Page 87 of Her Psycho Beasts

“Honestly?”I reply.“I think it’s going to get real messy, Raquel. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”

“I’m worried,”they admit.“This is more dangerous than when Minnie went into Clawson House. There are a lot more moving parts required.”

“Tell me about it. Xander will be in one place. You’ll be outside with the Dabu pack, Marduk has the getaway car andthe rest of us will be trying to get in.”And Scythe planned the arrangement of our group as well. Savage has the fastest reflexes, so he’ll be up front with me and Scythe. While Lyle will take up our rear. Once Xander rejoins us, he’ll be ready to come in if we need backup. It’s necessary, though, for a complex operation like this one.

Two sleepless nights later, Lyle wakes me up from my doze just before sunset. We eat a light dinner of sandwiches, although Savage and Lyle both eat five each. Scythe eats sashimi, and I try not to stare at how he’s dressed tonight.

It’s the first time I’ve seen him in anything other than business attire and it has mequaking. A tight black T-shirt sticks to his substantially muscled shoulders and arms, letting us see more of his tattoos he normally allows, and he’s wearing a pair of XL black track pants that make me blush.

They’re the same black track pants from Aunt Charlotte’s shop that I’d gifted him when we’d first met. Savage winks at me when he notices my cheeks before hooking his fingers under my chair and dragging me to his side.

For his part, Savage only wears a pair of tiny rugby shorts and his own skin, explaining that his instincts are better when clothes aren’t hindering them. Lyle has pulled his hair up into a neat bun, and he wears a black singlet and loose track pants. Even Eugene has a new black coat on to protect him in addition to his usual goggles.

It’s this change in things that sets my nerves alight and I have to excuse myself from the table, heading into the bathroom and locking the door. I press my back against the cool tile, telling myself to breathe and wishing I had Henry here to count mybreaths like he used to whenever I had a panic attack. I splash cold water on my face multiple times and do a nervous pee. After a moment of thought, I shift.

It’s not a form I’ve used since my early days being on my own and learning about my powers. But when my body drops to the floor and elongates, and I suddenly detect Savage’s bare tapping foot on the dining room carpet and Lyle’s heavy feet prowling into the bedroom, it’s incredibly cathartic. I rear up so I can see everything better, forked tongue slipping out to taste the air. I can scent my mates and Eugene, as well as the food currently on the table. I slither around the bathroom tiles, not even cold against the scales of my belly.

If I want to break into the house of a serpent, I have to think like a serpent. I have to make sure my senses are in tune with my serpent side, so I don’t miss anything crucial. So I don’t get my mates killed in the process.

One of my few memories of my mother is how my father used to make her shift into a cobra whenever we were alone in the house and the servants were dismissed for a public holiday. I’d not found it strange that she could shift into many different creatures, but ithadbeen drilled into me to keep it a secret. Only my nanny Rosalina had suspected, because she’d looked after me so closely since my birth and was like a second mother to me. But on a night Rosalina had been sent away, Father had sat me in the living room and we watched my mother turn into a serpent. He marveled at how beautiful she was and told me all about how cobras were the superior species.

I really believed he’d loved her.

I’d never really believed my father was a good person. I’d seen his anger, seen his punishment, felt a very real fear at his displeasure. If I didn’t do well in my homework, or if one of my tutors reported I’d forgotten something. But I’d thoughtallfathers were like that. I just thought that was the way thingswere and accepted it. It’s only looking back that ice trickles down my spine and I can pick up on all the warning signs.

I feel great shame for never knowing better. I feel an even greater shame that I’d lived my entire teenage life in my bungalow not knowing my mother was trapped in a prison.

“Regina.” Lyle’s voice from the other side of the door makes me jump. “Your sadness is leaking through the walls.”

I shift back so fast it hurts. Groaning, I unlatch the door to find all three of them standing there. Hastily, I reach for my clothes and quickly shove on my underwear, sports bra, black jumper, and leggings.

“You don’t have to do this, regina,” Lyle says, leaning against the doorframe. “I just want you to know that.”

“She’s not worried about going there,” Scythe says, to my surprise. “Are you, Aurelia?”

I swipe at my cheeks. “I was just thinking about how I missed all the signs when I was a child.”

“Children areneverresponsible for the actions of their parents,” Scythe says with a fierceness I’ve never heard from him. “Notever.” He pushes past Lyle and Savage and comes up to me, filling my vision with his intensity. “Children arenotresponsible for saving their parents. They are not responsible for protecting their parents. Whatever the adults around you did, their actions were their own.” He reaches up as if he wants to touch me, but seems to change his mind and drops his hand. “And the repercussions are also their own.”

“But my mother was good,” I say softly. “She didn’t deserve this.”

“No,” Scythe agrees, “she didn’t. But she couldn’t save herself either. That’s not your fault.”

That dark coil of shame eases a little. I didn’t realise how much I needed someone to tell me that. “Thank you,” I say softly.

“The cruellest thing your dad did,” Savage says, coming forward and taking my hand, “was tricking you into thinking you were weak. Was making you forget who you are.” He beams at me. “Lucky you have me to remind you thatyou”—he bops my nose—“are achompy,and not a nimpin.”

A fresh strength eases into my bones at his words.

“And,” Lyle says, frowning at me, “Celeste is still surprised that you ruined her elevator.”

“I’m not!” Savage exclaims. “You should ruin more elevators, baby.”

I chuckle.

“Are you ready to go see your old house, Aurelia?” Scythe says, seriously regarding me. “Are you ready for what needs to be done tonight?”

I take a deep breath and nod, thinking of my mum’s face as I remember it. “I’m ready.”

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