Page 295 of Psycho Gods

He yanked his lips away from mine. “How was that?” he rasped.

“Mmmm,” I answered intelligently.

Milky white eyes looked off into the distance. “Your back, Arabella. How is your pain level?”

“Bearable,” I said honestly.

Scorpius dragged his nails across my cheeks. “It better be.” He smirked. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” I asked for the millionth time as I rolled my pipe between my lips.

This was different from how we usually kissed. All those moments had been explosive bouts of uncontrolled passion.

This was deliberate.

Planned.

A conscious choice to be intimate.

The bedroom was shrouded in shadows. Night had fallen and a blizzard raged.

The kings stood on the superbed in the middle of the floor. We’d once again pushed our mattresses together.

I sat on the corner on Luka’s lap with John’s head in my lap.

Every time I fidgeted with my pipe, John grabbed my fingers and brought them back to his hair. If he was a cat, he would have been purring as I played with his messy locks.

Luka’s thumbs traced soft circles underneath my sweatshirt.

I was cozy and warm.

I was also freaking out.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” I said anxiously as I tugged at John’s hair.

John snuggled deeper into my lap and mumbled, “It’s fine. Stop panicking.”

“I’m not,” I lied. Ice spread from my fingers onto his hair, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Orion held his hands out cautiously like he was talking to a skittish animal. He whispered, “It’s okay, sweetheart. The important part is that you mentally accept all of us as your mates. The physical part is simple—just tell us what you want us to do.” He glanced back and forth between Luka and me.

“We can give you suggestions,” Malum offered, his voice rougher than usual. “If that helps.”

I nodded, unable to do much else.

Malum frowned. “Just make sure you tell us if your back hurts—please. We’ll stop immediately. You have to tell us. No more enduring in secret.”

“I will. I promise.”

Scorpius cocked his brow, looking every bit the arrogant king. “Do you want us to take off our clothes?”

My breath caught.

Scorpius smirked like he knew what he was doing to me. “From your inhale, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Luka nuzzled his face against the back of my neck as the three kings stripped, revealing layers and layers of cut muscles.