Page 43 of Pieces of Halves

The moon is shaped like an egg, shining on the field of the sleeping enemy, and the tops of the tall trees sway as Jona flies down, his body hidden from the eye. The bastards won’t even see him coming.

I blend my body into the shadows and make my way toward the small cloth tents of our enemies, hands itching to feel the warm, wet flesh of the ones who hurt Izzy.

Adrian, being dramatic, teleports himself to the dead center of the camp. The loud thump of his feet against the grassy surfaces gets the attention of every vampire, and chaos begins. We could’ve gotten Sofia out quietly by locating her scent, but I think Adrian felt disrespected by Victor’s audacity. Because I want Victor to suffer, I am glad for Adrian’s theatrics. Finally, something Adrian and I agree on.

Movement erupts throughout the camp. Slashes of flesh, necks being snapped, and hearts torn out fill my senses. As much as I want to be the one to find my mother, the woman who pushed me out of her body and left, it will go smoother if it’s Jona who takes her. No one knows we have an angel on our side – an element of surprise.

With a deep inhale, I slam my hand into a chest. The vampire’s smooth muscle and hard bone move past the skin of my arm. The heart beats once against my fingers, and then it doesn’t. Pulling my hand out, blood drips to the ground, causing a tingle of excitement to run through my spine. The satisfaction of feeling bastards die is incredible.

“Come feast, Tengu,” I call my companion.

The ring on my right finger buzzes, and Tengu appears next to me, his bared teeth glowing in the night and his eyes a bright yellow.

“What a beautiful massacre,” Tengu sings, snatching the heart out of my hand. “I will go play.” He blinks his glowing eyes rapidly, the vertical, black slits dilating.

A wicked smile grows on my face. Tengu will torture slowly and painfully all night long. Something pleasant blooms in my chest at the thought. For Izzy, he will make it hurt extra. Tengu vanishes, and I proceed to rip out a few more hearts. These weak, pathetic vampires are easy targets, but there are a lot of them.

“Jona has her. Let’s go,” Adrian grumbles, displeased.

I laugh out loud at how upset he is that he did not get to kill more. The prick hates me, but he fights for my cause. His shoulders are tense when he walks past me, his expression filled with anger. At that moment, it dawns on me. He knows Izzy’s pain. Demons have the ability to see into the soul of another being. It is their natural duty to spot the sins and evil desires of others, but there is more to a being than just that. Demons have to be good at dissecting a soul to determine the punishment. Adrian was there during the fall of Lucifer; he can see through someone with just a blink of an eye. Izzy isn’t his to protect, but Adrian is obsessed with justice.

“Tengu will stay behind for a bit.” I follow him into the forest.

“Good.” Adrian chuckles, his voice echoing through the space.

Tengu enjoys a slow hunt. We are leaving, and they might think it’s all over, but Tengu will keep plucking them one at a time. He will be able to torture three or four of them before hehas to come back to me. It feels good knowing they will be afraid when they hear their friends screaming from the depths of the forest.

The sun is rising when we get back to the castle. Jona is already by the back entrance with Sofia. My mother’s arms are tied in front of her slim form, her black hair a mess. She struggles against Jona’s hold with aggressive grunts. Jona rolls his eyes at her efforts, but my chest is heavy. This is not supposed to be like this. Mothers don’t leave their children for power. She locks her gaze on me, her dull, green orbs latching onto mine.

My jaw twitches, confusing emotions of guilt and longing flooding my mind.She is my mother after all. I inhale, reminding myself that the only thing she did was give birth to me. That is not the definition of a mother.

“You look so much like him.” She stares at me. I do look like him, but I have her eyes. “Jacob, is it? It’s what he named you?” she asks, her voice void of emotion.

My eyesight blurs from rage, pain swirling inside my chest. She didn’t even stay long enough to give me a name. I grind my teeth, hating that I need her. With my chest tight, I turn around and walk towards the meeting room under the castle. She is a vile woman, yet my father never said a bad thing about her. He did it to protect me, but it’s enraging that she abandoned us like that.

“If I knew you were going to be so powerful, I would’ve taken you with me,” she says as we walk through a set of dark wooden doors, not an ounce of guilt in her voice.

Every cell in my body flares. I dig my nails into my palms. Adrenaline is still coursing through my arteries from the earlier fight, feeding the urge to rip her heart out and toss it to the rats.

It becomes hard to breathe as my body shakes from the effort it takes to restrain myself. I need something to calm me down before I tear her to shreds. Walking through the dark halls, I focus on containing the heat that is begging to explode and burn her, just so I could hear her scream in agony.

She left her child for power!Here she is now, making it seem like it was my fault she abandoned me. How dare I not show her my abilities as soon as I was born? One step at a time, my muscles aching from the tension in them, I make it to the door of the secret meeting room.

“With you by my side, things would’ve gone much smoother,” she says from behind me.

A burst of rage escapes, and I slam the doors wide open. The wood hits the stone wall behind it, almost cracking at the impact. I search the wide room for something to hit, shatter, and break. The large, old, wooden table seems like a good option. Or maybe I can slam those dark chairs into the molding cabinets in the corner.

From the corner of my eye, I catch long, blonde hair.Izzy.Her eyes are wide as we stare at each other. Everything stills, fading into the background, and I fear I will scare her away – I look murderous right now. A bright smile grows on her face. She runs to me past the old table and chairs, her hair following her in a beautiful cascade.

Her arms wrap around my neck, her body pressing against mine. With her head against my chest, I breathe in deeply, letting the scent of her – sugary sweet – bring me back.Embracing her, I hold her close. The softness of her skin and her presence is everything.

“Are you okay?” She pulls back to look at my face. “Anything hurt? Are you injured?” She places her palm on my cheek, and I close my eyes, leaning into her hand.

She is serenity.

“I’m okay,” I whisper and open my eyes to look into hers.

She grounds me.

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