Page 127 of Her Feral Beasts

No.

No.

No.

One of the Animus guards presses a button beside the glass. They smoothly slide open and stay there. Next, the steel bars slide silently apart.

There are less than twenty paces between me and my father. Less than twenty paces between me and a tomb.

Two guards stand on either side of me, but they stay a distance away. Frowning, I look left and right, only to have Scythe and Xander take up positions next to me. Scythe flicks out a finger and I look down to see he’s indicating my father’s mark.

I realise that they need to fulfil their blood covenant to return me to him. They don’t miss a beat and grab me by the arms, and I have no choice but to walk forward with them.

Beside my father stand the five tall combat-ready serpents, their skull masks covering their noses and lower faces, eyes pinned on me in death stares that make my skin crawl.

My father’s gaze is fixed on me with a dark malevolence I’ve seen many times before. There is satisfaction there. Deep, righteous satisfaction that turns the roaring in my head into ascream.

His betrayal might sting deepest of all.

We stop right in front of him and I do my best to stand tall. I’m sweating. I’m shaking. My vision is going blurry. Xander and Scythe drop my arms and I let them fall like dead weights.

I’m suddenly surrounded by towering, threatening males, danger bearing down on me from all sides and I grit my teeth. My anima thrashes madly.

“Aurelia,” my father says. Such overt promise in that one word.

“Father.” I raise my chin and look him in the eye.

From the corner of my vision, I see Xander raise his hand. I glance at him and see the black ink of the blood covenant dissolve before our eyes. From Scythe’s shift, I’m guessing his is gone as well.

Xander scoffs and strides back towards the medical wing.

“It’s done then, Naga,” Scythe says evenly.

I turn to glare at him.

Metal clanks and my father produces obsidian handcuffs.

I’m not ready for the ingrained terror that lashes through me like a dragon’s tail.

But I have one last thing up my sleeve.

Actually, make that five.

“Go,”I mentally command.

From under my jacket, the five hidden fluffballs wriggle free and zip into the air.

And open their beaks.

The nimpins’ combined psychic cry pierces the night sky like a sonic blast. The sound sears my eardrums and animuses all around us cry out and crumple to the ground.

The serpents all reach for their ears, struggling to reinforce their psychic shields.

Scythe alone remains unaffected. He just cocks his silvery head, and in his gaze, I see a single question.“What will you do now?”

Take my fucking chance, that’s what.

I let my open handcuffs drop to the ground along with the bobby pin Minnie palmed me during our last hug.

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