Page 86 of Villainous Greed

August reacted so quickly; he seemed like nothing more than a blur. He grabbed Harvest by the throat and squeezed. Harvest’s eyes bulged as he stared at my mate, then at everyone else, displaying surprise at seeing us.

Isabella slipped out of the shadows. “You can’t port out of this cave. I made sure of it.”

Very clever. Isabella disabled the portal chips with a spell, knowing Harvest would try porting away.

Harvest huffed. “It makes sense. No wonder you didn’t attack me at once. I should have thought of that.”

Even knowing we had him trapped, Harvest refused to show fear. It was enraging, but I expected nothing less from a monster.

Harvest’s sword appeared in his grip and swung, but my mate was ready. He caught the blade with his mechanical hand. August shoved Harvest backward and materialized his sword. Their weapons clanked together as they parried back and forth. August drew blood when he slashed open Harvest’s shirt. The flames on Harvest’s head darkened.

August stepped back, giving Sebastian the opportunity to take a few swings. The eldest brother stabbed Harvest in the shoulder and then allowed Barron to attack. One by one, the Reapers had a go at Harvest.

“My, my.” Harvest spat blood from his mouth. “Look at how angry the Reapers are.”

Everyone was eerily quiet, and I believed I understood why. It would only make Harvest happier if he saw more anger.He already knew how much he hurt them and destroyed their lives. Sharing angry words with him would bring him joy.

“He doesn’t need to see how much he’s affected us,” August whispered to my thoughts. “He’s won enough. Let this victory be ours, even if it’s in silence.”

Maureen and Joy cut Harvest’s arms off at the same time. The entity dropped to his knees. Blood sprayed everywhere, but his gaze remained as intense as the flames on his head.

“Does that make you feel better?” He cocked his head at Maureen, unbothered by the painhe must have felt.

Maureen’s body shook as she pressed her lips together. More than anyone else, she seemed the most bothered. I had a lifetime to be accustomed to his cruelness. I was glad she said nothing as she stalked off, because the tick in his jaw meant our silence was slowly upsetting him.

“Go ahead, Nova,” Isabella said. “Let us be done with him.”

“You’ll never be done with me. I’m eternal.” Harvest smirked. “When the Reapers are gone, I’ll be here to grab you again.”

Isabella turned away, and Sebastian snatched her by the arm. She curled into the crook of his armpit, wrapping her arms around his stomach.

Harvest lips curled in disgust.

I glanced around the cave, unsure how to proceed. To imprison Harvest, I had to use everything around me.

“It’s okay,” Isabella whispered, as if sensing my hesitation. “Unleash Hell on him. I saw what you did last time. I can protect us from your magic.”

Fear released inside me. My shoulders relaxed, and I narrowed my eyes on Harvest. I had to hurry because his limbs were regenerating.

He shook his head. “Careful, Nova. I’d hate for you to hurt your new family.”

Disregarding him, I lifted my hands. Instantly, a tingling sensation spread through my fingers. The walls of the cave bentinward. Dust blew up in the air as rocks stacked against Harvest, accompanied by loud cracking sounds.

“You couldn’t save your first family,” Harvest said. “Do you think you’ll be able to save this one when the time comes?”

My heart ripped apart.

“Don’t let him get to you,”August said inside my head. “He knows he’s lost and just wants to hurt you.”

I knew that, but the words still hurt. I wasn’t as immune to Harvest’s cruelty as I thought.

“When you have people you care about, they will get hurt. It’s what keeps us human. It’s how we relate to those we’re supposed to protect. You’ve always been a Reaper. It’s why you’ve tried so hard to save others for so long.”

It was like a dam broke inside me. Tears spilled down my cheeks as the cave walls smacked into Harvest from every angle. I saw nothing as the dust blew up. And saw nothing until the smoke settled. Where Harvest once stood, there now loomed a massive boulder in our path.

Sebastian pressed his hand against it. “Harvest is in there. I can sense him.”

“I can’t believe how easy it was,” Joy uttered. “Are we sure it was him?”

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