Page 31 of Her Vicious Beasts: The Beginning
Aurelia
In my many fantasies about running away, I’d given a lot of thought as to exactly how I’d do it, and it is this that saves me now. I need to get as far away from Halfeather’s mansion—and my father—as possible, and going north is my best bet. I imagine myself in a sleepy seaside town, going to the beach every day and working in the local coffee shop owned by a quaint family. In order to be completely safe from my father, I will need to move as many states away as possible, and going to the west coast is my best chance. I’ll drive, keeping to the highway until I get as close to the border as I can manage, sleep during the day and travel at night when I can hide my car completely. It’s a fool proof plan, because while my father can track my scent on foot, by car, it’s a whole lot more difficult.
He'll never get the authorities involved. No, this ruse about me causing the fire is just to get the suspicion off him. I have no doubt that he’d married me to Halfeather and caused the fire that killed him. He’s probably already received whatever sum of money he asked for and wants me back under his thumb.
The anima inside me wants to admit that my father’s plan is brilliant.
But I’m not stupid either. Icando this. I will no longer cower in fear while men make decisions for me and force me to comply to their whims. I will not be prey. I will become the predator my mother’s side of the family were. The ultimate predator of them all. I just need to gather my wits together anddoit.
The excitement of making a new life for myself bubbles up alongside the adrenaline of running. Do I really think Savage and the other mates will hurt me if they find me? They are dangerous males, I have no doubt, and not at all that right in the head. I really have no idea what they will do if they catch me like they’d promised.
My best bet is to keep my secret safe and use it against them all.
I drive for four hours until the adrenaline fades and turns into weariness. I stop by a petrol station to fill up, buy three energy drinks, and continue on for another hour and a half. As the morning traffic starts to pile up, I quickly check my phone for a nearby motel.
There’s one owned by a lion family, and what a treat because snakeshatelions with a passion, so it will be an excellent cover for me.
I drive right to it with my eyes heavy and my limbs aching. It’s a small but smart, clean-looking place with a gravel parking lot and single storey of suites. I could park, then shield my car and no one passing by would have any idea I was here. Very proud of myself, I park Maisy and head into the office where a young male lion, no more than a pimply teenager with a mop of blonde hair, smiles shyly at me. I pay him in cash and he hands me a shiny black key with a room number on it, as well as papers with a bunch of useless tourist information. I grin at him and go to find my room. I park my car a little way down from my room, so if my shield goes down due to tiredness, I still won’t give my exact room away.
As soon as I get inside, I collapse onto the bed and fling up a light shield around the perimeter of the hotel so I’ll be alerted if a snake enters the premises. Once I’m happy that I’m secure, I immediately fall into a deep sleep.
When I awake, dusk is settling around the motel and I feel a sharp pang on my shield. I sit bolt upright, my heart pounding as I register a serpent animalia entering the motel.
Not one serpent,four.
My father’s lackeys are here. How the hell had they tracked me so quickly with no scent?
I close my eyes to hone in on my shield, but I can’t do any remote viewing with my power—I can only feel who’s inside. There are four of them, three men and a woman in their human forms. I recognise two of my father’s retrieval squad, but not the other two. They head straight for reception, and I know right away they will threaten the young lion. As soon as they tell him they are here at the behest of the Serpent King, the cub will give me up for sure.
I need to get out of here.
Darting around the room, I collect my phone and duffel before throwing the key on the bed and rushing out the door. If I can just get into my car and get a shield around it, I can leave the parking lot without being seen or heard.
Cloaking myself in my strongest possible eighth shield, I step out of my door and look down the building to see two of the males standing outside the reception like guards.
They notice my door opening immediately—as well as the lack of any visible person coming out of it.
“There!” one of them shouts.
Shit. They will have been briefed about my abilities. Swearing, I leave the door swinging and make a run for my car.
Footsteps thunder on the pavement behind me as I sprint down the carpark for all I’m worth, my duffel bouncing by my side. I reach the bubble of magic my car is in, open the driver’s door and throw myself inside.
The two men hesitate at my lack of appearance, sniffing the air. I turn on the ignition. While they can’t see or hear it, theywillsee the way the gravel moves as my tires flee the scene. I’ve parked rear-in, so I take one deep breath, and put the pedal to the floor.
They shout, pointing directly at me while one of them exclaims into a walkie-talkie. I swear again.Of coursethey’ve brought back-up. Something heavy lands on my car and in my fright my invisibility shield shatters, and I struggle to gather my wits enough to get it back up.
I head for the road, only to find a black Mercedes screeching to a stop across the driveway, my exit blocked. Another snake gets out of the driver’s seat, grinning at his friends.
His expression turns from joyful to horror within seconds, but he’s not looking at me. He snarls and bolts past my car.
A high-pitched scream sounds from behind me, and I whirl around in my seat to see a blur of activity. There’s another scream followed by a bellowing, then the sound of bodies falling.
I remain in my car, clutching my steering wheel as if it will save me, panting like I’ve run a marathon. I have no idea what to do now. There’s no way for me to drive out.
Everything goes quiet. The hairs on the backs of my arms stand on their ends. I look around, but I can’t see anyone.
Until a lion wearing a navy three-piece suit casually strolls around my car, wiping bloody hands on a black pocket handkerchief. His walk is the swagger of a pure apex predatorand he comes to a halt directly in front of my car. His amber-eyed stare is menacing and I’m left gaping at him.
