“Use me.” We all turn to our baby brother, Preston, who stands and presents himself to Caius. “Do it! What are you waiting for!” he shouts, his courage inspiring me.
Caius doesn’t waste a second and enters through Preston’s nose and mouth, his smoke enveloping our brother. Preston’s skin turns a sickly gray, his bright eyes becoming the black ones of the Darkness himself.
“Move over,” Preston growls, his voice guttural, inhuman. Karston, Braxton, and I back up, giving him space.
Preston’s hand trembles as he reaches for the blade, utter concentration on his face.
“Ahh!” he screams when his fingers grasp the hilt, his body beginning to shake violently. His shouting is unending, filled with terror and agony, harrowing and excruciating, his mouth pulled wide, eyes flying open, as otherworldly sounds escape him.
“What’s happening!” Karston shouts from next to me, but all I can do is fucking stare.
I’ve never felt so fucking helpless in my life as I do in this moment. Not when Dad died. Not when Hadley was taken. Not even when my brothers and I died.
This?
This is fucking torture.
The blade glows a deep crimson, and as Preston’s body quakes and shudders, he’s somehow able to pull the blade free. He falls on his ass, and the dagger soars behind him, embedding itself into the stone, the blade’s color back to normal, as if the incident had never happened.
I look back to Preston and watch his body crumble as the smog of Caius escapes him, freeing his hold on my brother.
“I’m okay,” he rasps, still unmoving on the ground, his left hand held tight to his chest as he winces.
I flick my gaze back to Hadley, then up to Caius. “Did it work? Can we save her?”
“The magic never got to her heart,” he says after examining her chest. “She’s safe. As long as her body remains untouched, we can travel into Hell and retrieve her essence.”
“What now?” Karston growls, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I’m sorry,” Cauis says, his voice full of so much pain. “I had to take her essence. It was the only way to save her.”
“He saved her, Kars,” I defend. “If he hadn’t taken it, we’d have lost Hadley forever.”
“Her essence is with my body, locked in a cage, in the deepest bowels of Hell,” Caius reiterates with utter sadness. “Retrieve it, and we can heal her body. If we don’t, she’ll be lost to us for all of time.”
“Then it looks like we’re taking a trip, boys,” Braxton growls as he covers Hadley back up with the remains of her torn shirt.
“Not. So. Fast.” A familiar voice has us turning our heads again to the entrance of the room. Standing at the bottom of the stairs is none other than Layla. “You’re too late, you fools! It’s been done!”
“What are you talking about, Layla?” Preston grumbles, pulling himself to sit as he cradles his left hand.
“She. Is. Dead. There is no saving her. I made sure the Fates found an untraceable prison in hell for Caius to rot in after he slaughtered my Fated.”
“Your Fated?” Karston’s confused voice asks the question in my own mind.
“You!” Caius seethes, floating forward.
Layla flutters her fingers at Caius, an evil smirk playing on her face. “Hey, Caius. Miss me?”
“Lilith,” he seethes. “So we meet again.”
“Don’t be so fucking dramatic,” she goads. “Killing your Fated was so much fun the first time. How serendipitous that I get to witness it again.”
My mind is spinning.
Layla is fucking Lilith.
Anger brews inside of me at her utter betrayal. “She trusted you,” I growl, my hands clenched in fists.
“Stupid girl,” Layla comments, cleaning the dirt from her nails. “Some things never change, even after reincarnation. You’d have thought her sin was Gluttony.”
“You’ll pay for this!” Brax snarls, his sword poised, blade blazing.
“No! It is you who will pay with your lives! Again!” Lilith cackles, sounding like a demented hyena, her head tossed back in laughter.
“Why?” Preston’s voice has her swinging her head back to us.
“Because she deserves to suffer. Because Caius deserves to suffer. Because you all deserve to feel as I do until my Lucifer returns to me. I’ve almost done it, the power is just within reach. And when I finally take hold of the final power, the world will be mine. Not you, or anyone, will be able to stop me then.”
“You won’t win,” Karston exclaims. “Light always defeats the dark.”
Lilith scoffs. “Tell that to your dead Fated, boy. The Darkness will cover this land, the one before it, and the one after. The sun will cease to exist, and humanity will suffer through an endless night. Earth will crawl with monsters, while uncontrollable fires engulf its lands. The seas will turn to blood, giving way to more terrifying creatures than you can possibly imagine. No, silly boy, the light doesn’t always win.”
“I’ve killed a Fate before,” Cauis growls. “I can do it again.”
Lilith smirks. “So have I.”
And with that, she evaporates into thin air, leaving us all with more questions than answers.
I turn to my brothers, Cauis hovering beside them. “We always knew we were destined for something greater in this life. I think it’s time we found out who we were meant to be.”
“To Hell?” Preston questions, eyes filled with a resolve I’ve never seen in my Reaper brother before.
I nod and push out my fist. One by one, my brothers press their hands down on top of mine. Even Cauis places his smoky hand on top.
“The fate of the world is in our hands, boys. It’s time to take a stand against this oppressive evil, fight for what we know is right, and bring our girl back home. Because if we fail, the world as we know it will cease to exist.”
To be continued…
Acknowledgments
Thank you to our alphas and betas - Kelly, Ellen, Ash, Kala, Kelly, Rachel, Katie, Dara, Haley, Angie, Nina, Desiree, and Kelly. We couldn’t have made this book without your help and insight.
Thank you to our incredible families for your continuous support.
And as always, thank you to our incredible readers.
About Katie May
Katie May is a reverse harem author, a KDP All-Star winner, and an internal bestselling author. She lives in West Michigan with her family and cat. When not writing, she could be found reading a good book, listening to broadway musicals, or playing games. Join Katie’s Gang to stay updated on all her releases!
About Loxley Savage
Loxley Savage is from a suburb in northeast Ohio. She loves Harry Potter, games, and dark roast coffee. When she’s not chasing after her three, gorgeous daughters, or spanking her naughty husband, she’s writing down the stories in her mind as fast as her fingers will fly.
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