Page 114 of Psycho Beasts

I chewed on the end of my pen, surprised. “Really, just set on fire?”

Aran flipped the page. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize it went on to the next page. They’ll be burned alive, then disemboweled.”

That made more sense.

About twelve hours later, my head thudded with a dull ache, and I struggled to keep open heavy eyes.

Aran hadn’t lied when she’d said she was serious about studying.

I would have fallen asleep a dozen times if she hadn’t slapped me awake as soon as my eyes closed.

Once, Aran had threatened, “I will slowly detach your scalp from your skull if you don’t stay awake.”

Have I mentioned she needs help?

My hand ached from writing out a summarized line of every rule Aran had read to me.

Now she pushed a glass of water into my mouth. “Drink it. We’re done. If you fail, I’ll kill you myself.”

I groaned as I stood up. “Why is everyone always trying to off me?”

After not moving for hours, my bones creaked and my lower back hurt like I’d been punched repeatedly.

Which was one of the few places on my body Molly hadn’t pulverized with her fists.

Who knew studying could be so physical?

Even though the circumstances were dire, without Aran, I probably would have just flipped through the book, skimmed stuff for about an hour, and called it a day.

I mean, what else could a girl do?

Apparently, a lot more than I’d thought.

Aran was methodical and unrelenting, refusing to move forward until I’d read, written, and retained every. Single. Law.

She’d explained that the mind was a massive library where you filed and cataloged information, neatly tucking it away until you needed it.

I hadn’t had the heart to tell her that my mind was more an empty space with a dark abyss in the back that I shoved everything I didn’t want to think about into.

Poor girl was convinced we both had mind palaces of libraries that we needed to take care of.

I let her keep the illusion for the sake of our friendship.

As I stumbled in an exhausted stupor out of the mansion, Walter informed me in his crisp, no-nonsense tone that the men had already left to go to the training center.

I gave him a big hug and thanked him for helping control the men while I was passed out.

With a red blush across his pale wrinkled cheeks, Walter stood still as a statue. He patted me gently on my arm and mumbled something about idiotic males.

When I finally arrived at the fight club, Z was waiting for me at the door with a packet and a pen. “You made it just in time.” He pushed me into a side room, then shoved me roughly into a spare seat that had a desk attached.

Great, I was beside Clarissa.

The room was silent.

I growled at Z for pushing me, but he had already moved to the front of the small, windowless room.

“You have three hours to take the test. Each question has a line underneath, and you must write the answer. It is enchanted, so you’ll automatically get your grade on the top of your paper when you finish. There are two hundred questions, and one hundred and thirty is passing. One point per question. Begin now.”

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