“What is it?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
“Fifteen seconds!” Malum shouted, and RJE devices whirled. The rest of our legion surrounded us. Vegar made a quip, but I was so nervous for the twins that I didn’t hear him.
Orion and Scorpius grabbed my wrists. Malum stood directly behind me and engulfed me with his larger frame. The twins sidled closer.
Five men surrounded me.
Crack.
I opened my eyes, and we were on the edge of a forest, a wall towered a few feet away.
Jax and Malum pointed, and soldiers nodded as they fanned out under the cover of dark until only a few of us were left to infiltrate the structure.
I breathed deeply, but my lungs didn’t work.
The pipe was heavy in my mouth.
“Let’s go,” Jax mouthed as he put in his earpiece and pulled up the black hood that covered his face.
Everyone followed his lead.
The shifters climbed over the brick wall first, moving stealthily and gracefully with their heightened animal instincts.
“It has to do with our enchanted jewelry,” John whispered hurriedly in my ear, and I looked over. He wasn’t wearing his earpiece and hadn’t pulled up his hood. Neither had Luka.
More people climbed over the wall.
It was almost our turn.
“We confirmed with our aunt, who was the one who gave us the jewels,” John spoke quickly. “They form a soul connection between wearers when wedding vows are said aloud.”
The assassins climbed over the wall, and the demons followed.
Luka said, “However, enchanted jewels are extremely rare and can take on lives of their own.”
The angels unfurled their wings and flew over.
John continued, “Our aunt thinks that’s what’s happening with us.” He frowned. “She thinks the soul connection is already forming between us because it senses something is wrong with one of our souls.”
My stomach plummeted.
The kings started climbing.
“What do you mean?” I asked, the words numb on my lips as my vision blurred.
Both twins frowned like they didn’t want to say it.
John blurted, “She thinks something is wrong with your soul and it’s affecting us. We’re having strange pain down our backs and disturbances with our vision. We both feel—empty lately. It’s hard to describe.”
Oh no.
I knew exactly what pain they felt across their backs; I knew they were seeing in gray tones; I knew exactly the feeling of emptiness they were describing.
I wanted to vomit. Cry. Scream. Faint.
“What are you three waiting for? Climb over.” I jumped as Malum’s voice crackled through the earpiece hanging around my neck.
“We’ll figure it out later—we just wanted you to know what we’ve found,” John said as he pulled the hood over his head. “It’s not a big deal, we don’t know anything for certain yet.”
Luka nodded as he mimicked his motion. “Don’t worry.”
Too late.
I was having a full-blown panic attack.
What was wrong with my soul? Was I soulless?
It would make sense.
The twins gestured to the wall, and with tingling limbs, I climbed over as they followed close behind.
“What took so long?” Scorpius snarled when I got to the other side.
I barely noticed the courtyard, festive lights, and tinkling bells.
I barely noticed the black corridors.
Ungodly screeched. Animals roared. Blood splattered.
Jinx yelled inside my head.
I was a visitor inside my own body, a soulless husk of bones that fought mindlessly. Perhaps that was all I’d ever been.
An ungodly shrieked in my face.
Malum shoved me aside and ripped its head off with his bare hands.
An infected stabbed an enchanted sword at me, and I dodged, then spun and gutted them. An ungodly ripped from their flesh, and I gutted them too.
Some infected shouted taunts, some fought silently, and others pleaded for mercy that was not mine to give.
The twins fought surrounded by dark shadows.
I grunted as an infected landed a punch to my stomach. Before I could retaliate, Scorpius viciously broke both his arms and legs.
Later, an infected male screamed something derogatory in my face. Luka grabbed his tongue, slicing it clean out of his mouth before gutting him.
I blinked.
A man got too close to me, and John stabbed him, then stomped on his face.
I blinked.
Orion cracked the neck of an infected who almost landed a blow on my arm.
I blinked.
Malum lit three infected on fire as they approached me.
I blinked.
Scorpius and John sliced the limbs off an infected whose sword lightly grazed the side of my leg.