Page 12 of Her Rabid Beasts

I narrow my eyes. A dragon would have had to open this door. I don’t know if Lia’s Boneweaver abilities extend to dragons or not.

She better hope not, otherwise we are going to have a big fucking problem. I’m the only dragon allowed around here.

“Lemme through.” Savage impatiently pounds his fist against the priceless art.

I swat his hand aside and he steps away. Pressing my hand against the gilded ornate frame of the painting, I sense the old magic and the strands of power that make it up.

To my horror, it’s somehow been programmed to allow all her anima gang through.

“What’s wrong?” Savage says quickly, detecting my rising anger.

Smoke streams out of my nose and I just shake my head, re-programming it to recognise and allow Savage and Scythe through.

When I step through, Savage leaps after me, nearly shoving me down the narrow winding stairs.

Fire splutters to life on dragon-shaped wall sconces on either side of the darkness.

“Oooh, fancy,” Savage says, before shouldering past me and hurtling down the stairs at full pelt.

Sighing, I follow him and we quickly find ourselves at the bottom of the winding staircase, a cavern of water before us.

“Ha!” Savage ignores the waiting boat and, after carefully setting down his spoils in the corner, rips off his pants. He bursts into his wolf form and belly flops into the water, doggy paddling his way down the channel.

I let out a growl of warning because we don’t know what else could be in the waters here. My father would be inclined to keep saltwater crocodiles, or worse, box jellyfish inside something like this. But Savage just gives me an excited yip and I clamber into the boat, grab the oar, and push off after him.

My family mansion has a similar underground cave system, and it makes my skin crawl with nostalgia to think of it. I’ve only been down there once, where my father kept our most precious family jewels hidden behind dangerous magic.Thisplace, having long been abandoned, only contains traces of magic. Things that require low power, like the wall sconces and the boat.

Having a dragon back in situ, and considering the amount of my own blood Savage managed to spill onto the floorboards when we first got here, probably gave this place a little jolt of life.

I follow Savage’s bobbing black head through the gloom until we round a corner and the tunnel opens up into a high-ceilinged cavern. And lo-and-behold, a sorry sight awaits us.

Savage gives an excited yip at the sight of his regina. Despite her new and improved form, I recognise her immediately. It’s the eyes, I think, the particular colour of them, that gives her away.

The anima girl gang are all in their beast forms, lazing about on dirty piles of cloth and litter. Minnie is at the front, in her tigress form, staring at us, with Sabrina as a leopard, her head resting on Minnie’s back. Connor is an impressive black lioness between them and Raquel, in their wolf form. Lastly, Stacey, in lioness form, is on her side, pawing at Raquel’s ear.

I wrinkle my nose as my ancient instincts flare up to clean the place and sort out the dirty things from the precious things, but I shove that shit down because this is notmydragon’s horde.

The lioness with the sapphire blue eyes lies in the middle of the dirty nest, a queen at court, apparently. Her head rests onher two front paws and Henry the nimpin is snuggled right next to her cheek, looking pleased with himself.

Though the Boneweaver’s pose is casual, lazy even, her eyes are sharp and bright on Savage as he shakes off the water like the mutt he is. As I clamber out of the boat, her eyes flick to me. Something hangs in the air around her. Like the low, repetitive boom of a bass drum. I frown as it registers and bat it away like an irritating fly.

Savage lets out a bark to announce his presence, his ears erect as he makes to trot up to her.

A low warning growl from Aurelia stops him in his tracks. Savage’s ears flip back. “Aurelia,”he telepathically coos.“Let me in, pretty princess.”He casts me a look over his shoulder.“It’s like her mind is shielded with stone.”

It’s not stone at all, rather something more unbelievable.I sigh and gesture to the rest of them. “Have you all lost it, or is this a personal preference?”

It’s Raquel who shifts into human form, probably in response to the alpha wolf of the school staring them down. They crouch on the spot, trying to cover their pale, naked skin. They have a number of tattoos in random places.

“S-sorry, Mr F-Fengari.”

“Raquel,”Savage snarls,“what the fuck do you think you’re doing with my regina?”

“N-nothing!” Raquel says. I’m sure the wolf anim speaks out loud for the benefit of their friends. “N-Not by our choice. L-Lia led us here. We’re j-just k-keeping her c-company. She’s n-not… n-not that well.”

“Not mentally well,” I correct. “I don’t think she ever was, to be honest.”

Minnie hisses in offence, baring her long incisors.

---