Perfect
Fitz
I love the absolute faith my baby girl has in me.
It’s helped me move beyond the druggy haze I was in when she first arrived at Apex for that tour and become a functioning member of my ragtag family.
She did similar things in different ways for all of us, but the way she embraced my crazy and helped me manage all my quirks is nothing short of astounding.
Everything and everyone is better because of her, and I don’t give a rat’s ass how many more enemies or problems we have.
I’d fight the entire fucking Pred League bare-handed if it meant she was safe at home, so the assholes hunting her can get all the way fucked.
“Fitzy, we should head back to the table so they don’t think something happened,” she says as she swings her feet from the edge of the bed. “I don’t want Felix and Aubrey to have to worry about me when Chessie and Rennie are working.”
Giving her a fond smile, I tilt my head. “Do you think they believe for a second that I wouldn’t tear this fucking train to the bolts if someone tried to breathe in your direction?”
Her giggle makes my heart flutter, and I walk closer so I can inhale her sweet scent. “I think everyone knows that, Fitz. But that doesn’t mean some sneaky fucker with magic or something might not attack when we don’t expect it. That’s our world now, you know?”
Tugging her up by her hands, I pull her tight to my frame as I look into big blue eyes.
“It is, but there is nothing you need to worry about when it comes to how far I’d go.
And that goes double for the others—the Cranky Caiman would shift so fast it would destroy this tin can before people even blinked.
And he’d have you across the globe before the rest of us could even figure out what the hell happened. ”
“That… sounds like a plan that has been discussed,” she says with narrowed eyes. “Is it a plan that has been discussed without my being involved?”
I shrug as she glares at me, giving her my most charming smile.
“Probably. We have a lot of plans regarding getting you the fuck away from people attacking you until we regroup. If we didn’t have those, it would be unforgivable, and you’d be right to kick our asses into the next century. You’re our mate, Baby Girl.”
Her annoyed huff is cute, but I don’t say that as she gathers her thoughts.
When she speaks, her tone is firm. “I get why you have to do that, and also why the others want to have those in place. But I am not backing down from a fight to help people ever, even though I might be in danger. The one thing Lucille always drilled into me was that this world is ‘pred eat pred’ and no one is ever truly safe. It’s not news to me, and I refuse to become a pampered princess simply because my mates are rich, royal dudes. Got it?”
Man, if her mom wasn’t such a raging bitch, she might actually be proud of what she raised bravery-wise.
“I get it,” I murmur as I lean my forehead against hers.
“But I can’t promise one of us won’t flip their shit and enact one, anyway.
We love you too much to risk losing you, even if the rest of the world burns to cinders.
I don’t want to lie to you, so I’m telling you the truth as I feel it in my heart, Dolly Drew.
You’ll have to get used to that as much as I have to understand yours. Got it?”
Her smile is huge as she shakes her head. “You’re crazy as hell and I adore you, Fitz Khan. Let’s get back to your brother and our dragon before they send up rescue flares, hmm?”
“Fiiiiine,” I say with a huff of resignation. “But I want it on record that I was ready to rock your world and bring you all the way back before either of them even noticed we were running behind. There were acrobatics planned, I’ll have you know.”
Chuckling, she pecks a kiss on my lips and squeezes me tight. “I promise you can show me the acrobatics tonight. It might even impress your brother; he’s not doing yoga with me like you and Chessie, so he won’t be able to compete.”
“Oh, he’s never been able to equal me physically, Baby Girl. Felix is the brains and I am the motherfucking brawn,” I purr low as my finger traces along her shirt collar. “And he knows it, too. Ask him.”
Her hand comes up to cup my face, and she says softly, “Fitz, you are not just the brawn, and you’ve spent the past two years showing exactly how much you can contribute other than just beating the snot out of people.
The only person who hasn’t realized that you’ve been successful is… you. Stop selling yourself short.”
My eyes widen and I stare at her for a moment, slack-jawed.
I have been trying to contribute in other ways, and I absolutely wanted people to notice, but…
I guess I just didn’t see when they actually paid attention.
Or at least, I didn’t realize that I’d convinced them entirely.
But the look on Dolly’s face is earnest, and I know she believes what she just said with every fiber of her being.
She’s telling the truth, and she wants me to understand that it’s real.
Maybe I’ve been too busy to notice, but my baby girl has rehabilitated my ‘exile breakdown’ and made me someone who isn’t just feared, but respected.
I’ll be damned—she really is a miracle bunny.
“Took you long enough,” the dragon grumbles as we approach the table. Dolly shoots me a knowing look and I laugh as I hold her chair out. “I was considering who would have to come roust you.”
“Aubrey, I needed to freshen up a little, too. I felt stuffy and wilted from sitting in here for so long,” our girl says as she settles back into her seat. “It’s not Fitz’s fault that I took a little time to do so. He was a perfect gentleman.”
“Regrettably,” I mutter as I take my seat and lean back to stack my hands behind my head. “She’s not covering for me. I certainly wanted to do filthy things to her delectable body while we were in there, but I was rebuffed. It’s a real blow to my ego.”
Felix snickers into his hand, and Dolly rolls her eyes. “I didn’t ‘rebuff’ you because I didn’t want to ride the rails; I did it because I knew these guys would worry. Your promise of acrobatics and orgasms was very tempting; we’ll revisit it later.”
“Woohoooooooo!” I celebrate as I lean in, elbows on the table. “Alright, you have my attention now that you’ve confirmed—in front of these dickheads—that I get to pet your pelt tonight. Bro, what have you and the Grouchy Gecko done since we left? Chop, chop.”
Aubrey sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Fitz. How in the hell are we supposed to focus after that?”
“Calm down,” Felix says as he socks the dragon’s shoulder lightly. “You’ll get your chance soon enough. The princess shortchanges no one with her attention or time.”
Dolly squints at him, her expression irritable. “How many times have I said not to discuss me like I’m not here, Felix Khan? And don’t be ridiculous—of course I spend time with all of you because I love all of you idiots. Holy Hera, you’re all going to drive me over the edge with this stuff.”
My brother and Aubrey blink, staring at her as she flops back in her chair with her arms crossed.
They look at one another, and then at me, flabbergasted at something that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I press my lips together, my smirk deepening as two of the smartest people I know seem flummoxed by our incredibly passionate, loyal, and opinionated mate speaking her truth in public without a single fuck given about whether someone hears it or not.
“You two are dumb as a box of rocks,” I finally say.
“There’s not a person or place on this planet where our mate wouldn’t stand on a podium with a megaphone and shout to the rooftops that she loves us.
The only reason we’ve been less public about it than I’d prefer is to keep the fucking Council dicks from sending more people to kill us all. ”
Aubrey frowns. “That’s true, but—”
“But nothing, Aubrey Draconis. We hid nothing from Rennie’s parents, and I’m not hiding it from anyone else if they ask me,” she says as she wrinkles her nose.
“However, I really don’t want people trying to take you, my friends, or anyone else out because you’re associated with me.
Losing you would probably send me so far over the edge that I don’t… ”
I give her a knowing look. “You’d let the world burn rather than have it happen, right?”
Dolly nods, her expression firm. “I sure as fuck would, baby, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I am definitely as crazy as you, if not more.”
That makes Aubrey grin broadly, and he pulls his glasses off to clean them as he asks, “What if that means letting our magical friends take out the current leadership?”
She snorts, shaking her head. “I do not give one single fuck about what happens to Lucille or any of them. I don’t even really care about the whole ‘pred supremacy’ thing, either.
I’m fighting them because I don’t want more people to get hurt, Aubrey.
It doesn’t matter to me who is running this place as long as it’s not as harmful as it is now; it needs to be fair, and it needs to be safe for everyone, you know?
But I don’t think that’s what the Fae chick is aiming for, so… we fight.”
“Spoken like a real heroine,” Felix says as he scratches his chin. “Which is exactly what everyone needs right now, I think.”
“Hell no,” Dolly says with a sharp slap of her palm on the table. “I am not the right person to take over being in charge, and neither are any of you. We do not want that kind of responsibility, so no matter what happens in this stupid war of angry, resentful supes, we are not doing that.”
I nod in agreement. She’s right, but I’d love to know why she’s saying it. “And why is that, Baby Girl?”
“Because I’m too young, and you guys are too damn rich.
None of us should be in charge of anything when we were raised by all the people who fucked this up to start with.
” Her nails tap on the table, and she murmurs, “It should be normal preds—and prey—who clean up this mess and lead everyone into a better future. At least, that’s what I think, whether I’m qualified to have an opinion or not. ”
Felix gives her a proud look as he replies, “You’re exactly the kind of pred who should have an opinion, then, Princess.
Because you don’t want to control people or squeeze them for what they give…
you want them to be happy and free. However, I agree that if this whole thing goes belly up like we expect that the new leadership should be for and by everyone.
And though I wanted to be king after my dad, I do not want to be king anymore. ”
My eyes widen. “Seriously, bro?”
He nods. “I just want to be with my mate and my snarky ass family, doing things we enjoy, without being hunted by assholes. I’m not sure I know when that changed, but I’d say sometime after our girl arrived and blew up the entire world in front of us.”
Dolly turns bright red and waves her hand at him. “Felix Khan, you stop before you make me mushy or I’m going to turn the table and spank you tonight. After Fitz does acrobatics, of course, but still.”
Fuck, I absolutely adore my family, and I cannot wait to see her try that shit tonight.