I shivered.
“That’s the problem,” I said. “I’m not an ideal. I’m an imperfect person.”
Steele eyes narrowed with confusion. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Scorpius and Orion walked up and stood on either side of him.
I waved my hand at them. “You three want me to be your Revered—this perfect mate that will save you. You don’t want me.” My voice trailed off. “You don’t want Aran.”
The twins shifted closer, their jewelry vibrating against my skin. John rubbed my back as Luka twirled one of my curls. They were pillars of support.
Scorpius frowned, his features sharp enough to cut glass; Orion’s eyes widened, dark lashes fluttering; Malum scowled.
“You’ve got to be joking?” Scorpius asked in disbelief. “Arabella, you’re our Revered. Of course we want you. Do you think I sit in the shower talking to anyone else for hours? Sun god—I don’t even want to do that with them.” He gestured to Malum and Orion. “I’ve told you things that I’ve never told anyone.” His voice quieted. He whispered like he was embarrassed, “I’ve opened up to you.”
Orion nodded as he stared at me, unblinking. “You’re the only person I can talk to without having to hide who I am. From the moment I first met you, a piece of me knew what you were to me. My everything.”
Malum stood up swiftly, determination on his face. “We can prove it to you right now.”
“What?” I asked, looking between the kings.
“You think we don’t want you because your soul has been mutilated—which we will be getting answers about later.” He raked his hand over his shaved head and nodded. “There’s a simple solution, one that also helps with the problem of unleashing our powers in battle.”
I rolled my pipe between my lips.
Malum’s tone was serious. “We can bond, and all of us can finally be together.”
I choked on smoke.
“It’s all up to you,” he continued intensely. “Will you accept the three of us as your mates? Will you let me be your Ignis and Scorpius and Orion be your Protectors?”
“Please,” Orion whispered, and Scorpius took a step back like he was afraid of my answer.
The three of them vibrated with fierce energy.
“Even if our mating bond is corrupted because of your missing soul,” Malum said forcefully, “we still want it.”
They nodded in agreement, like what Malum was saying wasn’t the opposite of everything they’d ever wanted from their mate.
I struggled to breathe.
“We want you, Aran.” Bronze features gleamed with emotions. “Flaws and all.”
My tongue was heavy in my mouth, and I struggled to speak.
After a long moment of gasping, I finally said, “How does forming the bond prove anything?”
“It proves we don’t care if you’re not perfect.” Scorpius stepped forward and caressed his graceful fingers down the side of my face. “We don’t care if the mate bond is messed up—we don’t care if you’re not a perfect Revered, like you put it. Corvus is right, we just want you.”
“Please,” Orion mouthed.
I was shell-shocked.
How could they want the bond when they knew it could hurt them like it was hurting the twins?
They were supposed to want me to help fix their powers and make them stronger. They weren’t supposed to want me when I could break them further.
“But what about my back?” I said weakly.
“I refuse to hurt you,” Malum said immediately. “The bond is formed through intimacy and acceptance—but it’s not an exact science.”
Scorpius explained like he’d put a lot of thought into it, “The crucial part is that we all mentally accept the mating bond. The intimacy is more symbolic of what’s occurred, but the key is your acceptance. We can make your participation as painless as possible.” His lips turned up wickedly. “For now.”
Malum looked at where the twins were touching me. “We think it will also help your bond with the twins. If more souls are involved, it will counteract the damage.” He exhaled. “I know how much they mean to you.”
I glanced at the twins and was momentarily shocked by how horrible they looked. The pallor to their skin and dark circles were worse than the days prior. They were suffering because of me.
“Don’t worry about us,” John said as he flashed a dimple, but he ruined it by wincing as he shifted like he was in physical pain.