Page 38 of Her Feral Beasts

With my seven shields back up, I actually can’t smell all that much. “Uh, I guess it’s a mess. I sort of blocked it out.”

She nods as we head back out. “Yeah, itisa mess. But there’s more than one scent. Wolf, too.”

My heart gives an uneven thump as I eye the blood smeared on the walls. What the hell weretheydoing here? I know Theresa said no one died, but she had no reason to tell us the truth, either.

Theresa returns just as we’ve scrubbed away the last of the spots on the wood panelling. She approves our work and walks us back to our dorm building.

But when we get there, we find at least four animas milling around the outside, looking uneasy. One of them has shifted into her wolf form and is sniffing the ground outside the front door.

“What happened?” Minnie asks.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Theresa says far too quickly, in my opinion. “Head on inside and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turns to the wolf. “Layla, shift back,now.”

The girl does and crouches on the ground, naked.

“Smell anything?” a vulture asks.

Layla frowns and vigorously shakes her head. I pause on the doorstep because I get the distinct impression that Layla looks frightened…and I’m suddenly sure she’s lying.

Frowning at each other, Minnie and I go inside and climb the narrow stairs to the third floor. Sabrina and Raquel are talking to Stacey. All three of them look a little pale, if I’m honest, and the nimpins on their shoulders are agitated, looking this way and that with their big liquid black eyes.

“What happened?” Minnie asks.

“You two smell bad,” Stacey complains.

“Someone killed the two guards at our door,” Sabrina says softly.

Henry and Gertie give little squeaks of indignation.

“No way,” I say, my stomach doing a dive into my pelvis. A dark feeling winds its way around my insides, and I want to be sick for a second time tonight.

“Who do they think did it?” Minnie asks quietly.

“W-We all need to go back into our r-rooms and c-close the doors,” Raquel says, jabbing their finger around the circle of us girls. They take a deep breath. “I-If you know what’s g-good for you, d-don’t open the door for anyone e-except s-staff.” With that, Raquel angrily stomps into their room and holds the door open, glaring at Sabrina.

“Alright, alright!” the leopard says, holding her hands up and striding in. Raquel slams the door shut so hard the frame rattles. Charlotte gives us a wide-eyed look and goes into her room, too.

But when Minnie and I get back to our room, Minnie let out a loud gasp. When I see what’s happened, my entire body freezes.

A tornado has hit our room. Only in certain places.

Both Minnie’s and my drawers have been opened, the contents all spilling out in a complete mess. The lid to our trash cans have been taken off and thrown to the floor.

Though Minnie’s bed has been untouched, the sheets of my bed have been tossed around and every single one of my drawers is open.

Henry and Gertie leave our shoulders and zoom around the room, trying to see everything at once.

“Someone’s been through our things,” I say in stricken disbelief.

Minnie chokes as she looks at her side, then mine. She points to my bed. “Do you know anyone here?” she asks. “Because I…don’t.”

“Um, not really.” I feel bad for lying, but I don’t reallyknowknow the three psychopaths, do I?

“How about that eagle-ex of yours? Beak?”

“Not an ex. We never did anything,” I say quickly. Why is my blood roaring in my head?

“Hmmm, because usually if an animus is stalking you, they’ve thought about it beforehand.”

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