Work Song
Aubrey
The Raj has many things he still needs to work on, but since he admitted his adoration for our irrepressible bunny, leadership is not one of them.
He went from grumpy tyrant to an efficient, capable point man within weeks.
It showed me what kind of king he would have been but for his evil father, and I see why Fitz was so focused on proving that he should be the heir when they arrived.
I assume the cats left behind on Bloodstone are all of the ilk the current Raj would adore, and that Felix would certainly have worked to dismantle that system if he had not been exiled.
He has been skillfully managing our family—with the solid input of our mate—as if he was born to do so.
I suppose he was, but that never seemed accurate until her arrival on campus.
That ability got everyone moving last night, even me, and we were able to unpack, open the various resources in our home that needed to be, and get to bed at a decent hour.
It was a bit of a challenge when Fitz and the lunchable tried to tempt us, but the elder tiger adopted his ‘growly daddy’ persona with aplomb.
It forced the entire household to shut up and sleep so we would be rested and ready to rock this morning.
Being a dragon who likes to be fully rested, I appreciate that kind of demand and didn’t fight it, though Rennie helped our troublemakers out half-heartedly.
He’s as much of a brat as the other two and way too old to be so, but that is the man I have loved for a long time, so I put up with it.
I am more concerned about what will happen at school this semester than last, as the big blow-up didn’t send us skittering to a new location.
That makes me wonder if Dolly’s bitchy mother has given up on using her as a pawn and moved back to having her on a ‘kill’ list. If so, it means we will have even more secret enemies and possibly even assassins.
I’m not sure our plate can get any fuller, as Chess has been working on the updates since breakfast and is not finished.
It’s a lot, even for a flagon of people, and we’re working with five generals and maybe twenty soldiers at best. Being a shifter who has lived so many centuries, I know those odds are terrible, especially when one side has unlimited funds and the other bad guys have fucking magic.
“Why do you look so dour, big guy?”
I turn to look at the bunny in question with a rueful smile. “Chester has been working on that for so long that I am having difficulty figuring out how we will manage. With school duties and your classes, plus enough other bullshit to float an entire Navy, it seems quite daunting, if I’m honest.”
Fitz gives us both a smug smile from his spot on the couch.
While his cheetah was updating whiteboards, he’s been buried in his laptop with a hyper-focus that cannot be good, yet we were all fine with leaving him to it.
The younger tiger is not always forthcoming about his plans until they are in motion, and if he’s got shit up his sleeve that isn’t removing a head, I agree that giving him space to work is the best policy.
“You don’t have to worry about it too much yet, Hottie Gila. I’ve got plenty of things up my sexy sleeves to help us cull some of the bit players—or at least, keep them off our asses until we’re ready to truly deal with them.”
Our tasty treat arches a brow at him, her expression fond. “Fitz, remember that you can’t kill anyone just yet, okay? We’re not letting shit go this year, but we also don’t need to bring a bunch of direct heat on us unless we have no options. Right?”
“Loud and clear, Baby Girl,” the nutty feline says with a crazy grin. “I’m making life difficult and rude. What happens after that is none of my business.”
If that’s not ominous, I don’t know what is.
“Where’s Rennie?” she asks as she turns to me, leaving the younger Khan to his secrets. “I haven’t seen him since we ate.”
I chuckle, shaking my head as I shrug. “He didn’t say, but I assume he’s gone to gather his prey allies for the afternoon meeting.
Likely he will fly over the forest as well because he is adamant that the beings in the forest will make themselves known this semester.
I’d say he’s obsessed, but since he’s the only one of us with any knowledge in the matter, I cannot.
His caution is born of experiences that we do not have, and I trust him to judge the danger appropriately. ”
Dolly sighs, nodding as she says, “Me, too. However, I have no idea what we’ll do about it.
The supposed vampires have stayed hidden, and while there're rumblings of things we heard while in their original homelands, I don’t know where they will fall in this mess.
It seems like they’d side with the Fae, but who knows?
The world is very shitty for secret magicals, I suppose, and they may live as mercenaries to survive. ”
Chess pauses his work to look at her seriously. “That doesn’t mean we should forgive them for working for the Society if that’s the case. They’re traitors to their own kind and in cahoots with the people fucking with the shifter world. Sort of like a double villain, you know?”
He’s trying to keep our girl from empathizing with people Rennie swears would kill us where we stand for shits and snacks, so I get why he’s doing this.
“Well, duh, Chessie!” The lunchable smacks the couch, making a face that says she’s not a fool at him. “I can understand how something happened without excusing bad behavior, you know. There’s a vast difference between a reason and an excuse—intent is important, but not exculpatory.”
The cheetah squints at me. “Is she watching legal shows again?”
Cackling, Fitz peeks over the edge of his laptop. “Too much texting with that Southern badger, I’d say. Her fancy friend has brought in the best and worst possible defense counsel we could have ever chosen. He’s teaching her way too much via osmosis.”
Seeing the smug smirk on Dolly’s face, I actually believe the tiger might be correct.
We’re all in trouble if she’s picking up debate and legalese for her toolkit.
Dolly Drew is smart enough to use that knowledge in ways none of us will ever be able to predict, and she already has us wrapped around her fingers and tied in bows.
We’re in serious trouble now.
The rest of the morning was fairly productive.
Fitz continued his work, Chester completed the boards with our intel from the vacation, and Felix made certain that we had every document sent to us via the school laid out on the counter for planning purposes.
Snacksize wasn’t thrilled with her schedule and made a justified fuss about it, but we were able to get her back to baseline so she can focus on the upcoming visitors and whatever information they have to share.
It made me a bit suspicious when the younger Khan didn’t lose his marbles over the counseling sessions, but I decided not to comment on it.
Chess didn’t look worried, and that tells me he’s in on whatever Fitz is doing to make the closet narcissist in that office suffer.
And who am I to derail that much-earned justice by bringing more attention to it?
Chuckling as I help Rennie pack up the bags that absolutely did not get to the laundry last night, I lean in to whisper, “I hate not knowing what Fitzgerald is plotting on principle, but if it’s going to hit the fucking vulture, I can’t complain.”
My mate smirks, pausing in his chore to nod.
“I agree, mon amour. We’ve tip-toed around this for so long that it feels…
as if we’re allowing things to happen so we feel okay with striking back.
However, that sort of defensive position can only be held for so long when the offense continues to grow outside the gates. ”
I arch a brow, snorting as I imagine all those dipshits standing in formation.
Very few of our enemies have the chops to truly participate in any physical attacks—whether it be because of their species or their spoiled rich-kid upbringing.
The genuine concerns are the two biggest players in this war of worlds, and everyone else is more like a swarm of gnats bothering us until we swat them.
They come back, of course, and it would be simpler to smash them so we don’t have to keep fighting them off.
They will not band together, though, as what connections they have to our serious foes are limited and intended to position them as cannon fodder.
Neither the Fae nor the Society care if bit players like the mean girls or the counselor get killed for their efforts; they simply want to use them as catalysts.
“I’m not scared of the D-list players, love. I just despise the pressure and pain they are dishing out to our lunchable.” My frown makes the gargoyle laugh, and he winks at me playfully. “It’s not funny.”
“It kind of is, Flames. You spent so fucking long refusing to even admit you loved me, and then we hid it even longer. Now you’re comfortable expressing care for her, for me, and even for the felines.
I’m so proud of your growth, yet worried for what will happen when you are inevitably faced with the past that made you so detached. ”
Of course he brings that up now—trust a Frenchman to take it back to emotions every time.
Sighing, I run a hand through my shaggy hair.
“Rennie, if we end up visiting my clash, I will not toss everyone aside for the honor of dragons or some bullshit. They kicked out a child and left me to survive on my own because I got mad and torched a library by accident. Yes, it was a very bad accident, and it ruined a lot of things that everyone wishes we still had access to. But I was a child, and they abandoned me over pride. I’ve spent millennia guarding treasure and libraries ever since, yet no one has ever once reached out to me. ”
His smile is gentle as he ties the last bag and walks over to me.
Brushing a hair that flopped back out of my face, Renard looks at me seriously.
“You’ve done more than enough penance for the mistakes of a child, Aubrey.
If your clash does not accept you for who you have become after that abandonment, they do not deserve to know you.
Ma petite and the cats will agree with me, so do not fret about it. ”
I grumble, letting him coax me back to less unstable ground with his soothing.
“I know you will all still love me; that is not something I question. I am more concerned about the inner dragonlet who has not healed in such a long time, making me quite unbearable and possibly more malleable than I’d prefer.
I read a book on the train that said it could be so. ”
Blinking at me, I watch as my love’s face lights up. “Did the petit lapin convince you to read psychology? Fuck a fleet of ducks, I cannot even… Mon Dieu*, it is a miracle.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Rennie chuckles, his hands cupping my face as he continues beaming at me.
“Flames, I’m not saying you should develop some ridiculous self-help book addiction.
We only suggested that you work on knowing what and why you do what you do before you have to see them again.
I did not have the luxury of forewarning, and everyone but Dolly does.
It is simply not likely that we will avoid the ghosts of the past if the world is going to war, non? ”
I blow out a long breath and nod. “As usual, you’re irritatingly pragmatic when I’d prefer you to be whimsical and easy to disregard. It’s very inconvenient, you know.”
“Mmm hmm,” he replies as he leans in to kiss me softly and then pulls away. “Now get moving with these bags before we have too much time on our hands. Felix will attempt to kick our asses if we’re not getting things done on schedule. He’s wound like a pocket watch at the moment.”
I’d call him an old man over the watch thing, but I’d be knocking myself, too—and he’s spot on, anyway.
* My God