Page 91 of Eat. Prey. Love.
The Raj sighs, nodding. “I know. And while he’s doing much better at focusing and working through methods other than his killing sprees… he still aches to mete out justice the way he was raised to. He’s as much a product of our dickhead father as I am.”
Tilting my head, I smile wryly. “Felix, we’realla product of our upbringing, even our girl. When she turns on the ‘Lucille’ act, it makes my balls shrivel up and hide inside my body. None of us are safe from the past.”
He laughs, then Ren and Aubrey join him, but I’m serious.
I have a distinct feeling that none of us will get through this without reconciling our past traumas and they need to get used to the idea sooner rather than later.
broken
Fitz’s scowldeepens with every second, his eyes dark pools of unresolved anger. I’m holding the jar with a pinky toe that’s definitely female—I can tell by the fancy pedicure—but I haven’t asked who he took this trophy from. I know his small retributions make him feel less out of control in the face of enemies we can’t simply meet head on, and I adore that he wants me to know those who mistreat me are paying, even in this macabre fashion.
Everyone else looks grossed out, but I treasure Fitzy’s body part tributes; it feelsfitting to me.
“Fitzy,” I start, my voice a soft lilt that usually calms him down. His gifts normally make him cool off, but he hasn’t quite gotten to a stable mindset yet. That’s worrying Felix and Chess, which is making me anxious. His hyperactivity and snap decision making activate when he’s like this—something we definitely do not need with so many balls in the air.
“No,” he cuts me off sharply, the single word slicing through the heavy atmosphere. His determination is a tangible thing, a force that won’t be swayed by distractions or offers of physical comfort. It’s one of the things I admire about him, but today it’s grating on my already thin nerves.
I watch as he paces frenetically. Felix watches his twin like a silent sentinel, his loyalty to Fitz as unwavering as the north star. They exchange a look, and without a word, they’re set into motion. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t fret, Princess,” Felix says as he winks at me over his shoulder. “We’re going to do some recon—probably in the staff housing again. My brother needs to feel like he’sdoingsomething right now. I won’t let him go off the ranch.”
Resisting the urge to press him for more information, I sigh heavily. I know when Fitz is hell-bent on accomplishing a task he’s better off without us holding him back. So I stay put, feeling my nose twitch, an anxious tick that betrays my own unease.
Those two going off on their own without a solid plan was not on the agenda for today.
The headmistress’ secret meetings have cast a shadow over us all, and Fitz won’t rest until we know exactly what that slippery serpent has planned. None of us are fond of the unknown and there’s not a lot of information on Midori other than PR blurbs and the occasional puff piece in educational journals. It’s infuriating and almost certainly orchestrated by whoever is working on their tech—an Erikson lackey, most likely.
I didn’t need another reason to hate Heather E.; however, her familyis ass-deep in this conspiracy, so I have one.
The musty scentof old paper and ink fills my nostrils as I flip through the yellowed pages of the book with a delicate touch. Renard hovers nearby, his sharp eyes scanning the cryptic symbols as if he might divine their meaning through sheer will. Aubrey’s fingers dance across the screen of his phone, pausing only to zoom in on a particularly gnarled drawing before snapping a picture to send off.
“These colleagues of yours,” I muse aloud, “they’re all predators, right?”
Aubrey nods without looking up, too engrossed in his task. “Yeah, top of their field in ancient cultures and shifter histories.”
I nibble on my lower lip, recalling Raina’s whispered confidences during a late-night study session. “We need to reach out to someone from prey academia, too. As I mentioned before, Raina told me what we learn about the Magic Accords isn’t the whole story. The prey perspective is less... glorified. And it might reference the Fae because their archives aren’t controlled by Council lackeys.”
“That seems like something we should investigate further.” Aubrey pauses, considering it for a moment. He tilts his head, a spark of curiosity lighting his gaze. “Their data could be a game changer if it’s not been redacted. I know you mentioned it, but I got so involved in working on this new stuff from the museum that I forgot.”
Chess looks up from his book with a smirk. “It’s not like we haven’t had distractions, big guy.”
“No shit,” I say, feeling a small surge of pride when they jump on board immediately. “Raina says their stories are like shadows—always there but rarely acknowledged by those who don’t need to hide.”
“Shadows can reveal much about the truth of an object,” Rennie chimes in, his voice low and thoughtful. “I will speak to Raina and the Captain about who we can contact to explore this lead. They will be able to point us in the right direction for certain.”
Aubrey nods, already drafting a new message on his phone. I watch him work, a flurry of focused energy, and feel the library’s silence settle around us once more—dense with secrets waiting to be unearthed. “Their assistance will be much appreciated, love. Let me know when you get their contact information.”
My gargoyle leaps to his feet, pacing between towering bookshelves, tail flicking in agitation. “I never considered that they were sitting on a treasure trove of truth, undistorted by predator bias. We could have been further along with all of this timeline shit if I had been paying more attention. I apologize,ma petite.”
“Like Chessie said, we’ve been distracted by a lot of shit,” I say, hopping off the table where I was perched. “Predator narratives are loud—they claim to be the only truth and we’ve all been taught that. it’s easy to forget our smaller friends don’t grow up in that noisy din.”
“Exactement,” Renard nods, his expression softening as he stops pacing. “We must look further than our own belly buttons for the answers we seek. Very good,petite lapin.Once Flames has their information, we will work to expand our timeline with new data and perhaps that will lead us to someone who can translate the things we stole.”
Meanwhile, Aubrey’s fingers fly across the keyboard of his laptop, the click-clack of keys punctuating the silence that hangs heavy around us. He’s back to work, having accepted the idea of using outside sources, and now he’s moved on. His focus is impressive, and I smile as I walk over to wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“You work harder than anyone, big guy. Thank you for taking care of us.”
“It’s my job, lunchable—all of our jobs, really, but this is where I am most useful,” Aubrey grunts, a corner of his mouth lifting in a wry smile. “Outside of burning everyone to ash, which my dragon would happily do at any time. But much like Fitzgerald, I know he is simply overreacting to the danger by wanting to eliminate everything without considering the consequences. Your gift for listening to your friends is what will help us in the end, I believe.”