“Wow, I didn’t even smell that guy.” Knox’s low whispered confession gives me goose bumps as Reaper lets go of his dead target, faces another direction, and growls.
Heat and a slight itch flare behind my ear, and I can’t help but touch the area where my Horseman tattoo rests. As soon as I rub the irritated area, my actions seemingly freeze time. A man wearing a blood-red cloak, holding a bow in his hand, and a golden crown upon his head appears next to Reaper's immobile frame. His hood hangs low, hiding his facial features, but the cocky smile and the pierced lip ring already give away who I’m looking at.Me, as Conquest.
‘You should have seen that enemy before the pet did,’the condescending voice mocks me.
‘Thanks for pointing that out. Anything else you would like to berate me for while you're here?’I find it mildly entertaining that this spirit has decided to take on my form to appear before me.
‘Smart of you to ask. I’m here to guide you, because apparently you need it,’he starts, and before I can shoot a snarky comeback, he continues.‘Tell me, what do you see?’He turns and indicates the barren scene behind him.
I glance at the wasteland as I did before when I first came out and huff in frustration. I see a few trees and deep crevices that sorely need warning signs; otherwise, someone is gonna get hurt falling into them.
Zap!
I feel a burning sensation behind my ear, and I yowl out in pain.
‘That’s what you get, you fool. I swear by the Fates, I got stuck with the dumbest brother.’Conquest sighs as his hand disappears in his hood. Probably rubbing that area between his eyes.‘For someone that has the natural ability to see through glamour and manipulate lust, you really don’t use it to your full ability.” He drops his hand. “Let me show you, so maybe you won’t get everyone killed in this life.”
He turns to look at a frozen Reaper and backs up to me. Taking a long look at me from head to foot, he slowly shakes his head.‘First lesson: you should always be scouting for glamours. It’s in your blood, and you should stop being scared of it.
I recoil as if he’s slapped me.How—how does he know? Yes, I’m what I like to call myself a mutt, but I’ve always been closer to my demon side. I admit that’s because Lilith did take more interest in me than the Fae side did. But it’s because Dad waskicked out, and I didn’t want to learn anything about a race that didn’t want anything to do with my father and his family in the first place. I know the basics, like everyone else, but I didn’t go searching intomyline or what that might mean for me.
‘As I once did, you need to embrace both sides and believe that your brothers won’t let you fail. You are a unit, and to work as one, you need to be whole, which means you need to use your Fae side as much as your Demon, maybe even more so. Try it now, tap into your Fae magic and scan the area, and then tell me what you see.” His lips curl into a mocking smile. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll wait. I have all the time in the world.’
Asshole.But I do as he says and scan the area before us, and my jaw drops at the horror in front of us. About five students from Bailiwick and five students from Cyanide Conservatory, armed to the teeth, are standing frozen about fifty feet in front of us. Behind them, rooted to the ground as they crawl out of the crevices I just complained about, are about two dozen of Seven Seductive Sins students.
Turning to look back at Conquest, I quirk an eyebrow at him and point back at the small army at his back.
“Okay, smartass, how do you expect us to beat that fuckery?” Anger tinges my voice, causing it to waver.
‘Oh, that?’Conquest points to the horde behind him causally.‘That’s a walk in the park,’he gloats, turning to face the statues before us.‘Best way to learn is by doing!’
As soon as the words leave his mouth, time unfreezes, and Reaper starts barking at the closest enemy.
“What is Reaper barking at now?” Moni asks, pulling at her tail and flying closer to him.
Without thinking, I pull one of my daggers and throw it straight at the student’s neck, hitting the bullseye and causing him to fall out of the facade.
“Oh, baby butters!” Moni shrieks in surprise, turning a bright magenta.
I can see through the glamour, but I have no idea how to make it so everyone else can.
‘That’s easy,’Conquest says as time seems to freeze once again.
“Does time stop every time you talk?”I ask nervously, glancing at all the students who have pulled themselves out of the crevices.
‘Of course, how else would I be able to teach?’His tone mocks me as he moves closer and points to the glamour cloaking everyone.‘To allow everyone to see through the glamour, simply remove it. Pull it like you would the lust that you need, but let it go like you’re pulling back the curtain on a stage.’
Intrigued by the idea, I grab the corner of the glamour and yank, pulling it away, and I hear multiple gasps as time unfreezes once again.
“Shit,” Chester growls.
“Ambush!” Knots yells, pulling his sword and taking a defensive stance.
“Claws on,” Lynx yells as he shifts into his lion.
Did he just do a Johnny Storm reference from the Fantastic Four?
“And here I thought no one would challenge us,” JP says as he walks up to me, staring at the closet group. “In Hell, of all places.”
