Page 263 of Psycho Gods

They glowed bloodred.

She tilted her head slowly to the side, face blanching as she took in the portal on the unreachable high ceiling, and the crowd of infected with enchanted swords.

“Can you shift?” Aran whispered. “Can you shift and leap against the wall and throw us through the portal?”

Sadie scrunched her face like she was concentrating, then her expression shuttered as she looked at Aran dejectedly.

“No,” she whispered. “My cat form sustained too many injuries. It’s happened before. I won’t be able to shift until I’ve rested and healed.”

Aran swore under her breath.

Using the table legs to hoist myself up, I slammed my palm against the enchanted pad. It warmed under my fingertips and projected the High Court’s logo onto the chalkboard.

I hit the symbol.

The projection shimmered as it called.

My heavy breathing was too loud in the quiet room as I waited.

There was a loud click, then the symbol turned into letters that read “Members of the High Court military council are currently occupied. Please call back later.”

I screamed with frustration and punched the tablet.

The projection turned off.

How in the realms could the military council be busy during a military battle?

I watched through the connection.

“I can stand.” Sadie pulled herself upright.

Aran hissed under her breath, “Move slower. We don’t want to agitate them.”

“Don’t we want to kill them?” Sadie whispered as she moved with painstaking care.

I gritted my teeth and spat aloud, “No, you imbecile.” How she’d managed to remain so dumb, even after what had been done to her, was beyond my understanding.

“Not if we don’t have to,” Aran whispered softly. “We want to survive. Best-case scenario, we climb back up and out the portal without disturbing them.” She paused as an infected shouted something and made an unfamiliar hand gesture. “Worst-case scenario, we kill them and they shift into ungodly. We can’t fight off this many and live.”

Sadie grimaced as she realized their predicament. “You’ll survive,” she mouthed.

Aran shook her head and said under her breath, “They could still eat my heart.”

Sadie’s eyes filled with moisture. “They probably wouldn’t.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aran whispered coldly. “Either we both walk out of here alive or we both die. There is no third option.”

Sadie gulped, her bloodred eyes widening at whatever she saw on Aran’s face. She rasped, “I love you.” It sounded like she was saying goodbye.

“I love you more.” Aran’s voice was hard as steel.

Sadie’s eyes shone with moisture. “I love you most.”

“Impossible,” Aran replied.

There was a loud scraping noise as an infected took a step toward them, its boot scuffing across the floor. Its gaze was mindless.

Aran took a step back protectively.

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