Page 100 of Let Us Prey
“Whatever you think, Rennie, but… take a breath, okay? We don’t want to crowd her; she’s just getting used to having all of us… around.” I give him a fond smile as he rolls his eyes and speeds off towards the clothing section. I can’t even imagine what the hell he has up his sleeve to look so unusuallynot-emo, but whatever it is, I’m in.
* * *
Two hours later,we land on the balcony to find the Captain barking orders at both his crew and several unfortunate delivery men. I give Rennie a pointed look and he shrugs, grinning broadly as he walks over to the racoon pirates to chat.
It’s really fucking hard to be grumpy when he’s acting like this. Hmmph.
“Aubrey! The clothes are here, too!” he shouts. “I’m calling Dolly; you call the wolves!”
I nod, shaking my head as I make my way to the steps. My companion has already pulled his phone out, tapping his foot as he waits for our girl to answer. Apparently, all it took to unleash his enthusiasm was a shopping trip? That feels like a piece of knowledge to tuck away for the next time he gets into a weird funk about that stupid flower.
Sighing, I stab at the screen of my phone as I enter the private quarters. Rennie will be down once he’s talked to Dolly and I’ll have to don the ridiculous snow get-up he picked. My only comfort is that he picked outfits for everyone, so I won’t be the only one dressed like a North Fox catalog model to go out and play in the snow.
He even bought fucking coal and carrots to make snow animals!
The sound of Sebastian’s voice on the phone line jolts me out of my head. As usual, he doesn’t wait for me to speak, so I listen to him blather on for a few moments before finally deciding to bring the conversation back to why I called. “Bash. Bash. Bash!”
“Whoa, spicy lizard, take a pill! What’s got your tail crimped?”
Counting to five, I wait until my fire simmers down and answer him, “Bash, you need to bring Nico and Cash to the Tower immediately.”
“IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH CHERRY? WHY DIDN’T SHE CALL ME?’
I wince as my ears ring, despite holding the phone away from my face. He’s as hopped up as Rennie today. Horus, save me. “Nothing is wrong, youidiot.We’re... " I pause and heft a sigh, knowing he’s going to whoop again. “...we’re having everyone over to… play in the snow.”
I’d like to immediately retract that statement and erase it from memory. I’ll never live it down.
The sound he makes is awfully close to that animal-wannabeTarzanhe made me watch a cartoon about, and I have to wait until he gets himself under control before I can bring the phone to my ear again.
“You assholes are brilliant! Our snow bunny in a snowsuit? I’m in like Flynn, baby!” The line rustles as he puts a hand over the phone—incorrectly—and yells. “NICO! BRO! Cherry’s going to play with our balls… oursnowballs,I mean.” He snickers like a teenager, and I roll my eyes.
Cash has the patience of a fucking saint, I swear to Bast.
“Bash, I’m hanging up now. Rennie bought everyone's snow gear, and now I have to get dressed. Get your furry ass over here before our appetizer arrives.”
I don’t even wait for him to answer before I end the call, and plop down in my chair. Two overly enthusiastic shifters in one day are a bit much for me, but before I can consider how to handle Renard and Bash together, the gargoyle in question rushes through the door with bags draped over his arms.
“We had a lot of snow in the mountains,” he murmurs. “I used to play it as a kid. That was before, of course, but... "
Well, shit. Now I feel like a fool. This is about sharing something with our girl—something that means something to him.
With that revelation, my irritation fades as quickly as my fire, and I walk over to take a couple of the bags out of his hands. “This was a wonderful idea Rennie. Let’s get dressed before everyone arrives, and you can tell me about it later, yeah?”
His smile brightens, and he nods. “I’d like that. I’m feeling unusually talkative today.”
Knock me over with a fucking feather. Today really has knocked something loose.
I grab the big bag he holds out, leaning in to give him a matching grin as I do. “Then I’d be remiss not to take advantage of your good humor. Now, get dressed.”
“Always the cheater!”
Snorting, I head into the bathroom to figure out what in unholy hell he’s chosen for me to wear. Rennie has a wicked sense of humor and a taste for chaos, so I wouldn’t put it past him to pick out the most ridiculous shit possible when I wasn’t looking. I open the bag, pulling out a complete Underarmadillo compression set, socks, a sweatshirt, and gray sweatpants.
I really must keep him and Dolly out of the romance section of the godsdamned library.
It could be worse, I suppose, and I have the feeling he’s outfitted us all like a buffet of cock outlines on display for our bunny’s benefit. Of course, that means bite size will turn bright pink and likely stay that way the entire day. The image makes my dick stiffen and I groan. She’s so fucking adorable when she gets all shy about innuendos, and it’s even hotter when she gets brave enough to snark back. Thankfully, it’s cold as hell outside—which should help keep everyone’s hormones under control for a while.
I’m not sure Dolly’s ready for her fluffy tail to be chased by apex predators. Fuck knows, Rennie loves the thrill of the hunt.
