Page 29 of Dark Souls Academy: The Sacrifice

Then his words registered.

“What do you mean?” Kain asked before I could. The growl in his voice practically said,I dare you to lie to me.

Balthazar let go of his mate. His eyebrows rose in confusion. “Tila didn’t tell you? We found an antidote to the curse.”

“Shut up,” Tila hissed out.

“No. Ivy is our damn Master now. Do you really want her turning evil on us? We literally would be screwed. There'd be nothing we could do to stop her.” Tila rolled her eyes but that just made Balthazar lift his upper lip in disgust. “Grow up. This is our life now. We need to get on board. Ivy is one of the best Masters we could have.”

She stood with a huff and stomped her way to the couch where she plopped down, crossing her arms. Lucifer’s blood might have made her bipolar as well because her abrupt shift gave me whiplash.

“Enough, tell me everything,” I demanded. The magic over them was powerful. All three of their backs went unnaturallystraight and they all began to speak at once. “Stanine just you tell me,” I changed the order.

The others went quiet instantly. This was creepy as heck but kind of cool. I might have to have fun with this later.

“That's a horrible sensation, being commanded like that, but I suppose you can’t help it. I did some research about this kind of bond before I did it with you. Your voice or thoughts compel us to comply. Even if you don’t mean it. The only thing we can’t do is hurt each other, or you and your mates, since you have a piece of my soul.”

“You're kidding?” Trigger perked up. “So, you guys are like, what, puppets?”

Stanine ground his teeth before responding. “Yes, but she has to protect us as payment.”

“This is Karma’s finest work, period. Dreamgirl make them do something stupid.” Trigger’s enthusiasm was contagious.

I couldn’t resist to see if they were telling the truth. I figured as much but I still wanted to test this bond. “Put your fingers in your nose and hop on one leg.” Then, I thought,the right leg.

This was going to be priceless. If it worked. We had a lot of shit to deal with, but in the mix of all this blood and darkness, a little laughter wouldn’t hurt.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Tila groaned as all three of them stood from the couch and lifted their right leg and shoved their fingers in their own noses. When they began hopping around, I couldn’t hold back my laughter. It took me a few seconds to finally say,Stop.Their backs went straight with the magic commanding them, and they gained full control over themselves again. One more experiment.

Kill yourselves.Nothing.

Kill me.Nothing again.

I held my breath for the last one. I was even more nervous to try this command, but I needed to know.Kill my mates.

Time slowed as they twitched, their gazes shifting towards me.

“Be careful. We can sense that you haven’t fully mated with them. The Goddess might have blessed the union, but it’s not complete,” Balthazar chided, making me feel like dirt.

I take it back. Never hurt any of my mates.That time Tila’s back popped she straightened so fast. Her glare at me was well deserved. I might have really wanted her to get that message.

“What the fuck is going on?” Kain finally broke the silence. He and his brothers leaned against the wall on the opposite side to the other three. Dex and Alaric stayed near me.

“She was testing us. Ordering us to kill each other, her, and you guys. Since most of you haven’t completed the bond, which is ridiculous, we felt a small tug to do as she ordered because your souls aren’t fully connected. She took it back, though.”

Kain glared at me. “You need to tell us these things before you just start issuing out death orders.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, mister bossy pants andmy wayor the highway guywould demand I ask his permission. May I breathe, kind sir?” The last sentence was done in an English accent. I knew he was right, of course, but I still didn’t like him bossing me around.

Tila snickered and sat back down. The couch almost wrapped around her as she sunk into the cushions. Her mates followed her down. “Someone’s bitter already. I don’t miss that.” She glared at Trigger.

“Did you ever really love them?” Dex growled out. He flinched, almost toppling over his chair from Alaric’s brutal pinch. “Ow!” But Alaric ignored Dex’s protests. His hazel eyes never left the brothers. Mine watched Tila.

Her delicate fingers rubbed the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “No. Now that Lucifer’s magic grip isn’t on me, I understand my feelings.”

Trigger walked over and plopped down next to Dex, punching his arm. He grunted from the hit, but took everyone’s abuse, understanding he put his foot in his mouth with that question. It wasn't for him, though, it was for Bones.

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