Page 106 of Crown of Chaos

“Hard pass,” I said through the multitude of teeth that had slipped free from my gums. “Hunt with me,” I demanded of Esme, which had the monster she held shivering.

“No, I concede the meal to you, alpha,” she whispered.

I blinked at her trembled reply, rattling with frustration as the man tried to dash away. I pounced, colliding against him before kicking his legs out beneath his feet and forcing both palms against his chest. He slammed against the ground, expelling his breath with a whooshing sound.

Backing up, I studied Esme as he climbed to his feet, gasping for air. I made a sultry sound that had the sick bastard spinning to look at me through pupils expanding with lust. Methodically, I yanked my shirt off and tossed it aside. As his eyes grew heavy and hooded with lust, I moaned, moving my hands over my belly, which caused Lennox to rattle a threat.

Lennox leaned against the barrier. His palms were applying enough pressure that his nails had torn through it, ripping it from the sheer strength he used from merely pushing his weight onto the obstacle between us. The low, angry tones he created in his throat were playing hell on my insides, and the embers in his eyes glowing with warning. I could smell his desire to take what I was offering another, which had me growing bolder and more reckless. His pheromones were taunting and seducing me at the same time. He was also ruining my dinner plans because I had to fight to keep Ember on track. She was all about deviating from the plan to mount him.

Esme rose, and I grinned at her as she moaned huskily. She mimicked me, echoing my sounds while learning how I hunted. It wasn’t a human sound in the slightest, but then he wasn’t human. He was a shifter, and they ran off one basic need—to rut bitches into the ground and be the alpha they assumed women needed. I roved my hands over my breasts, and he closed the distance between us.

As I rolled my hips, I heard Lennox spitting with anger. He made deep, loud warning sounds to the alpha, who was inching closer to me. The man’s eyes slid between Lennox and me, and I continued rocking my hips and touching my body until he couldn’t refuse me.

His hands slid to my back, and I peered at Esme over his shoulder, issuing my invitation to join. Her razor-sharp, needle-like teeth lengthened even more as she moved up behind him. She was cautious as she approached me, but I made the same chuffing noise from deep in my throat.

Slowly, Esme pressed against his back, running her arms up his sides. The male groaned, and the deeply rich sound had Ember sneering at his weakness. Esme’s monster watched me, waiting for the cue. We removed his shirt, freeing a wealth of muscles that were toned and hard beneath our fingertips.

We cradled him between our bodies. His noises grew more urgent as we both stroked and played with him. Finally, he’d had enough and pushed his hands into my hair, trying to force my mouth to his. Before he could claim my lips, though, I turned and smiled at Lennox, whose eyes were crimson from the fury burning within.

My hands lowered, cupping his cock, which was already hard and ready to breed us. The fabric of the pants he wore shredded under my claws and fell around his ankles. I locked gazes with Esme and smiled against his throat before my claws grazed the skin beneath his ribs, teasingly skimming over the flesh. He shuddered while grinding against my belly.

Lennox continued to make the loud, threatening sounds, but I ignored him. The length of my nails grew. He grabbed one of my breasts, causing a soft groan of pain to escape my lungs. I shoved my hand into his chest, smiling coldly at the squelching noise that filled the air as I dug for what I wanted. Warm blood coated my fingers, and the beating organ continued to pulse as I wrapped my fingers around it. The lord howled in pain as I yanked the organ free, and I laughed at the horror that rounded his eyes before death claimed him.

Esme backed up, shoving him on the ground. I settled on his stomach, chewing a bite of the bloodied organ I’d stolen while I grinned at her. She preened, purring loudly in approval.

Blood dripped from my chin to my chest, creating a morbid picture that emboldened me as I took another bite. Esme’s fear was making me antsy and uneasy—or rather, it was creating those emotions in Ember. I was pissy that Esme wasn’t sitting and eating the prick with me.

I growled loudly in warning, and she whined as if she didn’t comprehend. She wasn’t stupid. She knew I was telling her to eat. I made a garish, unsettling noise, and she finally moved closer even though her entire body hummed with terror. Then she lowered awkwardly, turning her head from side to side, as if she feared I was luring her into a trap.

Ember paused as if she were against letting her eat from the kill we’d made, and I grumbled.

“We killed it. It is ours! I’m starving, and I know you will not be riding dick. Can’t a girl just eat? It’s been a rough day for us. We almost died twice, got pissed on, and now you wantmeto share withher? You’re really asking a lot right now, Aria.”

“She’s our friend. Friends share . . . dead shit together. You eat, and she eats. She’s totally a beta, which means she needs us! Do not attack her, or I’ll not agree on getting dick until honest-to-god cobwebs grow on our lady bits. Understand? She normally hides in the bushes and eats what we leave, and that shit cannot continue. It’s below her.”

“It is how it is supposed to be! Alphas eat, and then betas eat what we leave behind. Alphas don’t eat with betas, Aria. You’re ruining my reputation by allowing her to eat with us.”

“Have you been paying attention? That ship has sailed. My reputation was ruined the second you stripped naked and pranced around an entire village of men with our ass in the air. You begged them to fuck us like some bitch that needed dick so bad she’d settle for anything.”

“I was making themfeelsafe! Did they touch us? No. Did we eat them? Every mother-fucking one of those assholes.”She snickered, sending warmth through the link we shared.“Knox smells so good.”She twisted, leveling him with a come-hither look as she purred huskily. This had him lowering his head, peering at us through heavy eyes. His nostrils flared, and he stepped closer, slamming a hand against the barrier.

“Do not make that sound—”Ember purred in a multilayered tone.

The sound had Knox and his men complaining as they tensed and their thick, erotic scents filled the air. Ember smiled victoriously and turned to Esme as her feminine scent filled the air in front of us.

Esme grunted, reaching over to angrily rip the entire arm off the male. A strangled noise of frustration escaped her lips, and her teeth shredded the limb. Smiling at her, I took another bite from the heart, groaning at how good it tasted.

She rattled, and I rattled back. I frowned, chuffing as she did it right back. She ripped a chunk of meat away from his chest, and Ember mirrored her, forcing more into our already full mouth. I choked, sputtering and then coughing around the mouthful. Esme smirked, gnawing on her meal.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Making friends,”Ember replied in a pissy, irritated tone.“I don’t think you’d like me eating her, and she’s upset we made her orgasm. She says it was not welcome. Now I sort of want to do it again just to show her how much we don’t fucking care.”

“Play nice, Ember. I only have a few friends.”

“I’mbestfriend! I amalwayshere, and I always have your back.”

“Stop being petty, and we actually share the same spine, which means you literally don’t have a choice in the matter. You stab me in the back; you’re going to feel that shit, too, Ember.”

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