Chapter 23 #2
Two chains shot out for her, one gold, one black, and I recognized them as Grim and Melanie’s scythes which could morph into whatever they wanted just like their children’s scythes could do.
Both wrapped around her simultaneously, strapping her arms to her sides in the process.
“Maureen. August. Hurry up and use the syringe on her,” Melanie shouted.
Maureen didn’t waste a second. She ran ahead while August was already in front of her. “Just so you know,” Maureen muttered. “I could have done that on my own.”
Melanie sighed at her. “Just hurry.”
“Wait, don’t,” Joy’s voice was panicked.
One second the chains were on Isabella, then the next second they were gone. “How…?” Grim muttered.
Isabella’s hands shot out in two different directions. One for Maureen. One for August. Both reached their destination. She bent down on her knees to continue touching them when they fell to the ground.
“Grim,” Melanie cried, eyes searching his. He looked just as torn as she did. Then they faded, which had Isabella reacting with her portal chip. She disappeared too.
“It’s like she fucking anticipates what everyone’s going to do before they even do it,” I hissed.
“Let’s try for the syringe,” Joy whispered, eyes on Maureen and August thrashing on the ground beside one another. Maureen was the one with the syringe.
I nodded and took off running with her.
“Where is she?” Grim faded back in.
“I don’t know—” Joy knocked the wind out of me when she rammed into me.
No, she was pushing me out of the way. Isabella appeared behind us, and Joy had reacted.
I was never in trouble though; it wasn’t me she was going after.
Isabella latched onto Joy’s arm as I fell to the ground.
I couldn’t reach her in time when I was falling to the ground.
I wasn’t immortal. If she grazed me, I was a dead fuck, but I had little time to think about that or Sebastian anymore.
I just reacted to the situation: we couldn’t let Harvest have the power she was taking from everyone.
We’d dealt with a lot of tricky situations, but this proved to be the worst one because we were trying not to hurt her.
But when I saw the pain she was causing Joy and the others; my choice came swiftly.
I yanked the gun out of my harness and aimed.
I saw the tear slide down her cheek even though her eyes were void of anything, then I heard Joy’s screaming and fire consumed my veins once more, obliterating the single tear I witnessed.
“Don’t you fucking dare!”
It was Sebastian. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Barron and Kitty with him.
“Bad one,” I heard Isabella mumbled under her breath. “Don’t touch.” Her white eyes roamed toward Sebastian as she let go of Joy. “Run?” That one word sounded like a question on her lips as she tilted her head. Then it dawned on me.
“I think she’s about to bolt!” I shouted so that Sebastian could hear me.
“Izzie!” he yelled.
“How did she manage to get you guys?” Kitty mumbled just as Sebastian turned on me. One second he was standing there, the next he was pulling me up by my shirt and yanking the ski-mask from my face. He punched me, I staggered. Pain shot up my face as my teeth jarred together and I cupped my jaw.
Fuck. Something might be broken.
“You were going to shoot her!” He was in my face screaming.
“Look around you, Sebastian, she was siphoning magic from everyone!” I yelled, holding my jaw as I did. “We still don’t know what the fuck’s going on!”
“You knew that wasn’t her.” Sebastian was on the verge of falling apart. No, he was already there. He pulled at his blond strands and searched around frantically.
“That doesn’t change the fact that she managed to get four of us, and who knows what Harvest is planning with that power.
” Barron came up between us, scowling at his brother.
“The only reason they are even alive is because we’re entities.
” He pointed at me. “If she had gotten Payne, he’d be dead right now. ”
“Forget it.” I sighed, eyes searching until I found Joy still thrashing on the ground. I rushed to her and bent down. “Let’s get them out of here in case she comes back.”
“She’ll come back,” August said through a cough.
He was holding his stomach as he raised up.
Whatever Isabella’s had done to him seemed to be over.
“She barely took any magic from us to do anything. We’re an endless supply of power if you think about it.
” He dusted off his pants. “And when she comes back, I have a feeling she won’t be alone. ”
I scooped Joy up in my arms, but Sebastian was there to take her from me.
“I got her,” I told him.
He ignored me. “We’re in trouble, I fucking know that,” he growled at me, his blues eyes changing to black like they often did when his emotions were heightened. “You knew Barron and Kitty were coming for me. You didn’t have to aim the fucking gun at her.”
“We didn’t know if you were even okay,” Maureen groaned as she recovered from being siphoned. “I would have done the same if she hadn’t grabbed a hold of me.”
“I can stop her as soon as I get my hands on her,” Sebastian rushed the words out.
“You saw what happened,” Melanie spoke to her son. “She left as soon as you got here. She’s not going to let you anywhere close.”
Sebastian’s skin rippled in and out, revealing the monster beneath the surface. If he was going skeletal without meaning to, he was in serious turmoil over Isabella.
I felt a pang of guilt hit my chest. He cared about her. Too much.
“You love her.” It wasn’t a question. I merely stated the truth.
“It’s not her that’s running from me.” Sebastian’s jaw ticked while his turquoise essence swirled and his skeleton flickered. A second later, the static-filled shimmer stopped. Joy was still in his arms squirming in pain. “It’s Harvest. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Well, Sebastian.” Grim came up to his son. “Let’s find out how you plan to get her back.”