Page 64 of Her Tortured Beasts

Anger and jealousy roll through me like a storm and that has me even more confused.

As similar as they are, Ghoul has giant needle-like fangs filling his mouth, so he can’t even close it properly. Water splashes high into the air as he whips his body this way and that, and I see why. Red peppers the water where Scythe, in his shark form, has taken a chunk out of Ghoul’s ass. Tail, I mean.

“Hey, snaggletooth!” I shout.

The basilisk’s head whips towards me.

“Close your eyes!” Lyle screams.

I slap my hands over my eyes. “I thought we said he might not be able to get us!”

“Do you want to test it out right now?” Lyle shouts back as he runs around the other side of the snake.

This is going to be hard. Why hasn’t someone taken this guy’s eyes out yet? Xander’s dad might be up for it.

I decide that since I can’t see, jumping in his direction might be best. I run up and leap, opening my eyes at the last minute to see where I am. The basilisk is still thrashing in the pool, sending water everywhere, but he takes up so much of the space that I land right on him. I dig my fingers into his shining scales and realise too late that he’s bloody slippery. My fingers slide as I scramble onto his back, making me dig my fingers and toes into his scales.

Ghoul makes a terrible sound, a mix between a hiss and roar as I run up the length of his long body.

Something has his head focused in front of him and away from me. And then I see Lyle off to my left, both his hands angled at Ghoul’s head, forcing him to stay put with telekinesis.

I whoop with excitement as I make it to the part of his body that’s rearing upwards. Scythe’s fin emerges next to me and I feel a wave of his power crash into Ghoul, making him shudder beneath me like he’s cold.

Because I’m so very clever, I climb up Ghoul’s neck, ready to grab his head. If I can just sink my teeth into a soft part—that’ll be the best part of the day. Grab an eyeball and I’d deserve a medal.

Hand over hand, I climb him like a tree, using my feet anchored on the edges of his scales. It cuts into my skin but I don’t fucking care. It’ll be all worth it.

He’s trembling, straining against Lyle’s hold as I reach the top of his head. “Hello, snakey,” I snarl, before shifting my teeth into their canine form and sinking my teeth into the scales on his cheek.

Ghoul roars, immediately fighting off Lyle’s hold and violently tossing his head.

My body goes flying and I shout dramatically, wheeling my arms through the air. Lyle catches me though, like he always does, his grip around my body in mid-air before he dumps me on the fake grass. I land on my ass, but I’m up in half a second, my head spinning as my world tilts sideways.

Ghoul’s blood taints the air now, and I grin as I take a few steps forward and see Scythe and Lyle coordinating an attack. Scythe has leapt from the water and has taken a bloody bite out of another part of Ghoul’s body as Lyle throws his hands in a sweeping motion, roaring his anger.

The basilisk’s head snaps sideways like an invisible giant is trying to break it. He roars an awful sound that hurts my ears, and I cackle as Lyle rolls both shark and basilisk out of the pool and onto the land in front of me. I take a running leap for the snake’s tail. It’s strong and thick, but nothing I can’t handle as Itackle it with both hands, wrapping myself around it like a tree before shifting into a wolf and ripping into his flesh.

This time, Ghoul shifts and I get sucked across the concrete as he shrinks. By the end, I’m holding onto his bare calves, my teeth sunken into the top of his right foot.

“Urgh,” I say, turning around and sitting on his legs so he can’t move. “I’m not into that with you.”

Scythe has his naked human forearm pressed against Ghoul’s throat, while Lyle is behind him, legs wrapped around Ghoul’s torso, his forearm pressed firmly against the basilisk’s eyes. I’ve never seen a beast move so well in a three-piece suit, but heismy bond-brother.

Ghoul sighs and goes limp, dropping his arms in submission.

“As regina,” Scythe says, “Aurelia has the right to execute you. But mark my words, I will be the one to hold you down before she slits your throat. Same for Xander. You tell him that.”

Ghoul gives a wet cough. “Yeah. I’ll tell him.”

Chapter 36

Aurelia

Francesca’s mouth twists in distaste when we arrive at dinner. Still naked, I kneel in my usual corner of the formal dining room. Xander has stopped talking to me completely. He doesn’t look at me, nor communicates in any way. It’s like I don’t even exist. The children were already in bed by the time we returned from the long drive and servants told us to come to dinner.

Xander had cleaned himself up, changing his bloodstained clothes while Heather fussed over my tangled hair and grazed knees. The dragon murmured choice words to her, likely about keeping me unclothed as some sort of punishment for what I’d done.

Which was save him from disaster. You’re welcome?Somebeasts would pay a lot of money to get a kiss from me, and here he is getting one for free.

---