Remembering all the children who had been kidnapped and killed so far along with the chance it was happening again somewhere else put a damper on my lust.
“Is everything okay?” I hadn’t realized Izzie had stepped outside the room. She tilted her head and bit her lip in this sexy way when she was worried or embarrassed. Right now, she seemed worried. I relaxed the crinkles in my forehead to ease her anxiety.
“I just wish we knew what was really going on,” I told her softly. “I don’t like wondering how many more children are being sacrificed for one demon’s plan.”
“Never realized how much Reapers do until now.” There was a smile on her lips. “I’m not much, but you offered me protection. The least I can do is return the favor and help with finding out what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry, Izzie, I’ll make time to fuck you in the process.”
“And he’s back,” she muttered, and I grinned as she slipped on her gloves. “Shall we?” I offered my hand, and she took it.
I faded us to the destination Payne had given me. When we arrived, Payne and surprisingly August were already there. August saw Isabella with me and straightened his back as he approached. “You have the face of a princess and the touch of the plague, I do believe I’ll keep a good distance between us.” I knew he was teasing, but he had a way of making everything he said come out like an insult.
“You have the face of a king and the mind of a pig, I think I’ll return the favor,” was her response and even Payne grinned.
“Touché.” August cocked a brow at her. “So, you two bumping uglies?” Her face turned scarlet. “That’d be a yes.”
Feeling the need to defend the flush over her skin, I said, “Leave her alone.”
“I will. You’re bothering her enough for the both of us,” he responded.
My scythe materialized in my hand just as Payne piped in. “Enough. Why the hell does this always happen when I’m with you siblings?” He rubbed his temples like we were a nuance or something.
“He can’t help sticking it to the witch,” August went on.
“Fuck yeah,” I blew an irritated sigh at him. “So, let’s take care of this so I can go back to poking my witch until she’s writhing in my arms.”
Isabella started chanting something under her breath with her eyes closed. My ass tightened because every time that happened, she was blasting me with her magic. Instead, she brought her hand up to her mouth and blew air toward August and then me. Afterward, she had the biggest smile on her face.
“What did you do?” August was smart to sound wary.
“Neither of you will feel any sense of pleasure for the next twenty-four hours.” August’s eyes widened like saucers as he digested her words. Her mouth curved sinfully as she looked me over. “So, if I am writhing in your arms later, you’ll get nothing out of it.” She rolled her shoulders while Payne laughed.
“You two deserved that,” he pointed out not even bothering to hide his amusement.
“Do you realize all the plans I had tonight?” August asked her.
“Not anymore,” she told him.
I walked up behind her and whispered. “Just twenty-four hours? Like you could stay away from me that long.” Before she opened her mouth, I added, “It’s okay though, I’m all yours, witch.”
“If you’ve come here for Delena, she’s not here,” the voice of a woman said as she opened the door to the mansion we were at.
Oh, rightttttt. We came here for a reason instead of goofing around.
“She hasn’t been with us for quite some time.” She crossed her arms and stood at the top of the worn down concrete steps leading to the front door.
“You mean to tell me she’s dead?” Payne asked in disbelief. He started up the steps.
Like the ass that he was, August faded so that he’d get to the top before Payne, and he took—I did a quick sweep over the witch to find out who she was—Melinda Thymes by the hand and kissed it before lifting back up. “Of course, she means she’s not at this place anymore.”
“The charm of a snake doesn’t fool me, bearer of the sin of greed,” Melinda said while looking straight into August’s eyes. His smile slipped, revealing the true wickedness that lay beneath. “Still, there’s hope for you yet.”
“Do you know where we can find the witch, Melinda?” I moved up the steps as I asked. I heard Isabella’s small footsteps behind me. “We know this is her coven.”
Melinda’s gaze snapped toward me. “Was,” she corrected me. “She has forsaken us for a darker path.”
“So, she is the one behind kidnapping the kids?” said Payne.
“A darkened heart with an even darker soul is capable of anything,” were Melinda’s words. I hated how cryptic witches could be.
“We can’t seem to find her no matter how hard we search and considering we’re Reapers, we can find anyone. Yet, we haven’t been able to locate her,” Payne waited a breath before he went on, “is there any way you can help us find her or perhaps you know where she is already…?”
“I do not know where she is,” she answered, dropping her arms to her sides. “But I can track her down with your friend’s help.”
Friend? We all looked at each other until we saw her eyes fall on Isabella hidden behind me almost like she feared being seen by this other witch. I turned around and saw the petrified look on her face. “Hey, you okay?”
“She knows,” she whispered, clutching my shirt in her tiny hands as if it were a lifeline. “She can sense my magic just as I can sense hers. She must feel how defiled I am.”
I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the quiver in her voice, the fear in her eyes, or the tremble in her hands, or the way she said defiled when talking about herself. Maybe it was all of it. In that moment, I discovered the true gravity of how Isabella saw life and herself and it affected me. I felt haunted by the guilt for not finding her sooner so that I could keep her from everything she went through before I found her. I hated the thought of a younger version of my witch at the mercy of an evil entity. I hated seeing her go back and forth between fierce and scared, and yet I still adored the moments she was strong, and I made a promise to myself right then and there that I’d protect her and hold her in my arms when fear got her down.
“Look at me, Isabella,” I told her plainly. “You’re not defiled. You’re not on the run. You have no reason to feel ashamed or afraid in the presence of another witch. Just step into my arms when the darkness comes, I promise I’ll keep it away.”
Wide-eyed and beautiful, she looked at me with watery eyes.
“Bearer of the sin of sloth,” Melinda acknowledged me, but it was Isabella that held my attention. “She is tainted by the darkness.” I whipped my head around to glare up at her. “My mind is heavy with the burden both of you bear.”
“What are you talking about?” I hissed.
“Do you not feel it?” she asked not just me because her eyes roamed to August and Payne as well. “The uneasiness? The restlessness?”
August sighed. “This is why I won’t fuck a witch. Always using ominous words like we’re supposed to know what the hell they’re talking about. Look we didn’t come here for predictions and horoscope readings.”
“August,” Payne warned.
“So be it,” Melinda said. “Come with me, Isabella Wen.” Lifting her long dress, she turned around and slipped into the opened doors of the spooky mansion.
I faced Isabella again. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
She took a deep breath then sighed. “If I can stop innocent lives from being hurt by whatever, this is that’s going on, then I want to.” She started up the steps, and I waited until she was ahead of me before I followed along behind her.
Once inside, it was clear that this place was home to witches. Dozens of eyes watched us from the second floor as we stepped inside. It was like the air had a presence in here—eerie. The mansion was completely darkened with candles lighting up the room. Augu
st shuddered ahead of us, shaking his head. “See what I mean?” he muttered to no one in particular. “Witches are creepy as hell.”
Payne gave him an astonished look. “You do realize we eradicate demons of every kind on a daily basis and this is what freaks you out?”
“I ain’t freaked out. I just don’t like all the fucking eyes on us. Maybe if I flop my cock out and wave it around, they’ll look away.”
Payne exhaled and shook his head. I understood where August was coming from though. This place was secretive and eerie and since they were willing to help us locate Delena, it wasn’t like we could pull out our weapons. That wouldn’t be very nice… Still, my fingers twitched for my scythe.
“You guys can wait here,” Melinda stopped at the edge of the room at a small door. “I just need Isabella.”
“I don’t think so.” I stepped in front of Isabella. “Everyone else can stay out here but I’ll go with you both. We have no reason to trust you. You said Delena was from your coven. How do we know you’re not trying to trick us?”
She closed her eyes and sighed, clasping her hands together at her waist. “I assure you, I mean no harm. We’ve known of this visit for quite some time and if we had wanted to avoid it, we could have left before you came and made it so that you could never find us. You can avoid Reapers if you try hard enough.” I exchanged looks with August and Payne. “You can join us, Sloth.” She pushed open the door and stepped inside. Isabella was already following her.
“Go,” August said. “We have nothing to worry about. Doesn’t matter if this is some sort of trap. Do you really think they stand a chance against us?”
He was right.
Once I stepped through the door, it shut behind me. “Join me, Isabella.” Melinda scooped up her dress and got on her knees, waiting for Izzie to do the same. “One ran to darkness while one fights every day to escape theirs. You are aware of which one you are?”
Izzie blinked at her several times before she finally snapped out of her frozen state and joined her on the floor. “Are you referring to Delena as being the one that ran to darkness?” she asked Melinda.
Melinda nodded. “I am. How long has it been since you’ve done a locator spell?”
“Not since I was a child,” Izzie told Melinda. “The last few days is the first I’ve used my magic in ten years.”
“How does the darkness affect your magic?”
Izzie bit her lip and stared at the floor between them. “It doesn’t. The darkness is a different thing entirely.”
“Take off your gloves.”
“But—”
“I am aware of your problem. We won’t be touching.”
They stared at each other in silence before Izzie removed her gloves. “If I help, you need to know that the traces left of my magic might bring a great evil to your door.”
“He’s already aware of everywhere you are now that you’re no longer in the human world,” Melinda said plainly.
Izzie’s eyes widened. “How is it you know so much?”
“I am more than meets the eye,” the strange witch almost had a smile reach her lips before she relaxed her expression once more.
“What do you need me to do?” Izzie asked.
“Help me with the locator spell,” Melinda replied.
“Why?” Izzie frowned. “I mean… there’s so many other witches here.”
Melinda clasped her hands in her lap. “To give you a coven.” I froze in place as Izzie’s mouth dropped. “The world’s a lonely place for a witch without a coven. I’m offering you a place in ours.” Melinda cleared out her voice and looked away from her.
My heart dropped when Izzie looked my way. I unfolded my arms from my chest and studied her dumbstruck, yet hopeful stare. She glanced back at Melinda. “I don’t understand. I carry this inside me…and you don’t know me.”
“I see enough right now.”
And with the way Melinda spoke and raked her eyes over Isabella, I thought that she saw my witch the same way I did—a flourishing innocence that had no idea how exceptional she was. She fought and won every single day. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.
I saw enough too, and I felt so much more. I felt everything for this tiny witch.
“Think about it,” Melinda told her. “For now, help me with this spell.”
________
It didn’t take but a few minutes for them to locate Delena. Melinda jotted down the place on a piece of paper and handed it to me, but Izzie smiled and assured her that she could pinpoint where she was without it.
Either way, we found Delena Wells, hopefully, the root of the problem. We just had to get to her.
“Thank you for the help,” Payne offered Melinda as she walked us to the exit.
As everyone turned and stepped out the door, Melinda caught me by the arm. I noticed her expression and paused. “You will have a choice, Sebastian, one that won’t be easy.” She looked behind me. Turning around, I saw that it was Isabella walking down the steps. Melinda released my arm, and I turned back in time to see Melinda closing her eyes. “Her life dangles in your hand, but the consequences of that are much worse.”
“What?”
“I’m saying, this is only the beginning. I wish you Reapers good luck.” And with that, she shoved me out of the door and slammed it shut before I could get a word out.
“Sebastian?” Isabella was waiting for me. I turned around and let the beauty of my witch suck me in. Making my way to her, I smiled and took her gloved hand and placed it against my cheek.
“Look who got invited to join a coven to do witchy business.” She rolled her eyes at my words.
“Do you think Melinda meant it?” she asked softly. The hopefulness in her voice stirred all kinds of new sensations in my chest.
“Seemed like it to me.”
“Hey, I just texted Barron. He’s gonna meet us there,” Payne informed us. “You guys ready?”
To take down the witch that kidnapped all those children?
Fuck yeah.
Fifteen
Sebastian
The tall, box-shaped building we faded to was old and weather-beaten with time. Rust and something sinister grew on the outside of the metal. A dark webbing covering the ground pulsed as if it were alive. We were in the right place.
“What is this shit?” August kicked a portion of the pulsating web with his foot but it didn’t budge. It had a leathery look to it. Dropping to one knee, I could see that it was deep red, like the viscera of something would look. Only there was no heartbeat that I could hear so even though the webbing had an animated look to it, it was likely the remnants of dark magic that made it grow.
“We knocking before we go in?” Barron was impressively quiet as he stalked around the perimeter.
“She probably knows we’re here,” said Payne.
“And she’s most likely not alone,” August added.
Isabella grabbed my shirt and squeezed tightly. “He’s here. Darkness like mine… It calls to me.” Her stare was vacant and glassy. It was concerning. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her after all. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her back into the mess she was hiding from all these years.
“Is she talking about Harvest?” August must have heard her.
“So, he is a part of this after all?” Barron didn’t look or sound happy. None of us did. This was shitty news if Izzie’s gut feeling was right.
“Use the portal chip I gave you and head back to my house,” I told her, rubbing my hand down her hair as she examined the building. “I don’t like the idea of you being anywhere near him if he’s here.”
“No…” she trailed off, then finally looked into my eyes as she did. “I feel like I need you, Sebastian.” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it, but the darkness likes you just as much as it likes Julius. Besides, what if you need my touch?”
“If he’s here, I—”
“Julius is not here,” a female voice filtered through the foggy night. I whipped my hea
d around in time to see the silhouette of a woman stepping out of the doors to the building. I materialized my scythe the same time as my brothers did while Payne reached for his sword. “How cute.” The female chuckled as she came into view and what I saw was alarming. Isabella sucked in a breath. I knew why. The witch’s skin was crawling with the same sort of dark magic Izzie carried.
“Feel that?” Barron grinned.
“Yep,” August replied. “She’s a powerful little sprite.”
“I wonder how many children’s hearts she’s had to eat to get that strong?” Payne asked.
She scoffed at us. “Please, I ate no hearts. That was all Julius. We wanted the Reapers’ attention, and he happened to take a liking to eating hearts and poltergeists in the process.” She shrugged like it was no big deal.
So it was Harvest after all. This also explained why he was letting all those souls of the children grow into poltergeists. Sick bastard.
“He’s even more twisted than I remember,” Isabella whispered, only this time her fiery glare held a hint of hatred in them that burned toward Delena.
Delena’s scornful glower slid over Izzie and her mouth twisted. “How interesting that you’re here Isabella. You don’t know me but I know all about you.”
“You let him plant a seed of darkness inside you,” Izzie gritted out. “I can feel your heart is just as black as the darkness we carry.”
“I’ve always wanted to find you before him.” I didn’t like the way Delena was staring at her. “So I can kill you for being his favorite even after running away from him.”
I stepped in front of Izzie. “Try getting close to her and I’ll skewer you,” I growled. “You have our attention. What do you want?”
“It’s not your attention, per se, it’s your power I need,” came her quick response, and she whistled. Dozens of ogres stepped out of the building behind her. “Three of the sins are here. He’ll be pleased with me if I do well,” she practically purred before disappearing.
Isabella was the one in motion before any of us. She rushed in front of August, yanked his scythe from his hand, and placed it at Delena’s neck just as she lunged at August trying to touch him. “Don’t let her touch you!” Izzie yelled. “She’s the same as me.” Delena halted for a second.
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