“I have a lighter,” Orion whispered. “But I don’t want Corvus to get hurt.”
Scorpius drawled sarcastically, “There’s no way it would work.” He wrapped his long fingers around Malum’s neck, then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “He’s literally made of fire—he’ll be fine.”
Malum tried to pull away from Scorpius, but as his mate held him close and dug his nails into his skin, he gave up struggling.
Molten silver hardened into steel as he looked over at me. “I already fucking said you could do it.” He spread his arms wide. “I’m waiting. Between the two of us—I’m not the coward.”
“Give me the lighter.” I nudged Orion.
He hesitantly reached into his pocket.
“Stop!” Dr. Palmer’s shrill voice made all four of us wince. “No one—” She breathed deeply like she was trying to get control of herself. “—is lighting anyone on fire in this room.”
“So we should do it outside of the room?” I asked.
Knuckles whitened against a clipboard, and she stared at the ceiling like she was having a mental breakdown. Extremely relatable.
A timer went off.
With a fluid movement, she sat up straight and smiled at us. Her voice was honey sweet as she said, “Your hour session is over. Please leave.”
I stood and stuck out my hand for her to shake.
“Get out of my office.” She held her clipboard tight to her chest.
I let my hand drop and nodded as I took a long drag from my pipe. “You’re truly a goddess at your craft. Great stuff—I really liked how you just repeated the same phrases.”
“Out!” she snapped.
“I’ll let you know how lighting him on fire works.” I yawned.
“I didn’t suggest that.” Her pen snapped. “As an accredited professional, I’m informing all of you right now that I will report you to the relevant authorities if any of you light each other—or anyone else—on fire.”
The smoldering picture frame fell off the wall.
We all knew there were no authorities that would punish the champions of the gods. We were the appointed authorities. More proof that lunatics ran the realms.
Who looked at Malum and thought, “That man seems stable. Let’s give him insane powers and put him in charge?” I’d like to speak to that person’s manager…and shank them.
The kings stood up and embraced one another.
Then they turned, and all three of them crowded my space.
I looked down and noticed the water left in my cup had frozen into solid ice. Peculiar.
Shadows and muscles widened around me.
I pulled the RJE device with “therapy” engraved on its surface out of my pocket and grabbed Orion’s wrist. Scorpius and Malum wrapped their fingers around my forearm.
They could have just grabbed Orion, but in the last three weeks, they pointedly touched me every time we RJE’d.
As if the split second of contact meant something to them.
They were trying to show they chose me.
Like it wasn’t too late.
It was.
Fat droplets streaked drearily across the window, and I said cheerily, “I’ll keep you updated.” I pressed the glowing device.
Dr. Palmer shook her head frantically. “Please, don’t.”
“I will,” I whispered as I blinked and the therapist’s office disappeared.
Crack.
The air stank of wet dirt, regret, and secrets.
Location: the war camp.
Chapter 5
Aran
THE WAR CAMP
Brume (noun): mist, fog.
I knelt on warm dirt as steam evaporated onto my face.
Pine needles rustled.
The new realm was colored in shades of gray.
It was depressing.
Hundreds of snow-frosted trees swayed as the therapy RJE fell silent in my hand. Condensation from steam froze across my face as I stood up.
The air was chilly, but I was colder.
A shiver racked my frame.
The tension from Dr. Palmer’s office still clung to my skin, and I concentrated on my surroundings.
All was hushed.
I’d assumed the base for a planetwide war would be enormous and filled with thousands of soldiers. That it would be loud and messy. Chaotic.
It was painfully quiet.
Only a hundred soldiers.
We were alone.
Abandoned.
I pressed my pipe between my lips and inhaled deeply, and it clattered against my teeth. Horse cawed as he circled through the snow above my head.
Squinting, I studied my crow’s feathers and tried to remember if they’d always trailed after him in such a long plumage.
He twirled lazily on a breeze and screeched his enjoyment.
I shrugged and blew out a cloud of smoke, my nose burning from the chilled air.
Glaring up at the towering white-peaked mountains that surrounded the valley, I pocketed the RJE device.
Thick snowflakes fell softly in the gray.
Storm clouds drifted through an atmosphere.
I inhaled smoke sharply and tried to forget that Lyla had lied by implication when she’d given our legions separate designations.
We weren’t here to lead an army of thousands; we were here to fight against a planet full of monsters.
We were here to suffer.
I exhaled and pretended the gods weren’t useless beings who’d abandoned us.
Snow drifted through the frigid air, then sizzled as it hit the hot ground and evaporated, and water hissed as it rose from the planet’s surface in a thick layer of fog.
Planet 003FX had an immensely hot core that heated the ground to around eighty degrees Fahrenheit and a freezing atmosphere.
At least, that was what the High Court’s informational packet said.
I said it sucked.
Freezing temperatures, perpetual falling snow, a foggy surface, and gray sky.
A boring place to die.
If I squinted, I could just barely see a tiny shimmer to the air. The High Court speculated that rare bioluminescence in the soil evaporated into the atmosphere and created the effect.
Since it was barely noticeable, I don’t know why they bothered to discuss it.
The kings followed as I walked through the war camp hidden beneath glistening heavens.
Snow-dusted trees camouflaged the camp.
I had yet to see any evidence of animals.
“Aran, you’re back.” John burst out of our legion’s designated bunker and threw his arms around me. “Thank the sun god, Luka’s in a silent mood, and he refused to laugh at any of my jokes.”
I didn’t point out that Luka was always in a silent mood; it was part of his charm. Instead, I inhaled the rich scent of sandalwood and slumped forward.
John held me up.
Snowflakes danced around us as our breath mingled in frosty puffs.
Our chests pressed together, hearts thumping in rhythm, I burrowed into his arms like I could crawl under his skin.
Disappear into his warmth.
“How was mandatory therapy? Are you okay?” John whispered in my ear.
I pressed my face deeper against his warm shoulder and groaned, “Horrible. And no.”
Arms tightened around my shoulders as he squeezed me three times in quick succession.
My heart stuttered.
I squeezed back four times as hard as I could.
His breath caught.
We both knew what it meant.
“Anything I can do to help?” John’s fingers gently tipped my chin up, and he brushed snow off my face.