Page 22 of Her Rabid Beasts

He sticks out his hand like he wants to shake my mine.

It’s my shark that lashes out, crushing his throat in one hand and thrusting him backwards into the Jeep behind him so hard it crushes the door.

Rufus shakes his head in dismay as he steps back to give me space.

The ghost appears at my side in an instant, cackling and excited.Kill him, torture him, rip him to shreds. Eat him, destroy him, cut him until he begs.

I breathe through his rattling, calming my rage as I look down at this beast. While my damaged human voice is rough, my animus’ voice is pure guttural predator. “Tell me your name, cougar.”

He chokes, trying to drag in air, his hands clawing uselessly at mine. I ease the pressure slightly.

“J-Jason,” he splutters.

“Jason,” I rasp, pushing my face into his. “It’s not good manners to stare.”

“S-sorry! I’m sorry, Mr Kharkouros!”

“But see, that’s not the only problem.” I pause, considering his aura. “I want to eat the lie in you.”

Jason’s eyes go even wider, his animus thrashing in his pupils. I allow my power to surge out, feeling the thrum of vessels and electrical pulses in his body. Letting him feel my dominance over his blood. Letting him know how powerless he is in this situation.

“Eat his face,”the ghost screams. “Dig your teeth in his mug. Claim him. Tear him.”

Gods, when the voices in my head turn to screaming, it really is hard to concentrate.

Jason seems to understand that he is not the dominant beast here—not by a long shot—and goes limp, his head slumping to the side in submission bearing his neck to me.

Rufus is having a panic attack to the side, wondering what the fuck he missed when he recruited this creature.

“I know who you work for. I can smell him in your blood. What is Cain Clawson so keen to know?”

Jason whimpers. “Please.” The cougar’s eyes grow wide as he feels his blood pressure rising higher and higher.

I stare him down, relishing the feeling of full control over my enemy’s circulatory system. His heart beats like a rabbit’s,fluttery and rapid, and his eyes blink as the tiny blood vessels in his retinas break.

“Oh God, my head,” he whimpers, screwing his eyes shut.

The thing with blood pressure this high is that it gives you a mad headache before?—

Brown eyes snap open, bulging out of their sockets before his entire blood volume explodes through his skin and all over me.

Rufus swears softly.

That warm shower eases the fire of my bloodlust just enough to clear my head. I let what is left of Jason go and his skull and flesh slide to the ground with a splat.

I turn to Rufus, who flinches at the sight of his boss drenched in five litres of blood.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Rufus says honestly. “We didn’t know he was affiliated. He came from out of town!”

“It’s not your fault,” I say evenly. It’s the very reason why they bring them to me for approval. “Scrape him off the bitumen and send him to his master with my thanks. If Cain wants a game, we’ll play a game.”

“Yes, boss,” Rufus says. He’s perfectly used to the way I deal with infiltrators and hides his flinch as I nod at him.

Xander drawls into my head,“A bit tense, huh?”

I ignore him.

“There’s news,” Rufus says, clearing his throat. “The feds have raided one of our warehouses.”

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