Scorpius smelled like sin.
He smiled evilly and said, “Open your mouth, my turn.” His milky eyes were focused on a spot over my head as he pursed his lips and made a squelching noise.
It took me a second.
“Don’t you dare.” I kicked and bucked against him, but with his long arm outstretched, I couldn’t reach him.
He spat, and wetness hit my cheek. He said darkly, “Next time, you’ll swallow like a good girl.”
“Ew!” I squealed. “There will not be a next time, you disgusting pig.” I kicked harder, not caring that I was making a ruckus.
Scorpius yanked me against him so quickly my head spun.
He chuckled. “Just repaying the favor, since you seem to be so into spitting. Baby.” He said Orion’s endearment like it was a nasty word.
He shuddered and closed his eyes like the thought of spitting in my mouth made him want to lose control.
I shuddered, from concern for his mental state.
Orion adjusted himself in his pants as he licked his lips. His eyes were glazed over with lust.
Scorpius pulled me closer to him and pursed his lips, and the intent was clear. “I won’t miss this time. Open your mouth, slave.”
I slammed my heels into his shins as hard as I could and tried to turn my head to bite him, but he didn’t release me like I’d planned.
Scorpius moaned and tightened his grip on my neck.
My voice was weak as I snarled, “Gonna cut out your tongue.”
He laughed, choked me harder, and dragged his tongue slowly across the side of my face. “Promise?”
I gaped with shock.
The blind king that had antagonized me for the last few months and made my life a living hell had now licked me twice. I clawed at the hand around my neck and rasped, “You’re a sick motherfu—”
“Everyone, shut up!” Zenith roared as he sat up in his bed, inky black lines expanding under his eyes.
Scorpius dropped me.
I scrambled away from where Malum was still pulling himself to his feet.
The black lines crawled down Zenith’s neck. “We compete tomorrow, and you’re disturbing Vegar. If I hear another word out of any of you, I’ll give you the worst nightmares of your life. That’s a promise.”
Malum stood up with a low groan.
I pointed at him and said, “He made a sound.”
Zenith narrowed his eyes.
“Never mind,” I said. “Super quick, do you have scissors?”
Zenith didn’t look amused. “You have one minute to shut up, or I’ll make sure that everyone in this room is screaming and shitting in their sleep.”
With that comforting statement, he rolled over and gave Vegar a soft kiss on the forehead. I’d never seen the demons use their powers, and something told me I didn’t want to.
As I stood there wiping the spit off my cheek with disgust, because Scorpius probably had gonorrhea with how often he had sex, a solution hit me.
I pushed my way past the devils. “I’m gonna go to Sadie’s room to fix my hair.”
“You’re not going anywhere near her, slave. I forbid it.” Scorpius grabbed my arm in a steel vise.
As I stared back at the blind devil, I remembered I couldn’t go anywhere by myself because of the brand on my hip. A rushing sensation washed over my limbs.
I was trapped.
It was hard to breathe.
“Stop it,” Scorpius ordered.
“Calm down, sweetheart,” Orion mouthed. “I’ll take you.”
I bolted for the door before he could change his mind.
I needed space from the kings.
Orion trailed me down the silent hall, and when I finally got to the door that said, “Shifter Legion,” I told him, “Wait outside.”
When I entered, I expected the room to be dark and sleeping.
A creepy voice asked, “Who dares enter our lair?”
I jumped.
Jinx blocked the entrance. She tilted her head down so her dark hair covered her face as she looked up, and a ferret was draped across the back of her neck like a scarf.
He hung limp like he was dead.
“Ew, what the heck.” I poked at Warren’s boneless body.
Jinx smiled with her teeth. “You must pay the tax.”
Behind the young psychopath, Sadie and her mates were sprawled on the floor, playing a card game. On one side of the room, three of the beds had been pushed together to create one massive sleeping arrangement.
Sadie shot up with a squeal and ran over.
Jinx blocked me as I tried to pass. “Pay the tax. Ten gold pieces.”
“I don’t have money on me.” I huffed and debated the merits of drop-kicking a child.
“No one passes without the tax.” Her eyes darkened as she lunged at me.
I jumped backward. I’d never forget the way she’d unhinged her jaw and screamed at the don back in the beast realm. Not only was it weird, but I’d never heard of any species that did that.
According to Sadie’s sources （allegedly the moon goddess herself, but I had my doubts about that）， Jinx was a half-breed.
The explanation made sense, but it also didn’t. It felt too much like a perfectly crafted story. My gut told me something else was going on with Jinx.
Something was off about her.
I asked Sadie with confusion, “Do you really have a tax to enter your room?”
“Of course not.” Sadie sighed as she rubbed her face. “Jinx, sweetie, we’ve talked about this.”
“Pay. The. Tax. Also, I’m not your sweetie. Don’t push your pathetic abandonment issues onto me.”
Sadie blew her a kiss. “Whatever you say, cupcake.”
Jinx snarled like a rabid animal.
I took a step toward the door. “Uh, maybe I should go?”
Cobra sauntered across the room and pushed a bag of money forward. “Here’s twenty gold pieces.”
Who carried gold around with them? Everyone in the realms used the enchanted credit system.
Jinx’s scary expression transformed into a beaming smile. “Thanks, snake man.” She skipped off with the money and put it into an overflowing velvet pouch.
Sadie groaned and smacked at Cobra’s jeweled hand. “You have to stop paying her, or she’ll just keep doing it.”
The snake shifter shrugged. “She’s a business woman. I respect the hustle.”
“No. It’s extortion.” Sadie rubbed at her forehead.
“Exactly. She’s going to do great things.” Cobra looked over with pride at Jinx, who was now counting out a large stack of gold coins.
Warren, the perverted ferret, was no longer playing dead and had a gold piece in his mouth.
Sad.
I’d really hoped he was dead.
“So why are you all awake?” I asked as Sadie threw her arms around me in a hug and dragged me into the room.
“I’m just so excited for tomorrow I can’t sleep, and all the men agreed to stay up with me.” Sadie clapped and jumped up and down. “Plus, Jinx never sleeps, so party room, am I right?”
I relaxed into her tight embrace and said, “The energy in here is way better than my room. Our room had a lot of choking and spitting going on. Very creepy.”
Ascher coughed aggressively at my words, and all four men turned to stare at me.
Xerxes opened his mouth like he was going to ask for an explanation, but then he shook his head like he didn’t want to know.