Page 47 of Her Tortured Beasts (Her Vicious Beasts #4)

Chapter 46

Lyle

S cythe is not coping.

I see it in the evening as I watch him walk out of the ocean, glistening under the crescent moon. His gait is a prowl, his head bent in a predatory fashion, looking so shark-like that I suppress a shiver. He makes a beeline for me and I don’t move, don’t give way to his fury as he grabs my biceps in a terrifying grip that says he wants to massacre an entire lineage.

“I need her back.” His voice is dark and malicious.

“I know,” I snarl.

He gets into my face, furious, demanding my full attention. “You don’t understand. I fucking need her, Lyle.”

I close my eyes against the pain. The pain in his voice. The pain in my own heart. My ache for her grows day by day.

“The Clawsons need to die,” he says. “I will remove them from existence with my bare fucking hands. They will have no lineage. Their ancestors will weep.”

It’s rare that I need to remind Scythe of his duties. Inhaling through my nose to subdue my own lion, I shake my head. “You promised Marduk. Titus belongs to Minnie, as does his death.”

Scythe snarls, pushing away from me with a violent movement and turning his face towards the stars. “Where is Savage?”

“Tearing someone apart, I think.” Casting an eye down the empty beach, my brow furrows as I put out a thought.

“Leave me alone,” comes the wolfish reply. His mouth may or may not be full of blood.

“We return to the academy, ” Scythe tells him. “ We must discuss this with Marduk. He will know the best place to hit first.”

“We’re sure it’s the Clawsons who did this?” I ask tentatively. “It’s not some red herring, or bait?”

Scythe slowly shakes his head. “There were at least twenty felines used in this attack. The Clawsons were the leaders. Likely the feline king as well. They will all die for this.”

I grimace. Ablo Obon had always been a friendly acquaintance of mine. Going up against him will be a sad day. But for what they did…what he was a part of? He deserves death. The death toll from The Lily Institute is profound. Thousands of flowers have already been laid at the shattered doors of the institute. It was pure luck that the assassin twins had been visiting Sabrina and gotten her out when their instincts had fired off.

But so many innocents had been unlucky.

“It’s time to make them pay.” I reassure my brother that I will always be on his side.

Scythe turns to me. “But will she forgive us for it?”

My mouth quirks up at the thought of my regina, with her fierce eyes and soft mouth. “She has a kind heart, but a thirst for revenge. I have a feeling she would approve.”

Scythe nods, meeting my gaze as if he needs it. “I wonder what she’s thinking right now. I wonder if they’re caring for her properly.”

My jaw clenches until I hear a crack. “Don’t let your mind go there, Scythe. You’ll go mad. Properly this time.”

A muscle in his jaw pulses. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop—” His hand goes over his right pec. “This agony I feel. It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before. She needs to know what I feel for her.”

Vulnerable Scythe feels dangerous. “She will know.” I try to use a reassuring voice, but in truth, my mind has gone to the same places. “I think everyone will understand how much we love her soon enough.”

“And Xander.” Scythe’s tone changes completely. Thunder booms in the distance and I eye my brother warily as the tide seems to change, seems to become furious. “He will know what his betrayal means to me too.”