Page 95 of Fatality on the Field

I wink at her, settling back into my seat as I stretch my legs out and kick off my shoes for a few moments. This isn’t as safe as the VIP room to relax in, but I don’t want to remain tense for the next whatever hours of the pregame and game shit, either.

My family deserves a few moments of peace and pampering, which I suppose Magnus’s bullshit box is going to offer, so I’m taking it.

We’re barely two minutes into this makeshift détente, when the box door slams open with enough force to rattle the fixtures. The same terrified student guide, now red-faced and visibly sweating, enters like she’s being chased by something invisible. Only it isn’t invisible — it’s just trailing several yards behind her disguised as a mass of people, animals, duffel bags, and what I can only describe as chaos.

For a heartbeat, nobody in our group moves. The energy coming through the door is so intense that it short-circuits normal social cues. At the head of the swarm are two pretty men I definitely recognize from earlier in the week and behind them is a woman with dark hair, three more gorgeous guys, and a pack of various exotic animals large enough to make their own zoo.

It takes me a full second to realize what’s happening, but then it snaps into focus—the Whistler’s Hollow family has arrived.

I’m up and halfway across the room before I even decide to stand. The bird doc smiles gently and his enthusiastic Fae mate does the same as they greet me.

“Hey!” I say, maybe a little too loud, but it’s the only thing that comes to mind. “You actually showed. Channing told me there was a ticket request, but I could have sworn it was for… eight people? You’re short, I think.”

The supe doctor grins, white teeth and tanned features as he nods. “We are; you have a fabulous memory, Morgana. Two of our family members just arrived home from an overseas trip and couldn’t bear traveling again so soon. However, this tall dark haired guy who looks like he understands this sport is the honorable Edgar Boone the third, and his best friend, who also has the build of a player, is Benjamin Foster Grant.”

A woman, who I assume is their mate Jolene, steps forward and offers her hand to shake. “Morgana LeCiel, right? I’m Jolene. Sorry for the commotion; it’s impossible to travel light when you’re outnumbered by your men and pets.”

Her voice is so clear and direct that it cuts through the noise like a laser. I take her hand, shake it firmly, as I reply, “No trouble at all,” I say. “Come in, get comfortable, and get yourself some refreshments. It’s nice to meet you. Your doctors had nothing but good things to say about you when they visited.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “They flatter me, but that’s their job. Or, their other jobs, I guess.”

Behind her, the pets line up in perfect formation, staring at me as if waiting. A pair of black dogs that look like they’ve been trained for the military and are waiting for further orders. The one Prez called Edgar gives me a quick once-over, then nods. “Nice suit,” he says. “I did a little checking and I’m very impressed by the initiatives you’re working on here. I attended when your… predecessor… was in charge and it was not a good experience for every student. I hope you succeed in making it better now.”

I’m about to respond when Wolfie steps forward with a red-headed man with an intense stare. “Doyle Haggerty, this is the dean of the university, Morgana. I’m certain you’ll have things in common.”

“Uh, nice to meet you, too.” I smile, not sure why the Fae said it like that.

Is there something about me that he thinks the Irish dude is going to appreciate? Maybe it’s that I lived in Europe?

Jolene waves at the row of pets. “Apologies for bringing all the animals, but they just don’t do well being separated from me.”

“So, who do we have here? I’ve never been a pet person—well, my adoptive parents weren’t because of their schedules. I’m fascinated by people who have swaths of them around, to be honest.”

The woman from the Hollow gestures with a practiced efficiency. “Jekyll and Hyde, are two servals. Eurayle is a harpy eagle, and Genghis is an emperor Tamarin. You can’t see her coiled around me, but Isis is a reticulated python. The Danes are named Kali and Hecate.”

I glance at the animals, who are making direct eye contact like they expect to be addressed personally. “It’s an honor to have you all here.”

Jolene gives me a sideways smile and I bark out a laugh as her men shift instinctively. “I’m honestly amazed that you’re able to manage all of… this. I have enough trouble with these five.”

She’s about to respond when Iggy stands and extends a hand to Teddy. “I think we may have had a seminar together, once,” he says. “You’re the Senator's son, right?”

Teddy grins. “Yep and you’re the mage grad student who could curse in fifteen languages, right? Man, that crusty old fart you were working for was an ass. He’s gone now, right? Tell me he is.”

Snickering, Iggy nods. “He is and the staff is significantly younger than it used to be in the business department. That was swept up after you graduated, I think.”

Channing appears at my side, her expression urgent as she directs our guests toward the kitchen area for snacks and drinks. She tugs at my sleeve and leans in close. “New info just in. I missed an email from the Hollow group in all the mishagosh of the game prep,” she murmurs. “They wrote back to let us know that their mate… Jolene… is unemerged. We have to be careful what we say to her.”

I blink. “Is that safe for a setting like this? I mean… this is a supe university at a supe game, with a box full of supe hosts.”

Channing’s mouth is a hard line. “According to the docs, they have something to help with what she sees, but not what she hears, so we have to mute the speakers and be cautious about what we say.”

I look over at Jolene, who is chatting happily with the student guide, and then at my assembled mates, all in a row like they’re posing for a picture.

“How the fuck do we handle it if something goes sideways?” I whisper. “I’m in enough trouble with the fucking Society as it is. I can’t out the supe world by accident, nor can any of the guys.”

Channing shrugs. “Her men have it handled. That’s all I got.”

Not for the first time today, I want to duck under the table and just wait for the game to be over. Sucking in a deep breath, I relate the news to my men as I slump in my seat. They all look shocked and I shrug because I have no idea how that group manages keeping shit quiet in a supe town full of supes every day. My hand finds Des, and she nuzzles my finger like she knows I’m on the verge of a systems crash.