My beast companions are in the middle of my medicinal soak when a soft, dramatic little "ow" drifts in from outside.
Vex, my wolfkin companion, drops my leg. Brom, the bearkin, jerks his hand and a fortune's worth of elixir spills into the water.
They crash through the floor-to-ceiling window and bolt outside without a single glance back — all for some ordinary girl.
I'm still staring at the broken glass when a stream of glowing blue text pops up out of nowhere.
[The main character Ivy literally fake-tripped in the garden and these two idiots jumped out a window for her!]
[Honestly, the original side character Lillia had it so rough. Backstabbed by her own companions, dies a miserable death, and they end up in Ivy's entourage…]
[And she never even figures out what's happening. Just suffers through the whole thing without a clue.]
I read through all of it, and one thought slowly rises: seriously?
If my companions won't behave, just get new ones. Simple.
I go straight to my mom, and before I've even finished talking, she's already pulling me toward the door.
"Any beast that turns on its master isn't worth keeping. Come on, baby — let's go pick you out some new ones. Mom's paying, so make it the most expensive ones they've got."