Page 166 of Her Tortured Beasts

It’s at that point that Savage, Lyle, and Scythe find us when they burst into our room.

Chapter 94

Aurelia

“No!” Savage dramatically clutches his face, his eyes wild. “That’s not fair, regina! We were trying to kill him!”

I extract myself from Xander, sighing as his still-hard cock leaves me. Carefully, I crawl over him and step onto the carpet. My mates stand before me with bated breaths, barely containing themselves. Planting my hands on my hips, I raise my chin in my air.

“This wasmychoice. I know you might have some big feelings about it and I guess so do I. But it’s happened now. So…” I inhale deeply, my gaze softening as I meet Scythe’s eye. I can’t read his expression. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Scythe exhales a slow and measured breath before he reaches for me, pulling me into his arms. “You haven’t hurt me,” he whispers into my hair. “I just don’t wanthimto hurtyou.”

My throat thickens as he kisses the top of my ear and I feel Lyle’s caress, then Savage’s hand tugging at mine. “Take me away before I try to kill him again, regina,” my wolf says.

I let him lead me away, casting a backward glance at Xander, who has remained silent the entire time. He lies on the bed, leaning on his elbows, his golden eyes following my everymovement. Something tender in my heart grows at the sight of him. It’s new and strange, but…I like it.

Lyle follows us into the bathroom, undoing his tie. “Minnie wants a sleepover tonight,” he says unhappily. “She wantseveryonethere.”

I get the feeling he’s trying to distract himself. I can work with that. “Not an animas night?” I ask, as Savage turns on the shower.

“No, I get the feeling she wants to speak to Xander specifically. Titus and his followers have been harassing her.”

My heart twists for my friend, angry heat spiking through my veins. “What’s that bastard up to now?”

Savage pulls me into the shower, growling to himself as he soaps my body.

“He sends her videos of the explicit variety of him with other women.”

There is nothing but fire in my veins as I let Savage take care of me. “Can’t we stop that? Have we not blocked him on every platform?”

“They use different numbers and accounts each time,” Savage says. “I think we made it worse after we destroyed the Clawson businesses.”

“Either way, she wants her friends around her,” I nod. “Pack your things, then. I’m guessing this’ll be your first slumber party, Lyle.”

My lion’s lips twitch. “I’ll get my hair rollers.”

We arrive at the Devi pack room to find Marduk hanging pink heart balloons over the windows. He greets us with a sombre bow, before offering Scythe and Lyle whiskey on a liquor trolleyhe’s prepared. Yeti brings out a pile of board games behind Minnie, who’s wearing a new, pink sparkly onesie with her mates’ names written in rainbow cursive across the ass.

Minnie’s pack bed lies in the middle with new pink sheets, while the mattresses on the floor make it clear who is to sleep where.

“This is our bed of love,” Minnie says, gesturing to her bed. “But it’s animas only tonight.”

Stacey snorts when she enters the room with Eugene tailing and her orange and yellow nimpins chirping in greeting. I immediately loop my arm through Stacey’s, deliberately turning my face away from Savage in faux dismissal. He growls and hijacks Eugene, immediately going to inspect Yeti’s board games.

Sabrina and her cheetah twins arrive straight after, their arms laden with food they’ve nicked from the kitchen, including a super-sized bag of caramel popcorn and a metal tray bursting with hot, juicy burgers.

We have a great time as we eat dinner, chatting about harmless things like hair and the nimpins. It’s exactly what we all needed, despite the fact that my eyes keep straying to Xander, sitting by himself with his half-eaten burger, trying to keep his eyes off me.

“You smell like Xander,” Minnie says quietly, delicately wiping her mouth with a serviette. She’s the only one who uses his name these days.

I nod. There’s enough buzz in the room from male voices that I hope Xander can’t hear us. “We had a moment before.”

“Smells like more than amoment,” Sabrina muses.

Heat fills my cheeks as I attempt to hide behind Henry. “Don’t look at my face.”

Minnie huffs a laugh. “I’m not one to judge, Lia, you know that.” She gives a shuddery sigh, glancing at the strangely calm dragon. “If you’ll allow it, I’d like to talk to Xander.”

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