Psycho Devils (Cruel Shifterverse, #5)

by Jasmine Mas

Lyla’s smooth voice replaced Lothaire’s, and she said, “For her punishment, the gods order Arabella to have penetrative intercourse with her legion mate John on the field until completion. Now.”

Dear god these people have a sick sort of humor. What’s the purpose of this???

“Your beauty is otherworldly.” John’s dark eyes were intense, but he flashed a dimple like he knew I needed his smile to put me at ease. I couldn’t stop myself from making a face.

were going to be best friends.” John’s breath tickled my cheek as his eyes darkened. “I lied.” “What?” I tried to pull back to look at his face, but he wouldn’t let me pull away. John whispered, “I took one look into your psycho blue eyes, and I knew you were going to be mine.” He pressed a soft kiss to my lips and said into my mouth, “I just didn’t want to scare you away.” I huffed as his tongue stroked against mine. “But I was a dude?” I asked unsurely. “Yeah, a stunningly pretty dude,” John said with a grin, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Are you okay?” John pulled himself out of me as he kissed my forehead, his arms still wrapped around me. “Please talk to me.” I panted and whispered a shaky, “I’m fine.” My face warmed as I whispered, “was it good for you?” John made a pained noise as he peppered delicate kisses across my nose. “It was perfect. You were perfect.”

“Tell me,” Orion said loudly. Corvus didn’t bother to admonish him as more students gathered around us. He held his breath like he was also waiting to hear. I bit down on my lower lip. They were still my mates, and I didn’t want to hurt them. This one would hurt. “Tell him,” Corvus said roughly, and the unspoken tell me hung heavy in the air between us. I tipped my head back and rested it against my Ignis’s warm arm. “She bled. That was her first time with a man.”

“I’m gaping at you in shock,” I said loudly because I didn’t want Scorpius to miss out on my facial expressions. He shook his head with exasperation, but a small smile curled the edge of his lips. Like he thought I was funny. I obviously was, but he did not think so.

For a second, I’d forgotten I wasn’t a member of the functional, loving shifter legion. I was a part of the academy legion: psychotic devils, ornery demons, a depressed fae queen, and a happy-go-lucky human. We were the definition of dysfunctional.

As sleep pulled me under, John whispered, “Please forgive me.” I was too tired to ask what he meant. In the future, I’d wish I had stayed awake to question him. I’d really wish I hadn’t passed out. But I did.

Ugh no is John going to be bad??

He furrowed his brow. “No. Why?” “Because it’s killing me,” I said snottily, grateful that Jinx used that comeback every time Sadie complained about something. Silverware clattered. Vegar sputtered water and choked while Zenith slapped his back. Instead of defusing the tension like I’d planned, my joke had caused Scorpius to still like he was frozen. Hurt flashed across his face. Wait. Does he think he’s ugly? He had to know he was disturbingly handsome. Right?

Was I perfect? No. Sometimes I dissociated for days and murdered people. But did that make me a bad person? Yes. It definitely did. But at least I wasn’t insane. Not yet. It was all I had left.

“What?” I said as I stared at my friend dumbly. “I’m not John.” Everyone turned to him. A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’m Luka, his twin.” Time paused. Jaws dropped. Everything clicked into place with disturbing clarity. John’s two dramatically distinct personalities. How he’d switch from being talkative and friendly to silent and brooding. He’d spend days saying nothing. Lothaire had told us we already knew our substitute. Last night, John had whispered to me he was sorry after he’d heard there would be a substitution. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were two separate men. Mr. Hyde is Luka. John had an angry twin. And he was standing in front of me, seething because I’d hurt his brother.

The plate was full of my favorite foods that were usually only served at breakfast. Malum nodded and took the plate. He put it in front of me, then turned back to his meal and resumed eating like nothing had happened. I gaped at the bronze king. His cheeks flushed red, and he gave no explanation. It felt like a peace offering. Like something monumental had shifted between us after I’d rescued Scorpius in the last competition. Whatever, I wasn’t going to dwell on it.

“So,” I said conversationally, “how does it feel to be in love with and mated to the prettiest person in all the realms?” Ascher beamed. “Aw, I’ll tell Cobra you said that.” I choked, and demon brew poured out of my nose. “I can’t believe you’re mated to that psycho.” “Imagine.” Ascher grinned. “I can literally feel his thoughts and emotions.”

Cobra glared at me. “You have a substance abuse problem.” I sucked harder, and my esophagus burned delightfully as the two substances mixed. I pointed out smartly, “Is it a problem or the solution?”

Cobra smirked as he revealed, “In every species that has fated mates, the body knows before the mind does. I couldn’t take my snake back even if I wanted to. Our shadow snakes recognize our fated mate before we do. It left my flesh

“Sun god.” I pressed the demon brew bottle against my chest and leaned back against the wall. “That’s so romantic.” Ascher stared at Cobra with wide eyes, and he rubbed at his chest. “Fuck, man.” “So beautiful.” I smiled. “Sadie deserves it.” She had four men absolutely devoted to her, and I couldn’t imagine anything less for my best friend. She deserved it. She was sunshine in darkness.

And just like that, I was standing alone in the corner. “You’re welcome, Sadie,” I said to no one. Best. Wingwoman. Ever. I cackled at my intelligence.

His breath smelled like spice and demon brew as he said, “I never said you couldn’t call me Daddy.” My jaw dropped. Something told me I wasn’t the only drunk one.

Malum spoke, and his voice was the deepest I’d ever heard it. “Get your hands off our girl.” I gaped. Our girl? He probably meant it in a slave sense.

“For once in your life, just listen to instructions. Go to sleep,” Malum ordered gruffly. And that was all it took. I passed out.

The party had been three days ago, and I still had a headache. The fact that my drunk self had had the audacity to climb into a shower with the kings and then sleep in their bed was beyond my understanding. My memories were foggy.

Physically, I was hideous. Mentally, I was worse. Spiritually, I was a slut. So basically everything evened itself out and I was thriving.

Ever since I’d revealed I was a woman, I’d been getting a lot of disturbing comments thrown my way. I was 99 percent sure that my teammates were sexually harassing me. There was only one thing left to do.

Again the pain exploded. Again I slammed my hips forward and arched my back as I squeezed my eyes shut. This time, I rubbed against a solid object. Half-delirious, I mumbled, “Why. Do you have a weapon?” Luka choked, and I peeled open my eyes. I looked further down, and my eyes widened. “That’s not a weapon,” I whispered like an idiot. Luka didn’t take his eyes off my neck where he was working. “No, Your Highness, it’s not.” It was my turn to blush. I was an idiot. Calling a man’s dick a weapon was the type of stupid shit Sadie babbled about happening in her romance books. I would never recover from this.

A moment later, Luka was pulling fuzzy socks over my feet. “These are my favorite pair,” he whispered softly. Déjà vu hit me like a punch to the face. When I was destroyed after the first challenge, John had taken care of me. The twins are the only men who’ve ever consistently shown me kindness and support. They knew me. Saw me at my worst. And unlike every other male I’d ever known, they stayed by my side. They cared.

I cried because for the first time in my life, I knew two men I really liked. Sun god help me.

In my imagination, Scorpius asked, “Is she all right? I heard her crying.” Orion made a sound of distress. “She was crying?” Malum asked brokenly like the thought of me in tears did something to him. Clearly, I was creating false scenarios because I knew the kings didn’t actually care about me. They couldn’t. Not after everything they’d done.

“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. The air shimmered black. Manic silver eyes locked on mine as Malum’s upper lip curled back with disgust, and he radiated distress.

“Why are you wearing that! Take it off now!” Malum shouted, and I stared back at him blankly. Was he having a breakdown? I hated to say it, but that would be the most relatable thing he’d done to date. “Maybe try lying on the floor to ground yourself. It can help panic attacks,” I pointed out helpfully and crossed my arms over my chest to demonstrate. “Deep breaths.” Malum snarled and gnashed his teeth like a rabid animal. I spoke slowly. “No, you have to suck in through your nose.” I pointed to my nostril and sucked in. “Then try to release it through your mouth.” I nodded at him as I blew out. There was a sizzling sound as his shirt caught on fire.

I narrowed my eyes. “I feel like you’re not trying.” Malum trembled with rage. Poor guy was giving it his best shot, but he just couldn’t get the hang of it. Orion whispered in Scorpius’s ear, then moved across the room and laid one hand on his flaming mate’s shoulder while he pointed his other hand at me. “Your neck.” I looked down. Gasped. A black teardrop jewel about the size of my palm hung from a glittering diamond chain around my neck. The jewels were ice-cold and ridiculously heavy. My eyes snapped to John, the man who’d knelt atop me seconds before. He stared back. Then arched a dark brow and smirked like he was offering a challenge.

I made a mental note to add it to my list of times I’d been sexually harassed by my teammates. I didn’t know who I was filing a complaint with, but someone in the High Court would be hearing from me.

Malum’s jaw closed with a click, and he looked away from me. Pink stained the tops of his cheekbones, and he fisted his hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Pain scoured my chest like I’d been stabbed. I expected it, but still. Wow. Disappointment washed over me because he was so predictable. So much for him saying he was sorry. So much for him washing my hair in the shower. So much for holding my hand as I lay limp in pain. So much for pretending he was different. So much for taking care of me. Men were all the same. Empty. Promises. I slammed my shoulder into his as I walked past.

Xerxes was inches away, but he screamed to be heard. “How could he make you do this when you look like…” He gestured to the bruises and stitches on my face. For a second, I felt an irrational urge to defend Malum. I shrugged and yelled back, “It was between me and one of the devils. They’re mates. I never had a chance.” It didn’t hurt to say the truth aloud. I felt nothing. Blank. Emptiness. Purple eyes narrowed, and Xerxes scoffed like he disagreed.

His face pinched as he shouted, “He’s my mate. It doesn’t matter what he can or can’t handle. What matters is that I can suffer so he doesn’t have to.” Sun god. That was romantic. Thunder boomed, and the grass shook. “Must be nice,” I whispered, then closed my eyes and started counting.

“I’m so proud of you,” Jinx’s voice said in my mind. Warmth blossomed across my chest as my teeth chattered from the cold. I hadn’t failed Xerxes. Not like everyone failed me. And just maybe…that was enough. It had to be. It was all I had left.

Everyone ceased moving at once, and the room fell creepily quiet. No one breathed. The sudden tension was a tangible weight. Orion whispered something to Scorpius. “Why,” Malum said roughly. “The fuck.” His teeth clashed together. “Is ‘WHORE’ carved into your back?” Crack. I opened my mouth and whispered my darkest secret aloud, “Mother did it. The night before I killed her.” I sobbed and convulsed. Arched my back and jackknifed my legs. “What!?” Scorpius bellowed. I spat out between gasps of pain because apparently, I was feeling very chatty. “She used to light me on fire. For fun. Just like you, Malum.”

Malum pressed his lips against my ear and whispered roughly, “I don’t care that your mother’s dead. That is not enough. Whoever served her will burn by my hand. Whoever failed to help you will burn by my hand. Whoever was within a hundred-mile proximity to her when she did this will burn by my hand. I swear it on the honor of the House of Malum. You will be avenged.” I tried to speak, but my throat was shredded from screaming.

He tipped his head back and bellowed, and fire shot from his tongue in a long arc. “She carved a slur into your flesh, Aran. Everyone who served her is dead. They’re all dead.” Unconsciousness pulled me under, and one thought rang clearly through my head. He couldn’t massacre an entire realm. Right?

This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to be my sweetheart. I was going to protect her and take care of her. It was already too late. She was marked. I trembled as I knelt beside her, and tears streamed down my cheeks. John collapsed on top of her, and tears also ran down his face. He cried for her. I cried for myself. Because for the first time in my life, I didn’t just hate what I was—I loathed it. I didn’t want to be a Revered. I didn’t want to be the person who was sheltered and protected. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to be her shield and her sword.

We’d iron out the logistics later because there was nothing we needed to discuss now. It was simple. People would die. Arabella wasn’t the spoiled princess we’d stupidly assumed she was. She’d been tortured.

“Where are your underwear?” he asked. Malum growled. I shrugged. “They’ve been disappearing for a while. I think someone is stealing them.” John stilled. “Excuse me?” Malum’s voice cracked like a whip. “Tell the others.” John said forcibly, “Let’s get the word out and find out who is taking them.” Malum stalked away in a whirl of fire and anger. “You can wear a pair of my boxers,” John said as he rummaged through his shelf of clothes. I rubbed at my tired eyes. “Are you sure? That seems kind of inappropriate.” Instead of answering my question, John ordered, “Part your legs.”

He traced his thumb slowly across her cheekbone possessively and smirked back at me. I swallowed a growl. Mine.

Memories of the punishment with John made my stomach hurt, and I blurted out, “But I’ve hurt you.” I couldn’t go another day not knowing if he was okay. John traced his thumb gently under my eye and caught a tear. “Aran, you’ve never hurt me. You saved me.” My lips trembled. Luka wrapped his arms around both of us and said, “Same.”

“Are you okay to climb?” Malum asked, and I realized the kings were standing, waiting for me. He was staring at me like he was waiting for me to admit I’d been secretly a damsel in distress this entire time. I rolled my eyes and stabbed my razor-sharp claws into the posts.

Back in the beast realm, when I’d been high, smoking my enchanted pipe for the first time, I’d sworn I’d seen a white flame hovering above Sadie. What is going on?

Orion sang, “Your soul has been found lacking. You have committed a heinous crime against those you love. Redemption is not possible. You will be exterminated.” The pink petals stopped spinning. All of them hung suspended in the air around one person. Jinx. A pure-black flame flickered above her head. There was no white. Her soul had been judged, and the kings had marked her unworthy. Orion’s voice was poignantly beautiful. “You have committed a heinous crime against those you love.” I paused in horror because Jinx had sobbed and told us that she’d made us forget “so much.” We were the only people she loved.

Mother had been an angel without wings. And the others knew it. For some reason, the High Court had positioned an angel on the throne of death. It was an inside job. A cover-up. I’d never developed fae powers as a child because I was never a fae and Mother had known it.

Lothaire responded, “They’ve realized what we, the judges, did when we watched the tape.” “Realized what?” Arabella asked. Corvus gagged louder. “You’re their missing mate,” Lothaire said. The realm stopped spinning as he spoke our realization aloud. She laughed loudly. “No, I’m not.”

I knewwww it!!!

But it made sense. Orion’s reluctance to being coddled. His urge to defend us. His aggressive characteristics. We’d assumed he was just unique. I’d always known in my bones that he wasn’t a gentle guy. We’d characterized him as such because he was quiet and physically smaller than Corvus and me. Plus, he was breathtakingly stunning. Corvus always said he was the prettiest male devil he’d ever seen. It had always made sense. It had always been the most obvious explanation. Until we’d met someone physically smaller than all of us—someone who spiraled and fell apart during battle; someone who grieved over the people she killed while the rest of us felt nothing; someone all of us wanted to protect. The only person Corvus had described as prettier than Orion. A person who all three of us were obsessed with. A person we irrationally wanted to protect.

“I think she’s our Revered.” Orion cleared his throat. “And I’m the other Protector.” Skin smacked against the desk, then the floor. Our Ignis had passed out.