Page 61 of Her Rabid Beasts

It’s all my soul haseverwanted to hear. But dare I allow myself? Dare I allow him to make that a reality?

My body is all aquiver at the prospect. He’s basically presenting himself to me. Basically throwing himself at me for my use.

Am I seriously saying no?

But I’ve spent all this money on these vibrators and the fact that those men know about it is sending me into arage.Nope, I’ve got to try this method first. On principle.

“Bye,” I blurt out.

He straightens and I try to meet his gaze, though I know he can probably hear the crazy beat of my poor heart. “I’ll see you later, regina.” And with one last look that promises hot, forbidden things, he saunters out of my room.

It’s only after his naked ass disappears that I take a breath.

I have important things to do, after all.

Down at breakfast, I pass Eugene to Raquel, have a quick word with Stacey and Connor and leg it out of the dining room, giggling all the way to the student mail office. We have just enough time to take the massive box back to my room and check everything out. Connor and Stacey take their pick, and I quickly snatch up the lion head one before Connor can and stash it safely in my bottom drawer.

We pinky promise to give them a whirl tonight, and the two of them hurry out of my room to their first class.

I’m about to leave when anotherpinggoes off in my room. But it’s not from our academy tablet. Excitedly, I leap for my chest of drawers and pluck out my new phone. But my excitement fades as I read a message from an unknown number.

I know what you did, snakelet.

My heart stutters in my chest. Who is this? Quickly, I check the numbers Savage put into the contacts. There are numbers for Scythe, Xander and Savage and also… Lyle Pardalia. This number, then, can’t be any one of them.

I succumb and type back.

Who is this?

The reply comes back straight away.

A long-time admirer.

What does that even mean?

My heart wants to leap out of my chest, but the first bell is about to go off and I need to get to class.

I make sure I’m wearing clothes in which I can conceal my new phone. Stacey keeps hers in her bra and I decide it’s worth the annoyance if it means I can have my phone on me at all times. This new…admirermight want to message me again, and I want to know right away if they do. But what were they referring to with their first message? I’ve done many things since I’ve arrived here. I have to reply.

And what was it that I did?

My my. How does a pretty snakelet forget a dead body in her bed?

My heart stops in my chest. I hadn’t forgotten the night before my trial at all. How I’d found a murdered snake in my bed and a message from my father. How that was what had led me to Savage, Scythe and Xander’s dorm. But how the fuck did this guy know about that?

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Poor snakelet. You can’t hide anything from me. Not even if you tried your hardest.

I’m getting rid of this phone. Don’t bother contacting me again.

Careful with the lies. It’ll make your snout grow.

Well if it turned me into a fucking toucan, then I was all for it. I decide that’s quite enough and shove the phone into my bra. If someone wants to play games with me then that’s their problem.

Xander burned that serpent’s body to ashes so there was no proof. No body no crime… right?

We’ve been separated into two groups to begin a new class. And it’s not until I walk into a new classroom with a fancy electronic whiteboard and I read what it says in bold cursive that I realise what this is.

---