Page 38 of Let Us Prey
I bark a laugh. “Oh, I don’t think that’s true at all! If anything, Cash hates that he can’t resist you… ” My eyes widen as I realizeI’mthe one babbling now, and promptly shut my muzzle before I share more than I should about my alpha.
It’s not my story to tell.
She’s watching me closely, but doesn’t push, at least not on that subject. “So, what’s the deal with you and Bash? Are you a couple or what?” Noticing my grimace, she hurriedly adds, “I just want to make sure I’m not getting in the middle of anything.”
My stars, if only she would get in the middle…
Breathing evenly, I force myself to focus on her valid question. “It’s… complicated. The twins took me under their wing when we met as children, essentially declaring me as a Romulus. But it wasn’t until we were a bit older that Bash and I… that he claimed me, after… ” I trail off, wondering where I’m going with this.
Even all these years later, I still don’t fully understand what happened, but Delores is patiently waiting for me to continue, so I attempt to organize my thoughts. It feels good to have someone to talk to—about this incident, but also in general.
“I was involved with someone else—a female wolf on Bloodstone—but as soon as things got serious, Bash challenged her to a fight, claiming me ashis.”
She furrows her brow. “That doesn’t seem fair. Bash didn’t hesitate to pursueme,and from what I’ve heard, he’s kind of a whore around campus.”
“True,” I chuckle at her blunt observation. “Although, I have to say, his whoring has all but stopped since a certain bunny hopped onto the scene. Pack dynamics are complicated, especially with the way Romulus run things. It may not seemfair,but I assure you, this arrangement is what I want.”
“Because you love him.” It’s a statement, not a question, and the maturity of her intuition startles me.
“Yes,” I reply honestly, realizing I’ve never openly admitted this to anyone else. “It’s irrelevant though, because he doesn’t feel the same. Which is fine. I mean, I’m still getting what I need… mostly… ”
Her lips press together, and I recognize a woman with no intention of letting this drop, which warms something deep inside me. The possibility that Delores Drew could be the missing piece ofourpuzzle—possibly the very thing needed to fix my family—makes my fox give an excited little yip.
Even if it is a bit of a pipe dream.
Although my alpha would be furious, I allow one more important piece of intel to slip. “Cash used to sleep next to Bash and me most every night, but he’s barely joined us since we got here. Touch is extremely important to wolves, and foxes… ” Again, her knowing gaze makes me stumble over my words, but Ineedher to know this. “He needs to stop torturing himself, Lo.”
She solemnly nods, and a few minutes of comfortable silence pass by before she speaks. “You’re all a bit broken, huh?” Her gaze drops to the mess of stained glass on the table again and I grimly wait, hoping I haven’t scared her off with my confessions. Without waiting for a reply, she continues, her melodious voice so soft, I almost don’t catch her words. “That works, because I am too.”
TWENTY-THREE
The Bitch Is Back
Lucille
“Ididn’t say I wanted excuses; I said make it happen, or I’ll have you mounted and stuffed for the servants’ quarters!”
Blindly pitching the phone across the room, I snort to myself when I hear the resulting pained squawk from my vapid avian assistant. I can only hope it knocked some sense into her—Matilda has been useless since the greatest disappointment of my life packed her things for Apex Academy. It’s amusing to me when lesser preds get attached to their betters the way they do, and only fitting. We are to be emulated, adored, and, most of all, feared.
Delores, however, deserves none of those reactions. Emerging not only as a prey animal, but one of the weakest kinds has sullied our family name in a way I cannot forgive. The Council’s decision to force her to attend Apex chafed at first. If I’d had my way, Bruiser would have dealt with her, and I could have spread the rumor she disappeared in the night after we threatened to disown her. However, if she dies at Apex, it will be a routine event, and the scandal of her heritage won’t be examined as closely. It’s still a satisfactory outcome, either way, so there was no need to meddle from the shadows.
It also means my paws are clean, and although some will question why I didn’t save my only heir from the Council’s decision, they won’t be able to whisper behind my back about suspicious ‘accidents.’ Elite families are known for cleaning their own houses of weak or traitorous progeny—some with more vicious methods than others—but in America, it’s not discussed publicly. Back in the old country, my father preferred we handle our business swiftly and without remorse, which is how he built the impressive empire he did.
Yes, the skin trade is lucrative, indeed.
Shifters live all over the world, but the rarest breeds are notoriously difficult to locate, but I’ve been working with my father’s traders and runners to find them. Their women and children fetch astronomical prices on the black market for everything from delicacies to breeding, to sales to private collectors. I’m not picky about who buys my products; their money is all green, and the Society has no qualms about where their cut comes from. My only concern is maintaining my family’s legacy, even if Dmitri Rostoff rarely acknowledges my invaluable contributions.
His approval is more difficult to locate than a dragon’s clan.
Unfortunately, even with the occasional rare shifter being exiled—including to teach at Society-run academies—none of their ilk have been furious enough to reveal locations of their homes. I have spies working on it, but given how insular most of their cultures are, it’s almost impossible to get them to socialize, much less spill secrets.
However, with my simpleton daughter at Apex, I might have an ‘in.’ Her own pathetic sob story may entice the few living there to take pity on her, especially if I can further exploit her weaknesses. Those nitwit heirs should be able to continue their harassment, but they’re too soft to inspire true terror, so I need to gather additional allies on campus. Delores may not be a predator, but she is a Rostoff, and she won’t break easily. Bruno and I made certain she learned how to survive as part of her upbringing, before she turned out to be a waste of our efforts.
“Mattie, if I finish this glass before a new one appears, I will assign you to Bruiser for a month!” I say, turning to glare at the useless bird with feline eyes.
The diminutive shifter looks as if she’s going to molt on the spot, and she rushes to fix another martini before I shift further. The abilities of a true alpha female vary by species, but I learned at a very young age that I control my shift precisely—something no other female could. My father left me in the care of his lieutenants until I could shift every part of my body at will in order to intimidate people more effectively. It was a lesson I’d yet to teach our erstwhile daughter because she took her sweet time emerging, and Bruno’s mother wouldn’t allow me to send her to a shifter group who still practiced the old ways, like the Romulus.
Perhaps if she hadn’t interfered with my plans, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now—heirless. All because of a twist of fate resulting from a physical issue we paid heavily to keep secret for many years. This entire mess is because of a superstitious old Cajun gator who interfered with my plans to get rid of an unpredictable genetic result. Delores is the result of a solution I sought decades ago after I was unable to find a believable stand-in to play my heir. The past is the past, but if I cannot resolve the rabbit situation in a manner befitting my family’s name soon, I will have to endure a future visit from my father.
