Page 168 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

“Really.” John shook his head like he was disappointed in me. “I thought you were more mature than that.”

We stared into each other’s eyes.

I cracked first.

Giggling like a maniac, I smacked him on the arm, and he smacked me back harder.

After a light spat of hitting each other, I wiped red-and-black streaks off John’s face and said, “Seriously, thank you so much for doing that. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me.” I paused. “Bestie.”

John smirked lasciviously. “So you agree I’m your best friend.”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t say that—”

Lyla’s voice echoed loudly through the arena. “The punishment is complete.” She sounded annoyed, like she couldn’t believe she was having to make an announcement.

John and I grimaced at each other and pulled our clothes back into place.

I’d forgotten we weren’t alone in the middle of a random field, just having fun together.

He was the only person who could make me so comfortable.

Sun god, I’d forgotten I was experiencing the most embarrassing moment of my life. Who did that?

We sat together and waited, but the wall of fire shielding us didn’t go away.

John stood up with me in his arms (I was impressed with his core strength), and he yelled, “Corvus, cut the flames!”

There was a long pause.

“I can’t,” our captain shouted back, and he sounded embarrassed.

John swore under his breath.

The next thing I knew, John was sprinting forward with me in his arms. He leaped through the wall of fire and tilted his body in midair so he protected me from the heat.

Somehow, we landed on the other side mostly unscorched.

I patted out a small flame kindling in John’s hair.

He turned so his back was to everyone and they couldn’t see me.

Servants ran past us, toward the fire, with buckets of water.

Over John’s shoulder, the academy students, legions, and judges stared at us.

“Fuck them,” John said under his breath.

I gripped his shirt and nodded. “Fuck them.”

We didn’t say another word as we rejoined our legion, and I didn’t look anyone in the eyes.

Even the kings had nothing to say.

And it felt…

Like everything had changed.

Chapter 24

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