Prey It By Ear (Apex Academy Capers #7)

Disappointment

Delores

Looking around the room to make certain we’ve picked up all our belongings, I sigh deeply.

Our stay with Rennie’s clutch has been a lot of things, but it was probably one of the most peaceful few weeks I’ve had in years.

Their security is so tight that even Felix relaxed, and we could research, spend time with the gargoyles, and each other without being worried about what tragedy was coming from an unknown direction.

That doesn’t mean the world outside of this hidden haven has stopped moving, I know, but I’m a little sad that we have to pack up and leave for l’Academie so we can arrive before the start of the semester.

“They swear they’ve got all the residual shit cleaned up?”

I look at Rennie, smiling softly as he frets about things we most definitely cannot control.

He’s been making in-roads with his mother and father during our stay, which I think is healing him more than he lets on.

He never understood why they did the terrible, misguided shit that they did in the past, but finding out how dangerous the situation was has helped.

I’m not sure he’s forgiven them or the rest of his clutch yet, but the possibility is on the table in the future.

“Everything we’ve all received via email says that they have,” I reply as I stoop to check for things under the furniture. “You know that. Don’t fuss.”

Felix snorts from the balcony, and I know his eyes are on my ass sticking up in the air as I double-check things. “Princess, we put everything back and checked all that each time we made a mess. You’re being as paranoid as he is, but in a different way.”

Look who’s talking, buddy.

My tiger prince spent the first week patrolling all the perimeters with the gargoyle guards, inspecting everything as if an alien invasion was coming.

Once he relaxed, it was fabulous, but he was damned prickly for that short bit.

Felix smirks as I shoot him a look over my shoulder, the braid falling down my back as I straighten.

“I just don’t want to leave a mess; it’s rude. ”

“It is, but we’ve been quite careful,” Chessie says from the kitchen area.

“I started cleaning up a few days ago, bit by bit, and now we’re back to the way the house looked when we arrived.

I know you want to make a good impression on Ren’s people, but Felix is right.

Though to be fair, you’re right about Renard, too. ”

Chessie is always the peacemaker, and when I stand, I walk over to press a light kiss to his cheek in thanks. “You have such a way of making everyone feel heard, my knight. Thank you for mediating when we’re all stressing out about going back.”

“I’m not!” Fitz bounces past Felix and down the stairs to join us with a wicked grin. “I am ready to head back to that bullshit school and kick some fucking ass, Baby Girl. This is the year of vengeance, and we’re gonna start dishing it out.”

Arching a brow, I look at him. “Fitz, we can’t go back and immediately start beating people up. That will help nothing, especially since we need time to collate everything we found out here and the stuff the other teams found out on their trips.”

The front door opens and Aubrey comes in carrying the stack of research we’ve been accumulating in paper form.

We didn’t want any of this shit being hacked by someone like Fitzy, so everything is hard copy.

He walks over to the open case, placing it all inside carefully before zipping it up.

“This case is staying with me, and I’ll roast the first fucker who looks at it funny.

I’m tired of playing with all these warring factions.

It’s tiresome, and I refuse to take part anymore. ”

Fitz grins, heading over to high-five the dragon. “Hell, yeah, Salty Salamander! That’s what I said. We’re not being reactive this year—only proactive.”

I sigh, giving my enthusiastic tiger a fond smile.

“Don’t encourage him, big guy. Fitz wants to go in, guns a-blazing, and strike terror into people’s hearts.

We’re all trying to convince him that we still don’t have the complete picture, and that will probably force one or more of these dickheads to do something drastic. ”

“Given that we have no idea of the Fae contingent’s numbers, nor what the vampires are doing? That would be quite foolish, mon amis.”

Renard moves to greet Aubrey, and I grin when they are affectionate without a trace of concern.

That was difficult when we first arrived—Rennie was worried about how the clutch would react to his ties to a dragon as well as me, but it’s now commonplace.

No one gave him shit, not even the salty-ass escorts and guards, so he’s back to being who he is without concern.

I would have beaten someone’s ass if they did, as would Fitz, but luckily, our defense wasn’t necessary.

“We need to get back to the school, meet with the others, and put everything together first,” Felix says in a stern, no-nonsense tone.

He moves from the balcony, coming downstairs to join us as he continues.

“I believe that as much as we have been preparing over the summer, our enemies likely have as well. And it’s not just the Fae; it’s the Society and Council, some of our parents, Rockland, our cousin…

it’s too many to count until we’re boots on the ground. ”

I nod, murmuring, “The news has reported more missing students after the blow-up at the stadium, too. Who knows if that knocked anyone off the board or made room for another spy to take their place? The founding families have enormous trees, and they can move pieces all over the board to protect their profits and status.”

Fitz comes over and pulls me into his arms, squeezing tightly. “Baby Girl, I will not let any nasty bullies, crazy relatives, or random fangers get to you. You can defend yourself, I know, but trust me… you don’t need to. If you think that fight at Apex was crazy, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

“That’s true, unfortunately,” Felix says as he joins us. “I’ve definitely seen him more out of control than anything he’s unleashed in front of this family. On Bloodstone, we were… put in a lot of bad situations from a very young age. His ‘berserker’ mode is pretty gnarly.”

I look at Fitz, and he shrugs with a cheerful grin. “Big bro isn’t mentioning how fucking feral he can get. The fight underground was nothing in comparison.”

“If you’re all done polishing each other’s knobs?” Aubrey says wryly. “I’m happy to continue that on the train, but if we don’t get moving out of this place, we will not make it down the mountain in time to board.”

Fitz snorts, rolling his eyes. “Oh, good. Crispy Clockwatcher is back. Come on, Chessie, we’ve gotta move or he’s going to recite the entire schedule to us.”

Smiling as I whisper a mental goodbye to our summer home, I grab my things and follow my family out the door.

Hopefully, our bickering is the only trouble we run into before we get back to France.

The trip down the mountain back to the little village wasn’t nearly as bad as up it.

I suppose that makes sense, but we could get down without a nosy guide.

I was pleased about that because Rennie is a bit melancholy after his goodbyes with his parents and the rest of the clutch.

I know he’s not ready to let go of the past, but these past few weeks were the most time he’s spent with anyone like him in so long that civilizations have died out in that time.

I don’t blame him for being a wee bit maudlin that he’s going back to a world where he’s the exception, not the rule.

I sure as fuck know how that feels, and it isn’t great.

“Do you think I’m, like, a ‘unicorn’ or did Lucille and dear old granddaddy try this before me?” I say to Felix as we navigate out of the hills to go to town. “I mean, maybe the pissy Fae have, too, but… am I a ‘chosen’ one like a slayer or one of a bunch like Orphan Black?”

He looks at me in surprise, clearing his throat as he replies, “I don’t know, Princess.

Obviously, we think you’re one of a kind, but…

how would we even know what the Fae tried?

We still aren’t sure what definitely produced you, much less if it was something the preds in charge could have attempted more than once. ”

I wrinkle my nose, sighing heavily. “Lucille and Bruno never mentioned another heir. They were pissed that I was a failure, but as far as I remember, they never discussed replacing me. Maybe she knew she couldn’t get away with whatever she did more than once?”

“If your parents were as dedicated to fucking around as you’ve said, I doubt that’s true,” Fitz chimes in as he joins us. “I mean, you said they both had sidepieces all the time, but when it became an issue, the hussies disappeared, right?”

Nodding, I remember the gardener. “Yeah. On either side, though Bruno never talked about it. Lucille made snide remarks, which is how I know, but there’s no way she didn’t retaliate by taking out his mistresses.”

“I’d say whoever is your bio dad is someone your fake dad didn’t know about.

” Chess tilts his head as he catches up, his expression thoughtful.

“Your mother was under pressure to create a Rostoff heir, Bruno was shooting blanks, and whomever she pulled her shit with was nowhere near their life at home. She probably found the guy on a business trip or something. Maybe your friend Mattie can smuggle us some records?”

I think about that for a moment. “Mattie wasn’t employed by Lucille before I was born, but she does hold the key to a lot of financial records because she does all the paperwork and shit. Maybe she can dig through that to find out where Lucille was the year before I was born?”

“Good idea, both of you,” Aubrey rumbles as he and Renard get closer. “I think a paper trail to locate who your bitch mother used for ‘insemination’ may help us figure out not only why the Fae want you, but what to expect as you continue developing.”

“You make me sound like a science experiment, guys,” I grumble. “I highly doubt Lucille was bioengineering anything. The more likely scenario is that she needed a kid, was drunk on a trip, and fucked the wrong hot dude and found out.”

Fitz snorts, grabbing my hand to squeeze it. “You’re probably right, Baby Girl. But that doesn’t mean it won’t help you find out the truth. The further away you get emotionally from the parents who abused you, the easier it is to move on with life. Or, that’s what the books say, right?”

“What books?” Felix says as he gives Fitz a shocked look. “You’re reading psychology now, too?”

“Hell, no,” his twin retorts as I laugh. “But romance books are punk AF, and the ones we read have lots of fucking awesome lessons in them. They’re not all research for new kinks, you know.”

Rennie chuckles, nodding his agreement to the elder tiger. “He’s right, Felix. There are many layers to the things we read with ma cherie. You should join us in this too, as you have the knitting. I believe you would enjoy our little book club as well.”

“Anubis, save me,” Aubrey mutters. “I’m going to be sucked into a smutty book club with Fitz. I’m not sure if I can survive the indignity.”

I’m quite sure he will, though I won’t say anything; the dragon can bemoan it all he wants until he learns what lovely things come from our reading habit.