Page 87 of Psycho Gods

Unholy rage pierced the veil of sleep as I was thrown out of the sickening memory. I sat up in my bed, panting.

The bedroom was quiet, and the clock read three a.m.

My body burned with heat, and even in the darkness, colors were richer. The grayish-blue filter was gone from my vision.

The strange emptiness I’d felt inside her chest was replaced with an overwhelming need for control.

Immediate regret filled me as I remembered how I’d treated her. How I’d lost control of my temper and yelled at her, just like her mother—I’d been afraid for her safety, but it was no excuse. I was disgusted with myself.

A whimper echoed in the sleeping room.

In a blur, I flung myself at the lower bunk on the opposite side of the room and knelt before her.

It took me a second to realize Scorpius and Orion crouched beside me.

I turned to my mates with confusion and asked, “Did you experie—”

“Yes,” Scorpius cut me off.

The silence among us was fraught with angst and regret as we processed what we all knew.

We knelt together in disbelief.

Disciples at her altar.

Since we’d all been affected, it was obvious what was happening—the bond sickness had connected us to her memories. It was punishing us like we deserved.

“No, Mother, please,” Arabella whispered in her sleep as she tossed and turned before us. Her forehead glistened with sweat, and her covers were a mess. She slapped her arm back and forth like she was trying to fight off an invisible assailant.

I ordered, “Wake up,” as Orion shook her gently and Scorpius patted her face.

She whimpered louder.

Then she opened her mouth, bowed her back, and silently screamed.

Helplessness churned in my gut. I hated that I knew exactly what torment she was experiencing.

“Please,” I begged as my mates tried frantically to wake her.

Nothing worked.

She continued to thrash about.

Suffer.

We couldn’t wake her, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Flames exploded across my shoulders, and red blurred my vision.

They had desecrated my Revered. I needed vengeance, or I was going to burn the war camp to the ground and murder everyone within it. Embers fell around me as I turned to my mates.

“We need to make this right,” I said roughly. “I refuse to do nothing.”

“I agree.” Scorpius cracked his knuckles. “We need to go now, or I cannot be held responsible for my actions.”

The eye tattooed on his neck shot wide open. It stared down at Arabella’s thrashing form.

I nodded in agreement, flames crackling hotter across my shoulders.

“One of us has to watch over her,” Orion whispered. “I’ll stay.” He caressed her sweaty blue curls as she thrashed about.

---