Page 40 of Eat. Prey. Love.
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I watch him. “You’re damned lucky I do, you pain in the ass.”
“That’s your job, big man. Now shut up and let me translate.”
Ra save me from mouthy mates and their determination to drive me to drink.
Alone Time
“So the entireclass was that gigolo pontificating and the remaining Heathers simpering,” I tell my raccoon friend as we walk toward the newest Shirdal building. “I might have to order barf bags in bulk to get through the semester.”
Raina titters next to me. “I’ll make sure the boys know to check that classroom a couple times a week.”
I roll my eyes, smiling at her fondly. “If you do that, I’ll make more work for them. You guys help us out enough as it is. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass.”
“Miss Dolly Drew!” She stops and looks at me, her tiny hands on her hips as she wags a finger at me. “Never say that. You are my friend and Monsieur Renard is the Captain’s friend. This is what we do for one another, yes?”
Putting my hand over my mouth, I cover the giggle threatening to well up at her small body looking so deadly furious. Once I’m sure I’ve got it swallowed, I nod at the tiny prey animal. “Your family is part of mine, Raina. I can’t tell you how glad I am you were the one to take my order in the cafeteria at Apex.”
She flushes—I think—and turns towards the building so we can start walking again. “Dolly, you were the first pred outside of our gracious gargoyle to ever treat me so well. I knew the moment we met that you were special and I was right.”
Well, shit, I’m going to cry if she doesn’t stop that.
“Shhh, Raina! I can’t go into the shark tank all weepy,” I chuckle as I wipe the corner of my eye. “They’ll eat me alive in Modern Dance.”
Her laugh tinkles in the air as we finish the walk to the French version of the Shird.
Maybe I wasn’t born under a bad sign, I just had to wait for the sun to shine on me.
“Faster!You’re all far too slow and lack control. How you got this far is beyond me,” the huge female wolf growls as the lines of dancers move across the floor one after another.
My legs, arms, and feet are aching from the vigorous beating they’re taking. For the first class, I’m pretty winded, and if this is how they’re all going to be, I’m in trouble. Nadia Antonovidrovna doesn’t likeanyone, but she’s definitely been sneering at me more than anyone else. I don’t have a fucking clue why; I’ve never metthe woman until today. So I’ve pushed myself as hard as possible, hoping to win her over with my effort.
Fat lot of good that’s done—she just got harsher.
When the buzzer at the front of the room goes off, I lean on the barre, panting softly for a moment. I can feel the eyes on me; it’s almost as bad as when I started at Apex. The arts focused people are cut throat here, so they see me as competition who didn’t earn their spot. I’ve got professors who seem to want to string me up, and the few Heathers not kidnapped are starting their shit again.
“It’s almost like I’ve done the fucking Time Warp,” I mutter as I walk over to change my shoes. Spraying them so they don’t stink up the entire bag, I pull on my socks and boots, then get up to tug my uniform skirt over my leotard. I’m not changing entirely for my short lunch break because I have theater practicum afterward. “Everyone is rewinding back to 2022.”
“Your gear certainly is,” one of the willowy dancers snarks as she walks by and I sigh.
For fuck’s sake, I can’t escape this rubber stamp mean girl shit no matter what I do.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say as I wave her off. “Maybe I’ll feel like serving you your ass next time, but today, I’m not in the mood.”
She huffs, but at least she doesn’t take that unintentional opening to insult my love life. Winging a prayer of thanks at the ceiling, and gathering my shit. I’m meeting Felix outside to go check outthe salt water lake while we have a quick bite. I know he’s really coming because he wants to know what the hell his cousin did in class, but that’s okay. Indulging his worry makes him less over-the-top and I enjoy spending time with my guys no matter how I get it.
Once I have everything, I limp out to the front of the Shird, grinning broadly at the handsome Raj waiting for me. He frowns at my gait, and I move a little faster to get close enough to soothe his ire. “Difficult dance class, baby. Don’t worry.”
“Princess, you’re hobbling like the Winged Weenies had you strung up last night.”
There goes my focus…
His laugh glides over my skin and I make a face at him. “The professor for Modern is a real hard ass. I can’t believe others didn’t come out looking as wrecked as me.”
“Were they working as hard as you? Somehow, I doubt it,” the tiger says before turning to give me his back. “Come on, then. Hop on and we’ll head for the lake before we waste all our time.”
Recoiling, I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”
Felix looks over his shoulder in exasperation. “Princess, you hop on my twin all the time. What’s the problem?”