Shadow returned to me the day Harvest began the end of everything. I never mentioned the day it left. If I did, I knew I’d only prove it right. Maybe it was right back then, but I’d never admit it.
As I ventured downstairs, I heard a loud commotion and quickened my steps. The family was gathered in the ballroom, and my heart tightened when I saw my father. He looked haggard. So unlike the giant man who once taught me how to save humans, only to never let me help them as much as my siblings did.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Sebastian smirked. “We know where Harvest is.”
Something like hope fluttered in my chest at everyone’s infectious smiles.
“This is huge.”
“With Derrick gone, he can no longer block our powers from finding him,” August explained, pulling Nova close.
“We need to leave now, before he finds another way to hide his location,” Barron added.
My siblings and their mates agreed.
But before I could say a word, Dad’s voice rang out. “I expect everyone to go—except Kitty.”
I felt my face flush as I scowled.
The conversation continued, everyone unbothered by Dad’s announcement. No one cared that I was being left out. It was normal. The family always treated me differently. Honestly, most of the time, I didn’t mind being the baby. Cursed with gluttony, my power refused to materialize food. Someone had to feed me or materialize something for me to eat. I never stopped eating.
But, more often, in those days, I resented being the youngest Reaper. Dad didn’t like me venturing out to do Reaper work like my siblings. If I helped the family, someone was always with me. No one questioned Dad’s behavior. None of us ever wondered why I was the only one not allowed to work as a Reaper like the rest of the family. I was the baby, after all.
The world was falling apart. We had finally discovered where Harvest was. But Dad didn’t want me to leave the woods to help capture him. He had loosened his rein for a while, letting me join my siblings in battles and fights during the human festival. But that went up in smoke when Harvest started coming after my sisters. I’d been locked away again—more so than the others..
“I’m coming too,” I announced again. That was the fourth time I’d told Dad. I squeezed the Slim Jim in my hand. My mouth watered, and the hunger pangs worsened, but I waited.
Dad shook his head, and my temper flared.
“I’m stronger than all of you,” I said. “I don’t understand why it’s so terrifying every time I leave the woods.”
“Harvest still wants you,” Dad’s voice sounded like thunder when he raised it. He was translucent around his neck and one arm. The dark circles beneath his eyes showed his fatigue, but his voice still carried strength even when his body didn’t.
“We don’t know that,” I muttered. “All we know is he wanted one of us, but seemed to stop trying after Joy was kidnapped.”
Then August’s mate, Nova, spoke, and everything she said sounded absurd. She claimed she knew why Harvest wanted me. It all sounded like nonsense, especially when she mentioned the Devil had a mate. Funny, considering we had those, too, thanks to the curse he’d plagued us with.
“Harvest wanted the Devil’s mate,” Nova went on.
“What?” I couldn’t resist laughing, even as a strange icy chill swept over my arms.
“I’m serious,” Nova said. “I think the angel turned into something else before he could tell Harvest exactly which of you was the Devil’s marked mate. Considering you’re the only one without one, it must be you, Kitty.”
Yada, yada, yada.That’s what I heard.
August grabbed Nova’s hand. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I thought you guys knew, or I would’ve said something sooner.”
“What Nova said makes sense,” Dad whispered, palming his forehead. “No wonder…”
“No wonder what?” I asked as the floor seemed to spin beneath my boots. My heart pounded in my ears, and the room suddenly shrank—like I was staring through a microscope. My dad looked like he’d seen a ghost, but he’d been dealing with those since time began. Whatever shook him was far worse than silhouettes floating in corners, hiding from the Reapers.
Dad passed out. Luckily, Payne had been helping him stand, so he didn’t fall.
My stomach cramped, but I ignored the hunger. I could hold off for a couple more minutes.
