Our mate song was fierce like us.
Now Arabella’s worthless life was tied to my precious mates.
It was nauseating.
In exchange for tying our lives to his daughter, Lothaire had agreed to use his network and let us stay at the academy until we found our missing mate. The one who would make our fire sing.
I never would have agreed if I’d known who it was.
Releasing my deep breath, I took another step closer.
“Stop crowding my space. Go away,” Arabella huffed as she slumped low and blew a cloud of smoke out her lips. The whistling noise was unnaturally loud in the quiet classroom.
I opened my mouth to retort, and stopped.
Froze.
I gasped as I realized what was setting my teeth on edge.
No.
Everything had happened so quickly. We’d been so distracted by Arabella’s revelations and getting tattooed that we’d somehow missed the obvious.
Our mating song didn’t sing like it usually did.
It was gone.
The classroom was unnaturally quiet. The only sound was Lothaire mumbling under his breath and shuffling papers.
What the fuck.
Terror rose thick in my throat, and I tried to calm my racing heart. Had the slave tattoo fucked up our mating bond? Had we damned ourselves? Would we never know peace?
Lothaire had assured us there were no side effects other than combining our life forces. He’d lied. Was she in on it? Had it been her plan all along?
I listened desperately, but the quiet was loud.
Stifling.
My knees wobbled, and I barely caught myself. The mate bond was more than just a song. I knew this.
It reflected our souls.
I closed my eyes and channeled inward.
I concentrated on the fire that burned in the main hearth of the House of Malum’s estate. It was symbolic of the strength of our mate bond. No matter where I was, I could commune with the hearth.
Our mating flame burned brightly.
Relief rushed through me.
It quickly turned to unease. The bright-scarlet flames didn’t jump and writhe to the usual pounding mating beat. Instead, they swayed slowly back and forth in silence, and streaks of light blue glimmered around them.
Any relief I’d felt dissipated like smoke because the slave tattoo had done something.
My hands shook as red streaked across my vision like splatters of freshly spilled blood.
I stared down at the bitch who’d messed with my mating bond.
She brought dishonor to us all.
“How dare you?” I breathed out quietly as I leaned toward her.
Bloodshot eyes blinked slowly as she inhaled smoke. Her expression was bored.
I repeated, “How fucking dare you?”
One dark-blue eyebrow arched upward as she chuckled softly, like the situation was funny. Air left her pouty lips in harsh rasps.
“I told you not to talk,” she whispered.
The surrounding air heated as flames crackled on my skin.
“You have no idea who you’ve messed with.” My low pitch was reminiscent of an animal’s growl.
Arabella acted blasé, but her neck pebbled in goose bumps.
A predator stood before her.
Only the most powerful devil families belonged to Houses, and I was the heir to the infamous House of Malum. An ancient family synonymous with power and pain.
I let her see it in my eyes.
A small shiver ran through her, and I smiled wider.
Subconsciously, she recognized she wasn’t standing in front of a normal man.
All devils could create swords of fire. But only a handful of extremely powerful men were born with soul fire.
These devils were viewed as godlike: the Ignises.
The House of Malum was a long line of these soul-fire wielders.
I was an Ignis, one of those godlike men.
Mate bonds were a unique soul tie that only formed around an Ignis. Our mates were fated to help us control our soul fire.
The devil mate structure was always the same: one Ignis, two Protectors, and one Revered.
Four powerful men.
One soul bond tying them together.
Protectors and Revered only manifested their abilities when they met their Ignis. Their powers were complementary to their Ignises and involved the manipulation of people. But each mating group had unique skills.
Everything depended on how the Ignis wielded the soul flame.
My father’s fire healed people who were sick.
As a result, his Revered could see sickness in the flame of a person’s soul.
One of his Protectors had a numbing touch so the healing fire wouldn’t hurt. His other Protector made people feel calm in his presence, so they weren’t afraid of the healing fire.
Father’s ability was beautiful. Envy and sadness expanded in my gut like it always did when I thought about him.
Turning away from the lying bitch, I concentrated on Orion’s stunning profile and not the horrible memories.
“It’s okay, I’m here for you,” Orion mouthed to me.
I tried to smile back at him, but I couldn’t.
Most people assumed an Ignis was at the center of a mate bond because they wielded the soul flame.
They were wrong.
The Ignis and Protectors devoted their lives to protecting their Revered.
A Revered’s ability was most crucial to the success of the Ignis wielding the soul flame, and unlike most male devils, Revereds were gentle by nature.
They were different, physically and mentally, from the other mates in the soul bond. In devil culture, they were worshipped.
A unicorn among monsters.
Their inherent goodness allowed the Ignis to wield the soul flame without becoming corrupted by the power.
Revereds were always creatures of extreme beauty.
Taking care of, pampering, and protecting a Revered gave the Ignis and the Protectors purpose. It also distracted them from the burden of their power.
Scorpius was my Protector.
Orion was my Revered.
I was their Ignis.
Arabella made a huffing sound and mumbled something about dramatic men under her breath.
All three of us were now linked to a liar.
Jaw trembling with rage, I turned away from my precious Revered and leaned close to her. “What have you done?” I whispered darkly.
If I spoke any louder, I’d bellow and tear her to pieces.
She picked at a scab on her lower lip and scoffed quietly, “nothing.” She didn’t even bother to give an excuse.
I lunged forward like I was going to hit her.
Arabella didn’t flinch.
Faced with my unholy rage, she ignored me. Greater men had pissed themselves in her position.
I rose to my full height.
At seven feet tall, I was used to towering over women. Arabella’s head came to the top of my chest, and it was disconcerting how close our faces were.
But I still had the height advantage.
My breath made her hair flutter as I bared my teeth. “Whatever you thought you’d gain from your deceit, think again. If I find out you’re purposefully messing with our mating song, I’ll destroy you. Violently. In ways you can’t even imagine.”
Scorpius gasped and Orion stumbled as they realized our mating song was missing.
Glancing over, I confirmed Lothaire was still distractedly going through his desk.
I took another step closer.
My chest pressed against hers.
And I dwarfed her with my muscles.
I smiled meanly. “I don’t care that he’s your father. No one will protect you from us. You won’t get away with playing us like you did Horace. We’ll treat you like the bitch you are. I vow on the great ancestors of the Devil House of Malum that if I find any evidence you’re purposefully fucking with our mate bond—” I pushed her back against the wall. “—you’ll be crucified on a stake in front of our home and set on fire for all of eternity. Your little slave brand will ensure you won’t die. I’ll make sure of it.”