Page 4 of Devastation

“No. Out of all of us, Harpy’s death hurt Poseidon the most. She was the gentlest of the females, even in her monster form,” Mary replied.

“Harpy was our sister too,” Rhett stated, his sorrow rising briefly.

“Yes. We were all created to be Protectors of the Jar, which made us siblings. But some bonds formed deeper, Rhett. Harpy and Poseidon’s relationship was special. He truly idolised his little sister,” Mary continued.

The Legends owned a strange relationship with one another. They knew they’d been born Warriors of God and raised to protect the Jar of Fate. The jar that held all the evils in the world. They hadn’t known their parents but had all trained together from an early age and were the only family they knew.

Hell, they didn’t even know if they had parents. While they understood they were not blood-related, the bonds of siblingship had formed at their young ages.

“Is everyone back?” Rhett asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

Mary shook her head. “No, Cyclops, Loch Ness, Banshee, Ghoul, Medusa, Mummy, Phoenix, Swamp, Wendigo, and Rumpelstiltskin are still out.”

“I’ll fetch us some cocoa and wait with you,” Rhett offered.

“That, brother, would be welcome,” Mary agreed as she turned her eyes back to her mirrors.

The one linked to the lake flashed, and Marie noticed Loch Ness had just returned. A quick glimpse through the mirror that linked to the lakeside one proved her correct.

Mary smiled as she saw Ness leaping out of the water and crooning to Wolf Man, who sat by the edge. Theirs was a strange bond, but one so deep it was beautiful to see, Mary mused.

Mary looked at her mirrors. It was nearing one in the morning, but it was too early to panic. Their Sins were funny creatures. They didn’t need to feed every night, nor were they particular when they fed.

It was to protect their monster side that the Legends hunted in the darkness. Usually, they slipped through their mirrors after ten at night and returned by two a.m.

Sometimes, the Legends would slip in after twenty minutes; other times, if their Sin was in a gruesome and spiteful mood, then they might be a couple of hours. It was also possible the target might have changed their mind at the last minute, and their location was different. Mary could only send her siblings where the visions of the mirrors took her. She relaxed back into her armchair as her mind considered the next evening’s offerings.

With her ability to see through any mirror or reflective surface, Mary often encountered evil. The magic in the mirror network helped shut many innocent images out and concentrated on truly evil ones.

In the beginning, the Sins had just needed to be fed. Although the Legends held the pure versions of the Sins contained, like any parasite, a weaker version had escaped and infected mankind.

This meant that each Legend’s potent Sin needed to feed on its weaker self to keep itself healthy. Cannibalism at its very best, Mary snorted.

Unfortunately, the Sins were very damn fit. At first, the Legends could not control them, and innocent people had fallen victim to the hunger. But as time passed, they’d learned to hunt evildoers and, quite basically… eat them.

“Jase has shifted, but boy, is he pissed at something. He’s down in the gym with Durant, who has had to shift, and even Big Foot is having trouble containing him,” Rhett said, returning with two steaming mugs.

Mary’s eyebrows rose. Jase was indeed angry if Durant’s monster form of Big Foot was struggling to contain the King of the Oceans and Seas.

“Jase will be even more pissed in a few days,” Mary murmured as her mind flicked to Poseidon’s mirror, and there, she saw the fresh images.

“Oh?” Rhett asked, tilting his head.

“Don’t bother Rhett. I won’t speak to anyone’s fate or hunt, although…” Mary’s gaze flicked to Mummy’s. His mirrors revealed something that would upset his orderly life.

“You’re a tease, Mary,” Rhett scolded, and Marie laughed.

Her gaze turned to Dracula’s mirror, which flashed as it opened. He’d not been out hunting tonight but had taken his bride Emmaline out for a meal simply because Emmaline was five months pregnant and demanding ribs—and she wanted ribs from a certain place, so Dracula had indulged her. No sooner had she thought of the couple than Dracula, Vladimir in his human form, and Emmaline stepped forward.

Emmaline was batting at Vladimir’s hands as she shifted. Even today, Mary was stunned by what had happened. Emmaline was completely human, but on mating with Vladimir, she’d developed her own shifter side—a stronger, different-looking human side that had saved her when she’d been kidnapped.

“Evening,” Vladimir said with a scowl.

“No ribs?” Mary asked.

“Oh, Emmaline had ribs, and then a rare steak, followed by three desserts,” Vladimir replied.

Rhett snorted as Mary held her own laugh back.

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