Page 64 of Psycho Beasts

Sure, a large part of me thought it was hot.

But as Aran had eloquently said, “You know what is hotter? Respect.”

T-shirt slogan material.

Xerxes rested his hand on the hilt of his knife. An obvious threat.

Hostility spiked.

Not to be outdone, I bit down on my lower lip until a drop of blood dripped down my chin. We were both ready to fight.

His fingers tightened around the hilt.

I was definitely not thinking about how those same fingers had been grinding against my clit a few hours earlier. Definitely didn’t notice the network of veins that popped against his hands and forearms.

I took a step forward until I crowded his space.

My voice was low and threatening. “Don’t get me wrong; you ever raise a violent hand near me again, and I’ll infect you with my blood and make you my fucking servant. But if you think I’m going to let you disrespect me by trying to overpower me sexually, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked again, and I couldn’t help but sarcastically ask, “You know what I mean?”

Xerxes sneered, “No. I don’t know what you mean.”

I rolled my eyes because I’d definitely been clear. “I don’t care that you got triggered and a little punchy. I care that you thought you could grab my—”

“Stop talking,” he cut me off.

“What did you just say to me?”

He enunciated his words slowly. “So you thought I was apologizing for saying I owned you? For grabbing your soaking cunt?”

“Yep.” I popped the P and cocked my hips like I was mad and not at all turned on by dirty words.

Abruptly, Xerxes lunged forward and wrapped his hand gently around my throat.

All softness was gone.

The assassin was back.

“What was it you were saying, alpha?” he whispered, exerting light pressure. My legs trembled, and I gasped as my groin cramped with need.

He smirked down at me.

Fucking omega knew exactly how to push my buttons.

His mocking glare sent me over the edge, and I shoved his hand away.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

He went unnaturally still. “So you think that since I’m an omega, I was going to be your bitch? That I couldn’t own you like the other men ’cause I’m not an alpha?” His too-pretty eyelashes fluttered, and the pulse on his neck beat violently like it wanted to jump out of his skin.

For a second, I gaped.

The sheer audacity of men.

Fiery indignation coursed through me as I remembered just who the fuck I was. “You think the other men actually own me? You think I’m a prize that you get to claim?”

“It’s not like that,” Xerxes said, but the heat in his eyes told me it was exactly like that.