Page 250 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

I reached my fingers forward and trailed them across his face.

He was missing dimples.

My voice was raspy from sobbing as I replied, “You’re pretty cool yourself. Even if you’re not John’s alter ego.”

“Trust me, sweetheart.” Luka pressed his hips forward until he was flush against me. “I’m my own man.”

A zing of pain shot down my spine.

Before I could do something disturbing, Luka closed his eyes. “Go to sleep, my little dictator.”

My heart beat a thousand miles per second at his casual use of my.

I scoffed, “Why does everyone keep calling me little? I’m six four in heels.”

He chuckled, and the sound vibrated through his chest. “Sure you are.”

I felt safer than I had in my life as I drifted off against him. “I literally am.”

A bicep flexed against my side like Luka was trying to show off his muscles. “Whatever you want to believe, Your Highness.”

Sleepily I argued, “I can’t tell if you’re being ironically disrespectful or sweet.”

There was a long pause. “If I were disrespecting you, you’d know it.”

I stilled.

Convinced I’d heard him wrong.

I opened my eyes. “What?”

Luka pressed his hand over my face like he was mock suffocating me and ordered, “Shut the fuck up and go to sleep.”

The grouch was back.

I debated causing a scene, but exhaustion had me closing my eyes and whispering, “Maybe you do have a personality disorder.”

Luka pressed his lips to my forehead. “Whatever you need to believe to sleep at night, dictator.”

It was the softest kiss in the history of kisses.

Like a butterfly’s wing.

It felt like someone had stabbed my spine. Pure. White hot. Agony.

I curled my toes in my fuzzy socks and smiled, and for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t fake.

In my imagination, Scorpius asked, “Is she all right? I heard her crying.”

Orion made a sound of distress.

“She was crying?” Malum asked brokenly like the thought of me in tears did something to him.

Clearly, I was creating false scenarios because I knew the kings didn’t actually care about me.

They couldn’t.

Not after everything they’d done.

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