Page 64 of Eat. Prey. Love.
My confusion melts to empathy quickly because I know Zhenga was one of the poor saps who tried to get Felix to pay attention toher by hook or by crook. She’s laughing at the irony, but also at her own stupidity, and that’s to keep from feeling like shit. “Coach… I mean, Zhenga. It’s not like I had any idea that?—”
“Oh, don’t apologize, Dolly. It’s not like any of us were blind. Fitz was a player and Felix used sex for rage relief. The other three barely spoke to people, so they were even more off limits.” The lioness wipes her face and gives me a sad smile. “No one had a chance, but they were the best options in a place with very few palatable ones. I haven’t been interested in the Raj since I found out about the mates thing and we talked about that. It’s just… so damned pathetic and humorous at the same time.”
Rufus takes pity on her and tsks. “You were wasting that bod, Coach. You’re made for sin and death like my bestie bunny, but differently. Who gives a fuck if your family is a bunch of crusty old misogynists? Do what you want, do it loudly, and rep it proudly. No one should get to decide who people love. I fought my way to the top of my hillbilly fuckhead relatives to earn my ability to do so. You can, too.”
“He’s right,” Cori says softly as she looks at us with oddly soft eyes. “I got the boot from the main family because of politics, but being a sexual pescatarian didn’t help. But I’m doing my thing, my way, and I’m going to teach those dicks a lesson, just like Dolly is. Together, we’re all going to flip our stupid families on their asses. You should, too.”
Zhenga tilts her head, smiling a little as she thinks about it. “You might be right. I’ve moved out of the pathetic ‘debase myself for their approval’ phase. Now I need to embrace the ‘fuck you and your bullshit’ phase like the badass I am.” Her expression is still amused as she looks at me. “Delores Diamond Drew, you’re a surprisingly good role model, even for me.”
I snort. “The hell I am. I’m still a mess of childhood trauma, hurt and betrayal, and fury at everyone who put me in the state I was in when you all first met me. I’m not someone to emulate in the fucking slightest.”
Rufus walks over, grabbing my hands to spin me around for a moment before he grins. “Feel that whirlwind, girl? That’s what you did when you walked into our lives and I guarantee your men feel the same way. The breath of fresh air and the strength you seem to just dig deep until you find are justsomeof the shit we’re learning from you. Own it, Dolly. You deserve the credit.”
My face turns bright red and I have to turn away from them to pick up my shit at the outside of the ring before I get too overwrought. Being with these people who care about me has been a gift from day one, and the stark contrast from what I had with former friends is sobering. But I struggle with praise, even from the guys, and I’m having trouble processing it.
Maybe one day I won’t feel like such an imposter when people are nice, but it’s not today, damn it.
Killer
I’m goingto slice that little bitch into tiny pieces and have the prey staff feed her to her pack in some fucking chili.
My Baby Girl came home with a dressed wound—it was pretty smart of Z to do that before she got here—from a goddamn mutt taking a shot at her when she should have submitted. Coco-cabana and the badger tried to downplay it with her, but Felix had the lioness on the phone before she could get half the story out. I’ll admit, despite her vicious streak, Dolly made it sound like a basic scrap in the ring so no one would go flying out the door in a rage. She’s got mad strategic skills and she knowshow to keep us in line when need be. But this is a direct offense, and it must be answered for.
“Princess, the scene you are all describing and the one Zhenga has finally shared is quite different.” Felix’s arms are crossed over his chest as he looms over the three younger preds sitting on our couch looking mildly guilty. “Do any of you want to try again?”
“Gee,Dad, I don’t know,” Cori grumbles under her breath and we all give her a reproving look, especially the grouchy AF dragon. She juts her chin out defiantly, her eyes narrowed as she stays faithful to whatever promise our girl had her and the punk make before they arrive. “Will I be grounded if I don’t?”
My arm flies out before Aubrey goes stomping over, blocking his path on instinct. He’s not really mad at her, and he’d be sorry if his dragon pushed him to yell at her. The colorful bear is being loyal to our girl in the face of three kings, a beta, and another pissed off pred with decades to centuries on her. It’s impressive even if it’s not particularly bright. “Coco-cabana, we know the truth now. No need to keep up the pretense.”
“No idea what you’re talking about, Khan,” Rufus says as he examines his manicure with a fangy grin. “We were all there.”
“Amis,” Ren says cajolingly. “The gig, as they say, is up. Zhenga filled the Raj in and we know this was more than a practice scuffle. Why continue with the charade? It is pointless,non?”
Always the reasonable one, that gargoyle.
“I’m not surethat’san accurate statement,” the bunny in question says mildly. “You bullied Z into giving you her side of the story, but it’s no more reliably narrated than ours.”
Aubrey sighs, cracking a smile then scowling at himself for doing it. “Lunchable, I don’t get why you’re downplaying something so serious. Help us understand and perhaps it won’t be sucha big deal.”
She rolls her eyes, making Felix snarl dangerously, but it doesn’t affect her. Our girl knows none of us would ever harm a hair on her head, nor her friends’ heads, so it’s more of a warning than a threat. “Look, I handled the situation. Yes, it was unfortunate, but we have too many unanswered questions about themanythreats to go around offing every person who comes at me. It would be way too time consuming, for one, and it wouldn’t solve anything, either.”
Walking closer, I drop to my knees, pushing my fury into its cage as I look up at her. “Baby Girl, you’re mymate. It’s a whole other level of crazy that already filled my brains when I look at you. Seeing you injured without being able to do anything about it is making my tiger nuts—more so than normal. And since these jokers are intended mates as well—some with unstable beasts—it’s riding them just as hard.”
Huffing a bit as her posture relaxes, Dolly reaches out and takes my hands. “Fitzy, I’m not saying you guys can’t doanything. But keeping this low-key wassupposedto keep you all fromkillingsomeone who might be a good lead. I mean, I’d never met or heard of this fucking chick until I got here. Why the shit is she going for my throat like I fucked her dad at her sweet sixteen? Doesn’t that merit some investigation?”
Rufus and Cori double over in laughter at her words, and I can’t help it, my lips twitch in amusement. When our girl arrived at Apex two years ago, sheneverwould havethoughtthat simile, much less said it out loud in such a confidently sarcastic tone. The difference in her is night and day, no matter how many times some things make her flush like a ripe peach. It’s a beautiful thing, just like her ferocity, and it makes my heart thump just as hard.
“Baby Girl, I don’t know how you expect me to take you seriously when you…” I trail off, shaking my head as the chuckles escape me.
Pretty soon, even the spicy salamander is snickering and the tension in the room drops by a million degrees. Her eyes sparklewith triumph and humor, letting me know she did that on purpose to get us all to focus on something besides our blood lust. Again, she’s a goddamn smart cookie, and she knows how to play us like one of the dragon’s expensive fiddles.
“Seriously, though. I really think it’s important to milk these idiots for every drop of info we can get from them. And they’re stupid, guys, because they make themselves known at every turn. Unlike the roommate chick I never met who flew under the radar, the Heathers and these new minions are painting targets on their own backs. Whywouldn’twe use that to our advantage?”
Cori raises her hand, looking sheepish. “With the obvious people being so, um, obvious… doesn’t it make you all worry that there’s people being… less… obvious? Like, the big targets are there to draw your focus away like with magicians?”
Good fucking point, Coco-cabana.
“You’re not wrong,” the dragon says with a heavy sigh. “We are all concerned with the possible hidden enemies, Cori. That’s why Fitz and Felix did a personal search of theprima’s housing today while you were in class. She was the first on our list to dig more deeply into.”