Page 80 of Her Feral Beasts

He remains silent until it’s so uncomfortable that I’m forced to look at him. His face is marble. Tanned, beautiful, scary marble, and it makes my core quiver.

“Miss Aquinas,” he warns.

I know I’m going to get a telling off by his ‘deputy headmaster’ tone.

“Yes?” I say innocently.

“A part of being a productive adult is communicating properly. Use your words. Explain to me.”

“Don’t talk down to me,” I snap. “They’re gone. I need more. That’s all you need to know.”

The space between us heats up and I know he’s furious. I’msurehe’s furious when he steps forward, towering over me. Is he even taller than Scythe or is it just his bad attitude?

“Miss Aquinas, if you take that tone with me again, you won’t like what happens.”

Minnie was right. I think he is going to spank me after all. I look up at him with my mouth open and I’m incredulous as I say, “What will happen?”

“Punishment.”

As if that’s a complete sentence! But he continues. “I don’t tolerate disrespect.”

I sigh at his chest. “You sound just like Scythe,” I mutter and then freeze when I realise what I’ve just said.

Lyle stiffens. Slowly, I look up at him and try to deflect. “Can I get my panties or do you expect me to walk around without them for the rest of my sorry life?”

He just stares at me, those pretty eyes seeing right through me. Through my dress, through my organs, and right into my very being. Before I know it, my eyes are wandering over his face and I can’t breathe at the intense masculine beauty. Those perfect angles of his nose and cheekbones…

Then I shake myself, because fuck, women must fawn over him all the time and I don’t want to be a simpering idiot. I drop my gaze and stare at my cuticles as if I’m unbothered by him and his proximity.

“Is he talking to you?” his voice is whisper soft, but it’s furious.

Instinctively, I take a step away, and Henry titters on my shoulder as if he knows there’s an angry, powerful beast standing right in front of us. “Uh. No. Not really.”

“This is the second time you’ve lied to me, Aurelia. You’ll be punished for that.”

I look up at him, exasperated, because I don’t want to clean up anymore blood. “I’m here to talk about how to get out of this mess my father put me in. None of this is productive.”

He rubs a thumb along his jaw, his shoulders visibly settling. He should get a nimpin too. I’m sure it would help him. But he says, “You’re right.”

Excuse me? I need to stop myself from gaping so much because I’m going to get TMJ. But he continues the conversation like he wasn’t just lethally angry.

“What do you want to get out of Animus Academy, Miss Aquinas?”

“I don’t really know. I don’t think I need to be here.”

He makes a dismissive sound. “Where were you running to when I was hunting you? Did you have a plan or were you just seeing where the wind took you?”

So it’s communication he wants? Well, communication is what he’ll get. “I take that in high offence, Mr Pardalia. I’ve been planning my escape for years. I thought I’d be a healer and live a quiet life.”

“Is that right?” The bastard sounds amused. “Why do you say ‘escape?’”

Oops, why is he so sharp? Coming here, I didn’t intend to share so much of a personal nature. Minnie knowing everything is bad enough, although I’m glad I told her. I stay silent, trying to figure out what to say. But he’s relentless. “During the hunt for you, I took a visit to where you lived. Your Aunt Charlotte lied to me.”

I freeze mid-step and he pauses to look back at me, intently watching me as if my face and body will give clues to what he wants to know. It’s lucky that there are only guards around on their patrol, and there aren’t any students to snigger at me.

“What did she say?” I ask slowly, proceeding to walk alongside him again.

“She said that you lived with her in the house. But I saw the… property at the back and got curious. She didn’t stop me when I went to look at it.”

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