Page 41 of Her Psycho Beasts

“We waited f-for you too,” Tony says. “But listen, you really need to do what you’re being told.”

“You’ve got to obey your orders. It’s the only way they’ll let you out of here. It’s the only way they’ll give you a better room and…and a proper toilet.”

“Say it again,” Sabrina whispers.

They’re silent before Tony says, “Regina.”

Sabrina closes her eyes. A single tear slips out from one eye.

I sigh in irritation. “This is useless. Get out.”

They both cast a longing look at the leopard before taking the longest time to turn around.

“Wait. Tell her,” I command.

They both turn back around.

“Our allegiance is first to the Clawsons,” Tony’s voice breaks as he says it. “It always will be.”

Sabrina’s mouth falls open, but she closes it before nodding. “Right.”

I impatiently gesture for the two males to leave, a thread of my shadows reaching for them. They practically bolt through the door.

When we’re back out in the corridor, Tony, clearly the bolder of the two, but less intelligent, says, “C-Can we not put her in a cell with a flushing toilet, my lord?”

Turning my back on them as we walk down the corridor, I say simply, “Ask again and I’ll rip your lips from your mouth and you’ll never get to kiss your regina, flushing toilet or no.”

They both let out shaky breaths.

I roll my eyes because none of them realise the truth: I’m definitely going to have to kill them before the end of this.

Chapter 20

Aurelia

Lyle protectively hovers behind me, with one hand around my waist as we wait in the jungle gym. It’s a simulated jungle inside a massive warehouse on the far side of the academy. Each order has scheduled times they’re allowed to visit and run around in their shifted forms. Mating groups can even apply to have hunting parties in here, often just before or after the monthly lockdown. But for me, this is my first time coming in, as our particular group of animas normally prefer to go to the student village and get a coffee instead of getting sweaty and dirty and bitten by bugs.

There are a couple of rosellas singing in the highest trees and there’s the fresh and clean scent of the eucalyptus and gum trees over the dank manure smell. They have the roof open today, so the sun streams through, tickling the very tops of the biggest trees.

Lyle’s thumb stroking my stomach is just as gentle as his voice in my mind.“Are you alright, angel?”

I take a measured breath as I reply into his mind.“Part of me is worried it won’t work…and another part of me is worried that it will.”

He leans down, lips brushing my neck in a kiss that makes my toes curl.“I’ll still love you, no matter what happens.”

My breath catches and I spin around in his arms, staring up at his perfect, smiling face until my vision blurs. Just as I’m about to say something back, it’s then that Xander and Scythe decide to grace us with their presence and the heavy metal door to the jungle gym squeals open.

Scythe prowls towards us, and I swear his hard gaze wraps a cold wind around Lyle and me.

“Are you ready, Aurelia?” his hoarse rasp wrenches me out of my Lyle daze.

“As I’ll ever be,” I say, my heart suddenly kicking up its rhythm.

I glance at Xander, who has left his shackles off since our collective near-drowning incident, looking in any direction except mine. I’m sure he is far too curious about this to stay away.

Less than a minute later, Damien arrives, reminding me of a vulture, long-necked and bouncy with his excitement. His eyes find and latch on me right away and I can’t help but notice both Scythe and Lyle subtly shift to flank me.

Damien comes to tower above me, compulsively straightening his white suit jacket, golden eyes glowing. “How do you do it, Aurelia? What do you need from me?”

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