Page 99 of Her Feral Beasts

But my eyes also cannot help but look at him. This shark who’s spoken about in whispers.

“Scythe,” I state coldly.

He doesn’t miss a beat. “Aurelia.”

Everytime he says my name, it takes me off my guard. But I recover under his steady gaze by tossing my long ponytail over my shoulder. He follows the movement with pinpoint accuracy.

“I’m curious.” I put my hands on my hips as I stand over him. “Since you so enjoy working for my father, will you be coming to my funeral?”

That pristine face changes from curious to stony. “I workfor no one, least of all Mace Naga.”

“Liar,” I hiss. I lash out and grab his right finger, observing the foul magic inked there.

But of course, he’s faster. Stronger. He yanks me forward by the same hand I’m holding him with and as I swing forward, wraps one of those big hands around the underside of my face, his fingers squashing my cheeks from both sides. His face is inches from me, his eyes boring into mine in a way that sends my heart into spasm.

“I needed you dead, Regina,” he whispers. “Needed it like the moon needs the sun.”

My hands are wrapped around his wrist, and his skin is smooth and warm under my fingers. He abruptly lets me go, and because I’m already pitched forward, I idiotically collapse right onto him.

His body is deliciously hard under mine, by the Wild Goddess. Angrily, I brace my hands on the armrests of the sofa and push myself up to standing. Of course, he makes no move to help me.

I’m flustered as I stand there, by his words, by the sheer power I’d felt under me. I push my ponytail back over my shoulder to collect myself. “Youneededme dead…” I repeat slowly, trying to pretend like that entire collapsing thing didn’t happen.

He’s leaning forward in his seat now and Henry, the traitor, has levitated himself to sit on Scythe’s shoulder as he says, “Not now. Not yet.”

I close my eyes and tilt my head back in exasperation. “Can you make up your fucking mind, shark-man, because I can’t take this stress.”

The corner of his lips twitches upwards as if he finds me funny. I glare at him. I glare at Henry too. Scythe’s eye wanders in the space around me and I can’t help but wonder…

“What do you see of me with your shark powers?” But his black shackles are on now. “What did you see when…”when you unzipped my shields like a dress.

He considers my question. “When you have your… protections up, I cannot see much.”

I swallow and say begrudgingly, “But you can remove those whenever you want.”

“Did it hurt?” he asks. “When I did that?”

“Why would you care whether it did or not?”

He doesn’t answer and rather suddenly I wonder what it would be like to have him as my mate. Openly. What it would be like to live with the man, sleep in his bed, accept his gifts. Would he take me with his brother? Are they close enough to fuck me at the same time? Would they—

It startles me when he speaks again. “What are you thinking about, Aurelia?”

“Nothing,” I blurt. Then the backs of my eyes burn as I crash back to reality and I centre myself. What’s the harm in telling him, really? “Just… what it would be like if things had been different. If my father didn’t want to—”

I snap my mouth shut because I’d been about to…shit!

“If your father didn’t want to what?”

I suddenly find that I can’t look at him.

“Aurelia.” His voice is as sharp as a pairing knife, and I remember who the fuck I’m talking to. A beast who orders others to be killed without so much as flinching. A beast who’s feared because hekidnaps people in the middle of the fucking day. What the fuck was I thinking that I could have anormalconversation with him?

I turn away because walking over here was a shark-sized mistake.

But he’s on his feet and has a hand around the back of my neck, yanking me back and turning me around to face him. We’re pressed together, my head forcibly up-turned as he calmly stares down at me.

His voice is a clawed hand stroking down my spine. “Would you tell me your secrets if I held your little kitten captive? If I threatened to kill her? If I made her bleed, would you tell me then?”

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