Beasts and Savages (The Beastly Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

a plate from the cupboard and met Nana at the stove. “Morning, Nana.”
“Morning sweetie, how did you sleep?” She piled my plate with sausage and waved me over to the waffles on the counter.
“Terrible,” I groaned. “This is early for Saturday breakfast.” I smothered my waffle with syrup.
“Mm,” she answered, “I figured you would be up already, and your mother had to go in early to the center.”
“Oh?” I raise my eyebrow. “It’s not her weekend to work. I thought she would be here when I changed.”
Nana rustled my hair. “She got called in. Some problem they needed her for.” She turned back to the skillet. “Don’t worry honey, I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, Nana, but maybe she’ll be back before noon?”
Nana’s voice was flat. “I doubt it, sweetie.”
“Can I ask you something? About the shots I take?” I sat at the counter across from her, taking small bites as I eyed her carefully.  I wasn’t sure how she’d react, and I didn’t want her to think that I was causing trouble at school.
“Sure, but I’ve already answered most of what I know.”
“We had to get another injection yesterday. Ms. Dawning called it a booster.”
“Really? That’s odd. You can’t boost energy to Nano already in your system, but I guess you could add more. Did she say why?”
“She said they weren’t as effective as they should be.”
“Hm. I don’t see how they would know that until after this weekend, but it’s possible.” Nana gave me a stern look. “Did you give her any trouble?”
“No.” I looked away.
“Lea. You can’t question authority. Not if you want to hunt. If Ms. Dawning reports that you are causing problems, they’ll have you in a surgery room that day. Is that what you want?”
“Maybe I don’t want to hunt. Not yet, anyway,” I answered in a small voice.
“There won’t be a yet if you continue to be a problem. They’ll take away nursing, too.” She wagged the spatula at me. “And don’t you dare breathe a word about not hunting to your grandmother. She doesn’t need help finding things to have angry outbursts over.”
“Ms. Dawning said I can’t switch once I’ve chosen a career.”
“Just because you can’t change your mind doesn’t mean that they can’t move you on their own.”
“That’s not fair!” I cried. A burning anger flared through my system.
“Nothing about the hunt is fair, Lea.” Nana sighed. “Do you think those boys worry about fairness when they die during the hunt? They don’t. In fact, they volunteer.”
I dropped my fork. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry. Nana had opened the door to a barrage of questions long buried in the back of my mind.
“How do they die? Why do they have to die? And why would they volunteer?” I whispered. Speaking louder would acknowledge the death that surrounded the hunt, something I’d been avoiding.
“Those are questions for your mother. Tradition says that preparing for the hunt is the tie that keeps you and her bound after you become a mother. I’ll not mess with tradition.”
After breakfast, I wandered the house and tried to read. The craving grew. I couldn’t sit still. Watching the clock was agonizing, but I couldn’t help myself. By eleven, my gums ached. At eleven-thirty, I couldn’t take it any longer. I filled the metal water bottle, and Nana followed me to the basement. She kissed my forehead and wished me luck before I stepped inside.
I flipped the switch outside the door and the hum of the lights echoed through the room. I set the water bottle down on the bench. I felt panicked. The walls were closing in on me. Immediately, I regretted my decision to come down early.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The wanting deep in my core exploded and my hands ached. The pain in my gums sharpened. I tasted blood and licked my teeth. My canines had dropped. The florescent lights hurt my eyes, and I made a mental note to bring sunglasses next time. After about an hour, the hum of the lights had