Page 1 of Villainous Greed

Prologue:

Nova

Present

“Nova!” he shouted.

I screamed, “Boom!”

My magic jarred the ground. Trees uprooted and flew around before bursting apart. My curls blew back, and my skin felt like it would peel right off from the force of the explosion. I could see nothing but a cloud of gray.

I stood still, unwavering in my power.

I was a storm of power. A lethal weapon toall. I knew that more than anything as I blew my mate away. I would enter Grim’s woods and be what all those who imprisoned me wanted— a being of destruction. August Reaper could have freed me so long ago… But because he didn’t, I’d be his family’s downfall that day.

Harvest’s chuckle rang in my ear.

Part One:

The Past

August Age 15

Nova Age 13

Chapter One

August

Another day, another wonder, “Ah,what could make me happy?”

Nothing. No matter how much I poured into my desires, greed ran amuck. I stole, lied, and cheated to get things I coveted. But the second I had the object in my hold, the high faded and I needed more.

A mile out from the City of the Dead, I sat on a branch, observing the chatter. A demon city didn’t differ from a human one—loud and stinky. Yet everything was so dreary in the Underworld—scarce color on signs, no streetlights, only a fake moon.

How unwelcoming.

Boxing my fingers over the city like I had binoculars, I visualized ideas, wondering what it would become after belonging to me. Casinos would be nice for profit. All those buildings needed to belong to me.

There was so much I wanted to do.

Become a Reaper.

Control the city.

The human world after.

Planning was consuming and my favorite part of my curse. The idea of what I could take drove me until I succeeded. Then I felt nothing but an unnatural yearning formore.It was never ending.

Nothing was great about that city, but I didn’t care. I saw it and decided to fill the boring streets with whatever I wanted.

Materializing an apple, I took a bite, then hummed. I felt good when I obsessed over my wants. Or maybe my high spirits had something to do with leaving Sebastian in the streets when his curse kicked in. Sleep, sleepy sloth.

“I’m hungry,” a child whined.

I frowned, glanced down, and saw no one. “Derrick will only give us food when you master the explosion spell,” another child said miserably.

“Nova, I’m hungry,” the boy complained again.

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