Page 29 of The Beast Between Us
Then his voice cuts through the air. Quiet, cold, and final.
“The next time you lay a hand on anything or anyone that belongs to me, your family will be in mourning, Byron.”
Byron laughs as if Thorne’s fury is entertainment.
I lean over and peek around Thorne’s body to better see.
“Oh, Oswin isn’t a frail man, Thorne. I didn’t hurt him. I simply wanted his attention.”
He shifts his gaze, and I feel it slide over me like oil.
“And as for your new little guest…” His smirk sharpens. “What do you want for her? I can pay in gold or servants. Whichever you’re in need of most. And we both know it isn’t gold.”
The temperature drops.
The very floor seems to hold its breath.
I feel the question claw its way up through my chest before I can stop it.
Thorne wouldn’t sell me to this man… would he?
But then…
“You are not welcome here, Byron,” Thorne says, voice low and ragged with restraint. “And if I ever catch your scent anywhere near this place again…”
He steps forward, shadows coiling at his feet.
“…I’ll rip your Beast from your skin and bury it in pieces.”
Byron’s smile twitches, but his eyes gleam with something darker now.
Does he have a Beast, too?
It’s said that most Lords do. But, for some reason, the idea of anyone other than the Lords of Evermere having one never crossed my mind. I’ve never heard speak of one outside of Evermere Manor.
As Thorne speaks, Lord Byron’s irises flash brown to red, then back again.
He does.
Fascinated, I move further from behind Thorne’s back to get a better view.
Thorne glances back at me and growls.
I understand immediately.
Without a word, I shift fully behind him, stepping out of Lord Byron’s view.
Mybeast isn’t cruel like this man.
No matter what the rumors say.
“Still can’t control your Beast, I see,” Lord Byron says. “Just be lucky you still have the strength it gives you. Without it, I’d have ended you years ago. Set this town free from its terrifying monster.”
“Even without my Beast, Byron, you wouldn’t stand a chance,” Thorne growls. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a shifter. Apredator in the worst sense. Hurting women simply because youcan.You’re far more a monster than I am.”
“Rumors,” Lord Byron says casually. But I hear it.
The smile.
