Page 315 of Psycho Gods

I stared at him incredulously.

His cheeks turned pink.

“Recognize anyone?” Scorpius asked proudly.

I grimaced and quickly scanned the dozens of bloody pikes that had emaciated corpses nailed to them. Death by starvation and blood loss.

It was heinous.

“No,” I said.

The kings were beyond unwell.

Oh my sun god, was I mated to serial killers? I was going to be sick.

How had I missed the signs?

“I think she’s had enough,” Luka said. “Let’s go back to the estate.” I took his arm, grateful for the support.

The twins led me out of the horrible forest.

“Come back!” Scorpius shouted as the kings hurried after us. “It ruins the surprise. She just needs to stand a little closer so she can identify them.”

My stomach revolted.

“Just tell her later,” John said with exasperation.

When we made it back to the bucolic rolling hills, I fell to my knees with relief and pressed my face into the fluffy grass. “Sweet paradise,” I moaned.

I stared at a miniature pony and tried to forget the last ten-minutes of my life.

I ignored the kings’ attempts to talk to me. They’d lost that privilege.

What happened to normal gifts? Designer purses, limited-edition perfumes, diamonds, silk sheets, and enchanted super-yachts.

How had we gotten to this place where men brought their lovers into dark woods and showed them crucifixion victims?

What did this say about our society?

It wasn’t good.

When we got back to the estate, I sprinted to the great room and collapsed in front of the hearth.

My nerves were shot, and I was suffering from a dizzy spell.

I felt like one of the fair maidens Sadie was always talking about from her romance books.

The fuzzy blanket was a warm cocoon around my shoulders.

I shivered beneath it.

My fingers stiffened as ice spread across them. I stared down at them in disbelief. The doctors had said it would take me weeks before the ice came back.

How is this possible?

“Arabella, please listen,” Malum begged as he ran into the room with the rest of the men. They relaxed when they saw me.

The fire in the hearth burned brighter. Ice spread off my fingers onto the ornate rug.