3. Savage

Chapter 3

Savage

I 'd like to think I'm a positive sort of person. Xander calls me delusional, but Scythe calls me spirited.

Whatever it is, it's the only thing that helps me now, as I'm speeding away from the best thing in my life. My regina. Aurelia Boneweaver.

The armoured truck rumbles beneath my bare feet, a monster made of metal, specially built to hold monsters made of flesh, just like me.

I'm bound to an upright gurney, tied down Hannibal Lecter style, with obsidian chains so tight that I have zero wiggle room. I have a muzzle on and a spit hood over that. I can't see much beyond the hood, but I can sure feel them.

My new guards.

They'd been waiting in the nearby town. Ruben and the council had called them to stand by so it wouldn't rouse Lyle's suspicion. Once I'd let the academy guards take me into the prison transport vehicle, they'd rumbled off only to stop in town and swap the guards over.

Six beasts in tactical gear now surround me, their rifles pointing at my chest and head. I'd once called the academy guards, with their gaiters and cattle prods, cute. These are Blackwater Penitentiary guards, with all the pretty bells and whistles to deal with unhinged monsters.

I'd sort of missed the drama of it, you know? The seriousness . The laser-pointing rifles, the claw-proof uniforms…the slam of a baton against your skull.

I flex my toes in excitement, because that's the only part of my body I can move, while humming the new song I'm making for my sweet regina.

"My regina, with teeth so sharp, is better than yours,

My regina, with her leathery skin, is better than paws,

She's a sweety chompy-pie,

For her, I'd gladly die…"

"Will someone shut him up?" says one guard.

The rear end of a rifle slams into my gut and I let out an " Oof ."

But it can't ruin my mood.

You see, the cinematic vision of Aurelia shifting from a tiny bird into her saltwater croc form is playing on a loop in my mind. What a stunning perfect beast she is in any form.

I'd told her that you sometimes need to walk right into danger to get what you want. Well, a good animus leads by example for his regina.

I want to show her just what me and my brothers are capable of.

Eight hours later, we drive into Blackwater Federal Penitentiary for Naughty Beasts. We stopped every two hours for the guards to pee, according to their rules, but because I'm not allowed to move, I've had to pee into a bottle each time.

Barbaric people, these guards.

Eventually, the convoy of three trucks trundles through all five gates, right into the bowels of the place that reeks deliciously of feral male, violence, and blood. A perfume for my own heart.

Creaking to a stop, everyone gets out to prepare for my entry.

"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 out of 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.