Page 154 of Her Rabid Beasts

Minnie is ghostly pale under her brown skin. Whether her human self realises it or not, her anima knows what’s about to happen.

And when Titus points a long, thick finger to her, standing huddled in a shield of her confused friends, she begins to tremble like a newborn bird.

“Minnie Devi,” Titus calls, his harsh voice dripping with disdain.

Gertie, Minnie’s bright yellow nimpin, chirps in comfort into Minnie’s ear, where she’s perched on the tigress’ shoulder.

This is the only time I’ll permit myself to step in. “Remove the nimpin,” I call.

I try to reduce collateral damage where I can. That has always been my rule.

Raquel quickly steps forward and cups their hands around Gertie, but the nimpin shrieks and clings onto Minnie’s shoulder with her tiny feet. The sounds of distress and protest echo around the room and every anima cringes. Raquel prises Gertie off Minnie’s skin, the nimpin crying out and squeaking as if her very life depends on staying with the tiny female.

It’s only when Minnie says, “It’s alright, Gertie,” that Gertie croons low and allows herself to be taken back to the other animas.

Minnie seems to take a deep breath and steps forward. Her bubblegum pink hair is a mass of curls down her back and she wears a long black dress that doesn’t suit her normally bubbly disposition. Her eyes are pink and puffy, probably for days now since Titus refused to let her see him. But she stands tall at all of her five foot three, her face a mask of noble bravery.

“Psychopathic motherfucking cunt,”Savage snarls into my mind, sensing what’s about to happen.“We should’ve ground his living body into meat the moment he got here.”

“We don’t have the right,”I reply.“Only Minnie does.”

“She’s too sweet,” Savage says irritably. “She’s too… gentle.”

I’m not so sure about either of those two things. I think Minnie has more mettle than anyone gives her credit for. I can see it in the power that hovers around her at all times.

Minnie steps into the centre of the hall, leaving a decent space between her and Titus. She gives him a small, hopeful smile.

Titus sneers down at her, the picture of dominant disapproval.

Minnie’s smile falters.

“You are nothing to me,” Titus announces his proclamation to the room.

That triggers Minnie because her anima bursts forth. Her mask of bravery bleeds into a snarl. “I am yourregina!”

The revelation sweeps through the room in a crushing wave.

More than a few people gasp. Her friends, including Aurelia, stare at each other in shock. Savage frowns at Minnie. No one except Lady Celeste and Lyle know about the bonds in the school. I only knew because I could see their auras chasing each other every time they were in the same room.

Aurelia suspected it too. I can see it in the way she’s concentrating; eyes darting between Minnie and Titus in an assessing, focused way. I watch her carefully, trying to figure out if what she did was on purpose or not. If my regina is as malevolent and cunning as I’d suspected from the very beginning.

What she’d done was something the daughter of Mace Naga, heir to the serpent throne would do.

But the more I watch Aurelia, the more my shark thrashes, trying to tell me something that I don’t want to hear right now.

Minnie crosses her arms and juts her chin out, suddenly transformed into the dominant regina she was born to be. Suddenly given herself permission to be. “I kept it secret because you wanted me to, but I shouldn’t have!”

Titus stomps up to her, a lethal beast in human skin. “If you were my regina, then where the fuck is your mating mark?”

The lights in the room seem to flicker. Aurelia’s heartbeat skyrockets.

“You’ve seen it before!” Minnie says, touching the right side of her neck. “When we first met, it was there. We both saw it! It’s just?—”

“Justwhat?” snarls Titus, jabbing her in the chest. “You are an abomination. You arewrong. I let this go on for too fucking long. I should be arex.”

Titus isn’t the only haughty male to protest fate not making him a rex. Of fate declaring that they bow to a regina. But eventually, males turn around. Eventually, they cannot deny their animus and the fact that their regina is stronger than them. Worthy of holding the position.

But Titus isn’t a normal animus. Some males are born into psychopathy. Some males will never give in. It’s rare, but I’ve seen it a handful of times. Most of those males end up at Blackwater or simply getting killed off by other males, usually members of their mating group.

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