Renegades
The sizzle and pop of the stir-fry settles into a low hum as I stand back, admiring the spread on the kitchen counters. Colors clash and mingle—a vibrant array of Korean dishes, each one tweaked to fit Dolly’s strict training regimen. My nose twitches as I examine everything to ensure it’s perfect. Cooking is another form of sprinting: it’s a race against heat and time to create a winning flavor. It’s very meditative for me, much like many of the hobbies I’ve picked up over time to keep myself busy.
Besides, I enjoy being a ‘provider’ in our family by making sure everyone is taking care of themselves—it makes both the cheetah and the submissive in me happy.
“We’re ready,” I say, my voice the starting gun for the feast. My family sighs in relief, coming to fill their plates at the counter in a rush almost as fast as me.
Once everyone is seated, Felix clears his throat. “I know we’re all excited about the prospect of new intel that will get us closer to solving all these fucking riddles, but don’t choke to death inhaling your food.”
That’s the signal to dig in, and my angel doesn’t need telling twice. She dives in with the ravenous Giselle of her dancer’s build, chopsticks snapping up mouthfuls of bulgogi and kimchi with equal fervor. The rest of the group joins the fray, their laughter and chatter filling the space like the warm glow from the overhead lights.
Midway through a particularly succulent piece of japchae, Dolly leans back, her face the picture of contentment. Then, without warning, she releases a burp that rumbles through the room like distant thunder. Everyone freezes for a split second before Fitz chortles and counters with a belch that seems to shake the silverware.
Oh, no. This will never end if my first mate feels challenged to a duel of grossness.
“Really?” Felix mutters, his tone dry as parchment.
Aubrey and Ren join him in an eye roll chorus while I can’t help but let out a half-hearted growl of disapproval. I know it’s a complement to the chef in some countries, but for fuck’s sake. Most of the shifters at this table are well over three decades old. We can maintain our dignity better than that, right?
Nope.
My beautiful angel and the tiger proceed to out-do one another, sipping sodas and letting out loud, echoing belches like teenagers at a kegger. They’re laughing in between like loons, and the broody gargoyle looks like he might consider joining in soon. I sigh as Ren takes a huge sip of his drink, preparing to join the burping buddies.
As if on cue, the fancy doorbell Renard installed buzzes, slicing through the moment of levity. I rise, the pads of my feet silent on the cool tile as I walk over to see who’s there. A glance at the small screen shows familiar faces on the door cam—Raina’s eyes are practically sparkling with mischief, and The Captain stands with a large box in his small arms.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” I announce, pressing the button to buzz them in. “Are you guys ready?”
“The mysterious package has arrived,” Ren says, already pushing back from the table as he readies himself for whatever Raina and The Captain are bringing with them. I guess that’s his version of a ‘yes’.
“Or perhaps they couldn’t resist the smell of your cooking, Chester” Aubrey teases, nudging me with his elbow as he heads for the scotch to pour a glass. “It is particularly delicious tonight, by the way.”
I don’t get a chance to answer as Raina bursts in, her striped tail a blur of motion behind her. The Captain follows with a sizable box that seems to make the air around him thrum with an unseen energy. I can’t help but be drawn in by the electric tingle of potential discovery setting my senses on high alert.
We’re all such nerds in this house, even the twins, though they won’t admit it.
“Where be the place for yer treasure?” The Captain’s question resonates through the room as he follows his mate into the living area.
“Here, let’s clear the table,” Renard says. He moves to flip over the investigation boards I brought in earlier, then re-organizes the table in the middle to make room. “Although, I didn’t ask if the contents were dangerous somehow… we would need to use the inspection rooms in the archives if so .”
“Don’t worry; it’s not going to explode or anything.” Raina’s eyes gleam as she rubs her tiny hands together.. “It’s from an old friend, a prey shifter—a puffin elder from a circus on the Irish coast.”
“A puffin elder?” Dolly muses, looking at us curiously.
Aubrey shakes his head. “Don’t ask me, snacksize. There’s a lot about the prey world that has been lost since the Treaty. My experience with it is very limited since that time; I have no idea what sort of structures they’re using amongst their own.”
My ears perk up at the mention of the elder. The prey shifters were basically subjugated after the Treaty, so the dragon is right to assume we know only what they allow preds to know. Anything coming from a group of them with a location so steeped in history promises to be more than just interesting.
“What has he sent us?” I ask, crossing the room with feline Giselle, my curiosity piqued. “And why did it come to you, not Aubrey?”
“Because most prey groups are fearful of what will happen if they come into contact with preds,” she replies. “Those of us who work in places where that’s required are a bit less anxious, but truthfully, even employment has its risks. Some clans prefer to hide in the wild and stay away from civilization entirely.”
I can’t imagine how scared those groups have to be to cut themseleves off from the world for generations.
The Captain sets the box down with care, the weighty thud prompting all eyes to focus on its weathered surface. “We had the boys check it, most gracious gargoyle. It be safe as far as all of our senses can tell.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Dolly says with a smile. “You and your crew are true friends to us.”
“Most artifacts from before the war were either destroyed, looted, or hidden. Prey animals suffered almost as much as magic users during that time, despite fighting with the predators. To preserve history, they had to be quick to ferret away things that might be useful one day,” Raina says, her gaze steady. “This is a forbidden piece of history, or that’s what the puffin said. It details a language used by magic wielders to communicate with other non-shifter supernatural beings during the conflict.”
“Other beings?” I echo, leaning in closer as my mind races with the implications. A language that could bridge gaps between the Fae and other creatures might offer insights into the tensions threatening to unravel the world as we know it. “You mean, like vampires?”
“Perhaps. I am unsure which beings were supporting the Fae and other magicals,” Raina confirms, her paws dancing with anticipation. “However, it is not a language for shifters—pred or prey—but one designed to conceal information from them.”
Aubrey nods, his expression serious, the scholar in him already piecing together the fragments of history and mystery like a puzzle waiting to be solved. “This could unlock the script in that book—maybe even that language on the rocks where we think the vault is hidden.”
I look around at my family and friends, and feel a surge of determination. With every revelation, every piece of the past unearthed, we edge closer to understanding the true nature of the threat we face.
The scent of antiquity wafts from the box as Raina delicately peels back the lid, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart races, matching Aubrey’s quickened breaths; we’re perched on the edge of a revelation that hums through the air like electricity.
If we know what shady shit the future Council members did, we might be able to bring the rebels to the table instead of the battlefield—not to mention find out what the hell they want with our girl.
“Look at this,” I murmur, eyes wide as the ancient parchment comes into view. “It’s like something straight out of human lore—code talkers and their secret languages designed to be uncrackable.”
Dolly cocks her head, a frown creasing her brow. “Code talkers? I don’t know that myth, Chessie.”
Aubrey leans in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Humans had these translators who used a little known indigenous language to transmit codes during the Great War. But given our history, it stands to reason that the actual communicators weren’t human at all but supernatural beings who spoke a language like this,” he gestures toward the scroll with a reverence usually reserved for sacred texts.
The room is still, save for the rustle of parchment as we unfurl the scroll across the coffee table. Words and symbols dance before our eyes, a cryptic ballet of ink and intent waiting to be deciphered. I have no idea what it means—yet—but it definitely looks like the symbols we’ve already seen.
“Can you imagine the secrets this will reveal?” Aubrey’s words are barely audible, his excitement palpable as he envisions the research ahead. Renard grins fondly, leaning into his mate as the dragon has what looks like a librarian-gasm over the artifact.
“Bet it’s just an ancient shopping list,” Fitz mutters, earning a snort from his twin. “It would serve us right for getting so excited.”
“Maybe it’s the recipe for a fake love potion,” Felix says, grinning as he joins his brother in needling the enthusiastic dragon.
“Guys,” Renard chides, though there’s a twinkle of amusement in his eye. “Don’t ruin Flames’s fun. He’s much less grumpy when he’s riding a wave of antiquity anticipation.”
“Of course he is,” I say, rolling my eyes but unable to suppress my own smile. “But no naughty fun until we look this over. And we’re all going to help. Right, Fitzy? ”
My mate groans and slaps his hand over his face. “Ugh. Fine . But only if Baby Girl sits with me while we sneeze into dusty tomes.”
Dolly smiles, looking at him fondly. “Of course I will. This could be the key we’ve been searching for. I’m down for a big crusty book and a tiger snuggle.”
No surprise there, but that’s why we all love her—she’s there for anything we need without hesitation.
“Thank you, Raina—you, too, Captain,” Dolly says. The gratitude is thick in her voice as she walks over and embraces them both. “You don’t know how much this means. You might have provided us with the one thing we need to unravel the mysteries plaguing us. Hell, it might even stop a rebellion before a fucking war breaks out.”
“You’re welcome, Dolly. We are always on your side,” Raina replies as she smiles up at our fierce bunny. “You and your family are the only preds who have treated us like equals. We tell the other prey any chance we get because I believe you are going to change the world someday.”
That makes our beautiful girl flush bright pink, and Fitz grins crazily. “Hell, yeah, she will. My Baby Girl is like the chosen one or some shit—you’ll all see. There’s a reason she is like she is and when we figure it out, all these dickheads better watch the fuck out.”
As always, Fitz is the most simplistically eloquent of all of us, even when he’s being crazy.
“Shall we gather our food and adjourn to Aubrey’s bookish dungeon?” I ask as I wink at the big dude.
His gaze narrows. “No dungeon things in my library, Chester Khan. I’ll have your hide for a rug.”
I grin innocently as they all laugh, shrugging. “It will probably be worth it, though.”
That, I’m not joking about—even the dragon knows it.