Page 78 of Jackal's Pride

“Don’t you dare go to her!” I started working against the magic holding my body down. Tiny cracks developed until, seconds later, I was free from the spell.

“You better hurry. Even the collar you made didn’t last long with him, and he’s too fucking animalistic. He won’t stop until he kills me,” the warlock exclaimed to his companion and then smirked at me. “I forgot to tell you about the cure. It also comes with a memory swipe. I don’t trust you not to feel the same way you do now when the curse is gone, so I’ll erase those memories completely.” He strode away from me. “Then blow everything up when you’re finished. The Reapers are killing our people.” He was talking to his companion now.

“No!” I was on my knees, and the warlock was gone. The woman took a step toward me and then another. I was on my feet now. She held out her palm and slammed me onto the concrete again. The pavement cracked under the force of her magic.

“Don’t you dare! Stop!” I roared until my throat bled with fear for Maureen.

Had to get to her!

Had to kill the warlock!

I fucking hated magic users.

The Harvester bent down on her knees. I snapped at her hands as she picked up my chin. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing short stuff?” I recognized August’s voice.

There was no forcing the liquid down my neck. She cracked open my mouth with more strength than I thought possible for a witch and shoved the entire tube into my mouth.

“Hey!”

She continued to ignore August shouting. I saw his chain wrap around her waist.

I sputtered and choked as she shoved it further in until she was forcing it down my neck. She gripped my throat through her glove and I felt every painful second when the vial exploded, leaking its contents into my stomach.

I won’t forget! I won’t forget what I feel. I won’t forget her. I won’t—

Chapter 29

August

There were bad men and bad demons. Then they were the malevolent ones. I always considered myself the former, but I’d been told I was cruel, callous, andgreedy.True. But I was never uncaring.

I had my own reputation that tarnished a lot of things. One of those things was my father’s revered reputation. People feared the Grim Reaper, but as soon as I was old enough to venture the City of the Dead’s streets, I set out to make people aware of me. Although I had a penchant toward wrongdoing, I never let any soul think my parents hadn’t taught me right from wrong.

And I did do good about fifty percent of the time. Maybe more. Probably less.

I didn’t see Superman parading around in his cape when his senses went all to hell with danger. There weren’t comic book heroes out to save the day. There were only Reapers hiding in the shadows and protecting humans.

Didn’t matter. The only thing that did matter was that my mom used to be a human which was reason enough to keep them protected. I didn’t hate them nor like them. I simply protected them.

And that was all we ever wanted to do for New York City.

I advanced on the small cloaked figure while her hands—I saidhersince she was small and typically when it came to women I was right—held Jack’s windpipe. She restrained me with a type of magic I’d never encountered before. By the time I faded and re-faded behind her whatever she had done to Jack was done. He gurgled and face-slumped to the concrete. I didn’t worry about him. He was immortal, but what I did find unsettling was the fact that Maureen wasn’t here with the rest of us. Again. That knowledge had me wanting to end this group before they truly set off the explosion I’d seen in the images of what was to come.

The witch—if she was indeed a girl—stood and blocked my blade with her hand. Again, her magic was foreign to me. I’d never felt such power. This hand waving shit was getting on my last nerve.

“What did you do to him?” I asked, but got no reply.

She pushed me back with a wave of her hand. I faded out and moved over her in the air. She never bothered to lift her head, but you bet my sweet ass she countered my blade again. Bored with this tactic, I let my right arm lose all its tendons, muscles, and flesh as I reached through her barrier of magic and grabbed her by the neck. A scared peep escaped her lips. I guess she didn’t think I could touch her.

“I was wondering if you were a girl,” I said, sizing her up even though I couldn’t see or make out anything beyond the red cloak. “Or woman? Hard to tell with your small size.”

I could feel her pressing me hard with whatever magic she wielded. She was strong. The longer I stood here with her pushing it against me, the more flesh she tore from me. Thank fuck I was a son of Grim Reaper. I didn’t need flesh.

“How about you tell me which of these cloaks plan to blow up the city? Or did you guys plant a bomb? I know even all of you together wouldn’t be strong enough to wipe out this city like I saw—”

“Boom.”

There was nothing else. One soft fluttering word from her lips and everything was lost. For miles and miles, she took every life. It was so sudden, so riveting, there was no way any of us could have figured they only needed one to do what they came here to do.