Page 97 of Fatality on the Field

“I believe it,” I say. “Her mood is lighter than Morgana’s and I was just thinking about how nice it would be if our girl could be as free as that. Too much drama and stress here at State U right now, you know? I guarantee her brain is whirring at a million miles an hour inside.”

“She knows what could be coming and how dangerous things are. You can’t just turn that off, Iggy.” The avian doctor gives me a knowing look. “But you can keep her feeling safe and happy when possible and support her, even if it feels insane. It will give your mate a solid ground and allow her to trust you after whatever the hell you did to piss her off. That’s the key.”

I look up as the noise in the suite surges. The teams are lining up and the entire stadium is about to go live. Someone—probably Slade, judging by the pitch of it—lets out a whoop, and several heads whip around, including Morgana’s. She catches my eye, and I see the flicker of concern behind them. I nod, so she knows I’m fine, and she gives me a small smile that warms my heart.

He might be right about that diagnosis… which gives me hope.

Presley follows my gaze, then smiles. “You’re all right,” he says. “If it goes down tonight, you’ll be ready.”

I’m just considering whether it’s worth testing the mystery custard, when another cheer erupts and I look to see the ones they called Teddy and Benjy clustered around the girls as they point things out on the field. Something clicks in my head and I remember that Teddy was a player when he was here and I bet his solidly built shifter friend was, too. Now I get why they’re way more into the ‘game’ of it all than the rest of us. They’re reliving glory days and they actually enjoy the sport.

“He loves sports and Benjy owns a sporty, secret bar called The Speakeasy at home,” Wolfie supplies when he catches me watching. “They’re the jocks, we’re the brains, and Doyle is trouble. I’m not sure what the prince and MacAuley are, to be honest. Rich and quiet works, but I don’t think it’s the roles they’ll play later on.”

“It’s hard to know when you haven’t been told what kind of supernatural they are,” I reply. “At least I know that Morgana is dual hybrid, Slade is a siren, Lucas is a bear, Liam is Fae, and Kas is a dragon. That informs how we handle every situation, bad or good. We have details and can plan.”

He swallows, then blinks. “Depends on your definition, but it’ll keep you alive until halftime.”

Presley’s eyes dance, his lips twitching as he steps closer so the kitchen noise covers him. “We know enough, mage. Don’t worry about that. It’d be easier if we had more info on my magpie or the two remaining mates, but we managed pretty well in Europe and then Faerie. And the animals are more helpful than you’d expect.”

I think about that for a moment. “So they’re all familiars who were drawn to her because of her mates. Interesting.”

The Fae vet smiles, as pleased as if I’d asked about his kids’ test scores or something. “That’s our theory, but we haven’t confirmed it. We haven’t seen the last two yet, if it’s true.”

“You know how rare that is, right? I mean, it almost makes me wonder if… “

“Wonder what?” Prez asks curiously.

“Nah, it’s crazy,” I say, finally giving in to take the custard and grabbing a spoon. “That’s just unheard of. I’m letting my imagination go way too wild.”

“No one gets to vote you off the island if you’re wrong,” Wolfie says as he leans in. “You can tell us what you’re speculating.”

I take a bite of the custard and let it sit on my tongue a second before chewing. It’s not bad, but the aftertaste is definitely Fae-inspired. “I’ll do a little research and get back to you later. I’ve got some sources to check. But I promise I’ll share when I feel less uncertain about it.”

Wolfie cocks his head, as if considering whether to push further, then drops his voice. “Can I ask you something, Professor?”

I arch a brow. “Try me.”

“You ever get the feeling the rules are just there to slow us down? Not to protect, but to… hamstring progress?”

I think about the Society, and my family, and all the hoops we’ve had to jump through to get even the smallest things approved or allowed. “Yeah,” I say. “More and more lately.”

The stadium noise surges again. I glance over at Morgana, who’s now deep in the cluster with our new friends, her body language marginally more relaxed than when we walked in. Jolene’s doing most of the talking, but every so often Morgana’s whole face cracks into a real smile, which is a minor miracle given the week she’s had.

Wolfie sees me watching. “You ever want to visit the Hollow, Professor, I’ll set it up. Might be useful someday, for research or… you know. Other stuff.”

I snort. “With the current bullshit? We’ll have to pencil you in for next year.”

The vet laughs, not at all offended, and claps me on the back. “You’re not so bad for a guy from a really rich old mage family, you know. My experience with those types hasn’t been fab in the past.”

“Don’t let it get around,” I say, smiling despite myself.

A beat of silence, then Presley turns to me, and says, “Game’s about to start. We should save the women and your prince from the sporty guys. I’ll bet they’ll thank us.”

“Sure,” I say, “but we should loop in Kaspar, too. He’s been watching everything like a hawk since you arrived and even the bodyguard needs a break.”

Wolfie turns to note that our sentry is parked at the edge of the group, with his arms crossed, and a storm cloud expression angled towards the door. When he notices us looking at him, the dragon pushes off the wall to come closer.

“Everything all right?” Kaspar says, low and careful. “No issues, Briarton?”