Leaving On A Jet Plane

leaving on a jet plane

B iding our time as Jackson, Lucas, and the others arrange this damn trip has been absolute torture. Channing and I slogged through the budget of some of the smaller departments—depressing as that was—and made a lot of notes on how criminally under-funded their programs were. We brought in a few professors, students, and even alumnae to give us firsthand dirt on what their lives were like under Magnus’ regime.

The Society wanted me to clear up the corruption here, but I don’t think they expected me to take it this seriously.

That doesn’t matter to me in the slightest—if I’m going to put this entire campus through the ringer, I’m going to ensure all the students are given a fair shot at education for what they pay. The days of allocating eighty percent of the budget to the Dean’s pets and sports team are over. It will make waves, but Channing and I are making sure we have the evidence to back up our moves. The graduation rates and post-university career success stories will bear out some of them, but testimony will make it even more compelling.

“Morgana, I agree with your efforts, but this is going to make the target on your back worse,” my assistant says with a sigh. “People at State U have been accepting the way it is for a long time. Getting them to shift will be difficult.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “Honestly, Chan? I don’t mind if everyone is up in arms. We’re going to find backers when they hear how completely fucked this shit is. Donations earmarked for specific programs, scholarships, and events have been funneled through the correct accounts, only to be moved to unapproved ones as soon as board meetings are over. No one was auditing this shit and we’re lucky it’s been kept secret this long.”

She grimaces as she looks at the papers in her hands. “That’s true. Most of the financial chicanery happening under Magnus broke laws in both worlds, and that draws attention supes don’t need. The Society will have to do a lot of PR spinning once this becomes public record.”

“Exactly.” I toss my set of printouts onto the table, sighing as I lean back in my chair. “We’re going to be untangling this for years. Magnus had a small flotilla of assholes working hard to hide all his bullshit. I don’t know if they were skilled humans or if he also had magic users go over it with distraction enchantments. There’s just no way a question was never raised about any of it unless he was double-dipping on his security.”

The ice-wielder pushes her glasses up, tilting her head as she studies me. “Your ex was very good at keeping his circle tight and full of worshippers and grifters who benefited from keeping his secrets. We’ll be working on this for quite a while. Does that bother you?”

“Fuck, I don’t know. It would have been a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to do this time and get the hell out, you know?” I grin a little and shrug. “Now I’m attached to people and trying to solve some big Nancy Drew ‘Mystery at the Supernatural University,’ so I guess I’m less eager to run away.”

Channing laughs softly, her eyes dancing. “I can’t say I blame you for that. Sexy men and searching for clues is way more interesting than hiding yourself on some tropical island until the bad press goes away.”

I’ll be damned; how did she know?

“You’re very observant, Channing. I knew there was a reason I hired you.”

A knock interrupts our humor, and my new friend leaps up to go to the door. She waits for me to nod before opening it, then smiles when she sees Lucas leaning against the doorjamb. “Dean LeCiel, there’s a student here to see you.”

Her voice is full of suggestion, and I feel my face redden as the muscled bear lopes into the room with a smirk. Lucas winks at her as she scurries into the outer office, shutting the heavy oak behind her quickly. His eyes rove over the table full of accounting paperwork and he clicks his tongue. “Damn, Morgana. This looks like my nightmares come to life.”

I snort. “That makes two of us, baby. Numbers have never been my thing, but prisoners do not get to choose the punishment for their crimes, no matter how justified they were.”

“Pity. I would have lobbied to be head shoe shiner at the palace before this shit.” He walks over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders and massaging them firmly.

“Shit, that’s nice,” I sigh as my eyes close. “And yeah, I could have survived a lot to avoid this, but it brought me here to you guys, sooooo…. I’m not complaining.”

I can feel his eyes on me and imagine how broadly he’s grinning. Lucas is starving for praise and love, even if his grandmother was good to him, and he lights up like a Christmas tree when I give it without being asked. His parents are stupid, selfish assholes and so was every dumbfuck who used him for his family name before now.

Damn, that almost sounds like I’m…nope.

Shaking my head to clear it, I open my eyes and look up at him with a grin. “To what do I owe this unscheduled visit, mate?”

“Nana got the old farts to agree. She just texted me during my last class, so I headed here to tell you in person.” His smug grin tickles me; I know he didn’t actually do more than ask his rich relative to fix something, but he’s so adorably proud of himself.

“Good job, baby. I’m glad my GPS won’t go off and send Guardians winging their way to Bay City to arrest me for leaving my invisible cage.”

“That’s bullshit, anyway,” he grumbles. “As long as you do your shit and serve out your time, grounding you in one place is fucking stupid and spiteful. I asked Nana to figure out just who requested that extra bit of security so we can check into them.”

And again, he surprises me with his strategy. No wonder he’s a Captain.

“I doubt she’ll be able to find out someone’s hidden motives, but… thank you,” I murmur up at him. “You’re really making it hard to focus on doing shit when you’re not around.”

His chest puffs up, and he preens a bit—which was my goal. I didn’t think I’d ever find anyone who made me feel safe or like I want to take the risk of sharing myself with them again until this brash young bear stomped into my house, but I’m not stupid enough to reject it. Between him and the Prince, I fell asleep every night this week in a cocoon of warm, sated comfort like I’ve never experienced before.

“Want to walk across campus with me for a coffee? I think the pretty boy is working.”

My smile widens, and I pull away so I can scoot out from the table. “Why didn’t you lead with that? I’d love to visit Slade. He and Iggy have been so busy getting their stuff covered for the trip and dealing with ‘secret’ sources to scout his dad. I haven’t seen nearly enough of them.”

Lucas nods, holding his hand out. “It’s afternoon, anyway, and I’d be surprised as fuck if you’ve eaten since breakfast. And before you say it, no , coffee does not count, even if you filled it with a bunch of fluffy shit.”

Damn. He’s got me there.

“Stop being impressively observant and chivalrous. You’re making me look bad,” I grumble as we walk to the door. When we exit, Channing winks at me and I sigh when I realize she’s heard every word.

“I’ll set your phone and email to ‘out for lunch,’ Morgana. I don’t want people chasing you while you eat.” My bear gives Channing a double thumbs-up, and she flushes brightly. “Make sure she’s back before her meeting at two, Lucas.”

“Got it Chan-o-rama!” he calls and I chuckle.

I don’t know how he charms damn near everyone around us, but he does. Polar bears aren’t known for being friendly, nor are spoiled rich guys, but Lucas Wolfberg is an exception to almost every rule. I think that’s why he burst through my defense so easily; he’s simply not what he seems from the outside. His actual personality is fucking adorable and infinitely endearing, with a broad capacity for fun and adventure.

I haven’t been around anyone with that kind of joie de vivre in an extremely long time.

“Okay, Lady M. So you usually have a large vanilla cappuccino with whip, sweetener, and some fluffy shit. But today , I want you to try something new. We’re flying to a place neither of us has been to meet criminals we don’t know tomorrow… so adventure is on the docket.”

I blink at him. “Were you reading my mind, you nosey parker?”

He laughs and shakes his head as we leave the admin building to head across the quad. “Nope. But I’m all about experiencing new shit. It’s been an awfully good week for that, yeah?”

Flashes of him and the Prince together and with me assault my brain and I nod. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, it has.”

“Bad girl,” he coos playfully. “Not in public. You’re going to draw supes with good noses if you don’t clean up that dirty mind. But yeah, you caught my drift.”

I shake my head again and suck in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay. So the theme of today and by extension, the trip… is try new shit?”

“Fuck, yeah, it is!” Lucas pumps his fist in the air and I laugh. “I mean, why not? If people are trying to frame me, kill you, and who knows what the others have going on… why wouldn’t we enjoy ourselves every minute?”

When you put it like that…

“Okay. I’m in.” He grins and I look at him seriously. “Who else is involved? Have you asked Li or the others to play along?”

“Nope,” he says with a pop. “But I’m going to. Liam will definitely accept ‘cause he’s very adaptable. Slade might—which is why we’re going there now to get our caffeine and protein on. Iggy? I’m not sure about him, but if we convince Slade, we can get him in, I think. The dragon will be harder.”

“Uh, I highly doubt Kaspar will play along with anything , especially if I’m in,” I reply wryly. “He’s got a giant hard-on for being a jerk to me and nothing else.”

“Mmmm, I don’t know about that,” my bear says as we get closer to the coffeehouse. “You’re giving him too much leeway with his shit, and that’s what he enjoys.”

I frown as I grab Lucas’s arm and look at him. “Are you trying to tell me he gets off on pissing me off?”

His finger taps my nose as he grins. “Bingo, Lady M. You get the stuffed animal and a free spin of the wheel.”

“How about I just join your delusional yet sexy ass for lunch instead?” He chuckles at my grumpy reply but follows me as I stride toward the shop in irritation.

“You can deny it all you want,” he sing-songs, “but I promise you, the dude is just edging himself. He’ll give in, eventually.”

Shooting him a dirty look, I yank open the door to the beanery and beam at the siren behind the counter. “Afternoon, Slade. What’s the story, morning glory?”

Lucas wasn’t wrong in calling him a pretty boy, and the flush that crawls up his neck is even more enticing. “Hey, guys. What are you doing here in the middle of the day?”

“Nana got Lady M cleared to fly, so we’re having lunch to celebrate. Also, she doesn’t eat if people don’t remind her.”

Slade frowns. “That’s not good for either of her energy sucking sides.”

“Oi,” I say as I slap my palm on the counter. “ She is right here and has been alive fifty times longer than either of you. I’m aware of my bad habits, boys.”

They both look sheepish, and finally Slade murmurs, “The usual, then?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I promised Lucas adventure, and that’s what we’re doing. Tell me all the weird, special shit you’re doing.”

Even old gargoyles can learn new tricks, after all.