Rebirth—Day 57, hour 10
“All students and legions must proceed to the great hall for an announcement.” The enchanted male voice boomed through the room.
I stared at the ceiling.
A pipe loose between my lips.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been covered in glass shards, hobbling off an arena half-naked.
The loud message repeated, and my teammates grumbled as they woke up.
I’d woken up an hour ago to find all six men passed out on the floor surrounding me. John’s fingers had been wrapped around mine tightly as he’d held my hand in his sleep.
They’d all exhausted themselves stitching me up.
Even the demons.
Despite every horrible thing I’d been through, tears welled in my eyes as I watched them grumble and wake up.
Gratitude made my head light.
John’s warm fingers curled against mine as he rolled over and yawned. He dragged his other hands softly across the top of my cheekbone. “You better now, bestie?” he asked softly.
I licked my cracked lips and whispered, “Never better, dude.”
For a second, we stared at each other.
John’s thick dark lashes fluttered as he blinked his hooded dark eyes. Twin dimples flashed, then disappeared as he stared into my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I gave him a small smile. “I prefer barely functioning and extremely sexy.”
John’s callused finger trailed softly down my cheekbone, and he fingered the heavy necklace I’d forgotten was hanging from my throat. The tops of his cheeks turned pink as he gently tugged on the heavy diamond and used it to pull my face closer to his.
John whispered, “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.” His voice cracked. “If I could go back in time and protect you, I would.” He smiled at me sadly. “Aran, there’s something I need to—”
The enchanted voice cut him off. “All students and legions must proceed to the great hall for an announcement.”
Scorpius swore loudly, and the demons grumbled.
Malum sat up and said, “We need to go. Now.” He clapped his hands loudly. “Everyone, wake the fuck up. We need to leave.”
He turned his head like he was searching for something in the room.
When he landed on me, steel eyes filled with pity. His expression was shattered. “Are you feeling better?” he asked softly as red stained his cheeks.
I swallowed thickly.
Why was it so hard to breathe?
John released his hold on the necklace, and I tore my eyes away from Malum and asked John, “What did you need to tell me?”
John shook his head tiredly. “Later. Not now.”
I reached up to grab him and pull him closer because I could tell from the sad expression on his face that it was important.
I needed to know now.
“Let’s go, Aran,” Malum’s deep whiskey voice interrupted my thoughts. He stood half-naked and stared down at me and John. For some reason, he seemed angry again.
For a moment, I was distracted by the deep V line that framed his bronze hips.
“Why are you suddenly mad?” I blurted out.
He clenched his fists, and flames shot from his knuckles. “You were keeping secrets. You should have told us about your back. About what your mother did. I would have never…” He trailed off.
“Set me on fire?” I asked softly.
Everyone in the room stopped getting ready.
Six men gave me their rapt attention.
I sighed heavily. Exhaled with a long puff of my pipe.
My limbs tingled.
I felt numb.
My vision distorted.
I shrugged like I didn’t care about anything. “But you did.”
Malum’s harsh features shattered like I’d punched him in the face, and he whispered, “I didn’t know.”
“Would you have cared?” I laughed harshly. “Really, would you have cared? Because a few weeks ago, you were calling me your slave. Two months ago, you were calling women nothing but holes.”
Clothing sizzled as Malum’s sweatshirt caught on fire.
“I don’t feel that way anymore about you,” Malum spoke slowly like he was trying to force each word out. His jaw clenched and jumped as his voice alternated between rough and soft. “I respect you.”
I scoffed. “Good for you. What do you want me to say? Thank you for telling me you view me as a person? Please. I already killed my mother. There’s nothing else to talk about. You’ve made your choices. Leave me alone.”
I was standing outside my body.
It felt like I was watching someone else speak for me.
Malum clenched his fists, and his steel eyes filled with an unnamed emotion. Something flashed across his face.
“But why is it enchanted?” John’s voice shook with anger, but he spoke tentatively like he was afraid of the answer. “What does it do?”
“Nothing,” I lied in a monotone voice as I rocked forward and pushed myself into a standing position.
All three of the kings lunged forward to help me.
I slapped their hands away.
“Don’t touch me.” I stumbled and slammed into someone’s sharp elbow. It knocked the wind out of me.
A growling noise echoed.
In my peripheral vision, flames shot higher into the air, or were they on the ground? Everything was warped.
“Be careful,” Malum barked.
I slapped at him. “Don’t touch me.”
My head spun.
It was hard to tell the ceiling from the floor.
“Need to get dressed,” I mumbled as I staggered toward the bathroom but stopped and squinted in confusion at where the door had used to be. Where had it gone?
Behind me someone punched the wall.
Someone else swore.
Hands grabbed at me, and I shook with annoyance as I barked, “Don’t touch me.”
Pain was lighting up my neurons with every step, and it was too overstimulating.
I needed darkness and rest.
Time alone.
I needed death.
An enchanted voice boomed, and I jumped with surprise. “All students and legions must proceed to the great hall for an announcement. This is your last warning. Anyone who does not arrive in the next five minutes will be punished. Severely.”
Panic filled me.
I shuffled through my cubby with desperation. Where were my underwear? I only had one clean sweatshirt, since the servants weren’t allowed to enter after competitions.
I tried to pull the sweatshirt over my head, but the stitches littering my back pulled tight, and I swallowed vomit.
The feeling of detachment intensified.
I swayed on my feet.
What was I doing? Why was I freaking out? Where was I?
I needed to lie down and rest.
“Here.” John grabbed me as I fell forward. “Let’s get you into my sweatshirt. It’s large enough that it shouldn’t touch your wounds and will be easier to put on. I wish I could clean you up in the shower, but we don’t have time. Is that okay with you?”
I nodded in agreement.
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I was too tired to try to understand.
“That doesn’t seem appropriate,” Malum said from the bathroom door.
John ignored him and whispered to me softly, “Hands up, my dude.”
I obeyed, and he gently maneuvered the sweatshirt over my head. It smelled amazing, and it was like being cocooned in a big, cozy blanket.
Instantly some of my anxiety abated.
John’s fingers gently tugged down my pants, and I shivered as they traced over my hips. “Lean against me and step out.”
I obeyed.
“Where are your underwear?” he asked.
Malum growled.
I shrugged. “They’ve been disappearing for a while. I think someone is stealing them.”
John stilled.
“Excuse me?” Malum’s voice cracked like a whip.
“Tell the others.” John said forcibly, “Let’s get the word out and find out who is taking them.”
Malum stalked away in a whirl of fire and anger.
“You can wear a pair of my boxers,” John said as he rummaged through his shelf of clothes.
I rubbed at my tired eyes. “Are you sure? That seems kind of inappropriate.”
Instead of answering my question, John ordered, “Part your legs.”
I obeyed.
“Lift your left foot.” He pulled his black boxers over my leg. “Now the other.”
Slowly he tugged them up my legs, and he curled them over at my waist so they wouldn’t fall off.
John’s hands spanned across my stomach, and his fingers dug into my hips.
Pain exploded down my spine, and I swallowed thickly.
His thumbs traced circles against my skin, and he said gruffly, “When it comes to you, Aran, I’m sure.”
I blinked up at him, confused by what he was talking about.
Was I losing it?
He tucked a bloodstained curl behind my ear. “This will have to do for now. Let’s go.”
He went to wrap his arm around my shoulder but stopped. “Shit, your wounds.”
I stared back at him blankly.
“Lean against my arm for support.” John offered his forearm, and I grabbed onto it with both hands. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes later I sat in the hall at my usual spot.
My pipe hung from the side of my mouth and dangled between my teeth.
The boards had been removed from the stained glass, and the usual red haze from the eclipse swirled around me. My back no longer was cracking with agony, but it ached in rhythm with my heartbeat.
Wetness trickled uncomfortably across my skin where some of my stitches had pulled open from the walk down the hall.
There was no food on the tables, and a low buzz of chatter and nervousness filled the space as everyone waited to find out the reason we’d been called together.
Malum and Orion stared at me, and Scorpius had his head tilted. I didn’t know how I knew, but my gut told me he was listening to every breath I took.
I traced my eyes across the room.
The leviathan competitor was still crucified to the tree, and his pale flesh was turning black as it rotted, but he was still alive. His head lolled back and forth.
Immortality was truly a bitch.
“The gods have chosen the two top legions to demonstrate their abilities in the showcase round,” Lothaire said loudly.
Had he been standing in front of the tree for a while? I didn’t remember him arriving.
Competitors muttered and shifted with excitement.
I felt nothing.
Lothaire stared straight ahead as he said coldly, “Team unity was an important factor the gods were looking for in these games when they were searching for their champions. Leadership and strength interteam translate to external leadership.”
Students leaned forward in their seats.
“The only teams that did not lose a single competitor during these games were the shifter and academy legions.”
“That’s bullshit.” The captain of the angel legion growled and slammed his chair back as he stood up. His yellow and black eyes flashed.
The vampyre snapped his head in the man’s direction. “Sit down, soldier.” Lothaire’s voice was filled with violence.
I shivered.
The angel sat down with a huff.
Lothaire dragged a hand down his long braid like he was calming himself, then he announced, “Other factors such as the psychological ability to endure, obedience during punishments, and the choice to protect other competitors were taken into account.”
I blew out a puff of smoke.
Leaning back in my chair, I ignored the sensation of wounds pressing into the wood. I tipped my chair backward and balanced on the back legs.
A proud smile curled across Lothaire’s lips.
Sickness welled in my throat.
“The shifter legion and academy legion have been chosen for the showcase. If the gods are satisfied with their exhibition of abilities, they will be named as champions. The highest honor in all the realms.”
His words echoed across the rafters.
Students cheered and stomped their feet as they all looked over at the chosen legions. Us.
Lothaire’s lips pulled into a smile as he looked at me with pride like I’d done it for him.
I stared blankly back.
The nothingness inside me expanded.
Surprisingly I wasn’t the only one glaring at Lothaire.
All my teammates sat ramrod straight and stared at the vampyre with varying expressions of anger. None of us celebrated.
Why are they mad at him?
At the shifter table, Sadie beamed as she hugged Jax and Cobra at the same time. Xerxes and Ascher clapped each other on the backs.
At the table next to them, the angel with heterochromia glowered angrily. His feline features hardened into a predatory expression. All the angels glared over at me like it was somehow all my fault. At the other table, the devil legion glared over at the kings like it was their fault they lost. The leviathans and assassins slumped forward with disappointment.
I inhaled enchanted smoke.
Students whistled and clapped louder as they gave us a standing ovation.
Only one person looked similar to how I felt.
Jinx stared at me.
Her forehead was wrinkled, and her eyes were sad. Her skinny shoulders were slumped forward like she was buckling under an invisible weight, and she looked much older than her thirteen years.
I tipped my pipe toward her.
Unease curled in my stomach.
Lothaire continued and said, “The gods have requested that all members of the shifter and academy legions compete in the showcase tomorrow. This includes substitutes.”
Jinx pretended to tip an imaginary hat my way at his announcement.
She didn’t look surprised.
My eyes widened as I stared at her sad face. What did he just say? She was only thirteen.
Anger lit within me like Malum’s flames, and the world snapped back into clarity.
I sat up straight with outrage.
The heavy doors to the great hall slammed open, and Luka walked in.
My heart pounded in my chest.
John’s twin was back.
They were both here.
Lothaire nodded as he walked past him and exited the room. The vampyre called over his shoulder, “The showcase will start at ten a.m. tomorrow morning. For now, feast and relax.” Then he was gone.
The shifter legion jumped to their feet to protest Jinx’s involvement, but servants streamed into the room with plates of food and blocked the path like they’d planned it.
Lothaire knew the shifters would freak out, so he left. Coward.
Plates, utensils, and food were delivered to tables, and the aroma of honeyed ham was overpowering.
Amid the commotion, students watched Luka with wide eyes as he sauntered to our table.
Everyone looked back and forth between the twins.
Luka pulled out the open chair beside Zenith and sat down. “What did I miss?” he asked casually.
“What the fuck?” a male student shouted as the room erupted in conversation.
Someone else said, “Wait, are they the lost twins from…” The voice trailed off, and I missed what they said.
Scorpius narrowed his blind eyes and said, “You’re back.”
Luka grunted. “Yep.”
John leaned across the table. “How is this possible?” He looked at his brother with worry.
Luka’s expression was blank, and like usual, it gave nothing away. “I’ve handled it just like you did. He agreed.”
John’s jaw dropped.
Luka lounged back in his seat. “I’ll explain everything later.” He waved his hand dismissively like whatever his twin was freaking out about wasn’t a big deal.
“Care to explain just what game you two are playing?” Malum growled. “The rest of your teammates would like to fucking understand.”
“We can’t say,” John said instinctively as he blinked wide eyes.
“That’s not true,” Luka corrected him. “We can explain everything. Later.”
John shook his head and gaped at his twin like he was processing something.
I picked at the dried skin on my lower lip.
Luka looked away from his brother and stared at me.
His eyes darkened and a vein on his forehead throbbed as he took in my bloody appearance.
“How are you more injured than when I left you? What did they do to you?” he asked gruffly.
Everyone at our table went still at his question.
Shivering from cold, glass falling from the sky, blood everywhere, sobbing, Xerxes beneath me, hobbling off the field, my teammates staring at my back, Malum promising to commit mass murder.
I put my elbows on the table and leaned tiredly against my hands. “Everything,” I said morbidly.
Luka leaned forward to question me further, but a familiar male voice interrupted him and asked, “So did the whore have sex with John or that other guy?”
Whore.
I stared at the table a few feet away from the dais.
It was the guy who’d been running his mouth a week ago. You would think Cobra’s shadow snake and Malum burning his crotch would have shut him up. Some men never learned.
Of course every one of my teammates whipped their head in his direction.
John made a growling noise, and Scorpius broke his fork into two pieces, while Malum burst into flames and stood up.
Tensions had been running high, and everyone was looking for a target.
For some reason, my eyes were drawn to the shifter table, and I made eye contact with Jinx like I was looking for her permission.
She raised her brow at me.
Her insinuation was loud and clear.
Maybe it was the agony stabbing down my back, maybe it was just general exhaustion, maybe it was the haze, or maybe I’d just reached my limit and didn’t care anymore.
Either way, something snapped inside me.
“Sit down,” I said to Malum as I shoved my chair back. There was a loud scraping noise.
I stood up and pulled back my throbbing shoulders.
Everything was in sharp focus as I walked casually down the steps of the dais.
I rounded on the pathetic student.
He flushed as I approached, then grinned widely and made a sexual gesture with his hands. “Come to service me?” he taunted.
The room quieted as everyone turned to watch.
The man taunting me was traditionally handsome, and he wore his purple blazer with an air of arrogance. He’d probably been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had never been told no.
I planted my hand on the table beside him and leaned forward so I invaded his personal space. He licked his lips and stared at my mouth.
I leaned closer.
His breath hitched. Pupils dilated.
I stabbed him in the crotch with the large serving knife I’d swiped off the table in front of him.
He opened his mouth to scream, but I grabbed his neck with my other hand and yanked him roughly out of his chair.
I held him up by his throat as he knelt before me.
“I want to reintroduce myself to the academy,” I said loudly, and my voice echoed across the high, arched ceiling because everyone was silent.
Students stared at me with wide eyes. They held their breath.
Sari glared at me with a disgusted expression.
I smiled at her. “My name is Aran Alis Egan, and you’ve probably heard that I’m the Queen of the Fae Realm.” I paused. “That is false.”
There were murmurs of confusion.
The man on his knees before me whimpered, and I choked him harder to shut him up.
“I’m not a queen.” I smiled. “I’m a dictator.”
I released my grip on the trash and let him fall to the floor as I casually walked away.
When I got back to my table, I collapsed into my chair.
Exhaustion hit me like a lead weight, and my hands shook from the leftover adrenaline. Cuts throbbed along my arms and legs.
No one moved.
Everyone waited.
I dug my spoon into a pile of mashed potatoes and brought it to my lips.
After a couple bites, everyone started to eat, like they’d been waiting for my permission.
“Shit, Aran.” John nudged me with his arm. “How long have you been planning that?”
I hid my smile behind my hand.
Luka grinned at me from across the table and winked. I fought the urge to smile back. He’d given me the idea when he’d called me a little dictator.
Malum raised his eyebrow at me, and silver eyes shone with pride. My stomach swooped, and little pinpricks of pain danced across my spine. Orion and Scorpius looked smug.
I focused on my plate and said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
In my peripheral vision, a little girl with a ferret wrapped around her neck beamed with approval. In my head, I heard her say, “Good work.”
This time, I couldn’t hold it back.
I grinned from ear to ear.
