Page 11 of Prey It By Ear

“Local Council members release statements about thefts of artifacts from museums across the continent. The items have been deemed minor works, with more historical than monetary resale value. Sources say the authorities of the cities where they were stolen are tight-lipped, not giving more than broad strokes regarding the methods of entry. InterPred states that they are coordinating with local forces, but they believe this is unconnected.”

Felix harrumphs in his seat as he stares at the paper. “Unconnected, my ass. Where was that line of bullshit buried?”

“In the arts section, near the personals,” I reply. “They definitely do not want anyone talking about it.”

Sighing, Aubrey scans the next page as the twins and I continue to discuss why something would be stuck that far back if it doesn’t matter. He’s obviously still processing the information, so I leave him be. Finally, when he looks up, our gazes lock. His smile is brief, and it makes my heart skip a little. “Thank you for being patient, snack size. I know you have questions, but my gut was screaming; I had to listen.”

Fitz spins a knife on his hand like a damn top, his expression casual as he gets his ‘zoomies’ out. “So what did you find, Hottie Gila Monster? Give it up, or I’ll use you for target practice.”

“Absolutely not, Fitz,” Felix says as he glares at the tiger sternly. “Not when we’re in public, at least.”

Aubrey shoots Fitzy a big, cheesy grin as Felix reprimands him, but he turns back to us quickly. “I think this personal ad has a code in it. My focus in this… environment… is less than optimal, so I’m uncertain. Chess and I might break it if we each copy it and work on it later.”

Nodding, the elder tiger darts his eyes to where our cheetah is chatting animatedly with the Shirdal woman and her friends. “We’ll try it there, but if there’s one in that paper, there might be more in the others you’ve gathered.”

I look at the stack Aubrey is hoarding with a tiny whine. “Felix, we can’t even read all of those. Really?”

“Baby Girl, we don’t have to read them all in their language. There’s an app for that, yeah?” My crazy tiger winks at me, his eyes sparkling with pride that he thought of it before me, despite his antsy fidgeting. “We’ll scan ‘em and save what’s sus.”

“I never think of that shit first,” Aubrey grumbles as he flushes. “I should, but it’s just so ridiculous.”

“It won’t be perfect, but it’ll get us close enough to cut a lot of time off. Good thinking, bro.” Felix smiles at his twin, and I swear, Fitz almost puffs up as much as he does when Chessie and I praise him.

Deep down, Fitzy is just a technologically inclined psycho who wants to be loved.

“Okay, so sort out the ones Fitz can scan while the rest of us work on others that we can read without assistance,” I tell the dragon. “That should keep us all busy while Chessie and Rennie are doing their thing.”

Aubrey hands the hyper tiger a stack of foreign language papers an inch thick, and the groan Fitz lets out makes me giggle. “Look, Spicy Skink, I’m not a robot. If you prick me, I bleed.”

“If the Princess pricks you, you scream.” Felix smirks as he takes two newspapers from Aubrey before accepting the snickering fist bump the dragon offers. “But again, I remind you all that we’re in public.”

“Jackass,” Fitz mutters as he shifts in his chair and pouts. “Just because you don’t know how fucking insanely good that is…”

I turn bright pink, swatting his hand. “Shhh! I’m not ashamed, but we don’t need someone spilling our private life to a blogger or freaking RipTok gossip hound. Imagine what that cranky old corpse nibbler will have us doing in her ‘masterpiece’ if she gets wind!”

His eyes widen and then narrow as the tiger flashes in them. “She’s too stringy to consume, but I could make an exception if you want to join me, Baby Girl. The family that filets together, stays together and all that. Plus, she has to taste better than that nasty asshole from Apex, right?”

Frowning, I wrinkle my nose. “My money’s on bitter as fuck with a garbage aftertaste, but who knows? Let’s put a pin in that for later, hmm?”

“Done,” the younger tiger says as he leans in to kiss me quickly. “Chessie can add it to the board when we get home—possible cannibalism if circumstances are right.”

I used to want to be normal once, but with mates like Fitzy, who the fuck would want that?

Everyone is mostly quiet as we work for the next hour or two. Occasionally, one of the guys will grunt or growl—that gets attention from the rest of us, and we all stretch our cramped limbs. Chessie is still gabbing away with his marks, and Rennie hasn’t returned from his creeping, but the sun is lowering on the horizon outside the train. We’ve been in the dining car for a long time, but this is important, and as much as I’d love to escape to our cabin to snuggle up, we need to focus. My eyes are gritty, though, and I definitely need to use the restroom.

Looking at Fitz, I push to my feet. “Escort me to the loo, baby? I've gotta move, and I definitely need the facilities.”

He practically jumps to his feet, grabbing my hand eagerly. “Fuck yeah. You’re not going alone, and we should all take turns draining the lizard before it gets busier in here for dinner.”

Aubrey arches a brow and the tiger shrugs when he grumbles, “Distasteful turn of phrase at best, Fitzgerald.”

“Don’t you always tell him you’re a dragon, not various forms of lizard whenever possible?” I reply as I bat my lashes. “Besides, that’s definitely better than any of the euphemisms for poo.”

Felix and Fitz share a look, snickering in tandem, and Aubrey gives me a rueful smile. “I stand corrected, lunchable. Off you go before they break out the Urban Dictionary.”

Chuckling as Fitz tugs me toward the passage to our cabins, I let my gaze rake over the other people on the way. The viper guy is still in his corner working on fuck knows what, and Chessie’s table doesn’t even flinch as we head out of the dining car. I knew my crazy mate would not take me to the public restroom the second he flew out of the chair, but I don’t mind. I’m sure the upper-tier bathroom would have been clean, but ours will be even nicer—plus, Fitz will relax in the cabin rather than snarl at everyone outside the door.

“After you, Baby Girl,” he says as he opens the door, holding it open. I let go of his hand, stepping inside and waiting until he shuts it tightly before I relax. He opens his mouth to say something, and I shake my head.