Page 38 of Villainous Greed

Almost the entire family came out to greet me.

The ringing in my ears intensified. The insistent knocking of Harvest’s command pressed inside my skull. Wincing, I closed my eyes.

“Fight it, Nova,” the witch said.

How could she know that a battle raged within me?

I scoffed and sent the siblings flying. Barron’s scythe nicked my skin as he moved.

“Fight it,” the witch said again, enraging me more.

The pounding in my skull grew worse. Blood spewed from my nose and mouth. I coughed up the coppery liquid as my vision blurred.

“What’s wrong with her?” a woman asked.

“Return to me!”Harvest screamed.

My remaining hand twitched.

“Take her portal chip!” the witch shouted. How could she know? It was like she was trying to save me. No, she was just trying to keep me from escaping. “I don’t know how long she can resist his command.”

Hades, she knew. She had sight.

“Now!” Harvest’s voice thundered in my head.

“As soon as her wrist grows back enough to see the last band yank it off,” the witch ordered. “Where is August?”

My heart pounded against my ribcage.

“I’ll come get you myself!”Harvest shouted.

The longer I resisted, the pain intensified. My head felt like someone kept hitting it with a hammer, and I could barely see.

I could, however, see August appearing before me. He looked at me, then glared at his family. “What have you done?”

August yelled at his family… for me. He must know why I went there. I didn’t understand why I wanted to weep actual tears instead of blood when I saw him, either.

My other hand formed again, but it was as if my limbs crawled with bugs. My hands moved on their own, and I swallowed nervously as my fingers roamed. No matter how much I resisted, my body was disobeying me at Harvest’s command. I reached for the portal chip in my dress pocket. My eyes widened as I stared at August stalking toward me.

“August, don’t get any closer to her,” his mother screeched.

There was something I never told Harvest. I felt a change in me when the Reapers became mortal. I sensed it within me every time they lost their powers, and yet I never said a word.The yellow tinge to my essence would fade and a gut-wrenching emptiness would hit me. It must be because I was mortal, too, when it happened. It couldn’t be that I felt hollow without the only connection to August severed.

That emptiness was inside me again as August ignored his mother. He didn’t stop moving until he towered over me. He grabbed hold of my hand before it could reach the portal chip.

“I got you,” he said, voice soft.

“Mortal.” Harvest laughed. “Looks like I don’t need you after all.”

My throat burned. August smiled. Why did the fool smile?

“Harvest comes,” I told him.

August nodded. “I’ll free you.”

“You’re mortal.” I had to point it out. “I could kill you all right now.”

“You have something to save Nova, don’t you, Melinda?” August asked without taking his focus off me.

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