Page 45 of Beautiful Beast

“A guest?” One of the dragons snorted. “I know you find her beautiful, but she was in the cells. We know she is not a guest, my lord. And she is a human. We only sought to make it easier for you, since this was always going to be the result.”

All three of our heads turned to her, and she had enough self-preservation to lower her eyes.

“Stand up.”

She did, her body shaking.

“You will not shift.” I soaked my voice in power and binding them to my words. Unlike what Sirrus had done to Lena, these were orders that couldn’t be broken, forged by the power of dragons. “None of you will shift unless an Heir or Elder permits it.”

To my left, a gasp. “For how long?”

“Until we fucking decide,” Zovai hissed, smoke accompanying the words.

The one who’d scoffed at Lena being a guest stood in front of me. Long dark hair that shone purple. She was beautiful, but I knew better. Because I knew Soza and the company she kept. “Look at me.” She did. “What is your name?”

Her eyes flashed with hurt that I didn’t know her. Good. “Yrre, my lord.”

With no warning, I reached out and grabbed her by the throat. “When did you last speak to the Elders, Yrre?”

Her pulse fluttered beneath my fingers, breathing labored. “I have never been granted such a privilege.”

“And when were you last consulted about the relations between humans and dragons?”

She swallowed, her hands moving to reach for my arm, and she stopped them. Barely. “Never, my lord.”

I tilted my head and looked at Zovai. He approached. “And have we ever confided in you, or any dragon in this room, about what we find attractive in a mate? Or even a whore?”

The dragon truly shook now, unable to withstand the primal dominance I unleashed, her whole being begging to drop to her knees. But I wouldn’t let her. “No, my lord.”

Zovai leaned forward, bracing his hands on his thighs. “Then why the fuck do you think you know us well enough to know what we want?”

“We heard?—”

“You heard what?” Sirrus snapped.

Yrre opened her mouth, and a band of wind clamped around it, keeping her in silence. “What could any of you possibly have heard that would give you the right to assume our desires?”

I smiled. “Perhaps, Sirrus, it was revenge. As you well know, Soza has come to our chambers many times as a similar offering and been turned away. After we rejected her as a mate. Isn’t that right?”

The dragon pinned against the wall glared at me with fire and hatred, and I just smiled and approached her. “I don’t think you have any idea what you’ve done. That’s the only reason I’m not going to kill you.”

“Thank you, my lord.” One of the other dragons said.

Zovai prowled around the three who could speak. “Tell the truth. Who planned this?”

“Yrre and Soza,” the third one finally spoke. “I agreed, my lord. I apologize. I did not see the error in presenting the human as she is worth.”

I whirled, and my brothers stared at her too. “Is that what you believe? That humans are nothing but dirt under our feet and good only for fucking?”

“They murdered?—”

“YOU SPEAK OF WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.” Hot air swirled in the room, slamming against the walls and sending fabric spiraling. Sirrus’s magic shook the mountain to the foundation. “The three of you get out of our sight. You are stripped of everything. You shall move below the bastion.” They made sounds of protest, quickly silenced. “You will report for service with Erryn in the morning, and you remain forbidden from shifting.”

A spark of rebellion lingered. I growled low, allowing everything I felt to go into it. “If you value your life, you will accept your punishment with the grace your victim did. She begged us not to hurt you on her account, despite her humiliation. Now get. Out.”

They went running.

And then there were two.

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