Page 49 of Her Feral Beasts

“A w-warning,” Raquel gruffs.

We all stare at each other in a sort of mutual horror, and I jump to my feet. “They’re going to kill me. Or capture me. Or something! I have no idea what exactly, but it’ll be bad.”

Raquel is looking at me like I’ve grown a third tit. “Why?”

I sigh. “I suppose they don’t take rejection well.”

“Shit!” Minnie says, jumping up and down. “Shit!”

“The only thing I can do is…” I glance out the glass doors. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“You’re not going to run away?” Minnie’s voice is a shocked gasp.

“I have to, Min.” A shiver wracks my body. “They threatened to chain me up.”

Raquel swears loudly.

“You see? I have no choice.”

Raquel heads over to the glass doors that lead out to the balcony. “H-How are you g-gonna d-do it? This p-place is F-Fort Knox.”

It’s a relief Raquel isn’t trying to persuade me not to. It probably helps that they’re a delinquent, just like me. On the other hand, the fact they’re not arguing with me tells me just how dire the situation is.

“There has to be a way, right?” I say desperately. I have the invisibility up my sleeve and my scent shields. No one has a better chance than me.

Then I think on what I’ve just seen.

“So…” I say slowly. “We know they’re killing people here, right? There was our two guards, and now this serpent I just saw. How are they getting rid of the bodies? They must have some method of getting the bodies out?”

Both Raquel and Minnie exchange a look. Raquel runs a hand through their hair. Minnie says, “It’ll be sus if we ask around. But Sabrina has just started seeing a lion in the unmated dorms. Maybe she can find out something.”

Involving another person in this is risky. The more people who know, the more people to blab.

I can’t help but think maybe I need to do more snooping. The thought of going back in there, though…

My sigh is long and dramatic because I’m really not in the right state of mind if I think I can get away with this.

“Sorry to tell you this, Lia,” Minnie says nervously. “But you literally come with a flight risk warning label. They’ll be watching you.”

I tug mournfully upon my lanyard. But now I’m smelling a challenge, and the fact that Minnie thinks I can’t do this is only egging me on. My fists clench of their own accord. “Well, fuck them and fuck Lyle Pardalia. I’m leaving this week and I’mgoingto find a way.”

* * *

In the two days that follow, I formulate my plans to escape. Savage, Scythe and Xander do all they can do ignore me and it makes my skin crawl every time I look at them. Savage cannot help but send me dark looks now and again and I can’t help but feel that their lack of overt action means that they’ve got something up their sleeves for me.

In the dining hall, our table is approached at least once per meal where the animus’ of the school try their luck in approaching us. Raquel flat out growls at any wolf that comes their way except for a female animus with long black hair down to her waist and a lacey black corset. Raquel nods while they have a silent conversation and the rest of us hide our grins as they appear to make plans for later that day. Sabrina and Stacey are quickly taken up by a group of lions, who shoot little notes folded up into paper cranes to our table. It’s a new, impressive version of sexting that amuses us to no end. Minnie, to my surprise, brushes off all advances with a shy smile and instead has her eye on one of the senior animas from our dorm.

For my part. I’mfocusedlike an eagle should be, and my prey are those black and gold gates that lead out of the academy.

I need supplies so I don’t fall into food desperation again like I did the first time. We don’t have access to the student-run village just yet, so I make do with thieving.

I hate them for turning me into this. A thief. A person who has to steal to get by. A person who has to sneak around just to survive. But my goal is absolute and I’ve been given no other option.

During Hygiene class, where we learn about showering and washing our bits properly, I take extra samples of deodorant and soap.

During dining etiquette class, I ask Theresa about how food gets delivered to the school. She’s not even suspicious of me because Minnie makes a good show about being excited to learn how to make tuna bake. There are deliveries made every Friday night and I can barely contain my excitement because I think I just found my getaway vehicle. This way, I can still be invisible in my human form and carry a couple of bags with me.

It’s simple, it’s brilliant, and I can take food and water aplenty. My only problem then becomes money.

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