Page 115 of Her Rabid Beasts

“Then you don’t get it back.” He steps out of my reach.

“You’re ruining my plans,” I snap. “Give it back before we get caught.”

“Too late for that.” Savage cocks his head, his eyes glittering with excitement. “Lyle just got out of the elevator… but he’s with people.”

I grab at Savage and throw the shield around the both of us. “Who’s the second person?” I whisper.

We both go silent as muffled voices sound from the other side of the door.

He shakes his head like he can’t make it out. Then sniffs the air purposefully. “Georgia and a serpent.”

My brows shoot up. Serpents can see heat! Which Ican’tshield from.

“Shit!” Making wide eyes, I drag Savage and look around the room, but there’s nowhere to hide.

My eyes fall on the massive oak desk.

Dragging Savage towards it, I push him down and under the massive frame just in time for the office door to open.

Savage is grinning from ear to ear like he’s having the time of his life and the only way we fit is to put Savage’s big body in the farthest corner, with his legs stretched out and for me to sit on top of him, bent forward so that my head doesn’t hit the underside of the desk. Savage takes the opportunity to wrap his arms around me and hold me close. Henry huddles into the shadows of the opposite side, his liquid eyes glistening in the dark as we all listen to the two voices.

“Well, I appreciate your time, Mr Pardalia,” says a slippery, sugary sweet female voice.

Thatvoice.

I turn and grab Savage’s face in one hand to try and make him understand without words. He gazes back at me with that breezy smile before he frowns. I press my finger to my lips and he rolls his eyes to say,as if I didn’t know to keep quiet.

“You and your brother have been rather persistent, Mrs Naga.” Lyle’s voice tells me he’s smiling. “I suppose we’ve delayed this long enough.”

“Oh, please, call me Charlotte.”

My aunt laughs, and it’s a sultry, fawny sound. What the hell is she doing here? I can just imagine her in her best cleavage-showing blouse, fluttering her freshly done eyelashes and smiling with her extra bright red lipstick.

Lyle comes to sit at his desk and I fixate on his big shiny shoes and the slacks covering his long legs. I’m suddenlydesperate to touch him. To lay my claim on him. I squeeze Savage’s hand to help contain my anima.

“Charlotte,” Lyle says, and I know there’sdefinitelya smile in his voice. Is he… fuckingflirtingwith my Aunt Charlotte?

Chapter 47

Aurelia

Rage ignites my blood.

“Well, with the family visitation day coming up,” Aunt Charlotte says, “I was hoping you might put in a good word for me with Aurelia?”

Oh, she’s good. She barely hides the usual sneer in her voice when she says my name. And the fact that my father is trying to get communication with me through her makes me furious. He thinks Charlotte canseduceLyle? I have to hold my breath as we listen.

“Well,” Lyle says seriously, “I’m afraid if Miss Aquinas doesn’t consent to see you, there’s not much I can do.” Hell yes. I wrote a big fatNOon my visitation consent form when we first arrived here.

“Surely, an allowance can be made for her mental health plan?” Charlotte purrs. “I know she’s never been all that great in that department.” She chuckles like it’s a joke they have between the two of them.

“She is making progress, even if it is slow,” Lyle says.

I direct a disgusted face towards his lap. His legs are spread wide under the desk, and I can’t help but glare at his crotch.

“She has little cousins who miss her,” Charlotte sighs wistfully. “And I just know if she saw them, she might feel a bit better. I’m all alone at home right now with my two husbands away for work in the mines.”

Fire floods my veins at theovertimplication in her voice. My anima shrieks in my head, the need to claim our dominance over this situation, demanding that I get out from under this desk and lay my claim on Lyle in an obvious way.

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