Page 3 of Her Tortured Beasts

“You’re an asshole,”I mutter into his head.“You could’ve made me a bit more comfortable.”

“But where would be the fun in that?”comes the emotionless reply.

A pang of anxiety hits my stomach as he grabs me by the bicep and hauls me towards the edge of the platform, where a rowdy group of serpents hiss and jeer at my dishevelled appearance. It looks like they’ve all come to see the prizedprisoner. Ghoul says, “Let’s see how well you can jump, Lady Boneweaver.”

I gape at the high drop before narrowing my eyes at him. The beast behind the skeleton mask gazes coldly back behind his shadows, only a flash of a red gleam showing off his eyes. I’d kicked off my stilettos a few minutes into the ride, so I’m barefoot now, and before I can think too much about it, I hike up my gown and step off the truck, landing in a crouch, the gown flaring about me in a halo. Ghoul efficiently jumps down after me, his military boots making a loud thump on the concrete. I grimace as he leans down, retakes my bicep, and forces me up to standing. The group of snakes, a mixture of dark-eyed males and females with black military uniform similar to Ghoul’s, parts to let us through.

Their hisses trail me like a foul smell. As do their greedy, lecherous gazes.

Ghoul swings us around, and it’s only then that I get my first look at where we are.

And all my dark suspicions are confirmed.

This building can only be described as a castle, because “mansion” is simply too small a word to encompass the dark, gothic magnificence of this dragon’s lair. Beyond a perfectly clipped green lawn, black brick extends four stories tall. It stretches out on either side of a grand entrance of wide double-arched doors inlaid with precious stones. At least five turrets with pointed roofs frame the castle, stretching into the cloud-strewn night sky, giving the impression of a regal aristocrat, stern and unforgiving.

A solid gold plaque over the monstrous front doors declares it the “Drakos Family Estate” with their coat of arms: A lone dragon holding a boulder-sized diamond in its claws, its mighty head turned to the side as it roars fire in a wreath around itself.

Beneath this grand declaration stands the object of my vengeance. My enemies.

Three arrogant males. Three scaled beasts. One with eyes that glow white through the darkness.

My father is in league with the dragon king, and has been for some time. The serpent king’s thin lips twitch with satisfaction at the sight of me.

“Beware!” one of the serpent males shrieks mockingly, “theLadyBoneweaverapproaches!”

Every beast in the vicinity chuckles darkly and some asshole straight out hoots with prolonged, nasty laughter. The once sacred, secret title has become a slur. A thing worthy of a joke. Their voices coat my skin with slime that I madly want to scratch off.

Instead, I set my jaw and stare them all down as Ghoul leads me by the elbow towards my fate. A cold wind scrapes down my spine as my bare feet reach the base of the impressive golden stairs.

“Your Royal Majesties,” Ghoul calls, sweeping a dramatic bow. “I present to you, the Lady Boneweaver.”

More chortling comes from behind me.

I remain upright, my chin raised, staring at these awful, powerful beasts one at a time. My father, dark and wraith-like, the hollows of his eyes seeming to swallow the night around him as he takes me in with a satisfied gleam.

Flores Drakos, the dragon king and Xander’s father, stands in the middle, a beast of great power and wealth who shows itin his regal stance and richly embroidered clothing and golden rings. His long, straight black hair is neatly tied back, showing high cheekbones and almost bored golden eyes. He’s letting me know he’s unimpressed with me. That I am beneath him.

And finally, it’s with a vicious stab to the heart that I lay eyes on Xander for the first time since he officially rejected me as his mate. There is a new, terrifying darkness to him I could never have been prepared for.

He stands still as volcanic stone in that expensive suit, his hands clasped casually before him, gold rings glinting, eyes glowing as if nothing significant at all has happened. There’s something infinitely dark settling around him now. Something that tells every creature in the vicinity this is a beast mad enough to sever the bond to his soul-bound regina. That this is a monster, and you should run in the opposite direction.

His neck is irrevocably bare, the sacred, celestial light of our mating mark faded into nothing.

Fresh agony of my soul twinges anew, threatening to send me falling into a catatonic stupor just like the one Minnie once had.

Except I refuse. Point blank, I refuse to succumb to this terrible wound. Because whatever Xander and these beasts think, I am here of my own free will.

They cannot break me.

Ghoul tuts as he straightens from his bow. “Looks like we’ll have to teach her some manners.”

“Bring her up here, General,” the dragon king drones.

“With pleasure.”

But it’s what my father says next that gives me pause. “Make her crawl.”

Here it is. A little revenge for when I burnt down the Naga mansion.

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