Page 138 of Her Tortured Beasts

My friends bid us goodbye, giving Xander glares as they go. Yeti takes Minnie’s hand as they leave, and I can’t help but feel sorry for the Siberian tiger. He’d been friends with Xander once. I don’t know if they will ever be able to heal that.

With one action, Xander had destroyed his own life, and I think that’s finally hitting him.

“Regina.” Scythe’s voice next to my ear makes me flinch in surprise, but I am quick to smile at him.

“Let’s go.” The chain in my hand is a cold and foreign thing.

“Regina!” Savage says loudly, holding his arms out for me.

“Yes, my love?”

He beams as he takes me by the waist and lowers me carefully from the stage to the floorboards. “Can I have a turn tomorrow?”

I realise he’s indicating to the golden chain. Xander leaps down from the stage and begins bear crawling as we walk out of the rec room. Lyle has a frown on his face and I agree.

“You don’t have to crawl,” I say. “We won’t get anywhere fast if you do.”

Xander rises to his full height and I know we must look ridiculous, him at almost seven feet, being led by me, at five foot seven. “Thanks.”

Savage scowls at Xander and prances on ahead, leading the way to our rooms. When we get to the stairwell, I grimace at the sight of the three flights.

“I can carry you,” Xander says.

“You will not,” Scythe says with a lethal softness.

I’ve regina commanded them not to attack or kill him, because even without the controlled violence oozing from Scythe, I know it’s a very real possibility. I can only imagine how painful being forced to interact with him is going to be. It’s painful enough for me.

Lyle’s power surrounds my body like a hug and I lift off the floor, letting him levitate me up the stairs. I feel pretty stupid flying up like that because it’snothinglike being a bird and so embarrassing. When we have three steps to go, I ask him to put me down.

“I need to build up the muscle,” I say calmly, even though I’m already grimacing from the anticipated pain. “Better to get started now.”

Four pairs of eyes and Eugene watch me like hawks as I heft my bad leg up and set it on the next step, shifting my weight onto it. Gripping the rail, I stifle a cry as lightning shoots through the bone. I manage to get my good foot up just in time, grimacing and panting from the agony.

“You should stop if it hurts!” Savage calls down to me with alarm.

“No, she shouldn’t,” Xander says. “You need to push past it, Aurelia. That’s the only way it will heal.”

“Who the fuck asked you?” Lyle snarls.

“Be thankful my regina stands between me and you,” Scythe says quietly.

Xander shuts his mouth.

“I’m alright,” I say, suddenly hot. I try for the next step, and this time, I can’t stifle the cry at the pain that almost floors me. “Shit. No, I’m not.”

Xander’s hands come around my waist and three pairs of growls echo in the stairwell. He doesn’t take his hands off, though. “Maybe avoid stairs for now, Aurelia.”

Lyle’s furious power snaps around me and hoists me up the final stair. I cast him a dark look over my shoulder as I hobble down the corridor and he gives me an apologetic one. Savage reaches down to put an arm around me, but I put up a hand.

“I’m okay.” I don’t know if I’m telling him or myself, but suddenly I’m angry.

Savage nods, following along beside me at my snail’s pace while I scowl at the floor. “How are we going to sleep tonight, regina?”

“Xander’s bed is still there,” Lyle says. “There’s no need tochangeanything for him.”

“You could always put me in a cage,” Xander offers.

“There’s an idea.” Savage rubs his chin. “I say we take him up on it. It might lower my urge to murder him a teensy bit.”

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