Speaking of men who didn’t understand.
Malum stood in the middle of the room, glaring at me and John like he wanted to kill us with his stare.
Apparently, he really had been napping and not in a stress-induced coma.
Disappointing.
“Looks like our property is not only a murderer and a liar, but she’s also a slag,” Scorpius sneered.
“Don’t call her that,” Orion whispered and shoved at the blind devil he was lying on.
Scorpius lounged on the bed with his hands behind his head. He smirked like he was unconcerned that Orion was mad at him.
There was something dangerous about two powerful warriors cuddling. It lulled you into thinking they were soft and approachable.
They weren’t.
I snapped back at Scorpius sarcastically, “Don’t forget that I’m also a whore.”
The blind king smiled condescendingly. “Thanks for the reminder.”
I slumped back against my pillows and answered John’s rhetorical question. “The kings are those misogynistic, close-minded jerks.”
John climbed off the bed and stood in front of me protectively with his arms and legs spread.
He physically blocked me from the kings and asked incredulously, “Did you call her your property?”
I peeked over John’s back.
“It’s Arabella,” Orion mouthed like he was making a point as long lashes framed stunning brown eyes that stared at me without blinking. Scorpius’s fingers dragged across his muscled chest.
Orion met my gaze while Scorpius played with his nipple.
The quiet devil kept staring.
Since I’d revealed I was a girl, Orion had also been watching me with a new intensity. Every time I glanced at him, his eyes were on me.
I had yet to see him blink.
What did I really know about him?
I knew he tasted like raspberries, chocolates, and sin. He’d grabbed my jaw in his powerful hand and kissed me like he was consuming me.
I knew he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen.
He’d also whispered that he wanted me to be his toy, in a silky-smooth voice that was lyrical like a haunting song.
He stuck up for me.
I shivered and looked at where Scorpius touched him.
The weight of Orion’s gaze made my skin prickle, and I knew he was still staring. Little pinpricks of pain danced down my spine.
The blind king dragged his fingers up over Orion’s sharp jaw and high cheekbones, then he buried them in blond hair.
They were both shirtless. A tangle of pale and gold.
Scorpius slowly licked the cherry blossom tattooed on Orion’s neck. A pang of jealousy stabbed my gut.
I shivered.
Orion still hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
Scorpius bit down, and Orion jerked, a droplet of red dripping across pink petals. The flower turned red.
I blinked at the optical illusion.
“What’s going on?” John asked as he narrowed his eyes at the kings’ sexual display, then looked back at me.
The devils were always loud bullies, but unlike the demons, they were mostly private about their lust for one another.
They’d been aggressively horny since I’d gotten the tattoo.
I shrugged at John. Who knew why bullies did what they did?
Across the room Scorpius laughed darkly. “I called her that because it’s true. Arabella is our filthy property.”
He nibbled at Orion’s neck as he grinned.
Only Mother had called me Arabella.
While Scorpius was sucking on him, Orion licked his lips and stared at me.
I shivered harder.
John flexed and made a harsh noise. Darkness expanded around him, and he moved like he was going to go fight the kings.
I sat up and wrapped my arms around John from behind.
Resting my head on his shoulder so our faces were side by side, I said, “Try not to panic, but I have something to tell you.”
John went still beneath me.
Malum snarled from the middle of the room, “Stop touching him like that.” Little scarlet flames danced along his wide bronze shoulders.
Layers of muscles ripped, and he cracked his neck back and forth like he was getting ready to explode.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I said as I hugged John tighter. No one was going to tell me I couldn’t lean on my friend for support.
John was tight with tension.
Scorpius licked the side of Orion’s stunning face, then said, “But Arabella.” He kissed along his jaw. “We own you, so technically we can.”
“Oh, shut up,” I said through gritted teeth.
The slave tattoo was annoying, but we were all aware of the circumstances and that it meant nothing. I didn’t know why they were putting on a show.
Even for them, this was dramatic.
I pulled back from John and said to Scorpius, “I prefer Aran, not Arabella. Grow up.”
Scorpius chuckled darkly. “Oh, don’t worry, we’re grown.” He lifted his hips provocatively and smirked. “Your comebacks are shit. You need to work on them, Arabella.”
“Fuck you,” I snapped.
Malum took a step closer to my bed and said, “How dare you talk to my mate like that?”
My life felt like one never-ending argument with the kings. It was like bashing my head against a brick wall. You couldn’t reason with narcissistic, Machiavellian psychopaths.
John cracked his knuckles in warning.
“I told him not to call me Arabella.” I rubbed at the beginning of a tension headache.
“When will you learn?” Malum asked roughly. “We don’t care what you want, Arabella.”
I flinched as he emphasized the name, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
A cold sweat broke out across my hairline.
“Arabella, you’re so weak,” Mother whispered as she snapped her fingers and set me on fire. The terrible cold came after as my body shook from stress on the icy palace floor.
I blinked and realized John was holding me and rubbing comforting circles against my back.
I slumped against him.
Over John’s shoulder, Malum scowled as flames covered his arms like sleeves.
“You don’t own me,” I said forcefully. “I’m just temporarily enslaved to you. There’s a difference.”
Scorpius scoffed.
Orion kept staring.
“Excuse me?” John asked as he went still in my arms.
“Um.” I gnawed on the inside of my mouth. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Malum laughed cruelly. “There’s no difference.”
My stomach cramped with nausea.
The devils didn’t talk about ownership in the way Sadie’s mates talked about her, which was with an edge of obsession and devotion that was kind of endearing. They called me property like I was the muck beneath their boots.
If I had any self-esteem, it would have been crushed.
Good thing I had none.
The air around John shimmered with darkness as he pulled away and asked darkly, “You’re their slave?”
Across the room, Zenith and Vegar stopped making out and turned to me with startled expressions.
I grimaced and rubbed at the back of my neck.
The flames in the fireplace screamed in a frenzy, and I pretended they were aggressively yelling compliments at me. You’re so pretty and smart. You’re so cool. You have an impeccable sense of style.