Page 362 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

I sat back in my chair and refused to read further.

My pipe clattered against my teeth as I inhaled with all my might.

Across the table, Sadie and her mates looked at one another with uneasy expressions. They swore quietly and paled.

Jinx smiled as she read.

On the other side of the table, the kings, demons, and twins kept reading, completely unfazed by the words on the page.

After all, we’d fought these creatures in multiple battles; we’d slaughtered villagers as they screamed for help.

We’d sliced them open mercilessly.

For hours.

I exhaled a puff of enchanted smoke, and Horse settled onto my shoulder.

Cracking my neck back and forth, I forced myself to turn the page and keep reading like the rest of my legion.

I needed to concentrate, because this was real. The ungodly weren’t going to disappear because I didn’t want to think about what they were doing.

Hours later, all of us stumbled out of the room on shaky legs.

No one spoke.

The horrible things I’d read echoed through my brain.

“I need time alone in the bathroom,” I muttered as I walked across the pristine white hallway to the restrooms.

John called after me, “We’ll get you breakfast from the dining hall.” The shifters said something about going with them to get food, but I’d stopped listening.

I nodded hastily and shoved through the door.

Gripping the modern glass sink, I splashed water on my face. Counted to ten. Breathed shakily through my nose.

The door opened, and I turned to hug Sadie.

I stopped.

It wasn’t Sadie in the women’s restrooms.

The three kings took up all the space in the small room.

“We need to talk,” Malum said forcefully as he raked his hands over his buzzed head. Orion nodded beside him and stared at me with unblinking eyes.

Scorpius clenched his jaw and said bluntly, “We need to take care of you. You’re our Revered. You can’t ignore us.”

I slammed my pipe between my lips and sucked on enchanted smoke.

When my lungs felt like they were burning, I released it with a puff and said, “Yes, I can. Now get out of the women’s bathroom.”

Orion reached his hand forward and whispered, “We’re tied together, sweetheart.”

“You don’t get to decide,” Malum snapped forcefully. “I know we’ve made mistakes, but this bond between us is unbreakable. Let us prove that to you.”

“Hard no.” I clapped my hands sarcastically. “Immediate. No. Now move out of my way.”

A roll of paper towels began to smoke.

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