They couldn’t.
Not after everything they’d done.
Chapter 35
Aran
JOHN’S RETURN
Metamorphosis—Day 47, hour 14
I rubbed the crust from my eyes as consciousness returned.
Everything ached.
I moaned and turned my face into the soft pillow. The worst part of life was the moment when you were ripped from sleep and remembered that you hadn’t gone on a shopping trip in years.
My eyes shot open.
I jolted upward and immediately regretted it as the stitches littering my body pulled and pinched.
The room was a quiet dark-red haze, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust.
I was alone in bed.
My teammates were asleep.
Malum and Scorpius were wrapped around Orion, snoring softly. Vegar and Zenith were lying on the bloody mattress pads on the floor, and their hands were outstretched toward each other. The tips of their fingers were interlaced.
They were so romantic.
It made me sick.
The clock on the wall read two in the afternoon, but the curtains were closed like it was night.
I gagged and covered my nose.
The room reeked of sweaty male and gore.
It definitely hadn’t been five days since the competition, because the servants hadn’t cleaned anything.
Arcs of blood had been splattered across the floor, wall, and even the hearth like in a crime scene.
I went to lie back down but tensed my abdominal muscles and froze because there was a loud squeak in the bathroom.
Luka’s muffled voice said, “I told everyone. So the plan better have worked. They know there are two of us.”
There was a pause.
“It’s done. It all worked out.” The voice that replied was virtually identical, but it was a little less gruff. It was also extremely familiar. Holy sun god, John was speaking.
The twins were in the bathroom.
Together.
My eyes widened, and I froze.
Luka gasped.
“I’ve told him I’ve chosen my gynaíka.” John’s voice was full of emotion. “He’s freed me from my obligation.”
It was a term I’d never heard before.
There was a shuffling noise.
“Holy fuck,” Luka said. “That’s the…”
“Don’t say it aloud,” John cut him off with a hiss. “Just speaking its name can alert poachers.”
“And you think it will work for me?” Luka asked softly.
I leaned forward on my bed.
John’s response was so quiet that I couldn’t hear it through the bathroom door.
I picked at my lower lip. I had no idea what the twins were discussing, but from the awe in Luka’s voice, it was a big deal.
My stomach pulled into knots as I thought about the tender moment I’d shared with Luka after he’d stitched me up.
It didn’t seem as sweet when I remembered all his secrets.
The twins were purposefully keeping me in the dark.
Were they toying with me?
Was it all some sick prank, pretend to befriend the loser fae girl?
I made a face at my stupid thoughts. Did I think I was in some coming-of-age teen romance? I wasn’t a helpless, na?ve girl getting pranked by stupid boys. I was a depressed twenty-four-year-old fae queen who’d killed a lot of people.
“Stay safe, brother,” John said.
“You too.” Luka’s slightly deeper voice trailed off like he disappeared.
The door squeaked.
I flung myself back into the bed and pulled the covers over my head, heart racing. I feigned sleep.
Footsteps padded softly across the rug.
Then the bed moved.
A large body squeezed into the gap between me and the wall. Arms reached out and wrapped around me. They pulled me against a hard chest. The rich scent of sandalwood, not spice, filled my nose.
I was lying in John’s arms.
I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry.
John sighed contentedly, and his breath steadied as he drifted off to sleep.
Hours passed.
I lay wide awake.
I was afraid to move and have the mirage of my friend disappear. I’d wanted him to come back so badly, and now here he was. A part of me mourned the loss of Luka.
It was all so confusing.
So I waited.
Hours later Malum yelled, “Everyone, up. Time for dinner. We need the fuel.”
John jolted awake; his warm muscles tensed as he pulled himself away from me. I pretended to keep sleeping.
Instead of getting off the bed, John climbed over me. The covers were pulled off my head, and cool air hit my face.
I went impossibly still.
Callused fingers touched the back of my neck, and something cold and heavy settled around my throat. John’s breath was faint against my cheeks.
“Stop wasting time and move, Luka,” Malum snapped, and John climbed off the bed.
“That’s not Luka,” Scorpius said slowly. “I listened closely this week and noted the slight difference in how they breathe.”
Malum’s voice deepened. “What?”
The demons groaned from the mattress pads on the floor as they woke up.
“He’s right. I RJE’d back a few hours ago, and I was going to let everyone know,” John said casually like he was talking about the weather.
“Bullshit, you weren’t going to say anything,” Malum snapped. “But you will explain just what in the sun god’s realms is going on right now.”
“You have five seconds to explain,” Scorpius sneered. “Or we’ll hurt you.”
“All I can tell you is that there are two of us. Until everything else is sorted out, I’m still sworn to secrecy.” John chuckled. “Seriously. You can even ask Lothaire.”
Malum growled like a wild animal. “Unacceptable! I am the captain of this team, and you will explain.”
John sighed loudly. “I can tell you that on my end, I’ve completed my…other obligations…and I will not have to RJE away again. Since Luka is still otherwise engaged, the secrecy stands. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
Malum made a noise of disbelief.
“Trust me,” John said in a serious tone. “It has killed me to deceive everyone, and I wish things were different.”
“I’m sure you fucking do,” Scorpius snarled.
John’s voice was hard. “We all know how the realms work. We’ve all made sacrifices to be here. So don’t try me. A secrecy enchantment prevents me from speaking on the issue, and all you’ll do is piss me off. Now, can we go to dinner?”
Malum scoffed. “Screw you.”
“Very mature,” I said as I gave up playing dead, because let’s be real, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to needle Malum.
I rubbed at my eyes and yawned dramatically like I was coming out of a deep sleep. My neck cramped, and I rubbed at a knot on the base of my skull.
I winced at the state of my arms.
Blue-and-green bruises wrapped around my pale flesh and contrasted nicely with black stitches that held together about a dozen new, weeping wounds. They crossed over the scabbing, old wounds. The skin under my left eye throbbed.
I looked exactly how I felt.
“What the actual fuck!” Malum bellowed.
He moved with impossible speed, a blur of bronze and flames, as he flew across the room in my direction.
John moved into his path and blocked him from getting to me.