"You know Artemis?" he said.
"Of course, we needed someone to help take over Valynth." Elra smiled, clearly thinking she had the upper hand. "Trying to decide if I'm lying? How about this, Death—I will tell him to cut out Morrigan's heart."
Death became enraged and Elra knew immediately that she fucked up.
"How do you know about Morrigan?" he whispered, but even in a whisper it was terrifying.
"My father knows a lot of useful things."
“You’ll be dead before Artemis can help you. I guarantee it.” His smile was evil. "And if Haden wasn't about to kill you, I would skin you alive and make you eat your own flesh for thinking you could say Morrigan's name in a vile way. And when you died, I would put your soul back inside of you over and over so that your suffering was never-ending." Then he turned and looked at me, winking in assuredness before gripping Thea and Cassius’ souls in his hands and ripping them apart. “How will you overpower all these gods when they aren’t drugged up on red lily powder?”
At that statement, the doors in the hallway clicked open, and the gods and goddesses walked out, their mates slowly following behind. I sighed in relief when Ezra stepped out with a big grin.
“I can’t wait to see them rip you apart,” Death laughed before he whispered something to the souls in his hands, and they slithered their way up Thea and Cassius’ bodies and into their mouths. I had never seen anything like it before. I watched in amazement as their green souls traveled quickly down their throats, illuminating them from the inside. Soon, we could all see the glowing in their chests, the light burning so brightly that we had to squint to make out their bodies.
Everyone in the room watched in awe of Death and what he had just done. Then we all froze, everyone waiting anxiously to see if Cassius and Thea would wake up.
It felt like the longest moment of my life. But when their eyes finally flickered open, I knew my siblings were fucked. Cassius’ eyes shined bright red as he ripped himself from the magic contraption. Once free, he turned and helped Thea down, and her eyes were no less red than his. Gods, they made animpressive couple. In that moment, I sure was glad that they were on our side.
Death smiled at my siblings as all of the gods they had captured descended on them, looking for vengeance.
“We will kill Della for good if you do not back up!” Elra was panicking. “She will be easy to kill without a soul.”
Everyone stopped moving, and all of their eyes focused on me. Maybe it was because they saw how completely enraged I was becoming. Unable to control my wrath, my emotions were churning inside of me. My frost and wind magic whipped around me like a tornado that had sprung to life inside of a deadly blizzard, and thunder boomed loudly around us, its deafening crack causing all of my siblings to cover their ears in fear.
“I am going to destroy you so thoroughly that there is not even a piece of you left remaining in Hell, the heavens, or the realms,” I promised.
“Get him,” Elra demanded savagely, only for the rest of our siblings to remain frozen in doubt. I smiled as I shot frost at her feet so she could not leave.
“I will kill you last.”
Then I stepped toward the three that were backing away from me. As I passed by Sydra, still stuck where I froze her earlier, I shoved her over so roughly that her frozen body shattered on the marble floor.
I lifted my palms toward the ceiling, and balls of lightning cracked and flashed in my hands. I focused on my left hand and stretched the lightning, drawing it out so it was as long as a sword. I gripped it with both hands and stepped forward, pulling it back before I swung it into the neck of Gareth, who had been so distracted by my magic that he did not realize what was happening. I didn’t flinch as black blood spewed from his neck when I cut his head clean off, spewing all over the room. I smiledwickedly at Elra. The head rolled across the room and landed at her feet, his mouth still open in an ‘O’ of surprise.
Still staring her in the eyes, I wiped off the blood I felt trickling down my cheek, smearing it. Then I looked at Daya and Mateo as they tried to hide behind one another.
“I thought you would at least fight back,” I teased. “Not so tough when your opponent is pissed beyond reasoning with. And has magic.”
I grabbed Daya by the hair and did not hesitate before punching my fist through her chest, gripping her slimy soul in my fingers. I smiled directly in her face as the light began to leave her eyes.
“You won’t be needing this where you are going.” I ripped her black soul from her like I had seen Della do before.
“Gods be damned,” Ezra muttered. I turned toward him, and my smile widened. I was completely lost to my wrath, and nothing was going to stop me until they were dead. Even then I did not know if it would end.
All because they had tried to take her from me. I looked at Della, and she watched me proudly.
I smiled at her as I punched Mateo in his prideful face. He tried to run, but I shot my starlight out, gripping him tightly and yanking him back to me.
“Where are you running off to?” I asked. He was shaking with fear as I slammed him down on the ground, pinning him with my magic. Then I lifted my foot and stomped it down into his legs repeatedly, breaking the bones so he could not get away from me. His screams pierced the air, and it made the void in me explode with excitement.
“Keep screaming; it only makes me want to draw this out, Mateo.”
I left him on the floor so he could writhe around in pain. Elra was mumbling as I stepped toward her. I laughed when I heard her words.
“You are praying to the heavens?” I stepped forward. “A god who wanted to end the heavens and everything they loved is now begging them to save her… How pathetic can you get?” I asked.
She continued to pray as I came for her.
