It would make it so much fun.
Orion shuffled closer and whispered under his breath too quietly for anyone else to hear, “She’s staring out at the ocean, and John keeps looking down at her with concern.”
I heard the frown in his voice.
Could he tell she hadn’t taken a single breath for the last 123 seconds?
Lately it seemed like all Orion told me was that Arabella was staring out at the stupid ocean or that John was touching her comfortingly.
I didn’t like it.
Not that I cared if she was emotional.
No, I cared about Orion. My Revered’s life was now bound to hers, so she needed to pull herself together and snap out of it. I didn’t care that the brand tied our lives together and was supposed to strengthen us.
I was a Protector and anyone close to us was a liability. She was our biggest security risk.
It was my biggest failure to date that I’d failed to realize Aran was really Arabella.
I should have known.
When I’d first dragged my nails across Aran’s face to piss him off and assert my dominance—Orion had already explained what he’d looked like—something had been off.
The lips had been a little too lush, the cheekbones too high, and the jaw too sharp. Something hadn’t been right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Now it all made sense.
It had been an enchanted disguise.
My muscles pumped with adrenaline as my feet slapped against the stone beach. Cool wind dried the sweat off my cheeks, and the ocean roared as it crashed. Salt sprayed through the air.
She was still silent.
I’d had enough.
Turning around I said viciously, “Keep up, Arabella, don’t want our slave falling behind.”
John made a harsh noise, and I ignored him.
Arabella inhaled sharply, then her breathing returned to a steady rhythm.
I smirked triumphantly. Corvus chuckled beside me.
“I’d rather drown in the ocean than be enslaved to you, stinking pieces of ugly shit,” Arabella muttered under her breath, quiet enough that she thought no one could hear.
Corvus barked, “What was that? Don’t care. Shut the fuck up.”
Orion bumped my shoulder to get my attention. I leaned closer and whispered what she’d said in his ear.
He made a sound of amusement.
“Die already,” Arabella responded lazily to Corvus.
My Ignis’s bare feet slapped harder against the stones like he was pounding against them with all his might. Rock cracked and broke beneath him.
Losing our mating song was driving him crazy, and I could practically feel his hatred for her.
I’d never admit it to Corvus, but the mating song had been driving me crazy for years. The constant beat had interfered with my ability to hear the world.