Page 1 of Her Psycho Beasts

Prologue

Scythe

Twenty Years Ago

Even the nose of a shark pup can sense blood has been spilled in this mansion.

A lot of it.

It’s a warm summer’s day, the week before I start primary school, when my dad takes me to see the beast he calls ‘the new king of the district’. He says there might be some sea snakes. He says there might be a room of gold like in the fairytales I like to read.

But there are neither of these things in this huge, cold place.

I have to crane my neck to see all of it as Dad and I walk up the circular drive, and I’ve surely never seen a house so big before, made of black stone, pillars as tall as trees, and snakes of different types carved in sharp relief around them. Dangerous guardians of a dangerous house.

“Keep your back straight,” Dad says, smoothing a possessive hand down my long hair. “And remember to bow properly, like we practised.”

“Will there be other kids inside?” I ask carefully. At this age, I’ve figured out that he doesn’t tolerate certain questions.

He frowns as one of the tall front doors opens and a black-haired serpent comes out with a stern face. “Sure, son.”

“Mr Fengari,” the serpent says in a high, superior tone that tells me he’s better than us. “His Majesty welcomes you to Serpent Court.”

We go inside and sit on chairs made of a soft red material I’ve never seen before. The serpent returns with iced fizzy drinks and I gulp mine down greedily. The bubbles zip up my nose and I shake my head like my wolf mum sometimes does. Dad cuts me a dark look.

As I carefully put down my empty glass on the shiny wooden side table, a man and a woman enter the room.

Dad jumps to his feet, and I copy him, bowing low at the waist like we both practised at least twenty times in our living room at home.

“Your Majesty,” Dad says in a slow, deliberate voice I’ve never heard him use. I instantly know he’ll never cuss or threatenthesepeople.

I straighten to look with interest upon the new King of the Serpents.

He’s even taller than my dad, but where Dad is bulky, Mace Naga is built with lean muscle. He has black as night hair that brushes his shoulders, and dark, watchful eyes that see everything. My instincts tell me this is a beast who does not blink when he kills.

The woman next to him can only be his mate, because of how close he keeps her, except she doesn’t look like a queen. She’s milky pale, with watery blue eyes, and thin like a reed that could break easily. She also has a big, round belly with a hatchling inside.

It brings a smile to my face because that reminds me of my own baby brother.

“Mr Fengari,” the king says, his voice deep and precise. “So, this is your precious,preciousson.” I stare at him and his thin lips curve into a smile, looking me up and down. He sees my silver hair, my blue eyes, my pale skin and, to my surprise, he finds it funny. “Well, he certainly has the look. Can he shift at this age?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty, but he doesn’t drown neither.”

I flinch at the memory of Dad’s experiments with a bucket full of water in the garage.

“Do you see his beauty?” Dad continues, stepping close to me and stroking my hair. “The pretty silver?”

The pregnant woman smiles at me and says so softly it’s like a whisper, “I see kindness in his eyes.”

The serpent king glances at her the same way Dad looks at my mum when she says something silly.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you, Your Majesty.” Dad bows again to the woman, and I know he’s nervous.

The pregnant lady smiles faintly. “When I heard?—”

“You will address her as Mrs Naga,” the king interrupts regally.

Dad’s neck flushes with a bit of pink. “Of course, Your Highness.”

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