Page 149 of Psycho Beasts

“It is wrong,” I snarled with conviction.

Walter’s bushy white eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth opened and closed for a long minute as he processed that I was saving him.

When he finally spoke, his words were biting. “Miss, you are under the mistaken impression that I am unpaid. Everyone working in this noble house is paid an exorbitant salary.”

I pursed my lips in disbelief.

Walter snapped with annoyance, “Miss, it is my supercar that I lent you the other day to take to the test.”

“Um…really?” The fancy car that accelerated at a ridiculous speed did not seem cheap.

Walter muttered something about unsophisticated morons under his breath, grabbed the laundry bag, and stalked down the hall away from me.

For a long moment, I gaped after the butler and tried to process the fact that he had voluntarily chosen to buy a matte-purple car with black stripes down the side.

I just couldn’t picture him selecting it.

Finally, when my shock had worn off, and it became clear I wasn’t going to magically transport to my destination, I began to slowly limp down to the far end of the house.

Even though my bones groaned and my muscles spasmed, my spirits were lighter.

A weight had lifted off my chest.

It had bothered me horribly that Xerxes kept unpaid servants, and might have influenced my actions toward the omega.

Ugh, I was such a fool.

Sure, the omega wasn’t perfect.

He had a knife fixation, rage issues, trauma, and an inability to express his emotions. But didn’t we all?

My bruised cheeks pulled up into a smile as I hobbled slowly.

He doesn’t keep servants. A painful laugh created a spasm in my chest as I tripped over a piece of rug and slammed into the wall.

What a glorious day.

When I finally got to the dark alcove at the very end of the hall, I was covered in sweat and swaying on my feet.

My knuckles were still hurting, so instead I slammed my toe into the door violently and shouted, “Xerxes, it’s Sadie! Open up!”

Knees trembling, I slumped into the alcove and desperately tried not to pass out.

My little excursion—as enlightening as it had been—was a lot on my feeble body that had apparently been playing dead in a coma for four days.

The door didn’t open.

“XERXES!” I shouted with all my might and gave the door a few good kicks.

Said omega shouted back, “Go away, Sadie!”

I relaxed with relief that he was inside and I wasn’t causing a scene in the hall for no reason.

A maid scurried by with linens in her arms, and I gave her a big smile. “Congrats on the salary.”

She narrowed her eyes and hurried away from me.

I shrugged and turned back to the issue at hand. “Um, no, I’m not leaving. Open the door. We need to talk.”

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