Setting the Trap

Delores

My legs give out after the fourth orgasm and I shudder against his thigh. "Aubrey… I have to make it home. My legs have to work."

His proud rumble doesn't guarantee he's listening, so I lift just enough to roll off of him onto my back in the cloud of softness surrounding us. A hand on my ass makes me look up, pushing hair out of my face as I groan. "If you can still walk, I haven't completed the job yet."

"Be that as it may, big guy, I don't want to fall off your back on the way home." My expression softens as he preens and I adjust myself to drape over his chest. The book loving dragon is the most stoic of all my men, but I know his heart is the most guarded. Licking my lips nervously, I scoot up until I can look into his eyes. "I trust you to keep me safe, you know."

"Even when you don't want to listen, mighty Queen?" His question is teasing, but I see the worry in his eyes.

With all the enemies surrounding us, it's not easy to trust anyone.

"Especially then, Aubrey. You, Rennie, Chessie, and the twins have changed my life. You make me smarter, more confident, and happier than I've ever been." I lean in, kissing him softly before I continue. "You, in particular, challenged me from the first day I walked into your library. The need to prove you wrong drove me to get through that first week."

"Really?"

I grin and shrug. "Well, you and Felix. You were both humongous assholes."

Aubrey doesn't look the slightest bit sorry as he ruffles my hair. "And look how that turned out."

"Yes, the multiple bad guys trying to kill me have increased exponentially since you two made me dig my heels in. I'm truly blessed," I say wryly. That makes him laugh and I sigh, stroking my fingers over his face. "I wouldn't change it for the world, promise."

"Me, neither, nibblet." His eyes narrow and he studies me for a moment. "But you know that."

He knows I'm struggling and he's giving me a way out, but I need to take the leap.

" It's hard for me to trust people because of… the things that happened before I got to Apex full time." I swallow hard, lowering my gaze as my heart thumps in my chest like a metronome. "But even though you have similar scars, you saw me that first day. Through all the attitude and false bravado, the layers and walls…you saw the person I wanted to become and let me in. It might have only been into your archives at first, but I know that was a huge step for you—just like bringing me here is."

His eyes widen and for a brief second, his face heats with a flush. "Well…"

Slipping my hands up his face to his hair, I give him a knowing smile. "Just as I noticed you haven't gotten Rennie to trim your hair since before Yule. Didn't you say something about a boy band?"

"I… no! I mean… I haven't had time," he grumbles, looking away from me.

The five of them are absolutely fucking adorable when they get caught doing something for me I'm not supposed to notice.

"I like it…a lot." My voice is soft as I smile tenderly at him. "But I like you any way I can get you. I don't want any of you to change for me."

Aubrey rolls his eyes, snorting softly. "I don't do anything I don't want to."

"Trust me, big guy, we all know that. You're not subtle in your stubbornness."

His grin is mischievous. "We can't all be as flexible as you… and apparently, Fitz. Your little yoga lessons have that idiot swanning all over like he's going to join the esprit de corps ."

I laugh, smacking his chest. "If you're jealous, come join us. Chessie does; maybe we can do it all together after you give us knitting lessons."

Squinting, he tugs me back by my hair. "You know I'll punish every single one of you, even the Raj, if that shit gets out. I'll have to sit on your damn badger friend; I know it in my bones."

"I don't know… Rufus is pretty crafty. He might join in." I kiss his nose, sighing softly. "But that's a topic for later. We need to get moving, right?"

He nods, looking regretful. "We do. Pick out your treat from here and put it in your bag so we can head for the roof. I don't want you to freeze your fluffy tail off on the way home."

Planting another light kiss on his lips, I push to my feet and sashay over to my suit. "We can come back sometime, right?"

"Absolutely."

Next time, we're bringing my partner in crime along. I have plans.

The flight was faster on the way home than it was getting to his secret castle. Aubrey caught a tailwind and we raced through the skies like we were headed for a battlefield. He wasn't wrong about the weather; it got worse as we flew, turning from small flakes to big, fat ones that stuck to my cheeks and hair.

By the time we landed at Cappie, I was shivering. The heat from the dragon's fire and my suit were barely enough to keep my nipples from being hard enough to cut glass. Jumping off Aubrey's back with my pack full of treasure in tow, I wait for him to shift before I head for the back door of our library nest. I noticed Rennie in the bell tower as we flew by, so I know we'll get bum rushed the second we walk in the door.

The welcoming party will have a billion questions I can't answer and my winged mates will love that .

"Come on. They're waiting for us, Bowser." My eyes twinkle as I tease him and he grunts irritably. "Now, now. Don't be a grouch. We had a lovely day and our family probably missed us."

"Fine."

Naked and completely unconcerned, Aubrey takes my hand and leads me through the snow starting to accumulate on the grass. It sizzles as he walks, reacting to the heat inside of him from the dragon's efforts to keep him warm. He doesn't even notice, but it makes me smile. When we had the big snowball fight last year, he must have asked his dragon not to spoil his stealth by heating him up.

Is part of learning to live with my animal having conversations with the bunny like that?

Maybe that's why I struggled for so long and why I'm finally getting a modicum of control over the aspects of shifting this year. Blinking, I stop when a thought hits me. Aubrey turns to look at me, his head tilted in curiosity. I have to pause to formulate words because I'm shocked that none of us considered this before.

"Aubrey, you talk to your dragon, right? They all talk to their animals, too. I started doing better with my bunny when I began speaking to her like another part of me."

He nods, cocking a brow. "Yeeeeees?"

"I know. This feels out of the blue, but hear me out. What if I need to talk to my… other powers… to get them to work when I'm not in mortal danger?"

"Holy shit, lunchable. It never even crossed my mind. Not surprising since I'm not exactly knowledgeable about that particular subject—not like Rennie." Stroking his jaw, he thinks about it. "We need to talk to our sulky Shakespeare. You may be on to something."

Grinning in excitement, I squeeze his hand and tug him towards the door, almost tripping over my own feet to get there. I wave my arm over the sensor impatiently, busting inside as soon as the door springs open. Four pairs of eyes greet us as I rush in, pulling the naked librarian behind me. "Guys, guys, guys!"

"What the fuck?" Felix whispers as I barrel towards them.

"You're never going to believe what I figured out. I mean, maybe. I don't know. But I think I'm right. Rennie, you'll have to help me."

Fitz covers his mouth with a snort. "Baby Girl, you look like me when I'm manic mode. Take a breath before you pass out."

Shooting him a dirty look, I stop and breathe for a second like he asked. I know if I don't they'll all go into cave shifter mode and I won't be able to get this out. Once they look satisfied, I grin broadly. "I think I have to talk to my magic like I do my bunny."

My gargoyle blinks, staying silent as he does the same muddling Aubrey did. Finally, he clears his throat and we all listen. "You may be right. We will have to experiment, ma petite ."

"Way to downplay the moment, Broody Pants," Fitz says as he jogs forward and lifts me up to spin us in a circle. "Good job, Baby Girl. Whatever you and Savory Skink got up to while you were away kick-started the old noggin."

I glance at Aubrey, but he's disappeared. I assume he's grabbing some clothes that aren't wet from the snow, so I nod. "I think it did, baby. We had a really great trip."

"Don't think I'm not pissed that I didn't get to go flying again, but I'm happy you figured something out. Chessie and the Stony Sad Man have been hard at work making a bunch of snacks for us to eat while settling in tonight." He leans in and puts his lips on my ear, whispering, "Hint: there's a lot of cheese involved."

Tapping his shoulder, I get Fitz to let me down as I rush over to the proud cheetah. "Did you and Rennie play Iron Chef while I was gone?"

"We did, Angel. You're going to love eating our practice."

I clap my hands, bouncing on my toes. This silly weather and lockdown have made the past few days the best I've had in months, all while keeping away all the assholes trying to get their hands on me. I almost don't care why it's happening or what it means. Spending time with my guys and being able to just live has been the best holiday gift I could have ever received.

"How about you go change and we'll get the nest set up so we can all curl up?"

Walking over to Felix, I kiss him lightly. "That sounds amazing, sir . I'll be right back."

His grumpy growl echoes in the hallway as I skip to my room with my pack of presents gripped in my hand.

When I emerge from changing and cleaning up, the heat is turned up, and I hear the guys talking in the main room. Their tones are low and I can feel the atmosphere in our home has changed. I don't know what has happened in the half hour I was gone, but it feels serious.

Why can't we have this cozy time to ourselves? Who dares to ruin my snowed-in romance with their bullshit?

My expression hardens as I stalk to the living room with Jinx tucked in the crook of my arm. Someone is going to die for this, I guarantee it.

As promised, my men are gathered in our sunken couch with drinks and food piled high in the raised table in the middle. The TV is on, but it's not showing the screensaver for one of our streaming services. No, it's playing some sort of news channel with the sound off and a banner crawling across the bottom of the screen.

They turn to look at me, eyes full of concern, and I squint until I can see the words moving over the TV:

Council announces all shifter academies will resume classes after freak storm ends. Student bodies will be redistributed to accommodate space lost at Apex and rising numbers of families choosing private tutors for children within elite families.

"Say something, Angel," Chessie says softly.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I let out the breath I was holding slowly, working to control the anger coursing through me. "If she tries to separate us, my mother is going to die much sooner than we planned. That's not a threat; it's a promise."

Fitz breaks out in a crazy grin, whooping as he jumps up and runs over to me. Tossing me over his shoulder despite my protests, he climbs back over the back of the couch and drops me in the middle of my guys. "That's our girl. Long live The Queen!"

I smile as they surround me. Funneling all my fury into a tight ball, I let the men who changed my world comfort me as the snow continues to fall outside. My mother may have outmaneuvered me this time, but the new year is coming and I'm making a promise to myself.

They call me their Queen, so if people don't quit messing with us, I'll start taking their heads.

It seems fitting, if you ask me.