Psycho Academy (Cruel Shifterverse, #4)

by Jasmine Mas

“You’ve been in a coma for three days.” John hovered inches away from me. Finally, some good news. I shifted and regretted it as my arm fell through the hole in my cot.

Good vibes died a swift death.

The vampyre stilled. I tensed my muscles, prepared to throw John at him as a sacrifice so he wouldn’t hurt me. John noticed me trying to hide behind him. “Really, Aran? People have no loyalty these days.”

“You know for a dude that was just all flaming and, frankly, psychotic, you’re being very dramatic.”

Penis! Ever been violated? Same. My eyes burned, and I pinched my nose with my fingers. Once again, against my will, I was surrounded by nude men changing.

I gulped. It was never a good thing when the witch got involved. Usually, she was on standby to heal us during the worst training exercises.

In the haze, I fell away from my sense of self. For the first time in forever. Everything was okay. And I was free.

They came in black with marks of red, And wielded pain with blades of hate, They slit our throats and cut our knees, Heartless beasts—the assassin’s eight. —The Ungodly

“You will not use any powers that you possess. Your only weapon is the daggers. If you disobey, you will wish you were never fucking born. Understood?”

The gash on the man’s forehead was deep enough that you could see his skull. He shouldn’t be standing let alone pleading for help.

I killed. And I kept killing. I didn’t bother to stop the teeth, the weapons, and the pincers that scoured my flesh as I attacked. The pain was welcome. As I punished others, I let them punish me. A weapon banged against the floor, and the sound reminded me of a gunshot.

And when the last body hit the floor, the eerie silence returned, and there was nothing left to distract me from the screaming. It hadn’t been coming from the villagers, because it had been inside my head the entire time. It was me.

They never do. I reared forward and banged my head back as hard as I could into the metal wall. Desolation blinded me. I hit harder.

“Don’t worry. I have a feeling you’ll be just fine.” I scoffed. “Why would you say that?” “Because you’re like me.” “How so?” “You’ve already lost your mind.”

“It means you know how to survive.” As we hobbled past, broken light streamed through the mosaic of the mother. In the shards of shattered glass, there was something new. A red tear dripped down her cheek. And I knew. It was an omen.

There was something about a grown man acting like a homicidal maniac that tickled my funny bone. Like, was he for real? Was this really what we were doing right now?

“Do you want to die, Aran?” Yes. Malum and Scorpius whipped around in front of me, and Orion shifted like he was uncomfortable. John swore under his breath. Behind Lothaire’s back, Horace gave me a thumbs-up.

His fingers kept tightening. My vision dimmed, but I didn’t fight him. I can’t die. You don’t get it. I just wanted someone to understand that I didn’t want to end myself because of what had been done to me. It was what I’d done. The lies. The pain. The legacy. The throne of death. The fucking depression.

“My blind grandmother who has weeks to live could have reacted faster than you sorry fucks!” Well, she sounded fabulous. I wrote, Meet Lothaire’s grandmother before she dies. Seems urgent. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”

I flipped it off. I don’t speak your creepy language, so take that. A sick sensation coursed through me as I remembered that Sadie’s mate Ascher had once said that flames shouted at him. We’d all thought he was just being dramatic.

There was a chorus of voices. Holy fuck. So I did the only thing I could—I covered my ears and panicked.

Never mind. Malum’s face was hard and cold as he took a step over my prone body and stared down at me. Massive thighs spread, face tensed, he straddled me. He exerted dominance. I exerted “needs medical help.”

“Don’t punch yourself,” he said softly. “What?” “Don’t hurt yourself.” I whimpered.

Malum tipped his head back and pinched his nose. “Sun god, fucking save me from idiots.”

Whatever. I rolled over and resumed my panic attack. Before I could fully sink into the swing of things, long, sooty lashes blinked curiously down at me. Orion’s lush lips hovered close as he lowered his large body onto the floor.

Orion had kissed me. I could die happy.

I didn’t like him. Be nice. You want him to like you so he doesn’t rip out your heart and ascend to your throne. I forced the scowl off my face and relaxed my shoulders like I was a chill person and not high-strung. “I’m doing fine. Thanks for asking.” “That’s really good to hear.” Shane leaned forward and ruffled my hair. “Everyone is treating you well? I know it must be hard to be the new guy, especially with the battles.”

“Do you have any enchanted drugs or alcohol in your office?” I asked hopefully. Shane laughed like I was hilarious. “Nice joke, fae man.” “If you’re lame, just say that,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Touch me again and you’ll lose your hand.” His hand lit on fire and scorched the shoulder of my shirt. “Oops,” Malum said like a mean girl before he released me. “Great.” I mimed gagging. “Now I have chlamydia.” “That’s not how that works.” “Sounds like something someone with chlamydia would say.”

Did every man have anger issues? Well, I knew what my first act as queen would be—mandatory anger management therapy for all men. No exception.

“Coming from the man who can’t fart without becoming a flamethrower.”

You should try it. There’s a chance you’d just break the realm’s enchantment and there would be no monarch. I fingered my pipe and debated going into a shower stall and attempting it.

How did they have any aggression left? Fighting monsters for over twenty hours straight had left me feeling strung-out and dry. Raw. But they were still angry. Never mind. I wouldn’t banish all men; I’d have them committed.

He hunched forward, and I lightly smacked him on the cheek to stop him. “What the fuck?” I’d slapped him with all my strength and left a red handprint on his cheek. “Oopsie.”

Oh my sun god, these women just couldn’t see red flags if they were smacking them in the face. I leaned my face over the bed until I was staring down at her. She blinked with confusion. I enunciated slowly. “You’re going to die if you stay here with this homicidal maniac. You need to leave. Now.” She pouted and wrinkled her nose.

Tear off his eyelids and shove them down his throat. Then we’ll see who he threatens. Apparently, sleep made my monster creative. “Take your hands off me,” I whispered. “Or you’ll regret it.” How. Dare. He. Overpower me on my bed. “What the fuck is going on over there?” Malum’s voice broke through the aggression that was fogging my thoughts. “We’re fucking,” Horace snapped back and gyrated his hips wantonly. “What is wrong with you?” I asked seriously. Horace winked at me and whispered, “Just watch.”

“What is wrong with you three? I wasn’t about to fuck Horace. He was joking.”

Orion slammed his foot into Horace’s side with such force the vampyre’s skull cracked against the wall. Ugh, my knight in shining armor. I slapped myself.

Everyone else watched in shock as the kings went nuts. When Malum released him, Horace just wiped the blood off his mutilated face and sauntered back to his bed.

And I just faced the wall and sucked on my pipe, but even in the chaos, one thing remained the same. I still felt next to nothing.

He’d blown out a skull and crossbones image. Ghost was chill like that.

Maybe they’re planning to hand me over to the fae? Maybe they’re working with the half warriors and they’re going to ambush me any day now? The possibilities were endless.

Marked by a god. Terrible deeds. Just like the three kings. My stomach plummeted because nothing made sense, and my vision wobbled as I panicked. On shaky legs, I fled the library.

Men were so dramatic. It was exhausting.

Holy. Fuck. I lowered my head and put all my willpower into my finger strength. Why the fuck didn’t Lothaire have us wear masks or gloves? That motherfucker did this on purpose. Time coalesced into endless seconds of desperation. Suddenly, the wind knocked out of my chest, and like a ragdoll, I slammed into a wall. The world went dark. “Get up, Egan. Get the fuck up now!” Cruel silver eyes hovered inches from my face, and a bloody monster screamed at me. “Get up!” The monster tried to pull my arms out of my sockets as it threw me around. Throbbing agony burned my face and hands. My eyelids were slabs of meat as I blinked painfully. Pink tinged my vision. “Let’s go!”

“Get your head out of your ass!” Jinx yelled in my mind, and I nodded with agreement. She always knew what to say.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Jinx drawled sarcastically.

Jinx’s voice was sharp. “Are you just going to stand there and take it like you did in the beast realm? Is that all you are, a slab of meat for target practice?” Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow.

“For the first time, I’m not embarrassed to know you.” Jinx’s voice was proud in my head.

“Are you seriously losing your mind in the middle of battle? What the fuck is wrong with you? GET UP!” Jinx shouted in my head.