it on my own, I texted the guys to see who could join me.”
Damn, that was really smart.
“Lucas, you win today for being mature and not trying to handle it on your own like an idiot. Obviously, the dragon loses because he’s not fucking here and won’t answer.” I take another sip of my drink, my eyes dancing merrily. “Everyone else is in the middle because they came to help.”
“We did,” Iggy replies, as he wipes his mouth. “But honestly? We couldn’t figure it out—not really. That’s part of the implications Lucas mentioned; we concluded that whatever had been in his place was skilled and powerful enough to hide almost all of their signature. That’s very concerning, obviously.”
“Not feeling a supe or a human was unusual,” Liam agrees. “It’s seldom that I’m stumped like that. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time neither Kaspar nor I could identify a being by the scent or magical residue from their presence.”
“I tried singing, and it revealed nothing,” Slade says as reaches for his drink. “That never happens.”
My eyes narrow when I pick up on what no one else seems to notice. “You sang? In the dorm where you were all playing Nancy Drew?”
His eyes beg me to let it go as he nods. “I did. But it didn’t help, so I guess I’m not strong enough, either.”
Lucas snorts, rubbing his neck as he sighs. “You know, I’ve had crazy fans or weird rich girls chase me in the past, but this? Between the murder frame and some super powered stalker, I’m definitely glad my intent was to move in here full time. The dorms aren’t safe for me or anyone else near me there.”
“You’re safe here,” Iggy says seriously, then tilts his head. “Well, as long as you don’t touch any of the shit we labeled for disposal before we get rid of it. Otherwise, you should be good, because of all our wards and shit.”
The professor’s right except for the super secret knowledge that Slade doesn’t want any of them to know—anyone who can hear him make music with his voice without being a zombie is his mate.
solutions
IGNATIUS
“What else did we learn today?” I ask as we dig in. “The disappearing bad guy in Lucas’s room can’t be the only news from our first day back.”
Morgana frowns, her brow creasing as she grumbles, “I ran into that chick from Wally World. Remember her, Lucas? The one I had to smack down when we went shopping, while you were recovering? It didn’t go well.”
The bear looks irritated as fuck, a rumble echoing in his broad chest as he leans in. “I knew we should have beaten her ass.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, cub. Neither you nor Morgana were going to physically assault someone in a grocery store.” Liam chuckles, shaking his head as he sips his margarita. “Especially not with you in that condition.”
“And when it’s a girl,” I mutter.
Morgana snorts, giving me a smug expression. “I will beat a bitch into the ground if need be, Ignatius Briarton, but Liam is right. It wasn’t the time or the place for that. She was makinga scene in public and I’d barely been here a week. I would have burnt bridges I didn’t need to and drawn press attention.”
