“You sound like a dying cow,” I said as I held my arms out to get some of the warmth from his fire. I exhaled with relief as I defrosted. At least he was good for something.
Malum fell to his knees, still screaming, and the scene was reminiscent of when he’d lost control on the shore of Elite Academy. Back then I’d been concerned about him and had stepped in to help.
That was before he’d chosen me for the last competition.
Now, I didn’t care.
I studied my abused nails and made a mental list of products. Cuticle softener wasn’t a need; it was a must. A clear coat would do me wonders, and what did a woman have to do around here to get some vanilla-scented lotion?
My fictional lover would have given me a basket with nail care on the first day of being in this hostile environment.
A good man would protect my cuticles.
I grimaced as I looked at the kings—these weren’t good men.
Flames burned hotter as they rolled off Malum and his mates tried desperately to calm him down.
At least I had Sadie because she would definitely have a miniature spa day with me. She was always down.
“Are you even listening to me? What did I just say?” Malum asked loudly, and I realized he’d been speaking.
I gnawed on my lower lip and narrowed my eyes.
“Yes?” I asked slowly.
Malum chucked a boulder—different from the boulder—off the side of the mountain and screamed louder. Scorpius tackled him and started whispering frantically in his ear.
Orion stared at me and mouthed, “Are you doing okay?”
His eyes were haunted, and I had a strange feeling he wanted to ask me something else but didn’t know how to say it.
I was going to ask what he meant, but Malum bellowed and slammed his fist into another rock. It shattered into pieces, and when he stood up, his knuckles were swollen and coated in blood.
The memory of when I’d thrown myself fruitlessly at the wall haunted me.
How come it was the men who had all the power? How come I was just the stupid, useless Revered that needed to be taken care of and stop their murderous rampages?
I wanted to punch rocks and smash them.
I wanted to rampage.
Sun god, the things I would do to people with that type of strength.
I rubbed at my temples and announced, “I’m bringing this up to Dr. Palmer next session. Frankly, your flames are giving me a migraine. Can you turn it down?”
I wasn’t kidding.
The bright flames were blinding on my corneas, and a headache throbbed more intensely.
I closed my eyes.
“You’re hurting her!” Scorpius shouted, then whispered into his ear, “You know what…” His voice dropped lower, and I couldn’t hear.
“Know what?” I asked.
No one answered.
Malum’s flames slowly extinguished, and he looked dejected, sitting on the ground with his head cradled in his hands. Scorpius rubbed his back while Orion patted his head.
I would have felt bad.
But I didn’t.
What could I say—bitches were harsh like that. For context, I was bitches.
“Break’s over team.” I clapped my hands. “Let’s hurry this up.”
Malum stumbled to his feet, and all three kings turned their attention toward me.
I took a step back.
Their expressions were mournful.
I glanced behind my shoulder to see if they were looking at someone else, because the energy radiating off them put my teeth on edge. Apparently giving the twins a blow job in front of them had broken their spirits.
If I’d known that was all it would take, I would have done it sooner.
Sun god, I hadn’t known oral sex was such a big deal to them.
“So how do we want to do this?” I asked.
“Take off your coat and shirt,” Scorpius ordered.
I rolled my eyes and spat at his feet. “You’re a pig.”
“What did I say about spitting?” he asked in a mocking, cruel voice, and all of a sudden, I was struggling to breathe.
He stalked across the rocks and leaned close to me. “I said—that I’d spit in your pretty little mouth if you ever spat at me again.”
His breath mixed with snowflakes and fanned against the side of my face. “Did you forget, Arabella? Or are you purposefully being a brat?”
I forgot how to swallow.
“Um?” I asked eloquently.
He arched his brow and sneered, “Open up.”
My jaw unhinged, and his eyes widened with surprise, then I snapped it closed. “You gotta be quick,” I taunted—opening and closing it repeatedly.
He looked down at me with pity.
Yep, I was 100 percent still intoxicated.
Scorpius rolled his milky eyes and took a step back. Apparently, I’d killed the mood. Oh darn.
He explained, “You need to reveal your wings. That’s why you need to take off your clothes.”
“Fine.” I ripped off my coat and pulled my long-sleeved thermal over my head so I was in nothing but a sports bra. The Necklace of Death and diamond bracelet were warm against my skin even though they were exposed to the elements.
The kings stared at me hungrily.
Their hooded eyes were locked on my sports-bra-covered chest, and I looked down.
I crossed my arms over my chest. It wasn’t like I was well endowed in that department, so I didn’t understand why they were acting obsessed.
Instead of wondering about the inner workings of deranged men, I took a deep breath and focused on unused muscles.
Appendages exploded from my back.
Blue crystal feathers clattered together in my peripheral vision, and I twisted my torso back and forth, making them shimmer in the sunlight.
They were stunning.
The beauty lost its appeal ten seconds later as I panted and struggled to stand up straight under their weight. The wings were heavy, and it felt like someone had tied boulders to my shoulder blades.
I leaned forward to stop myself from tipping backward.
Sweat dripped uncomfortably down my sides from the strain even though it was freezing.
“Now what?” I asked.
Molten silver eyes melted me where I stood. “Now you stop us.” Malum nodded to his mates.
Orion opened his mouth.
And we walked together into hell.
Chapter 19
Aran
DEVILS UNLEASHED
Igneous (adjective): of, relating to, or resembling fire.
DAY 10, HOUR 10
Click. Click. Click.
The gold hardware on the kings’ ears levitated upward and separated into shards. Three gold crowns floated above their heads.
Snow whipped around them in a frenzy as the icy wind shrieked. The storm picked up, and the sky darkened.
Rocks groaned under the onslaught.
I bent my knees and leaned further forward as I tried to alleviate the weight on my back muscles. A part of me was shocked that we were really doing this right now. No preamble.
The wind and ice slammed against me, and I cursed the mercurial weather.
Silver, brown, and milky white eyes darkened to black, and talons lengthened on their hands, eerily similar to the serrated ice talons I’d donned when I killed my mother.
Gore in my mouth, blood dripping down my chin, Mother howling as I consumed her heart and stole her crown.