Page 155 of Her Rabid Beasts

“Titus,” Minnie says, her voice suddenly small. “I?—”

“Donotspeak my name!” he snarls.

Like a skip in the melody, the song of Aurelia’s power, the one she cast months ago, stutters.

Chapter 63

Aurelia

No.

No.

No.

I stare between my best friend and Titus Clawson. I stare harder.

Keep them safe. Keep them safe. Keep them safe.It’s a hymn I’ve prayed into the aether for weeks now.

But Minnie can’t see her own mating mark? Just in the same way I can’t see my mating mark when I’ve hidden it? Except that’s always on purpose.

A memory comes back to me, on old, dark, fearful wings.

On our first day at the academy, when Minnie and I stood side by side in front of the entire male population of the school for mating lines.

Against my better judgement, I grab Minnie’s hand.

To my utter and profound relief, she doesn’t shake me off and grips me tightly back. I hate that I look weak, but my blood is pounding in my ears and I can’t breathe. I’m a predator. An apex predator, and there is nothing I fear.

I chanted it over and over again like a ritual mantra. I re-enforced all seven of my shields to protect myself from the mates I thought were going to kill me.

Not realising that by clinging onto Minnie so fiercely, I extended one of those same shields to her.

I squint at my best friend, trying to feel it out… and finding it. A tiny tether. A tiny thread that enveloped her neck and kept her mating mark hidden.

Panic spears me through the gut.

Her mating mark is invisible because of me.

I only wanted safety. I only wanted to protect myself.

Why didn’t she tell me she couldn’t see her mark?

Fuck!

I frantically project to her,“Minnie, I think this was me. I’m so sorry. I think this is my fault.”

Minnie whirls around to stare at me, her eyes wide. “What?”

Silently, I pull back on that tiny bite of power I shared with her. Not the psychic one that protects her from the serpents, but the mating mark one, so well disguised, nestled so tightly it was invisible even to me.

I can’t see it, but I feel it come down.

Titus’ eyes become dangerous as they flick down to Minnie’s neck and he lets out a lethal sort of sound.

Minnie whirls back around and gasps. “Can you see it now?” she cries, reaching for her neck. “I can see it there on you!” She steps towards him, grabbing him by the forearms. “Do you see it?”

She can see his matching mark now too.

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