Page 190 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

Never mind.

I felt like shit.

As I sat down in my usual chair, I winced as my knees gave out.

Next to me John looked around the hall with wide eyes, and his gaze hovered on the bloody leviathan competitor crucified to the sacred tree.

Did he wish that was me?

I picked mindlessly at my lip.

The fae palace had felt like a prison, but I’d always known that one day I’d escape Mother.

Now I was trapped by so much more than one woman: the slave brand, queendom, enchanted wounds, the legion I’d been forced to join, and what I’d done to my friend.

Breathing shallowly through my nose, I tried to count but forgot how.

I broke out in a cold sweat.

Edges pressed in around me.

My vision blurred, and the world went quiet.

Someone pulled my fingers away from my lip and held my hands in a vise grip.

“Concentrate on me,” a man ordered from far away. “Feel my skin and focus on the pressure. Don’t think about your breath. Squeeze my hands as hard as you can.”

I obeyed.

“Just keep squeezing,” he commanded.

The touch was an anchor back to reality, and sounds slowly intensified.

I blinked, and my vision returned to normal.

Scorpius was leaning forward across the table with his hands holding mine.

His neck was flushed magenta like he was agitated.

Without a sneer contorting his face, he was extremely good-looking. His dark hair contrasted with his pale skin and the colorful eye tattoo on his neck. He wasn’t pretty like Orion. He was dangerously handsome. A collection of harsh lines and shadows.

“Just keep focusing on my touch,” Scorpius said as he squeezed my fingers. “I’ve used this technique with Orion countless times.”

My lips parted in surprise.

I forced myself not to look over at the quiet king.

“Thanks,” I said awkwardly to Scorpius as I started to pull my hands away from his. I felt weak and clammy but marginally better.

I didn’t need his help.

Scorpius’s callused grip tightened.

He didn’t let go.

I tugged against him. “I’m all good now. You can release me.”

Scorpius narrowed his eyes. “You’re obviously not good, because you just had a panic attack over breakfast.” He didn’t let go. “You need to take care of yourself.”

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