Cian’s voice cracks and my heart breaks.No.I’m not dying like this. I double down, reaching up and pushing my finger deeper into his eye, shuddering when it squelches. Kyle screams and stumbles forward before pulling his arms up under mine and breaking my grip, throwing me off his back.
My eyes are wild as I try to take in what’s happening, but before I can do anything to stop it, I’m falling down the few stairs of my porch. I land with a loud thump, leaves crunching in the grass beneath me. Pain lances through my side and I wheeze. A sensation like freezing and burning all at once fills my mind and I look down, trying to get my bearings and figure out what’s happening.
A laugh bubbles into the chaotic cacophony of sounds. My laugh. Sickeningly hot blood is seeping from the rusty garden shears currently impaled in my stomach. I gingerly touch the tip of the protruding metal in shock.Fuck.I guess thisishow I die.
Chapter twenty-five
Reap This, Bitch
Cian
I’ve never felt like this before—this rage mixed with despair so all-encompassing that it steals the breath from my lungs. Not even when I was being murdered. I can feel the tickle of tears as they slide down my cheeks in rapid succession, but I ignore them. My throat burns, and I know that I’m screaming, but my mind is too scattered to focus on what I’m saying. Cabinets are slamming behind me and there’s a whirlwind of stuff flying around. I can hear the crash of glass, but I don’t care. I can’t. Not when my happiness is dying just beyond my reach.
I need to get the fuck out of this house. I need to get to Trissa. A whimper escapes me at the sight of the pool of blood forming under her as I uselessly slam my now bruised fists against the barrier. Kyle is limping down the steps toward her, and my voice cracks on another scream. I can feel the energy pulsing off me in waves, but it’s not enough. Snot drips from my nose—my whole body is vibrating as I try desperately to phase through the barrier. It’s no use. I slide down to my knees and try to breathearound frantic gasps. I need to think. I need to get to her. Where the fuck is Seth?
A shout rings out in the night and my head snaps up in time to catch that motherfucker kicking Trissa in the side. My vision tunnels black as anger burns hot in my blood. Tentacles burst from my chest and slam against the barrier.I’m going to fucking kill him!I throw everything I have at it, my world narrowing to this one task.
I don’t notice when Seth pops in behind me, not until he places a hand on my shoulder and ducks as a plate narrowly misses his head.
“Cian, what the fuck is hap—” His words die as he follows my gaze outside. I don’t have to say anything, in the next instant Seth is outside. His form fades into menacing shadow as his orbs flash a piercing blue.
Kyle pauses mid-kick at the ear-piercing roar mingled with discordant shrieking that booms from the fast moving form of the Reaper. I can see the exact moment that he realizes his eyes aren’t playing tricks on him. A sickly sweet sort of anticipation permeates the air. His eyes widen and he starts to lift his hands up defensively—but before his arms are fully risen Seth’s shadows surround him. I squint as a pitch-black clawed hand reaches out of the shadow and spears into Kyle’s chest.
A squelch followed by a snapping sound fills the eerie silence as a pulsating glow is pulled out of his chest. Blood sprays out on the porch as Seth’s hand vacates the now gaping hole and Kyle’s body crumples to the floor. I glance at his dull, lifeless eyes and wish he had suffered longer.
My eyes leave Kyle and swing to Trissa. She’s so still… so quiet. I choke on a sob, raking my nails down the inflexible boundary. Seth holds the pulsing orb of Kyle’s soul in one hand and carefully leans down over Trissa, his shadows slowly fading as he switches back to his more human form.
I watch numbly as he holds the glowing orb over Trissa’s lips and squeezes. A light blue stream trickles into her mouth. Seth talks to Trissa softly as he slowly pulls her limp body off the rusty shears and cradles her against his chest, making sure that the steady trickle of blue light from the orb continues as he makes his way toward me as quickly as he can without jostling his charge.
It seems like ages, but really only takes seconds for them to cross the barrier. As soon as they’re in the house I force my emotions down so that all the commotion stops, not wanting to hurt either of them with some random flying object. I reach to take Trissa from him but he shakes his head. Indignation threatens to undo my already barely restrained control, but Seth’s even voice steadies me.
“Get the vial. Now.”
His words sink in past the panic, and I’m zipping through walls in the next instant. A cold sweat breaks out over my brow by the time I get to the chest. I quickly reach in and grab the vial. My eyes catch on Leona’s letter and I reach back in to grab the key before racing back through the halls, not wanting to try phasing while holding solid objects—not with so much at stake.
When I get back to Seth and Trissa, the ball of light he’s been feeding her is notably smaller and my eyes widen with fear. What happens when it runs out? With that thought driving me I skid to a halt and drop to my knees. Seth tilts Trissa’s head back and looks up at me expectantly.
“Don’t we have to complete the ritual first?” My stomach churns and I feel like I’m going to be sick. I take in Trissa’s unmoving features with dismay. How is she supposed to complete the ritual unconscious? Will this fucking elixir work without it? I’m on the edge of hysteria as my eyes wildly shift to Seth.
“Fuck.” Seth stares at Trissa and his eyes crinkle with worry. “I can feed her the rest of this soul all at once and it may give her a burst of energy enough to say the words, but we won’t have any time to get it wrong… and I can’t promise it will work.”
I swallow down my nausea and grab Trissa’s hand, carefully angling it so that her pointer finger sticks up. I think back to the night Leona drew my blood with the key and carefully line Trissa’s finger up with the underside of one of the prongs. My eyes find Seth’s and I nod once before dragging the sharp edge across her finger. As soon as that’s done I clasp my hands over the wound on Trissa’s side, holding as much pressure as I can to stop the blood.
Seth crushes the rest of Kyle’s soul in his hand and then quickly pushes it into Trissa’s mouth, holding her jaw shut for a moment afterward. I hold my breath, silently pleading for this to work. It has to work. After a moment Trissa’s lashes flutter and she gasps, her face scrunching up in pain. Her panic-stricken eyes roll open and she tries to sit up. I press down harder to keep her in place and shake my head.
“Stay still love, everything is okay. We need to complete the ritual, Trissa. I need you to recite the spell,” my voice breaks as she looks at me with softened eyes and a grateful little smile. Fuck. Ican’tlose her. “Please, love. Do you remember the words?”
She nods weakly and her tongue darts out to wet her lips, “I… bind myself,” she swallows and my heart stutters in my chest, “to thee, and thus… our… spirits too.”
Her eyes flutter rapidly and I turn pleading eyes to Seth. His form flickers and although he’s in his more humanoid form, his eyes glow bright like his reaper orbs. He frowns as a faint light starts to rise from Trissa’s chest.
“Is…”oh gods, no, “is that her s—soul?” Bile rises in my throat and I rock involuntarily on my knees. I can feel the threads ofmy sanity fraying. Before I can do anything Seth shoves his hand down on the light, holding it in place. I watch Trissa through blurry eyes, and let out a strained breath when she gags.
Without opening her eyes she whispers, “An an—anchor sets you free.” I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, my pulse racing so fast that I think I may pass out. Seth groans and I glance up to see him hunched over Trissa with both hands on her chest. The muscles in his arms are bulging with the effort to keep her conscious long enough to finish the spell, but it’s not enough…
His orbs flash the deepest blue I’ve seen yet, and I watch with hideous fascination as beads of light break off from them and fall into Trissa’s open mouth. She sputters pathetically before her tongue darts out to lick at the light drops. She draws in a shaky breath and winces.
“A blood debt paid, not d-due!” The words rush out all at once.
