Page 14 of Psycho Beasts

My neck itched, and my intuition screamed at me to run.

Ever so slowly, I dragged one of my fingernails across my forearm until I scented the copper tang of blood. I didn’t bother with the numb; it most likely still needed to recharge.

Instead, I reached into the dark recess of my mind that had always existed. The recess I’d discovered on the sands of the arena wasn’t a recess at all.

Unlike last time, I didn’t need to speak any words to access my blood power. Immediately, it responded to my mental probe.

Each individual droplet that dripped from the gash on my forearm coagulated at my will, like I was connected to each drop.

The don said casually, “On my mark, kill everyone he’s with. Only my son can live. They all know too much.”

The room erupted into chaos.

“No!” Cobra bellowed. His eyes flickered to snake eyes, and shadow snakes streamed off his skin toward the men.

Beta fingers tensed on machine guns as they prepared to fire on their don’s mark.

I poured my will into the blood dripping from my arm.

Sweat blurred my eyes as I scrunched my face and slowly levitated a droplet.

Next to me, claws erupted from Aran’s fingernails, and a black film spread across her eyes until there were no whites left.

Wait, what?

That was new. I’d never seen a fae do that.

Next to me, Jax and Ascher began to shift, and Xerxes pulled out his twin knives and leaned forward. He was ready to throw them.

I almost had enough control over my blood to throw it. I just needed a little longer, and then…

“STOP!” Jinx screamed at an extremely high pitch, her voice reverberating through my brain in an ungodly screech.

Instantly, everyone in the room stopped moving.

Paralyzed.

My blood stopped rising. It twisted and spun in a small ball of power above my forearm that only I could see.

“He’s bluffing,” Jinx said in her normal voice, and the grip she had on the room broke.

Once again, everyone looked over at the small girl, who was definitely not a shifter, because I’d never heard a living creature emit such a high-decibel noise.

It had frozen everyone with more force than an alpha bark.

Jax turned to look at his little sister. “Jinx?” The question in his voice was clear.

Instead of being embarrassed that she had just emitted a high-pitched wail the likes of which a person had never produced before, Jinx shrugged.

Jess and Jala were the only two people in the room that didn’t look surprised by her outburst.

I’d bet all my money this wasn’t new to them.

The don began, “Wha—”

Jinx raised her hand and spoke over him. “Did no one see his body language? He was clearly bluffing. His eyes became drier, and he squinted slightly as he spoke. It was a test.”

Once again, we gaped at her.

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