“Good,” he snapped and draped both his arms across Scorpius’s and Orion’s shoulders. They melted against him.
But they didn’t move.
Their large bodies were positioned to take up a maximum amount of space, and they had me pinned with the bathroom door behind me.
My voice was raspier than usual as I spoke. “I get that I’m perfect and you’re obsessed with me, but could you give me a little space?” I flipped my wild curls over my shoulder. “Thanks.”
Flames sizzled as they trailed down bronze forearms.
John pushed past the kings. “Nah, you don’t get any space, bestie.” He flung his arm over my shoulder and half led, half dragged me out the door while the demons and kings followed us.
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at what I was wearing, but the expression disappeared so quickly I convinced myself I’d imagined it.
He smiled down at me softly.
Horse flapped with outrage and repositioned himself on top of John’s arm.
“What are you doing?” I tugged against John’s hold.
Lightning struck the walls of the busy hall, and my hair crackled. It reeked of burning ozone.
The academy students, royals and commoners alike, scrambled out of our way as we passed. Some bowed at us, while others openly gaped like we were mythical creatures.
I rolled my eyes.
John’s fingers tightened on my shoulder, and his minty breath was hot against the side of my face. “Relax, dude. I’m just trying to keep you alive. I didn’t stitch you up for hours just for you to get bonfired by Malum.”
“I’d like to see him try.” I huffed as I tried to turn around to glare at Malum.
John grunted and tightened his hold so I couldn’t turn. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Stop poking at Corvus. He’s our captain, and we need his cooperation to get through the games.”
The fight drained out of me. “He enslaved me. I can’t let that go. He’s so disrespectful.”
Dimples flashed in my peripheral vision. “Worry about what you can control. We’ll deal with that later.”
“Easy for you to say.” I pouted, hurt that my friend wasn’t more concerned for me. My fictional lover would have been all over Malum’s ass for how he treated me.
“Hey, no moping.” John pulled me closer and ruffled my curls. “When it’s time to handle the kings, we will. You just gotta trust me.”
“Fine,” I said even though I didn’t believe him. “You better not be just saying that.”
“I’m not.” John ruffled my hair harder. “Now let’s feast. I don’t know about you, but I could eat a horse.”
Horse cawed with alarm and pecked at John’s eyeballs. My delusional friend just laughed and swatted at the incorporeal crow.
“Get him, Horse. Eat his brains,” I encouraged, and John just chuckled harder.
When we entered the hall, two things stuck out to me: （1） Sadie and her men were all sitting at a table looking healthy, and （2） a body was crucified to the tree.
“Um.” I stopped and pointed.
Hundreds of stakes pinned a carcass to the trunk of the sacred tree. They shook as a head lifted.
Not a carcass, a man.
I stumbled because holy sun god, how was such a gory mess alive?
“Ignore that,” John said casually like he was used to it as he led me toward our table.
Some students fell silent as we walked by, while others yelled congratulations and clapped like someone wasn’t being tortured a few feet away.
I leaned closer to John, and he tucked me under his arm protectively.
As we passed the tables of the other legions, Sadie flung herself out of her seat and gave me a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “You look like shit, Aran. What the heck!” Her raspy voice filled with concern. “I thought you were supposed to be all-powerful.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you look completely fine?” She didn’t have a single bruise or cut on her. She looked great.
Sadie whispered dramatically, “Rumor is they spiked the food to halt our healing, but for some reason it doesn’t work on me.” She pointed over to the table where Jax’s dark skin was a crisscross of stitched-up wounds similar to ours. “I think it must be my blood powers or something. Someone said it has to do with our souls. Maybe it’s the thing with me and the moon goddess?” She shrugged. “I guess I’m just special.”
I tipped my head at Jax in solidarity.
From the mangled state of the other competitors at the other tables, it seemed like Sadie was correct. Two of the assassins were missing from their table, and the leviathan men looked like somebody had died.
Something itched at the back of my brain. Something was different about Sadie, but I didn’t feel like the moon goddess was the reason.
My head ached, and I stopped worrying about it.
Turning back to my friend, I stared down at her. “Whatever it is, I’m glad it didn’t work on you.” Gratitude that at least she wasn’t suffering welled in my heart.
Sadie was okay.
The scars covering her exposed chest were testaments to what she’d already been through, and if anyone deserved to catch a break, it was her.
“Yeah.” Sadie smiled and pointed to the tree. “Plus, we didn’t end up like that guy.”
“Who is…” I trailed off as I realized why I recognized the figure on the tree.
It was a man from the leviathan legion.
The competitor who’d refused to jump.
My jaw dropped. “They only said you’d be removed from the games, not that.”
“Oh, he’s removed all right,” Sadie joked.
Holy sun god.
Guilt stabbed my gut. That could have been our fates if we hadn’t jumped, and I hadn’t even been worried about Sadie when I’d woken up.
I’d been so concerned with my pain and dealing with the kings.
“Sorry for being a shitty friend,” I whispered and pulled her against me with one arm. Since John’s arm was still thrown over my shoulder, it ended up being a weird three-way hug.
“You’re not,” Sadie mumbled as she pressed her face into my sweatshirt.
John dwarfed us both with his larger size.
Warmth exploded in my chest because I was sandwiched between my best friends and we were all okay.
I squeezed.
Then our three-way hug shifted as Sadie kicked John in the knee and he elbowed her spine. I pretended not to notice.
“I love you guys,” I whispered. “Like seriously so much.”
“Aw, Aran,” Sadie said sweetly. “I love you more than anyone else ever could.”
John made a noise in his throat. “Please, bitch. I love her the most.”
Comfort washed over me like the rays from the two fae suns.
I’d stupidly assumed that because John was a guy, he wouldn’t be able to express his emotions.
Sun god I was so lucky to have not only one but two amazing friends.
I squeezed with all my might and ignored the popping sound of a stitch breaking on my arm as I said, “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we all make it out of this alive.”
“Same,” John and Sadie chorused back.
Fae sunshine kissed my soul.
For a second, the world seemed brighter.