Page 75 of Let Us Prey
It’s totally fine.
“Um, well… When he gets agitated, Rennie’s tail shifts and flicks like a cat. And he can pop out just his wings, too. I asked him about it, and he said his family has done it since, like, a thousand years ago before they moved from the Carpathian mountains to France. But it can’t be that big of a deal, guys. My bitchy mother can do it.” They gape at me in unison and I turn bright red. “What?”
“Dollypop, that’s not normal.”
Cori nods as she pulls on her JEM dress, adjusting it fussily and fluffing her adorable curls in the mirror. “He’s right; it’s not, even for cheetahs. Maybe it’s genetic? Didn’t you say your mom is a Rostoff? They come from a similar part of the world, right?”
“Um, her family’s in Moscow now, but when Mattie was tutoring me as a kid, she said Lucille’s family moved to Moscow when their import business expanded. Something about buying up more territory for crops? But I think they came from somewhere in those same mountains originally—a long time ago. Like pre-Council, maybe?” I stand up and walk over to the costume pieces that are mine, tugging on my thigh highs while Cori is getting dressed.
Rufus snorts so hard he messes up his eyeliner. “Crops. Right.” When I give him a confused look, he mutters, “Okay. Crops it is, then.”
“Rufus,” Cori says reproachfully. She turns to me, tilting her head. “So it was your nanny who taught you about your family and shifter history? Mattie?”
“Yeah, I mean, I took it in school, too, and that asshole Professor Abel is teaching it now. Sort of.” Why is she asking me this? Am I missing something important?
“Dollybear, the Council only lets professors teach a sanitized version of history—post-Council takeover—so Mattie sharing this with you was a big no-no. Did Renard mentionwhyhis people moved? While we’re getting the tea, you might as well spill.” The badger pauses his application of the white liner on his eyes, arching a brow at me in the mirror.
“He said… something about a disagreement with their neighbors. They moved to Paris when Notre Dame was built in the 1200s, but then moved again around 1780, or something? I think it was because the humans had that nasty war.” I slip on my iridescent dress, smiling at how gorgeous it is. Cori made it a little short for my taste, but when I balked, she added a matching fluffy petticoat that I absolutely love.
“The humans?” Cori chokes, wiping a bit of her soda off her mouth. “Um… Dolly. Are yousureMattie taught you shifter history?”
I frown, feeling totally clueless once again. “Yes,andhuman history. Lucille insisted I learn things at home because of the role I would play when I got older.”
“There is no way to break this gently, Dolly,” Rufus sighs, turning around to face us. “Girl, they have lied to you, and I have no idea why, since you’re supposed to be an heir, and would therefore need to have all the facts. Shifters and other supernatural species used to have treaties. When the Council came along, those treaties were broken, and that’s why we don’t get along with other supes anymore. Rare shifters like your boys hide because their women and children are worth money on the black market, and without the more powerful species, they don’t have the magic needed to cloak their groups out in the open.”
My eyes widen, and I gasp, looking over at Cori for confirmation. She nods, rubbing her arms, almost as if she’s comforting herself. “Brave shifter families teach their kids therealstories at home—despite the risk of doing so. After the Council took over, shifters became more vicious and violent. All those human wars were actually shifter territory wars. To limit the casualties, the Council finally made a treaty withhumansthat included partnering with the Romulus clan to send lawbreakers to Bloodstone. It’s why humans pretend we don’t exist now.”
What. In. The. Actual. Fucking. Fuck.
“Are you telling me that Aubrey and Renard won’t talk about their people because they don’t want them to be hunted down and sold? And now, I blabbed, like an idiot?” I shriek.
“Yup,” Rufus says, popping the ‘p’ like the brat he is. “Also, I’m dying to know if your momma passed on that little trick you mentioned—the partial shift. Lucille’s from that part of the world, so maybe someone already has a little gargoyle in them. Hehehehe.”
“Ohmygawd, Rufus! Why can’t you ever behave?” Cori grimaces, putting her hand on her face. “Dolly, don’t listen to him.”
I tilt my head, thinking about it for a moment. It’s a pleasant distraction from my complete lack of knowledge, and Ididmanage to only extend my claws during my fight with Heather E. in Shifter Studies. Maybe itissome rare hereditary thing coming from that part of Europe. I don’t know what the hell that would mean, but it feels pretty goddamned amazing to do something those bitches tormenting me can’t. “I can try? But if I do, I can’t guarantee I can… put the bunny away… before we leave. Or at all. I don’t have very good control over my shift yet.”
Cori’s face lights up as she gives me a sly grin. “Oh, girl. Come here and let me do that makeup, and you can give it a go while I do. If you get stuck, Auntie Coco can fix that costume for you right quick. How about you focus on something small like… your fluffy little tail?”
Rufus’ eyes glitter with mischief, and I feel the exhilarating zing of a challenge rocket through me, encouraging my bunny to come out and play. “Tail it is, then. Talk me through this, guys.”
* * *
By the timethe guys arrive at the party, I’m nervous as hell. I thought Cori, Rufus, and I had arrived fashionably late, but they don’t show until at least 10 p.m.
Maybe they had to wait for Aubrey and Renard to get back from dinner?
That’s probably it… not that anyone had to be manhandled into the cheeky costumes I sent, right? My Predbook chat with Cash made me feel a little better, but since I have a—ahem—surprise of my own, I’ve been on pins and needles while I wait.
I see them sneaking in as I dance with Rufus and Cori in the middle of the Romulus training ring. Apex’s ridiculously extravagant Halloween party is being held outside, but luckily, the weather didn’t throw a wrench into everything. The DJ is set up where the judges for Pred Games would normally be, and tables of food and drink line the path to the circle. They even set up a bar in a roped off announcer section. A bored-looking vulture is pretending to check IDs and Bash growls at him, howling in amusement when the frightened bird drops his wrist bands all over the ground.
Who the fuck is stupid enough to card a Romulus?
Covering my mouth as I snort, I peek at their costumes while the song changes, thrilled that they all humored me. Cassius is in his blue princess dress, arm in arm with Bash in the French maid outfit—they’re both strutting like they own the place, and it makes me shiver. Nico is gesturing animatedly as he talks to Renard, both of them looking unconcerned with their ‘feminine’ attire as well. My gaze lands on the last of my guys, trying not to laugh as I watch Aubrey stomp in like he’s going to open a crack in the Earth with his feet. Rufus helped me cut the Preyboy Bunny suit so it would be mostly accurate, but not obscene.
After all, who the hell knows how well-versed a 2000-year-old dragon is about making sure swimsuits don’t ride up your ass?
“Dollybear, you got a handful of beautiful guys watching you like a flank steak. You gonna put them out of their misery?”
