Page 186 of Her Rabid Beasts

“They were what caused all of this,” I admit. And to Celeste’s credit, she never says ‘I told you so’ for this or choosing not to share my secret.

Lyle’s arm tightens around me.

“I think this little display was inevitable,” Celeste says. “Mace would have found a way to achieve his goal of discrediting Lyle eventually.”

And word of what happened will get out to my father. That I disobeyed an order that was seven years old.

“And, um… what of Frank Ulman?” I ask, not wanting to turn around and see them scraping his brains from the bitumen. The last thing I want is a van of my own to take me to Blackwater… although if it landed me with Savage, I might consider it.

Lady Celeste smiles at me. “You should only be thanked, Aurelia. For his crimes against Lyle’s family and our kind, he was given the sentence he finally deserved. I’m sure he regretted coming out of hiding in his last moments.”

I gape at her, not expecting to hear such vicious words from a refined, genteel woman. But then Lyle kisses me on the head and Celeste’s eyes soften at the sight, her eyes filling with tears.

“A worthy regina,” she murmurs. “Worthy indeed.”

I’m lying on a medical centre table five minutes later, my wounds being carefully inspected under a spotlight by my favourite lead nurse, Hope, as Lyle watches on, his eyes dark and dangerous at the sight of my injuries. He’s thankfully been given track pants, although my lion stalked into the medical clinic with his dick swinging like he didn’t care. Scythe remains with us as well, though his unblinking gaze I can’t read.

“Is what the guards say true?” Hope murmurs as she swabs my wound to send for testing.

Lyle lets out a rumbling growl of warning from where he sits next to me, holding my hand like he needs contact with me at all times, but I shake my head at him. The secret is out now. There’s no point denying it to anyone anymore. “Yes. I’m a Boneweaver.”

“But Mace Naga is definitely a serpent, so that means it comes from your mother?”

“It does.”

She hums with interest. “I sensed you were something to each other when Mr Pardalia came in here that day after your kidnapping,” she says, smiling faintly.

“It was always going to be difficult to hide,” I say darkly. “But we tried anyway.”

She’s quiet as she uses a glass pipette to drop the phoenix tears onto my wounds. The magical fluid is surprisingly warm as it hits my darkened skin and starts to tingle immediately.

“It’ll take a full night to work, although Celeste’s tears usually work faster. You need anything else?”

“I’d really like some mouthwash,” I admit. I’m pretty sure there are things between my teeth I don’t want to think about. “But I’m fine otherwise.”

If Savage were here, he’d make a joke about it and make me feel better. The backs of my eyes sear and I close my eyes.

“Minnie was asking for you when I checked on her,” Hope says, reaching into a cupboard and setting a bottle on the table. “I heard what she did. She’s a real hero.”

The tears spill freely then. The fact that Minnie had enough power to stop the velocity of multiple bullets from rifles was astonishing. I had no idea she had that sort of control or strength. “She really is,” I whisper.

If Savage were here, I imagine him rolling his eyes and grumbling, “I suppose I owe her now. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Hope bandages my stomach to protect the wounds and leaves. As soon as she does, Xander is thrusting the drawn curtains aside and storming into the room like a fiery tornado. The room goes from mild to sweltering immediately.

“You manipulative little?—”

“Xander,” Lyle barks in warning.

“No, let him speak,” I say evenly, sitting up to look Xander in the eyes and keeping my shoulders up and back. “What do you have to say?”

He leans down, putting a hand around my neck and hisses into my face with pure, terrifying menace only a dragon can muster, “You willnotorder me ever again. You will not so much as speak to me. I will pretend that you do not exist.Do you understand me?”

I stare into his glowing white eyes, currently flicking a dangerous molten red. This anger is more than anything I’veseen of him before, and something tells me it’s about more than just me.

So I don’t mention the fact that Xander’s dragon requestedmeto commandhim. Instead, my voice is even and clear when I say, “I understand, Xander.”

He releases me in silence and stalks out.

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