Page 41 of Villainous Greed
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, my voice dropping an octave.
I imagined holding the chip between my hands, then I slammed my palms together. The chip shattered to bits right in front of him as I magically destroyed it.
Pain ripped into my chest, and I coughed up blood. The agony was so intense it was all I could focus on for a second.
Harvest cocked his head. “Lover boy is still dying. I’d be careful if I were you, Nova. You’ll kill yourself trying to use your magic. Proxies die trying to use the power they have. They risk their lives by using too much magic, as their frail mortal bodies cannot handle it.”
As if anything he said would stop me. I’d been waiting forever for the opportunity to hurt Harvest.
Wiping the blood from my lips, I threw enormous chunks of Grim’s woods at him. All I heard was the static of the winds, but through my magic, I sensed bones snapping. Jaws tightened painfully, but I kept crushing Harvest. More trees and dirt clunked together, forming a ball around Harvest.
It’s not enough.
Somehow, I had to seal him away. If I didn’t, he’d revive and escape.
Liquid seeped from my nose. I coughed and coughed as the burning seared my lungs.
“Easy, Nova.” August’s mom grabbed my shoulder. “August asked you to protect us. Not die for us.”
I shrugged out of her grip as my vision blurred. “I’m not doing this for you.”
“You and August want answers about the past, don’t you? Remember that, at least, before you kill yourself,” she added.
“You’re not afraid of death,” Melinda said. “But it would be a shame for you to leave this world not knowing the truth.”
What truth? What could be truer than what I saw and experienced?
“I’m not lying, and I don’t think you are, either. I think we’re missing something, don’t you?”
August’s words from earlier pierced my thoughts.
“If I live, let’s discover what happened together, okay?”
My lips trembled, and I shook my head as if that would erase his voice inside my head. But I knew better. He’d lived inside my dreams and nightmares for a century. I couldn’t rid myself of the immortal. Honestly, the idea of him tricking me again hurt worse than the pain engulfing my insides.
And yet…
I glanced back at August. He appeared unconscious as his chest rose and fell.Annoying, infuriating man!I screamed my frustrations before looking back at the boulder I had formed around Harvest. Swaying, blood squirted from my nose, and I fell to my knees. There was no way I could keep him trapped. I was pushing myself, but when would the Reapers’ powers return? If I had August’s power, I might have been able to channel more of my magic and turn the boulder into a chamber around Harvest.
The idea of Harvest being imprisoned by me made my lips twitch. He would be furious.
Even with my waning strength, I sensed the moment Derrick entered the woods. Like Harvest and August, I couldn’t forget his aura. It was engrained in me from the past. Stumbling to myfeet, my vision worsened, and I heard several of August’s siblings yelling. The sound was pure agony.My gut twisted through the hurt and I looked back—
“I won’t let him live,” Derrick said, bent over an unconscious August. “I’ll come for you soon, Nova.” Before my explosion could hit him, Derrick ported away.
I saw the dagger buried in August’s chest, and time stood still.
My lungs hurt, my ears rang, and my throat stung as I stumbled toward August. His family was in hysterics, touching his arms and shaking him. No, no, no. I dropped to my knees beside them, trying to make sense of the crying and screaming.Stop it!
“Do something,” I whispered.
The others continued chattering and crying, and then someone yanked the dagger from his chest.
“Do something!” I grabbed someone’s cloak and shook. “Help him. Help him, or I’ll kill you all!”
I begged those who hated me. All because of the man dying before me.
“You’re not allowed to die,” I told August as I shook him. “Not unless I say so.”