Cuddle Up

Delores

We stayed a little longer, playing for the others while Fitz clowned around on top of the piano and belted out bad harmonies. His memory of lyrics isn't great, but he replaces what he forgets with even better shit. I laughed so hard tears ran down my face at his rendition of a few songs. Felix and Aubrey teased him, but as usual, my self-confident tiger didn't give a rat's ass if he wasn't getting the words right. As long as it was fun, he was as happy as a clam.

Now we're heading back to our home at the library because Aubrey's phone beeped with a weather alert. Apparently, the snow is getting harder and supposed to mix with ice by the time it gets dark, so inviting Rufus and Cori over for dinner is a no-go. Felix has been worried they'll get caught sneaking in and out of the secret entrance from their townhouse, but he was even less enthusiastic when he saw the predictions. I wouldn't mind if they got stuck with us, but the guys are adamant about spending ‘family time' with me until school starts.

I can't argue with that because it definitely means sexy time.

"What are we doing tonight?" I ask as we head inside. "You nixed Cori and Rufus coming over, so my plans to pig out and do makeovers have gone kaput."

Felix grunts when I wrinkle my nose at him, but doesn't relent. "They can't get stuck in the library with us, Princess. If this is really bad, it could be for days. They don't want to get trapped here where their significant others can't get them anymore than I want them infecting our living room for an undetermined amount of time."

"Whatever. You like my friends even if you pretend not to when you're being a grump." I stick my nose in the air and sashay past him with a sniff, ignoring the snickers of the other guys behind me. "Now we need something to do for the rest of the night."

The quiet is deafening.

"And not just that !" I call over my shoulder as I head to my room to hang my coat up.

Once I get the snowy garb taken care of, I bend down to pick up Jinx. The soft sand cat Aubrey got me last Christmas is still small—which is normal—but she's gotten much sassier. When she's not hanging out in the fairy tree Rennie bought her, my cat loves to steal socks, knock over drinks, and generally annoy everyone except Aubrey. Jinx purrs softly as I stroke her fur, then huffs when I set her back down so I can pull my hair up.

"Be good, little rascal, or you'll have to hide behind the big guy." Jinx mews indignantly and I chuckle. She definitely does not give a fuck if she makes the much bigger cats in this house pissy. I admire her spunk. Humming softly, I run the brush through my hair, then weave twin braids on either side of my head. "This should do it."

"It looks adorable, Angel."

Turning on the seat of my vanity, I give Chess a bright grin. "Good. I figured we're hunkered down for the night, so I want to be comfy and relaxed. Having my hair in my face is neither of those things."

The cheetah nods, but doesn't come in and I arch a brow. His cheeks flush as he walks over to me. "So… I have a proposal."

"A… what?" I choke, feeling panic rocket through my veins.

"No, no!" He waves his hand, turning redder as he tries to calm me down. "Not that kind of proposal, Angel."

"Thank fuck ," I let out a slow breath. "Okay, what do you have in mind?"

His eyes sparkle with mischief as he looks at me. "Fitz, Felix, and I were talking before we went over to the Shird and… we want your help."

"Help with what?" I ask as I dig through my drawers to find Fitz's hoodie and slip it on over my tiny PJ top. "What are you three up to now?"

Chess looks around for a moment, then leans in. "We want to prank Aubrey and Ren. You know, cause they kept shit hidden from us for so long, but always wanted us to share everything."

I pause, thinking about that for a moment. He's not wrong about my two ancient suitors being proponents of dealing with your crap while not dealing with their own. And they probably should have told the others once they became friends. Obviously, the Khans weren't going to be biased; Fitz and Chess never hid their relationship.

"Okay. I'm in. What are we doing?"

"Fitz suggested we have you think of a few ideas because we tend to be more overt and less devious with our pranks. Probably because that sort of thing on Bloodstone is more about dominance than good natured fun."

He doesn't need to convince me of that. I imagine they're brutal back at that island.

Walking over to him, I lean up and press a kiss to his lips. "I'll noodle it for a bit and let you know. I think we can teach those silly boys a lesson about keeping secrets they won't forget."

"That's exactly what Felix hoped you'd say."

Snorting, I pull back. "He's hoping I'll follow his orders and that's not likely to happen, Chessie."

"I know. That's my fun in this little project. I love watching the vein in his temple throb when you don't let him tell you what to do."

"You're going to love working on this, then. The Raj needs to loosen the reins more than anyone I've ever met. And I'm just the bunny to teach him."

Once I agreed to help the mini-ambush, Chessie high-tailed it to the kitchen. His eagerness to cook with Rennie tonight was adorable and despite the movie we're watching, I found myself looking over to see his delight more than a few times. Since I met him on the Apex tour, it feels like the cheetah has blossomed and I can relate to that. The support of everyone in the room and my other friends has helped me find the version of Dolly I want to be. It's not surprising he's doing the same.

"Princess, you said you loved this movie, but you seem distracted."

My eyes shoot back to Felix as he rubs my feet. I've never been big on people touching them, even for pedicures. I think it's because they're big and banged up from dancing, which makes them not traditionally pleasant to look at, so it made me embarrassed. But his strong hands working over my arches and wringing my toes feels amazing, so I didn't say anything, and boy, am I glad. I don't want anyone sucking them or whatever, but my King can massage me any day.

"I did and I wasn't lying. The way he sings and dances on the bleachers to get her attention? The poem she reads when she's sad and hurt to find out he was paid?" I put my hand on my heart and sigh. "It's just so swoony and tragic, then swoony again."

Rennie chuckles from the kitchen. "The Bard is always good for those moments, ma petite ."

Pushing up a little from where my head is lying in Aubrey's lap, I ignore Fitz's grumbles as he adjusts. "I know it's Taming of the Shrew , but I love this spin. I'm a sucker for a good retelling of our favorite crusty old human."

Aubrey snorts and I frown up at him. His lips curve and he leans down to look at me with a smug grin. "Human? Most certainly not, snack size. Good old Willy is one of the Fae who stayed behind. There are plenty of shifters and such who hid in plain sight only to drop out of the limelight when their continued youth would have garnered too many questions."

I blink. " That explains?—"

" Midsummer ?" My gargoyle nods, laughing softly. "It does. However, not all the magic users had such fame to protect them. Thus, the underground rebellion is now making trouble for us."

Fitz looks puzzled, tilting his head in my lap. "Does that mean one of the most famous dead playwrights in history is alive somewhere? You said Fae are fucking immortal."

"There are enclaves where the rich and famous non-humans hole up after their time has passed," Aubrey says with a shrug. "All over the world. Normal people don't know where they are, but I'm willing to bet Mr. Cordon Bleu over there does."

That gets Chess' attention and he pauses at the stove. "What the hell , Leveaux? Who was a shifter we should know? Where are they? Spill it!"

"Troublemaker," he growls at his mate and the deep chuckle vibrates against my head. "I don't know where they are, but I could find out. Gargoyles, despite being smaller in number than other preds, are known for their discretion. One of the few reasons they leave their clutch is for protector bonds—they accept a lifelong duty of guarding and defending places that need to be kept secret. Enclaves full of supposedly dead famous faces qualify. I could find out who and where if I wanted; it just never mattered to me."

"This is bullshit," I mutter as I cross my arms over my chest. "You guys are all full of cool as hell secrets and talents I don't know about. You know everything about me."

My tiger reaches up and puts his thumb on my pouty lip. "Not true, Baby Girl. I mean, yeah, maybe the stuff about us—particularly the ancient assholes—is true. But we don't know everything about you. We didn't know you could hack a body until you said it. Made my dick salute, for sure, but it was new information. I bet there's more you know that you've not mentioned because it hasn't come up yet."

I think about that for a moment, then I nod slowly. "Probably. It never occurred to me to mention disarticulation until it came up. I see what you mean."

"I told Chess I can teach him to knit," Aubrey says in a long, suffering sigh. "Now you know, too."

"Really? Can I learn, too? I'll probably suck at it because I do not have the patience for things I'm not good at right away. Never have, actually… which is something you guys didn't know. Soft wool smells like a warm fire and the clacking of the needles feels like love when I hear it on TV." Rennie winks at me and I duck my head shyly, my chest tightening when his acceptance touches me.

"Of course, lunchable." He tilts his head, catching Chess' eye as his hand strokes over my hair. "Order two full sets of basics, Chester, and we'll do it together.'

Fitz frowns, pouting up at me. "Why am I left out? I can learn shit, too! You know I can, Baby Girl."

Oh, shit. I didn't mean for him to feel like we're purposefully excluding him.

"You can join us, Fitzy. I'm pretty sure you'll be in the same boat as me with big knots and angry stomping, but then I'm not alone. I guarantee Chessie will outshine us both." I wink at the cheetah, then smile at my tiger as he beams up at me.

"Oh for fuck's sake…" Aubrey groans.

"Wait a minute."

Every head turns to look at the pinched face of the exiled-Raj as he continues rubbing my feet. His brow is furrowed and it almost looks like he's…pouting, too?

What the hell?

"I don't want to be the only one excluded. Chess, order me a set of… whatever, too."

The silence following that statement hangs in the air until I finally lick my lips and venture, "Felix, you want to learn… to knit ?"

"Yep." He nods as if that decides it, the look in his eyes daring someone to comment.

"But—"

I wave my hand at Rennie before he sticks his foot in mouth. "If you want to learn with us, I think it will make a great family activity. I'm glad you're joining, baby."

His face lights up and I see what he must have looked like before the toll of being the next King of Bloodstone weighed him down. It's boyish, shy, and absolutely tugs at my heartstrings.

"Just wait ‘till Z hears this…" Fitz mumbles with a crazy giggle. Felix glowers at him, letting go of my feet to lunge forward at this twin.

Just like that, the moment is gone—damnit.