“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 head 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.
August looked at the back of Isabella’s head, reached in front of her and took his scythe from her hand because she could barely hold it, then grabbed her by the waist and jumped backward with her. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” he told her and was careful not to touch any part of her skin through her shirt as he released her.
Delena charged at August again and I jumped in front of them both. As soon as I did though, one of the ogres came at me from the side, reaching for my neck. I ducked and pointed out, “This is ridiculous, we’re immortal.”
“Exactly.” Delena grinned. I had just enough time to see her reaching out.
“No!” Izzie screamed just as Delena’s hand latched onto my arm.
Her touch was exactly like my witch’s I assumed, only I wasn’t immune to hers at all.
I fell to the ground with the most agonizing pain I’d ever felt.
Sixteen
Isabella
The witch in front of me with the darkness crawling all over her skin—just like mine—was going to wish she’d never crossed paths with me. The moment Sebastian fell to his knees and her eyes lit up as she sucked him of his power, all I felt was rage.
Murderous rage.
