Page 43 of Psycho Gods

Orion’s touch guided me as we stayed close to our Revered and followed our Ignis into war.

Chapter 7

Aran

PREPERATIONS

Querencia (noun): an area in the arena taken by the bull for a defensive stand in a bullfight.

The infected settlement was a sprawling palatial structure, which filled the valley. It was composed of red bricks and arches that were dusted in snow.

In the center of it all, a sprawling courtyard was filled with trees wrapped in twinkling lights.

It was pretty.

Malum swore viciously as he lay on his stomach with binoculars pressed against his face. Jax was beside him in a similar position, frowning as he watched the valley below.

“What is it?” Cobra asked as he squatted under the low-hanging rocks with the rest of us.

Six angels.

Four shifters.

Three devils.

Two demons.

Two Princes of Darkness.

One half-breed.

And one fae queen who’d recently discovered she was an angel.

Twenty people who would never have crossed paths if it weren’t for nightmarish monsters, truant gods, and a controlling, oligarchic regime.

The twins sat behind me, and I leaned back against them with Sadie resting across my side as I inhaled her familiar cranberry scent.

Once again, we were together on the side of a freezing, snowy mountain.

Why weren’t more wars held in tropical locations? That was the real question.

The sun set on the horizon, and the sky was a dark gray.

Horse settled onto my shoulder, his long tail feathers hanging off the side of my arm majestically. At least someone was looking good these days.

“Fuck this,” Malum whispered. “Could one thing go right for us in this blasted realm?”

“What is it?” Scorpius asked, his arm draped over Orion’s shoulders protectively.

Jax and Malum dropped their binoculars and looked at each other. Ever since Dick had started preparing us for war, they’d been sharing silent glances and nodding. Like they could read each other’s minds.

“I’m getting worried,” Sadie whispered next to me.

I blew onto my stiff hands to warm them and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll save you, princess.”

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I tried to grab it while she squealed.

My head still ached from building my mind palace. My shoulders also hurt, and I rolled them to relieve the dull pain that had appeared after I’d sprouted wings that didn’t work like a demented butterfly.

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