Page 81 of Eat. Prey. Love.
As the bell signals the end of class, my notebook is packed with a ton of shit I want to look into with Aubrey. It’s overwhelming; a deluge of facts and figures, but somewhere within the torrent of words, I sense the key to unlocking my story. With a deep breath, I tuck away my stuff, steeling myself for the future conversations it will undoubtedly provoke.
Knowledge is power, and armed with these insights, I am one step closer to facing Lucille, to braving the shadows of my lineage, and claiming my place in this court of shifters and intrigue.
That is, if I duck all the bullshit being flung at me from every direction along the way.
Sugar, We’re Going Down
I tap my foot impatiently,the restlessness clawing at me with sharpened nails. My ears twitch, catching the eager tone in Aubrey’s voice as he relays the Smithsonian walrus’s message, every word like a starting pistol to my already racing thoughts. I’ve been waiting for the spicy salamander to find something with his constant library time, and now it appears wefinallyhave something toactupon.
Thank. Fuck.
“My counterpart believes it’s a language related to a very underground sect that most preds thought was a myth,” he says, his eyes scanning the screen again before landingon each of us in turn. “They are headquartered—coincidentally enough—in some sort of small museum between Paris andl’Academie.”
A museum run by culty weirdos?
The tingle that races up my spine ignites a wildfire of excitement. Today is not just any day—it’s Sunday. That place should be a ghost town, leaving a perfect empty stage for myMission Impossibledream sequence. I bounce on the balls of my feet, barely containing the glee bubbling inside. “We’re going today; no arguments. No one will be there and we get to be super spies,” I declare with a grin that probably stretches too wide for my face.
Felix pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a long-suffering groan. “With no preparation, Fitz? Really? We don’t have the slightest damn clue what might be hiding in this secret headquarters.”
“Come on, bro. No one will see us coming if we just show up and break in.” I picture myself dangling from wires, sneaking in like the spy movies and it makes every cell of my body thrum with hyperactive pleasure.
I cannot fucking believe this is even a question.
Aubrey’s frown deepens as if he’s trying to calculate the probability of disaster. Chessie watches me bounce, amusement dancing in his gaze. He knows there’s no stopping this train once it’s left the station. Then there’s Renard, whose chuckle rumbles through the air like thunder—soft but foreboding. He’s a fellow lover of chaos, so he’ll side with me, if need be. I just need to convince the stubborn fuckers in my family to indulge my desire to do something more dangerous than hack a security camera.
“Super spies, huh?” Dolly steps closer, her eyes glinting with shared mischief. “Count me in.”
This is why I love this woman more than breath—she’s all-in with zerohesitation.
“Even if we have to break in?” I ask, though my heart’s already somersaulting with victory knowing she’s on board. “It’s a big gamble.”
“Especially if we have to break in,” she replies with a smirk. “I’m ready for some serious criminal shit, baby. Let’s do it, Crazypants.”
Her enthusiasm is the spark to my dynamite, and I can’t help but feel invincible with her by my side. Walking over, I pick her up and spin us around with a happy growl. “You’re the best Queen ever, Baby Girl.”
“Fine,” Felix mutters, resigned. “But I’m only doing this because I know you can get what we need before we leave, bro. And I get to call it anytime, do you all hear me?”
“Trust me, this will be epic,” I assure my twin, clapping him on the back. My mind’s already racing ahead—to gadgets, secret passages, and the thrill of the unknown.
“We’re all in this together, Fitzy, so do your thing,” Dolly says as she grins down at me.
Suddenly, I’m more alive than ever. We’re about to dive headfirst into danger, and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side. Putting her down, I race over to the laptop I keep on the counter for situations just like this and pop it open. I have to get my shit going so we have the information we need or Felix won’t hesitate to shut down my fun.
My fingers fly across the keyboard, a blur of motion as I unleash my digital hounds into the depths of Prednet. Lines of code cascade down the screen, my eyes tracking each one like the predator I am. The adrenaline is already there, tingling at my fingertips, an electric current of excitement. I need to set up a search spider that will gather blueprints and all the info available about this damn place, confirmed or not, before we leave this campus.
“Just a few minutes, and we’ll have every scrap of info from the Prednet and beyond.” The words burst from me as information continues to unfurl before my eyes—blueprints, security systems, even whispered rumors about this so-called museum. I spin on my heel, a grin splitting my face. “Now, where is mysuper suit?”
Dolly giggles, holding her hand out. “C’mon, baby. We’re the two most bendy people, so they can’t stop us from being the ones who break in. Chessie is fast, but he can’t get around shit like a cat burglar and I can.”
“Iknewthat yoga was gonna pay off,” I crow as I look at the rest of them smugly.
Felix’s eye-roll from where he’s fiddling with some gadget isn’t a surprise, nor is Chess’s smirk. The Winged Weenies are looking at one another, doing that odd speechless conversation they like to do when they don’t want the rest of us to hear their old dude grumbles. No arguments means I’m going to get my way, so I leave the laptop running and bound over to our girl.
“Time for our dance with danger,” I announce, scooping Dolly into my arms before she can protest. Her laughter echoes through the room as we disappear to gear up. Groans and curses chase us, but they’re music to my ears—the soundtrack to our impending caper.
This is going to be the most fun we can have outside of the bedroom and I can’t fucking wait.
Once we change,Baby Girl and I emerge from her room decked out in black thief gear that hugs our forms like shadows. I made sure we got lock picks and tech, but I’m more likely to use the former than her. We’re yin and yang in terms of experience in this kind of shit, but regardless, we’re ready to tango through lasers and leap over tripwires.