Page 86 of Her Psycho Beasts

Dad also knew I could undo any serpent magic. Hyena witchcraft I was less familiar with.

“Shit.”

“Indeed,” Scythe says.

“Well, they can have as much hair as they want then,” I grumble. “What next?”

“Once we’re in,” Scythe says, “we get underground with your invisibility protection around us. Despite that, we may have to kill people in the process. Are you prepared for the consequences of that?”

Something inside of me freezes at that. Like a rabbit sniffing the air. These people had once been my family. Had been people who’d once come to my birthday parties, bowed to me as the child heir to Naga seat, gifted me toys.

And now, they are keeping my mother from me.

So I level Scythe a cold look that could rival his own. “I’m more than ready.”

Something like pride glimmers in his eyes, and just when I think I’m imagining it, Marduk clarifies, “We will definitely have to kill people. Perhaps maim them as well. And they’ll definitely try to kill us.”

I nod. We’re going after my father’s most prized possession. Anyone guarding her would be doing so with their own lives on the line.

“So, when do we do this?” I ask quietly. Every day that passes from now will make it more and more impossible for me to cope. We need to do it soon.

Scythe’s eyes move about the room with irritation, and I wonder what he sees there; what part of his land psychosis is active right this very minute. His gaze finally settles on me. “Three days,” he says.

Savage nuzzles my cheek with his nose. “Easy-peasy.”

Chapter 42

Aurelia

“I’ve h-heard of the Dabu hyenas,” Raquel says, after I’ve discussed the game plan with my animas the next morning during our library session.

“Some pretty powerful witches,” Connor agrees, stroking Eugene. “You guys need to be careful.”

“Savage doesn’t seem worried,” I say. “And we don’t have another option.”

“Marduk’s not worried either,” Minnie says. “I really wish I could come this time.”

I wish she could too, but a smaller group is imperative for this. We don’t know exactly what we’ll be facing under my father’s mansion, and for all I know, it’ll be the most dangerous thing I’ve ever faced.

This is also the first time I’ll be going back to my childhood home since I got kicked out at thirteen. The fact that my father had put a trap for me around the perimeter hurts more than I’d like to admit.

“Get her back, Lia,” Sabrina whispers ferociously, clutching a paperback novel tightly in her fists. “You get your mum back.”

The backs of my eyes burn as I nod. “Whatever it takes, I’ll get her out of there.”

Minnie and Stacey wipe their eyes before Connor clears his throat and tosses his hair back to try and distract us all from the emotions. “Meanwhile,” he says, patting Stacey on the shoulder, “we’re constructing a plan for Stacey to seduce zookeeper Rick and rescue the nimpins.”

Stacey blushes. “Yup, we think Dolores might be hiding Cherry as well.”

Sabrina nods absently.

Another part of our phoenix deputy’s reign of terror was the closure of the student village. He claimed the school budget did not allow for both thatandthe annual school ball. I don’t think anyone actually cared about the annual ball, but he’d make the executive decision without consulting anybody.

Lyle had hinted that he’d forked out quite a bit of the academy’s budget from his own pocket, and Dolores definitely didn’t have the same sort of dedication. Even the school buffet was showing signs of cuts; we didn’t get our pastries anymore.

After library class, I find Raquel falling in step with me.“If you need anything,” they say into my mind,“you’ll tell me, Lia, won’t you?”

I take my wolf anim’s hand and squeeze it. Having one of my friends sworn to Scythe isn’t as awkward as I’d thought. When I’d asked Raquel about it, they’d just shrugged and said they were used to this life and that their parents and cousins had known Savage for years. Being sworn into a group that had so many wolves in it actually worked in their favour.

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