Page 71 of All the Devils are Here

When my tears finally slowed and my breaths softened, I found my voice. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

There wasn’t a simple answer to the question, so I shook my head. I didn’t really know. All I knew was that I felt guilty, weak, and frightened, and I hated being any of those things. I didn’t cry that often, and since I’d been here I felt like it was most of what I’d done.

Ariel pried me loose from his neck and took my face in his hands. “Meg, you were stolen, and I helped. Trin helped. You’ve been drowned. Twice. A man has openly admitted he’s trying to kill youandthe man you’ve been in love with for years. Not to mention you now have four non-human mates who are yours for life. And it’s all happened in about three days. You’re entitled to freak out a little.”

I hiccuped a laugh, tears still leaking from my eyes.

“Anyone else would be on the floor right now. You’re not only still standing, you’re going to try to fight. Fucking incredible. Not to mention that magic makes your emotions more powerful. It brings things to the surface even if you don’t want them to. So feel what you feel and don’t be ashamed of it.”

Closing my eyes for a second, I shook my head between his hands. “You give me whiplash.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Last night you were so…” I didn’t have the words for the way he was. “And now.”

His expression deepened into a smirk. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m still that man. You’re my mate, and I intend to learn you inside and out, body and mind.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I want to own you and make you scream, and I want to help your other mates to do it, too. I’m going to pin you down and fuck you because I can feel how much you need it. I’m going to give you the freedom to ask for what you want and not be ashamed of it. And more than anything, I want you to feel safe, no matter what.”

With his thumbs, he brushed away what was left of my tears. “So yes, mate, I promise you. You’re mine, and I’m yours, and we will be alive after all of this so we can make it real.”

Pain struck, pure and true, directly in my heart. It was familiar this time—exactly like what I’d felt before Prospero had appeared and nearly destroyed everything. My body went limp, and Ariel caught me. Muscles seizing up and releasing, I couldn’t control anything.

“Laurent,” Ariel called.

I couldn’t see anything, couldn’t breathe the way my lungs were tensed, and everything was waves of pain. Like the electrocuted cage but so, so much worse.

“What’s happening?” Trin’s voice.

“Watch her hands,” Laurent said. His voice was close even though I couldn’t see him. “It’sMíann. The island.”

A low growl. “Can you stop the pain?”

“No.”

I gasped, my lungs finally releasing and air rushing inward so quickly I nearly choked on it. A hand pulled me upward to a sitting position. “Breathe, we’ve got you.”

“Fuck,” I spat out the word. “I could live without that happening.”

Laurent held one of my hands, and I realized what he’d meant. My skin was violet to the ends of my fingers. Below my leggings, my toes were violet too. How much of my hair was now colored?

“I wonder how much we can pull it back,” Ariel murmured, silver light sinking through my skin.

Of the four of them, it seemed like Ariel was the only one who could harness independent magic outside of their abilities to shift. If he thought he could get the magic out of me, I would let him.

They wouldn’t if they weren’t sure. “Ten-year-old me would be thrilled about turning purple,” I muttered.

All of my mates laughed, but none of them really found it funny. I didn’t either.

“You should eat something,” Trin said.

I smiled. My body wasn’t hungry, but he was right. I did need to eat. “Okay.”

“What would you like?” Trin reached out and pulled me to my feet, and then into his arms. I didn’t need to be carried, but I sure as hell didn’t mind it. Deep down I sensed the waytheyneeded it, and I craved the simple pleasure of being touched.

“What do you have?”

He laughed. “You can have whatever you want, Meg. Magic, remember?”

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