Page 18 of Her Psycho Beasts

The idiot brutes flinch and mutter apologies to me, hurrying out the door. Probably running off to check on their big kitty cat leader with the missing jaw. I snort at the memory of the Clawson healer trying to fit Titus’ jaw back into place. They’dbrought it back in someone’s beanie—a little lesson for detaining my snakelet in his jowls. A mistake he won’t be able to make again. They now feed him liquid meat through a tube that goes down his nose into his stomach, all the while rage and hatred shine in his black eyes.

It was the funniest thing I’d seen all week.

I step forward to examine the leopard. In her brown eyes shine a similar rage to Titus, except hers bear a healthy dose of terror.

She grunts something through her gag. Probably cursing me to a cruel death.

“Comply, leopard, and you will not be hurt,” I say lightly.

She makes a disgusted sound, angry tears slipping down her cheeks. The scent of her panic still perfumes the air, luring me closer. We’ve moved her twice now, and to my delight, her fear has only heightened.

I reach into my pocket and take out a pouch of worn, buttoned fabric, holding it out to show her in my palm. “You’re good with little manoeuvres,” I say, undoing the button and opening it up to reveal her set of professional steel lock picks. “Do as you’re told,” I say again for emphasis, “and maybe you’ll survive this.” I pocket the picks.

Her eyes move wildly about the small enclosure before she squeezes them shut and proceeds to slide down the stone wall dramatically. The shriek of the metal chains on stone is almost grating, but then she lands on her ass and begins to cry.

I turn on my heel and walk out, humming a little tune.

Chapter 9

Aurelia

“Ithink that’s quite enough.” A stern male voice booms through the academy speakers.

My eagle claws gently touch the spongy turf outside the central academy as I’m lowered down. Around me, the other birds of prey, some who’ve shifted into their human forms upon hearing the psychic blast, land on the grass and try to pull themselves together.

If it wasn’t for Lyle grabbing us all with his telekinetic hand, we’d be birdcakes on the soil.

Lyle, shifted into his human form, crouches down to come eye to eye with me. I remain in my eagle form, trembling as the echoes of the psychic blast pierce my brain like a thousand, tiny needles.

He reaches for the side of my head, gently cupping it. “Are you alright, regina?” His voice is soft despite his furious expression.

I let out a little eagle whistle of assent, which is all I can manage for the moment. I’m vaguely aware that around me, some of the students have collapsed onto the grass, lying panting on their sides. It’s a mixture of human skins and animal pelts,shaking themselves or rubbing their ears. Someone might be whining, but I can’t be sure.

Henry rises from Lyle’s shoulder and zips over to squeeze himself under my wing. His tiny body trembles with fear but his tiny warmth is comforting.

Where the fuck did that blast come from?

Happy that I’m not mortally wounded, Lyle stands and stalks away, presumably to find the culprit. I sense he, Scythe and Xander having a mental discussion, but my mind is claimed by that high frequency buzz, and all I can do is focus on not tumbling over where I stand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lyle’s growl is low and deep, but it easily reaches across the lawn. Every organism around me goes still at the lethal warning in my lion’s voice.

Within seconds, we all see who he’s talking to.

Curls of deep red-gold hair glint like fire in the morning sun as the figure strides onto the grass. He’s tall with a reedy frame, milky pale skin, mythic golden eyes with thick, white-framed circular glasses. He covers his slender body in a professional maroon suit and white shirt. In one hand, he holds a microphone.

“My name is Damien Agnis,” he says, words echoing through the speakers. “And I am your new deputy headmaster.” As he speaks, words made of crimson flame appear in the air next to him, spelling out his name in bold capital letters.

A shocked silence descends upon the students as his dulcet voice reverberates around the school.

I’d seen Celeste’s phoenix fire before, and it was a magnificent thing to behold. But for most of the student body, this is the first time they are seeing the fabled flames in real life.

Agnis.

He is a phoenix—and related to Celeste, at that. They could even be siblings by the resemblance I see in his eyes and hair.But that’s where the similarities end. Because he then sneers, dragging his eyes down Lyle’s body as if disgusted, before giving him a droll look.

Is he mad? Like, actually insane?

I hate this guy already.

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