Page 2 of Fatality on the Field

Reaching for the knob, I yank the door open and step inside without a word. The smirking Fae comes in behind me, and we’re both shocked to find piles and piles and piles of shit everywhere in a dark room.

“Oh, damn. That crow owns this room—no wonder,” she says as we attempt to find a path to wherever Kaspar is hiding. “I dated this chick who was a raven shifter once, like, two years ago? Her place was a fucking nightmare all the time. Shinies and hoarded shit everywhere with zero thought about how hard that made moving for anyone not her. I was pretty sure someone would eventually find her ass dead under a giant pile of shit as she decomposed.”

“Gross,” I reply as I move around two large piles that might have an order, but I’m not sure. “Kaspar Whatever Your Name Is, get the hell up for breakfast! I’m not falling over a bunch of stolen shit to find you; just get up and go to the main room.”

That makes Rogue giggle, and I shrug as I turn back toward the door. She exits the crow’s room first, and together we walk down the hall toward the room Iggy’s supposed to be. “Hopefully, he heard you. There wasn’t a peep when you yelled.”

I shrug. “If he doesn’t, I’ll send Li after him. I’m sure he can bibiddy-bobbedy-boo his way through that mess. And Kaspar listens to him more than anyone else, so it’ll do the job if my ire doesn't.”

“You know, the lucky thing about my guys is that they’ve all been friends since childhood, so they call each other out with equal measure. They even ganged up on Reb before the fight, which helps me more than I can say. With your guys, you’ve got two pairs who know each other well and one who would shave his pretty head without batting an eyelash if you asked. It’s harder to keep them all in line.”

Snorting at her take on Lucas, I sigh as we approach the door to Iggy’s guest room. “That’s true, but Liam is fairly good at bridging the gap. I guess it’s all the diplomatic shit in how he was raised, you know? He’s very skilled at making the others feel cohesive, but also holding people accountable when they’re being shitty. I’m sure that as Iggy and the cranky lizard continue their path to redemption, it will be Liam quietly elbowing them if they stray before I even notice.”

“Stray?” Her eyes bug out, and I wave my hand with a firm shake of my head.

“Not that kind of stray. Magnus did that shit for years, and I ignored the signs—I wouldn’t hesitate to cut off anyone I thought would do that to me now. With Kaspar’s background and Iggy’s former bedposts, they both know that would be hypocritical and earn them a permanent relocation with no option to return. I mean like if they stray into being a jackass again, rather than part of the family.”

“Whew,” she says on a huff of air. “I would have been yanking my Fae knife out of the aether so fast that your eyeballs would spin in your head, girl. A good crotch threatening is always a reminder that we won’t accept that shit, even from our friends’ men.”

Damn, she’s a fierce ally once she’s on your side. I’m really glad Kat brought us all together.

“You’d actually summon a weapon and threaten them both over a possible bad act if I thought it could happen?” I laugh softly, looking at her with a curious expression. “Seriously?”

“As a fucking heart attack, M. I’d do it every day and twice on Sunday if I thought it would keep someone I like from hurting. According to our little bitch sesh, we’ve all had a lot more heartache than we deserve. I’m not playing with people who aim for people I like anymore—not after some jackwad kidnapped Reb while we were all dying.”

I pat her shoulder, murmuring, “You’re going to find him; I know it. He’ll be hurt maybe, but alive. That’s what we’re going to assume for now, right? No speaking awful shit into existence, even in Hell.”

“Right. No putting bad shit into the universe.”

Waiting for her to get herself in check, I step forward to put my hand on the doorknob. “Ready?”

“Do it.”

I yank the door open quickly, and we step inside the dimly lit room full of computers and tech equipment. It’s small, so it only takes a moment before the view of the two fully dressed but snuggling men asleep appears. Blinking in surprise, I cover my mouth before I make a noise that will wake them. Rogue elbows me in the ribs, pointing excitedly as the adorable pile of guys emits a light snore that has to be Iggy.

‘What the hell?!’ I mouth at her as I struggle to keep silent.

She covers her mouth, too, pointing vigorously at the door. I follow her as we sneak back out, and close the damn thing as quietly as we can. Once it’s shut, I stare at her with wide eyes.

“When did that happen?” She hisses at me in a low tone.

“I don’t know!” I whisper-shout back. “I guess he left last night after⁠—”

My pause makes Rogue arch a brow and her lips curve up as she says, “After what, Morgana? What exactly was going on that made it possible for the cute little fish man to tiptoe out without you knowing where he went? I hadn’t asked that yet, but now that we’ve seen that…”

Well, shit, now I’ve done it, haven’t I?

two

IGNATIUS

Something tugs at the edge of my consciousness, but I fight it because I don’t really want to wake up. The warm comfort I feel is seeping into my bones, making me feel restful in a way I haven’t for a long time. I’m not ready to give that up yet, for whatever awaits me when I open my eyes.

I suppose no one enjoys coming back to reality after a calming slumber, but this feels different.

A shift behind me gets my attention, and unfortunately, I can’t ignore the movement. It makes my brain kick into gear without permission; the haze of sleep lifts to bring me fully into the world despite my eyes being closed. Making a soft sound of irritation, I stretch my limbs to get blood flowing before I come back to the world visually.

“Iggy, I think someone was here.”