Page 241 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

“Shut up,” Luka snarled.

How had I ever thought he was John?

Across the field, a lone leviathan was jogging while scanning competitors, looking for people without Xs.

He locked eyes with Luka and the demons.

He sprinted forward with his wicked talons, which looked more like knives, pointed at us.

The demons and I widened our stances and palmed our weapons.

Sweat dripped into my eye.

I didn’t blink.

A few moments later, Vegar, Zenith, and the leviathan had Xs floating above their heads. The demons and I were bleeding from a dozen scratches.

My cheek stung from where the side of a claw had clipped my face.

When the leviathan’s talons had raked over the sword wound on my thigh, I’d had enough. He’d skirted too far backward for me to hit him with my dagger and protect Luka. I’d snapped my arm in his direction and flung the ice dagger like a throwing star.

The leviathan had staggered backward with an O of surprise on his lips and a crystal dagger in his gut. His tan skin had paled, and his lips had faded to a ghastly shade of blue.

He’d scampered away across the field like a wounded animal and taken my dagger with him.

Vegar high-fived me.

All three of us slumped forward with relief.

“What the fuck!” Luka bellowed in my ear, and he gnashed his teeth. “You. Needed. That. Dagger.”

I shrugged. “He was pissing me off. I still have one.”

As I held my remaining dagger up to the light, my sleeve fell off. Gashes covered every inch of my right arm.

Damn.

I’d been hit a lot.

“Fucking Hades,” Luka growled.

I missed when he’d refused to speak.

“Swearing is the sign of a weak mind,” I repeated Jinx’s statement. In my defense, she was the scariest person I knew and had good sayings.

Luka snarled, “Fuck yourself.”

Someone was clearly not open to self-improvement.

Sad.

In a move no one was expecting, Luka reached down and pulled off his shirt.

I opened my mouth to tell him that now was not the time to act like a pervert, but he pressed the fabric down on my arm to stanch the bleeding.

A lot of smooth olive skin was on display.

Luka no longer looked identical to John.

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