Page 99 of Payne's Envy

“You would have made the same choice I did if it had been Gwendolyn.”

Barron’s essence grew bigger around him. “You’re right. I’d burn the world more if it meant saving Gwendolyn, but that only proves we aren’t really the protectors we say we are.”

“It was Harvest that started this,” I interjected. “Not us. Nothing could have stopped that from happening. The end was always meant to come one day. Right now it’s time to stop Harvest’s plan. It might have already started like you said, Barron, but the true end of everything begins if we don’t stop Harvest or the Devil from crossing over.”

A roar sounded above. Another attack had come.

“We really need to pluck out your fangs,” Sebastian swore before fading outside.

______

During the dragon invasion, I destroyed three more of the beasts.The entire time, the heat and bloodlust heightened my senses and emotions.I wanted to kill something, but there was nothing left to hurt.

So, when I saw Sebastian strutting around afterward, being his obnoxious self, anger crawled over my skin. All I could think about was the heartache he caused me.

He walked near me, and I punched him.

“What was that for?” Sebastian hissed as he rubbed his jaw.

“My memories are still too fresh!” I shouted as I lunged for him again. He faded and re-faded behind me. I sensed him and turned.

“What does that have to do with hitting me?”

“Because you knew I loved Joy, and you gave me a hard time for it.”

“I didn’t know that. I mean, a long,longtime ago I thought you cared for Joy. It was only fair I gave you trouble for it. Joy is my sister. She’s always been sweet, and I knew she deserved the world. But when you left Grim’s woods, you broke her heart, and I despised you for it. Honestly, I hated her for caring about you so much. I won’t apologize for that. I didn’t know what you were going through because you didn’t tell any of us.”

Sebastian glared, and I took a deep fucking breath. My chest felt heavy; lungs burned like I wasn’t getting oxygen. I knew that argument had more to do with the heat than my still being upset with Sebastian from the past. “Go,” I muttered as I lowered my arm and walked off. “It’s the heat. It makes me aggressive.”

I wasn’t mad at him anymore or myself. For the past, I forgave myself for thinking I had to hide my feelings. For pretending I hadn’t loved Joy from the moment she was born, so he wouldn’t find me strange. It wasn’t just him. I tried so hard to hide it from everyone, and they still knew anyway. But I was a silly kid who didn’t know better.

None of us knew I found my mate from the moment I spotted her. Fuck! The Reapers siblings would have never guessed they had mates themselves until Sebastian and Isabella found each other.

When it came to Harvest and the end, there was so much more to worry about. I had so much love to give my girl in between the periods of battle.

“If you need to fight something, even after tearing those dragons apart, I’ll take the punches,” Sebastian said.

I chuckled and said, “I’m good.”

What I didn’t say was I didn’t have to bottle it in. All I had to do was go to Joy. The rest we’d figure out together. And I couldn’t fucking wait to figure it out with her.

Chapter Forty-Six

Joy

I didn’t think Payne ever told his parents he got his memory back. We’d been so preoccupied with the dragons, we barely got time alone. But the second we had an opportunity, we moved Payne back into Grim’s woods and his parents helped. We cleared out some trees by the hot springs and built a two-story home with mine and his power. Payne let me choose the color of our home. I chose green for that day. Maybe I’d choose white the next. Or maybe I’d let him decide.

Molly and Fear wouldn’t let Payne use levitating—my power given to him as my marked mate—to hang up guns and swords. They told him it was important to take care of his weapons. Cleaning them was important. They helped him with the entire process, hanging every firearm and blade my mate owned. Every so often, I’d hear them bickering and would peek through the door.

I was welcome to join them. Molly and Payne were always good to me, but they deserved that moment with him. They were too stubborn to admit how they felt.

I believed it was too hard for his parents to say,I’m glad you know who I am.Or,I would have worked forever to build a relationship with you again if I had to.

Payne couldn’t say sorry for how he treated them.

So, they carried on as if it had never happened. By their loud chuckles and Payne rolling his eyes when his parents quarreled, I knew they were happy.

“I’m going to feed him to the dragons when they return,” Payne’s thoughts hit me as he rubbed his face and sighed, then looked back at me peeking through the doorway. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

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