Page 25 of Her Psycho Beasts

“I was just trying to be helpful,” Minnie mumbles.

He stares at her over the top of his white glasses. “Well, you are not. Inappropriate comments to a teacher will get you three nights in a cell, girl.”

Stacey gapes in horror and dismay. Raquel lets out a slow, measured exhale.

I, in turn, stare at Theresa, observing a little way from the teacher’s desk and slowly turning redder by the second. But he’s her superior. She can’t do anything as Damien returns to shuffling his papers.

“Lyle?”I project.

“What is it, sweetheart?”comes a quick reply.

Raquel, being a powerful broadcaster wolf and can sense telepathic waves, glances at me on instinct.

“Dolores is being a real asshole.”

Instead of a reply, a rumbling growl vibrates the inside my skull.

A cold presence replies to me instead.“Aurelia, do not rile him up,”Scythe says sternly.“He’s two waves away from killing the beast. What did I tell you yesterday?”

“Right,”I say, thoroughly chastened.“Sorry. It’s alright, Lyle. He was just insulting Sabrina, and I want to punch him in the face.”

“I wouldn’t complain if you did, angel.”

“Such a gentleman.”

“Isthere,” comes a loud snide voice in the room, “something you would like to share with the class, Aurelia Boneweaver?”

I freeze like a wallaby caught in headlights. “Uh, nope, sir.”

“Then you will refrain from telepathic communications in my classroom. You do not get special privileges for being what you are.”

My brows shoot up. Being what I am has landed me theoppositeof privileges.

“Is that clear, Aurelia Boneweaver?”

He seems to be obsessed with my name. “Yes, sir.”

The sound he makes tells me he doesn’t believe me. “Stand up immediately.”

I shove my chair back and drag myself up to standing. Henry reassuringly bops on my shoulder.

“Why don’t you tell everyone a bit about being a Boneweaver? I’m sure everyone here is rather pressed to know what you’ve been hiding from us all this entire time.”

Okay, this is completely uncalled for. I try not to cross my arms, and resort to clenching my fists instead. “I would really prefer not to. Sir.”

He narrows his eyes at me. How can they be so much like Celeste’s and yet the opposite in every way? “I’m not giving you a choice.”

Everyone stares at him in disbelief.

Theresa tries her best to rescue the situation. “Lord Agnis, I?—”

“Theresa, really, let the young lady clear the air with all her friends.”

It’s like he’s taking this personally. That my hiding my Boneweaver order was a personal affront to him. I don’t get why. I’d never even heard of the guy until yesterday.

I’m suddenly aware of the intense silence of the room, and the many eyes staring hard my way. Xander sits at a table with some wolves, buthiseyes don’t have their usual glow. He walked into class with obsidian shackles on, though no one knows why. It was clearly Damien’s doing, but it meant that his empty eye sockets, with their old, slashing scars, were now visible again. Everyone is avoiding looking at him.

“So yeah, I can turn into other beasts,” I start slowly. “But I don’t really want to talk about it. Like I said.”

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