Page 100 of Prey It By Ear

But I keep my tone smooth, even gentle. “They won’t say a word that could make it worse, I promise. Nobody needs to know, Princess, and we’ll do what we can. Trust me?” I let the last word out as a soft exhale, because even if we’re alone, it always makes her chin come up a little.

She huffs out a breath that isn’t quite relief, but maybe the closest she can manage. “Thank you, Felix. "

We keep walking, our pace never changing, accompanied by the sound of our shoes and the occasional shriek from a crow, the only noise on the quad. I track every movement out of the corner of my eye. Once a shadow passes over the path, some gigantic bird or maybe a bored griffin stretching his wings on the way to a morning shift.

Nothing worth worrying about, I’m sure.

My free hand keeps curling into a fist and then uncurling. I don’t let it show on my face, but the pulse in my jaw is a dead giveaway if you know what to look for. I do not like that Cori is being hurt for something this stupid, or that my mate has to carry that knowledge like a concealed weapon. I let it build, the slow burn behind my sternum, and file it with all the other shit I’m going to address as soon as I can get to Fitz and the others.

She notices, because of course she does. “It’s not your job to fix everything, you know,” she mutters, a half-smile at the edge of her mouth. “If the parents think we’re stirring up trouble, they’ll clamp down twice as hard.”

I let the corner of my mouth lift and say, “I know how to play this, Princess. I can keep a low profile.” I guide her gently around an iced-up puddle and lower my voice, “But I am not letting anyone get away with hurting our friends. There are ways to balance the scales without tipping them over.”

She looks at me with a face so earnest it hurts. “You mean it?”

I want to say something snarky, but I don’t. Instead, I pull her gently to a stop before the steps of the Shird, and for a minute, it’s just us. “You did the right thing by telling me. I won’t let it blow up on my watch.” I reach for the bag, take it off her shoulder without asking, and keep my hand on it until she lets go. Then I shift it to my own and, with my other hand, open the heavy glass door for her.

Dolly steps into the vestibule, and sighs as the warmth hits us. For a second, there’s a softness I rarely get from her in public as she slips her coat off. “Go murder a barre, Princess,” I murmur, handing the bag back when she’s done. “I’ve got the rest.”

Nodding once, she winks at me before disappearing down the hall to the elevator. For a moment, I stand there, the warmth of her gone and the cold suddenly sharp as a blade again. But then the mask drops, and I let the smile vanish. Flexing my hand once as the pulse behind my jaw goes from subtle to full-on migraine, I pivot and head straight for the annex.

We have work to do.

There’s a reckoning coming for those families, and I’ll be the one collecting.

Every muscle in my body is lit up, every nerve tuned to the mission as I head home. I work the angles as I walk, assembling the situation like a data array, every variable a fresh point of irritation.

What’s on the list? Cori, who's being subtly pimped out by her family, and struggling. Next, Zhenga, the one lever we have inside the pred student body, also in the vise. There’s enough at stake that I have to ensure her idiot brother leaves her alone. Neither family had done anything egregious enough to warrant our attention—not really—but it's funny how quickly you can go from ‘maybe we can rehabilitate’ to ‘these assholes are on the list and will never be off’.

Family is not something you throw away because it didn’t fit your worldview—my father taught me that lesson the hard way.

I hit the annex side entrance, wave my arm, and slam through into the corridor, feeling the lock click and reengage behind me. It’s early enough that I smell nothing but the afterimage of Chess’s breakfast and the faint odor of dish soap. There’s a background hum from the main server closet, a little louder than it should be, which means Fitz has something running at full heat. I slow just enough to clock it, then round the corner to the main room we use as our home base.

Inside, the lighting is set to ‘low and angry’. Fitz is hunched over a screen with four windows open, all running independent tasks. He doesn’t look up until I say, low and clipped, “Fitz. Library. Now. If Aubrey and Rennie are back there, they’re in too.” The words land like a thrown knife, and my twin’s reaction is perfect; one flick of his finger and the windows all minimize, as if he’s been waiting for the cue to drop the side gigs.

“I’m ready,” he says, standing so quickly the chair barely creaks. He’s wearing cut-off joggers, one of Dolly’s crop tops with no shoes, and a topknot—it’s the picture of wackiness that defines him. “Whatever it is, I’m game, bro.”

Chuckling, I jerk my head at the double doors to the library, and we head through them to find the dragon.

Aubrey’s sitting at his desk, arms folded as he glares at the Smackbook screen like it offended his ancestors. “What are you two doing in here?” He narrows his eyes at Fitz and sighs heavily. “Especially dressed in home attire. You know shoes are required in my library, Fitzgerald.”

Renard is probably still out in the garden or doing his admin rounds, so we will have to loop him in later. The gargoyle works in here if he’s not in class or out there to keep our cranky fire-spitter from destroying things when the arduous schedule and students drive him crazy. I don’t see him atop any shelves, so my assumption is reasonable.

Ignoring his dig at my brother, I walk past Aubrey to scan the windows, check the aisles, and take a peek in the corners. Once satisfied, I rejoin them. “Midori needs to be neutralized. I want her full schedule and any correspondence in the last week that references Zhenga, the Games, or the Bouviers. Also, cross-reference personal accounts with after-hours meetups.” I feel my hands trying to curl into fists again, but I keep them loose at my sides.

“None of that is my forte, I fear. Want to clue us in, Raj?” The dragon gives me a pointed look as he leans back in his immense chair, scratching his chin. “You could have requested that from your twin without barging in to interrupt my misery.”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics and arch a brow. “You’re certain no one is anywhere in this place? Not on the bottom floors or any level?”

Aubrey crosses his arms over his broad chest. “Are you suggesting I do not have full control of my domain?”

For fuck’s sake.

“Aubrey, this is very sensitive, and while we are in the loop, I have been sworn to confidence amongst our family by our mate. I don’t suppose you take promises made to her lightly?”

That changes his stance, and he sighs as the tension leaves him. “Fine. I am certain my library is empty but for two exiled kings and a whack-a-doo wearing our bunny’s clothes. Is that better?”

“Yes,” I reply simply. “We need to work on compromising Midori so we can get her under our control like Henrietta. She is being controlled by others at the moment, and while it was annoying, now it is dangerous. Cori revealed that she and Zhenga have been dating since last semester, and it was caught on camera this summer. I don’t know what and they’ve had Farley working on getting things taken down, but their families know.”