Page 365 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

Luka wrenched himself away from where he was tussling with Scorpius, and he sprinted after us.

“Where are we going?” I gasped in between whimpers.

“To get you first aid,” John said frantically as he ran faster down the unfamiliar narrow white halls. “We need to find Lothaire.”

All my neurons exploded with a different type of pain, and I screamed violently. “STOP MOVING!” I shrieked at John as my body convulsed.

He came to a halt.

Luka patted his hands over me with a terrified expression. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t fucking know,” John said frantically.

“Let us help you!” Malum snarled angrily as he turned the corner and stalked toward me. Flames rolled off his tongue as he spoke.

Scorpius and Orion flanked him, their wide shoulders filling the narrow hall.

The pain lessened and I gasped with relief.

“You can’t keep running forever,” Scorpius sneered. “It’s not possible.”

A horrible understanding washed over me.

Darkness glimmered around the twins as they warily watched the kings approach.

Scorpius wiped the blood off his face where Luka had broken his nose. He dragged his tongue across his red fingers.

I gasped.

“Sweetheart, are you okay?” Orion whispered. His stunning brown eyes filled with concern as he rubbed at his chest.

I hyperventilated.

“But I cut off the tattoo?” I asked in between shaky breaths. “Why are we still connected?”

John’s arms tightened around me.

Luka stepped protectively in front of us.

“You’re our Revered. You can’t escape us.” Malum rubbed at his chest, his expression concerned as he stared angrily at where blood dripped down my sides.

“That’s why we’ve been trying to talk to you,” Scorpius sneered meanly as he continued to lick blood off his fingers. “We realized yesterday that it wasn’t the tattoo tying us together. It was bond sickness.”

“What?” I asked loudly.

Malum’s voice was cold, a sharp contrast to the flames pouring off his bronze skin. “When an Ignis and Protectors fail their mate, the bond becomes corrupted to ensure this wrong never happens again.” He shook his head. “We thought we’d experienced it with Orion because we couldn’t eat or sleep when he was hurt. But we were wrong. It’s much more than that.”

Scorpius smirked and said, “When you dropped your enchantment, our souls recognized the presence of our Revered and our mating song changed. It became soft and peaceful.”

“But then you got the tattoo,” Malum growled. “And you underwent intense agony while we watched and did nothing to protect you.”

“The incomplete soul bond tying us together became corrupted,” Orion whispered.

Flames tumbled off Malum’s tongue as he said, “Bond sickness.”

Scorpius laughed, and it wasn’t a nice sound.

“You can’t run from us, sweetheart,” Orion whispered. “We need to take care of you. Let us help heal you. Our souls are forcing us to stay together so we can fix what we’ve broken.”

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