Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Delores
I step out of voice class and into the hallway’s antiseptic chill, my vocal cords raw from an hour of drills that make strep throat sound like a beach vacation.
My dance bag is heavier than it should be, and the strap is trying to cut my shoulder in half.
I’m still feeling the tail end of emotionally reconnecting with my bestie, and for the next one hundred and eighty minutes, I have to outmaneuver the twin’s dickhead cousin without getting in trouble.
It’s yet another class I’m not looking forward to, and it’s the longest one of all.
Surprisingly, Aubrey is waiting in the corridor, leaning against the wall with a frown that says he’d rather be anywhere but amongst the student body, but will endure it for my sake.
He’s not wearing his usual outfit today; instead, he’s dressed in black slacks and a turtleneck that manages to look both nerdy and a little too sexy for this hallway.
His hair is getting a bit wild as he grows it out, which I enjoy because it’s got a tiny bit of wave that makes him look even more scholarly somehow.
“Is that your turtleneck or are you taking a page from Fitzy by borrowing from our poetic mate?” I ask teasingly.
The shirt definitely looks as if it might have come from Rennie’s closet, though Aubrey has to be stretching it big time if so.
The gargoyle is much more lithe than the dragon in humanoid form even if his onyx one is big as hell.
Aubrey gives me a small smirk, adjusting his glasses as he offers his arm to me.
“You sound a little hoarse, snack size. That teacher isn’t pushing you to do harmful things to your pipes, is she?”
I note that he’s skillfully avoiding my question, but I guess public chatting about our rapidly blending wardrobe pieces might make him feel too exposed.
“We worked hard, but it wasn’t anything that will give me nodes.
I do need to be cautious for the rest of the day, though.
That’s why I’m staying quieter than usual. ”
Our pace is even as he walks with me to the elevator and growls at the others waiting for it so they don’t join us. I give the dragon a knowing expression, and he shrugs.
“I’m a tenured professor and two thousand years old, lunchable. I don’t give a single fuck if they think I’m rude. The only people whose opinions I value reside in our annex.” He stabs the button with his finger, and I chuckle at his grumpy declaration.
“Even Fitz?” I ask playfully.
He groans, sucking in an annoyed breath before muttering, “If you tell him, I’ll punish you, but yes, occasionally the hyper tiger offers amusement or valid counsel.”
As the bell dings and we exit, our footsteps echo loudly in the main lobby.
The Shird is unusually empty for mid-morning, but I guess most people are off to lunch.
There’s a comfort to the silence after his admission, and we stride to the doors together without incident.
Aubrey holds the doors open for me, and I step into the daylight, shielding my eyes from the sun.
Within seconds, my mate reaches over to grab my bags off my shoulder and rifles through one until he finds my sunglasses.
Holding them up, the dragon waits until I’m able to see again before we continue moving.
“I do not get to walk you as often because of my duties,” he says when I arch a brow at him. “The Captain’s crew does, and so do the others, but the library is a demanding mistress during certain time periods of the year. The first week is one of those, I fear.”
“You act like you don’t enjoy snarling at everyone and making them realize they’d rather fail a class than invade your space, big guy.
I know better.” I sneak a look at him and I think he might have a slight pink tint to his face.
“That show keeps anyone using your space for dumb shit away, and then you can deal with the true knowledge seekers until mid-terms at least.”
Aubrey makes a noise, not quite a laugh but more a dragonic purr of agreement. “I suppose you’re right, nibblet. I would prefer to only have those who have need or want of my books patronize the library. The ‘educational tourists’ vex me at best and harm my books at worst.”
“At least Fitz and Chessie don’t get it on in this one,” I shoot back with a grin. “Since our home is connected, most of the sexy times occur in appropriate places now.”
He laughs again, his free hand patting the one I have on his bicep.
“Your sharp wit and tongue are what I have always liked about you, even the first day I met you at Apex. Even when they tried to break you, you gave them back as good as you got. And you came into the lives of five stubborn, damaged idiots with no experience and whipped us all into shape without fear.”
I can’t help but smile at his brief summary. “That’s funny because I was scared all the time, Aubrey. I was afraid I was unlovable, that I was being scammed again, that I’d die in some corner of campus… I didn’t show it as much, I suppose, but I definitely felt it.”
We’re at the front steps of the Dupree building now—named for a Society family that bought their way into cultural relevance by funding all the projects that involve air freight and long-distance travel, according to my notes from the summer.
This building being on the campus of the arts school is odd—I’d expect them to have bigger ones at U he’s not really interested in what their intent is, so aggression is the default response.”
I blink, looking at him in surprise. “Really? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I know Fitzy and Felix lose their minds about that stuff, but you and Rennie and Chessie are a bit more… relaxed.”
His snort is loud enough to rival the ding of the elevator as the doors open. “Snack size, you’re sorely mistaken. Perhaps the Khans react to those things in your presence more often, but you underestimate the amount of preds us ‘relaxed’ guys have sent to the infirmary on your behalf.”
I’ll be damned. Seriously?!
“I didn’t…” My face heats as we walk down the hall toward the lecture hall where my Shifter History class is being held. “I guess it’s easier to know that when someone gives you preserved body parts, huh?”
Aubrey rolls his eyes. “Yes, Fitzgerald’s craziness does make it difficult to measure up in that arena. However, you should consider that even your prey friends likely avenge those who bad mouth you where they can hear. You inspire quite a bit of loyalty, lunchable, and that is commendable.”
“My reward is to survive Rockland for five hours a week and this asshole for three hours every Friday,” I reply drily. “The universe is definitely not on my side, big guy.”
That makes him chuckle, and he stops near the door to the hall, taking both of my hands in his.
“Dolly Drew, you are meant for great things, and I believe that no matter how difficult it is, you are built to survive it. And if anyone challenges that, I’ll just set them on fire.
It’s been a long time since I got to enjoy the smell of burning, you know. ”
It’s weird that he’s even hotter now, right? It definitely is.
“Aubrey, your parents were dumbasses and I don’t even care if they have a reason like Rennie’s.
At least he was almost an adult. You were a little guy with no one, and you made it this many years on your own.
You’re a pretty good survivor, too.” I push up on my toes and kiss my cranky lizard softly.
“But I appreciate you pumping me up before this nightmare. Don’t think I missed what you were doing, buddy. ”
“I still think you should get Farley to insist you have an escort in here, too,” my dragon says eventually. “None of us like you alone with one of the Khan loyalists, and there are other problems who will probably be present. It feels very unsafe.”
“Aubrey Draconis,” I say with mock seriousness, “Are you doubting my ability to handle this douche and the shitty women who used to bully me? That can’t be right.”
His lips twitch. “Very well. But if you feel unsafe—”
“I’ll use the app,” I say, deadpan, before he can finish. “I promise.”
“Do not let the tiger get to you,” Aubrey says, low and firm. “He does not understand you, nor does his opinion define you. You are not the type of prey he is trained for, so you have more advantage than you realize.”
I smile, but it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. “I know. But I also know what he’s capable of. He’s not like the mystery professor—I have a very clear idea of what he probably got up to on Bloodstone before coming here.”
Aubrey puts a hand on my shoulder, his grip light but enough to make me look up. “If you need anything—”
“I’ll text.” I don’t say ‘don’t worry about me’ because that’s a lie and we both know it. Instead, I pat his hand and step away, trying not to show how much I’ll miss the protective warmth of him when I’m in that classroom alone.
The door to my lecture hall is propped open, the room already humming with the low drone of shifters in various states of readiness.
I step inside, scan the room, and take my usual seat—back row, far right, with perfect sight lines to both the exit and the lecturer’s table.
I set my bag down, unzip it with precision, and arrange my pre-class arsenal and my phone face-down but close enough for a quick panic text.
Now it’s just me, a room full of future Society scions, and a professor who’s going to try to break me for the next few hours. I flex my hand, shake out the tension, and get ready to defend my existence with nothing but a notebook and a stubborn refusal to be erased.
Let’s see who wins this round—I’m ready for it.