The doctor turned her chair toward me. “How do Malum’s words make you feel, Aran?”
I brought my pipe between my lips and inhaled harshly.
For the first time since I’d seen her with Sadie months ago, she didn’t comment on my smoking addiction.
“I feel like I want to light him on fire until his skin melts off,” I said in a monotone voice.
“Then do it,” Malum snarled, and I was jostled as he leaned forward to glare at me. “Stop whining about it and light me on fire, and then we’ll be even—I don’t understand why you keep fucking bringing this up? Just let me care for you. We need to move past this—we have enough to worry about with this fucking war.”
Steel-gray eyes pinned me to my seat.
Flames cackled, and the awful scent of burning carpet filled the room.
No one moved to put it out.
I leaned forward and glared back. “Exactly. Since we’re already doomed, why should I care about your pathetic bid for forgiveness? Have you ever thought that maybe I want to hold a grudge?”
“How does holding a grudge make you feel?” Dr. Palmer cut in.
“Wonderful,” I said sarcastically.
Malum’s cheeks flushed. “Do whatever you need to do to forgive me—I’ve already said you could light me on fire.” Silver eyes softened. “I don’t know if it’s possible.” Malum cleared his throat. “But I will try to reject my abilities and let flames consume me—for you—so you can have your revenge.”
A pen dropped against a clipboard.
I gaped at my arch nemesis, and his cheekbones flushed redder the longer I stared.
“Okay, we’ll try it.” I nodded. “Get me a match and kerosene and I’ll do it. Right here, right now, since you’re asking for it.”
“I have a lighter,” Orion whispered. “But I don’t want Corvus to get hurt.”
Scorpius drawled sarcastically, “There’s no way it would work.” He wrapped his long fingers around Malum’s neck, then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “He’s literally made of fire—he’ll be fine.”
Malum tried to pull away from Scorpius, but as his mate held him close and dug his nails into his skin, he gave up struggling.
Molten silver hardened into steel as he looked over at me. “I already fucking said you could do it.” He spread his arms wide. “I’m waiting. Between the two of us—I’m not the coward.”
“Give me the lighter.” I nudged Orion.
He hesitantly reached into his pocket.
“Stop!” Dr. Palmer’s shrill voice made all four of us wince. “No one—” She breathed deeply like she was trying to get control of herself. “—is lighting anyone on fire in this room.”
“So we should do it outside of the room?” I asked.
Knuckles whitened against a clipboard, and she stared at the ceiling like she was having a mental breakdown. Extremely relatable.
A timer went off.
With a fluid movement, she sat up straight and smiled at us. Her voice was honey sweet as she said, “Your hour session is over. Please leave.”
I stood and stuck out my hand for her to shake.
“Get out of my office.” She held her clipboard tight to her chest.
I let my hand drop and nodded as I took a long drag from my pipe. “You’re truly a goddess at your craft. Great stuff—I really liked how you just repeated the same phrases.”
“Out!” she snapped.
“I’ll let you know how lighting him on fire works.” I yawned.
“I didn’t suggest that.” Her pen snapped. “As an accredited professional, I’m informing all of you right now that I will report you to the relevant authorities if any of you light each other—or anyone else—on fire.”
The smoldering picture frame fell off the wall.
We all knew there were no authorities that would punish the champions of the gods. We were the appointed authorities. More proof that lunatics ran the realms.
Who looked at Malum and thought, “That man seems stable. Let’s give him insane powers and put him in charge?” I’d like to speak to that person’s manager…and shank them.
The kings stood up and embraced one another.
Then they turned, and all three of them crowded my space.
I looked down and noticed the water left in my cup had frozen into solid ice. Peculiar.
Shadows and muscles widened around me.
I pulled the RJE device with “therapy” engraved on its surface out of my pocket and grabbed Orion’s wrist. Scorpius and Malum wrapped their fingers around my forearm.