Page 13 of Pieces of Halves

She inhales, blinks, and her face goes blank. Her stare is empty, and the sudden change in her emotion hurts more than anything I have ever felt. Keeping my breathing even, I hope that she does not shut down.

Stay with me. Keep talking to me. I want to reach and hold her face, but hold back, afraid to push her away.

“One of them caught me. He did what he wanted. My father wanted to do the same thing this year.” She continues, her voice steady, but her body shakes. Her eyes void, she looks past me. “The witches fixed me.” She looks down at herself. “So I am a virgin again.”

My hands tremble. All I can think about is death. I am not a violent man, but today I will be. Her father paid Rosa and Teresa to repair her body – they know what Izzy has been through, yet they mock her title. That is cruelty that cannot be forgiven.

“Tengu, we are killing today,”I tell him through the mind-link.

Tengu comes out from the ring into his demon form to stand next to me, his stumpy black body straightening out. Izzy looks at him but does not react. That void in her is worse than fear.

“Let’s go, Izzy.” I get up and hold out my hand. Her lips quiver, and she shakes her head. “Come. Trust me.” I compose myself, but my lungs are tight with rage.

Her hand shakes, but she moves it up and places it in mine. It is lethargic, but I grasp it and help her up. I don’t let go of her as the three of us walk up the stairs. My blood is boiling, but I keep my anger to myself. These things are more efficient when there is control of the situation.

The witches are still standing at the door, snickering and giggling. No one hurts my Izzy and gets away with it. And I mean no one. The witches look at us, their attention first to Tengu and then to Izzy.

“I bet daddy is looking for you –” Rosa starts, but I jam my hand through her chest and rip her heart out, the smooth muscle sliding against my fingers.

Warm thick fluid covers my hand and drips to the floor. The blood feels good on my skin; it belongs to someone who caused Izzy suffering. From the corner of my eye, I see the other witch try to run, but Tengu freezes her with his abilities.

“Oh, no, no, no,” Tengu sings. “You hurt a princess of mine. You don’t get to live.” I can imagine Tengu grinning from ear to ear, his teeth sharp and white.

“Tengu,” I call him and nod toward Izzy.

He knows what needs to be done. He will protect her while I deal with Teresa. He walks over to Izzy, his expression changing to a soft and silly one as his lips quirk into a smile.

“Tengu, at your service.” He bows down to her and gently takes her hand out of mine.

Izzy blinks at me silently.

“Stay with him for a moment. He will keep you safe,” I whisper and try to give her a soft smile.

She nods. My intention was to get the information about my mother peacefully, but now, I have to resort to more drastic measures. Everything would’ve been fine if they hadn’t hurt Izzy.

“Look what I can do,” Tengu says.

I eye him as I make my way to the witch who is still alive. Tengu takes the heart of the Rosa, and it explodes into thousands of black daisies. The flowers float around Izzy like black snow, creating a magical contrast against her blonde hair. She watches him as he places a few of the flowers into her loose stands.

She will be okay for a few minutes. Tengu will keep her safe and her mind preoccupied.

“This can go smoothly or painfully,” I growl at Teresa, dragging her behind a wall.

Izzy has been through enough. I don’t want her watching me torture just to get some information. I hate violence. It’soften unnecessary, but I am not afraid to resort to it. Right now, I want a reason to make her last few minutes of breathing hell.

“Sofia. What do you know of her?” I dig my fingers into her upper arm. She winces from the pain and grits her teeth but does not answer. “Do you know what Tengu is?” I ask with a heavy sigh. If she knows, she will share what she knows quickly. She nods.Lovely.“If you tell me everything you know, I will ask him to be gentle.”

It doesn’t matter if I ask or not, Tengu will make her suffer. She will die slowly and painfully.

“Sofia came ten years ago. She wanted Victor, but he was on the other continent, so she followed him there. The vampire king –Victor— is obviously still alive.” She jerks her head in Izzy's direction, her lips twisted in disgust. My jaw tight, I refrain from tearing out her throat. “Sofia is most likely nearby, scheming of a way to strike,” the witch spits out, her tone bitter. “She has always wanted the vampires dead.”

My mother left her husband and child to kill a vampire. The fact jabs at my heart, making it beat out of rhythm. Deep down, I suspected there was more to her disappearance. Never did it cross my mind that someone could leave their newborn to hunt an enemy.

Maybe she had a good reason?A hopeful voice in the back of my mind whispers, but so far, everything points to Sofia doing everything willingly.

“You spoke with her twenty-six years ago through some letters. What did she want from you?” I ask.

No matter the reason, I need to know as much as I can about her. When we meet, I need her to talk. For that, I must understand her.

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