Page 36 of Villainous Greed

Harvest’s chuckle rang in my ear.

Chapter Sixteen

Nova

Grim’s woods were an odd place. A fake world with even more fake colors. If Sofia had been alive, would she believe those woods were a part of her fairy tale stories? The beauty of the place instilled my fury. So, August grew up there. How nice.

Lifting my hands, I sent out threads of decay beneath my fingertips. The ruin was immediate, pouring out of me like a disease. I thought of how awful I felt rotting alone with my thoughts for decades. I wished for those woods to look as I had felt. The effects of my magic were instant.

Blackness covered the ground, erasing the weirdly colored grass. It raced up the trees, deteriorating them. The magic moved ten times faster than I walked. Within minutes, the rot destroyed miles of lush forest. But it wasn’t enough.

Lifting my arms above my head, I uprooted the dead trees and sent them flying in every direction. Not enough!I needed more. I couldn’t see Grim’s castle from where I stood. There was still so much of August’s world left. I wanted a clear view of my destination.

“Don’t leave those woods until the Reapers are dead.”

At Harvest’s command, a dozen dragons poured out of a portal in the sky. They roared, and the dragons in Grim’s woods roared back, but his beasts stood no chance against Harvest’s creations. The Reapers fought them anyway.

Sebastian and Isabella appeared before me. I stopped and cocked my head as the two glared at me.

“Without your cloak, I know exactly who you are,” Sebastian murmured as he tucked Isabella behind him. “From the state of the woods, I’m guessing you’re not here to be friendly. Don’t kill the creatures that live here. They have no part in this.”

“When August appears, kill him before he speaks,” Harvest instructed telepathically.

“Nova.” Isabella stepped beside Sebastian.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Sebastian told her.

“Harvest forced me to do things. Things I remember, most I don’t.” Isabella took a step toward me. “I see the band on your arm. You’re trapped by Harvest, right? We can help.”

I could see the sweat beading on Sebastian’s forehead as she continued walking closer. He had every reason to be fearful for his mate.

“From the looks of your torn and bloody dress, you’ve been fighting,” Sebastian stated. “It wouldn’t have been with my dear brother, would it?”

“Are you scared for him?” I asked.

Sebastian clenched his jaws. “What have you done?”

“I’m guessing every Reaper is here to battle the onslaught of dragons.”

I just needed four of August’s family members, though. Four was the number I lost.

“Sebastian!” Isabella shouted. “Come help me remove the bands. I can’t touch—”

I grabbed her left wrist, and she shrieked as her black magic traveled beneath her skin like snakes. “You share the same blackness as Harvest.” I stared at her skin, knowing her fate would have been mine if not for August. August’s essence woven through me thrived with my magic and shielded me from Harvest’s blackness back then. It infuriated Harvest and caused him to kill us. Another reason to latch onto my anger.

“Your deadly touch will have no power with me,” I warned.

Isabella’s smile finally waned as she leveled her stare with mine. “This darkness inside me is no longer his. It belongs to me now.”

“The darkness won’t protect you from me,” I said as I sent magic up her arm. The dark magic wiggling beneath her skin hissed as if my power was killing them. Isabella screamed, and Sebastian made his move. Before he could get close, I swept out my arms and sent the lovers flying. Isabella’s tiny body smacked into a tree. Sebastian went right, traveling out of sight.

“Don’t touch her,” Harvest warned. “After you kill them, bring her to me, along with Kitty.”

That was one command I would try to fight when the time came. I knew what it felt like being chained to Harvest. Maybe Isabella would prefer to die, like me, rather than being stuck beside him. I wouldn’t put that fate on anyone. It would be easier for me to end her instead of handing her over.

A roar shook the ground. Glancing up, I saw the massive flamed dragon peering down at me. No wonder Joy’s mate freed her that day. I’d seen nothing like him before. In the end, itdidn’t matter how strong he was. My attack would come from within. I thought of an explosion right inside his pounding heart. He squawked loudly. As his body descended rapidly, Harvest’s dragons pounced on him like vultures. I stepped away, so I wouldn’t get caught in the melee.

A long, wingless dragon blocked my path. The green scales and the essence woven around the creature was a clue to who it was.

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