Page 8 of Her Psycho Beasts

“I need a moment with him,” Ruben’s voice booms outside before his heavy steps thud onto the back of the truck. He roughly pulls off the hood and I happily take a breath of fresh air. Ruben stands in front of me, all loomy and impressive, his massive arms crossed, his bearded face grim. He’s one of the few males who can take me on in a fair fight, though we’ve never really gone at it. “I’d say I’m sorry but—” he shrugs those mountain shoulders. “I’m not. You’ve become worse than your old man ever was.”

I scoff. “Didn’t know you liked him so much. What was all the stuff you were telling me about my regina for?”

He snarls. “I was trying to help you. I’ve known you since you were a pup, but you’re completely beyond it now, Sav.”

“Uh-huh,” I hum. “Let’s get going then. Toss me in there, throw away the key.”

Lyrics for a new song.

Ruben rolls his eyes before reaching around to grab the handles of my upright gurney and wheeling me to the open doors. He doesn’t even use the elevator mechanism to get me out, just uses his own muscle to lower me right down.

He was definitely a bear in his past life—a big ol’ shaggy one with blood in his teeth all the time. I wonder what beast he’ll be in his next one.

It’s nice to be out in the fresh air, even if it is spicy with the testosterone and aggression of the prisoners inside.

Ruben wheels me through a lovely guard of honour, all with their guns cocked and aimed, just for me. They’re worried I’ll try something drastic like last time; somehow wrangle my way outof these Hannibal restraints, kick and bite my way through them and stroll out of here, happy as Larry.

Of course, they’re wrong. This is nothing like last time.

Ruben unwinds the kilometres of chains wrapping around me and the gurney. Underneath, I’m naked, to the great delight of the guards.

They smirk eagerly.

“I suppose this is goodbye then,” I say with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll miss ya, Rubes.”

There’s a really good poem in there, but I’ll make my point soon enough.

Behind me, the escorts are loitering around the trucks, smoking and gossiping like old birds. Since all the prisoners are locked up in their beds, they like to slack off on the night shift.

“Bye, Savage,” Ruben says coolly, before turning on his heel and striding away.

The Blackwater guards chuckle.

“Welcome back, Savvy boy,” sneers an older cheetah who remembers me. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Oh yeah?” I say, sauntering as far as possible from the trucks, cock swinging. “Couldn’t wait to see me naked again, could you, love?”

The other guards laugh nastily, fingering their cattle prods. Behind me, a truck door slams shut as Ruben gets ready to return to the academy.

“Let’s get into medical,” the cheetah says, copping a feel of my bicep.

As I enter the building, I throw a glance over my shoulder to see Ruben turning the ignition of his truck. He hears it, then.

Every guard in the vicinity does.

The tiny click.

I smirk and Ruben’s grey eyes snap to mine.

That’s when the bomb planted under his truck goes off.

Setting off the rest of the bombs in the other two trucks in a beautiful chain reaction.

A ball of fire fills my vision, just before we all go flying backwards.

Chapter 4

Lyle

---