Page 52 of Let Us Prey
When she scuttles over with my DiePhone, I snatch it out of her hand and flick through my contacts impatiently. The sound of multiple rings makes my animal pace, and I roar into the speaker when the Headmistress finally answers. “When I call, you answer immediately, Henrietta Shirdal, or so help me... "
A flurry of squawking and excuses echo in my office as she tries to apologize for her insolence. I hold my glass up for Matilda, watching her fetch my refill as the eagle continues to babble inanities.
When I tire of it, I snap, “Henrietta, if you don’t shut the hell up, I will eat you myself.” She finally shuts her beak, and the silence is blissful. “Is my daughter consorting with your staff? Don’t you dare lie to me.”
“I—I don’t know if she’s… I do not know about intimate acts. But she… the rumor is Cassius Romulus has declared her under Romulus protection, and I believe it because we have seen her leaving staff housing at all hours of the night. Plus, Sebastian follows her around campus like a dog in heat. I am sorry, Madame, that’s all I know.”
A laugh bubbles out of my lips and the pure joy of knowing I have ammunition against those canine fools floods my veins. Oh, how I hate having to work with those filthy mobsters on Bloodstone, but I’ve never had a choice. The Society’s illegal activities are inextricably entwined with the empires of both my father and those mangy wolves, but now… Now I have a direct line to their fallen alpha via my disappointing progeny, and I couldn’t have planned this better if I had schemed it myself.
Everyone in our world knows about the shame of Cassius Romulus and his exile to Apex with his playboy brother and their orphan companion. Clearly, his preference for rare meat hasn’t lessened, and my daughter bedding the three of them couldn’t be a more convenient blackmail tool. If she whores herself out to the two rarest shifters in the place as well, I’ll have a royal flush.
Who knew the blonde dipshit would ever make herself useful?
“Madame Lucille? Are you there?” Henrietta asks carefully.
I glare at the phone, unamused by the interruption. “Of course I’m here, you twit. I was considering my options.”
“Yes, Madame. Forgive me,” she squawks.
“Shut up, you Kentucky Fried idiot. You should have called me the second you heard that rumor. Here’s what you’re going to do to make up for your lapse in judgment.” I pause for a moment, waiting for her to gather materials to record my instructions. “I want you to throw a huge celebration for Halloween. Spare no expense, and make attendance mandatory—costumes as well.”
“Even for the staff?”
“Of course for the staff, you fucking idiot! I want every single body on that campus in attendance, oryourhead will roll. Remember, your father cast you out years ago, Henrietta. He won’t lift a wing if I decide to end your life. I want my daughter and her suitors there so I can gather more information, so make it happen. Do you understand?” The last part is a snarl, and I have to calm my leopard down before I shift on the spot.
More babbling and apologies follow, but I hang up. I’ve made my point, and set the wheels in motion. What I need to do next is convene a meeting of the Society so we can discuss how to use Delores’ new position to our advantage. Our quarterly meeting is overdue—the postponement as a result of my child emerging as prey, adding to my humiliation. With the plans I’ve conceived today, I can sit proudly at the head of the table once more.
Delores Diamond Drew’s purpose has always been to facilitate my control of the Society. I didn’t envision it happening in this exact manner, but the latest twist makes me once again pleased I sought… alternative methods of providing an heir for our family.
“Matilda!”
“Yes, Madame. Another drink?”
I roll my eyes and hand her the glass, letting the gears in my head turn. Delores’ emergence as prey threw a wrench in my plot to use her spouse for consolidation of power, but now I have other plans forher.I thought she would be nothing but a thorn in my side until she was killed. What a stroke of luck she endeared herself tothreeRomulus and is working for one of the most cloistered shifter species in the world. If she finds out where the dragon clash’s nest is, my father’s sales will quadruple. Even one female dragon would be worth more than the rest of Dimitri Rostoff’s stable combined.
“Get lost,” I mutter when Matilda brings the next refill. “I will call you when I’m ready to head to the salon.”
She nods, pushing her glasses up her nose as she scurries out the door. I wait until I hear her footsteps fade down the hall before I check the time on my limited edition Panther Phillippe watch. It’s 8 a.m. here, which makes it 4 p.m. in Moscow. Dmitri should be sitting for his afternoon tea right about now, which makes it the perfect time to share my news.
“Dobryy den',papa. I have news to report.”
The harsh laughter on the other end is familiar—Dmitri Rostoff vacillates between finding me satisfactory and useless on any given day. Unlike my whiny brat, I’ve never complained that I have to work to earn his praise. I pride myself on exceeding his low expectations at every turn, and now I head the most powerful group of preds in America. My father still isn’t impressed by my position, but I can live with that for now.
“Speak.”
“Delores isn’t dead yet. However, she may prove useful even while she’s still breathing. She’s bedding the fallen Romulus heirs, and has formed a close connection with a dragon.”
For the first time since my erstwhile offspring humiliated us, my father’s tone is filled with interest rather than scorn. I let him interrogate me, pausing for effect in all the right places. As we discuss my plans for the academy, he grows more and more excited. The possibility of locating not one but two hidden shifter species has him salivating. If it works, we may expand to scour the other academies around the world for vulnerable exiles to exploit.
When he disconnects the call, I feel the glow of my father’s pride for the first time since I sold my sister at the auctions.
Perhaps Delores isn’t entirely worthless after all.
THIRTY-ONE
Bully
Delores
