Envy's Kindness (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2)

by R. A. Pollard

  She couldn’t see anyone, but she could hear humming. A hymn. She ducked out of sight quickly as the woman came into view, and another voice joined the humming.

  “Sandra, I’m telling you that this little harlot has Phillip all worked up. I want her gone from the town. If I had my way, she would be gone from this damned world. Are you listening to me?” Freya.

  Sandra didn’t reply but merely continued to hum.

  “Sandra, seriously shut up with that song!” the fake Mrs. Dunham screeched. “This is important!”

  The humming stopped, and Sera strained to listen to the conversation. There was the sound of a running faucet, and Sandra’s voice came from right over her head. “Now, now Margery. Such small matters are beneath me. Don’t you see? It will all work out in the end. She will be gone, and you and Phillip will be able to continue hiding out as if you were human.”

  Sera listened to the nervous, dry laugh of the goddess. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Not human? What a silly concept.” Sera could hear the shakiness in her voice. The water stopped and Sandra’s, “Tsk, tsk,” filled the night instead.

  “Lying is a sin, Margery, but you wouldn’t understand that, would you? I can see the truth. I have been opened to the world. He came to me, the Archangel Michael. I didn’t believe him at first. How can such evil exist in my town? Those demons hiding in plain sight, and low and behold, I find out that my best friend, the woman I trusted most of all, has been lying to me since the day we met.”

  “This is insane, Sandra. Stop talking like this.” Panic was audible in her voice.

  “No, no, I don’t think so. I have been given a task, you see. Keep the children safe and protected for him. So that he might come and save them from the darkness. I was going to ask you to aid me in this charge, but I know now you’re not human, and can’t be trusted.”

  There was a gasp, then the crack of a gunshot. Something thudded to the floor, and Sera covered her mouth quickly to stop herself from screaming. She was sure a bullet wouldn’t kill Freya, but her best friend had just shot her! God, what was happening to people? The silence drew on for what seemed like an eternity before the the faucet started again, and Sandra went back to humming her hymn as if she hadn’t just shot someone in her kitchen.

  The humming faded away, and Sera peered over the windowsill. It looked like any perfectly arranged and organized kitchen, but for the body lying on the floor. Freya’s eyes were closed, but there was a shallow rise and fall of her chest. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She had no weapons, nothing to defend herself against crazy zealot Sandra. Not to mention that four children were no doubt trapped in the basement of this very house. Sliding down the wall, she stared out into the darkness and closed her eyes, endeavoring to slow her breathing.

  The world might as well have been one of her visions with all that was going on around her. She sucked cold air deep into her lungs, feeling calm envelop her. Freya might be a bitch, but she didn’t deserve to remain in that house, bleeding out on the floor. Did gods die? Sera was not willing to find out. She didn’t want to be the one to tell Odin that his sister-in-law was dead.

  Moving toward the back door, she pulled down on the handle. One good thing about living in a small town, no one locked their doors. It swung open, and Sera thanked the gods of door design for making a quiet door hinge. She could hear the humming coming from somewhere deep within the house. Sandra must be in the basement with the kids. Sera tiptoed across the tile kitchen floor and knelt beside Freya.

  The bullet had pierced her upper chest, but the wound was already closing. Sera slid her hands under Freya’s arms and attempted to drag her toward the door. The goddess opened her eyes and her mouth to scream, but Sera covered it quickly and shook her head. The goddess stared at her, eyes wide. Fear quickly morphed into anger, and she glared at Sera, apparently not hurt that badly. Gradually her expression softened and she nodded.

  Sera tried to remain as quiet as possible, but each movement she made sounded loud to her ears. Encouraging Freya to lean against her, Sera hoisted the goddess to her feet. She was almost a dead weight.

  Sera headed to the door with her burden. She could feel the warm blood soaking into Ze’s shirt, sticking it to her skin. It never rained but it poured was the term. So now she had an injured woman on her shoulders and a nut case with a gun who held four children captive in the basement. Joy.

  The goddess was heavy, but Sera was not about to inform her of that. The woman hated her enough already. Managing not to collapse under her weight or break a window accidentally, they finally made it out into the cold night. She lowered Freya gently to the grass.

  “Do you have your phone?” Sera whispered. The woman didn’t seem to hear her, apparently in shock. Some goddess she was turning out to be. “Freya?” The woman looked up at her and shook her head.

  “I left it inside. I didn’t…how could I not know Michael had gotten to her?” Looking defeated, the goddess took her hand away from the wound and looked down at her blood-stained chest.

  “Okay, not what I wanted to hear, but I’ll work with it. Where in the house?”

  “Living room. On the couch in my jacket pocket. Sera, would there be any point to asking your forgiveness for my arrogance?”

  “It’s never too late for forgiveness, Freya. Listen, we can discuss it later. Right now I have to get the Sins here so we can get those children out.”

  “Oh, I’m afraid that won’t happen today, my dear.”

  Sera didn’t have time to register the words when she felt something crack across the back of her skull. Pain exploded behind her eyes, and she could have sworn she heard someone shouting in the distance as she sank into the abyss of unconsciousness.

  “Freya,” Odin swayed on his feet. Ze reached out, steadying the old god. He placed his hand on his chest and rubbed the spot over his heart. “Sorry. It’s been years since my sister-in-law has reached for me through any means other than a phone. She is trying now. Something is very wrong.” Ze tightened his grip. Odin was looking progressively gaunter as the hours passed. What little power he had remaining he was using to keep himself going. Ze could almost see his body aging before his eyes.

  Mammon had Isabelle beside him. Much to his annoyance and Ze’s chagrin, the woman had refused to stay at the motel. She was trying to find Sera but kept running into some kind of barrier. Ze had to admit she was insanely useful at keeping them away from the mortals Michael had managed to influence.

  Mammon pulled her into his arms, and she sighed softly, strain clear around her eyes and lips. “Three more, next street over, worse than the last two we encountered. Is there any hope for these people? Michael has sunk to a new low, taking children, and now this?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of a human being able to return to their normal lives after they have ‘seen’ our world. Some will adapt, but others—well, they will fall into darkness, and we will have to clean up the mess.” Ze was going to make Michael pay for this, damn him. It was bad enough he planned on wiping out the human race, but using them as pawns and taking children. His soul must be black indeed.

  “Give me a moment. I will try and reach her.” The god looked around the street, ensuring they were safe for the moment and closed his eyes.

  Ze could feel the air around them humming as the god attempted to communicate with his sister-in-law telepathically. Such a bond between the gods was not something the Sins shared, but he was starting to suspect he shared such a bond with Sera. He knew she was in trouble. He could almost feel her fear and anxiety. After a few moments, Odin opened his eyes and nodded to the others.

  “I know where Sera is. Come, we must be quick. She is in the viper’s nest as we speak.”

  Ze hoped his brothers would stay away from town. With the humans under Michael’s influence, they would be walking targets. Lucifer had been spitting mad about not fighting beside them, but he understood the need. The fewer ‘supernaturals’ around, the better it would
be for everyone. They didn’t need half the town losing their minds over the presence of eight demons and a retired god.

  They stopped walking again, the barrier seeming to suck the very air from around them. Michael must have been dabbling in some very dark magic, Ze could feel it. Magic like this seemed to absorb the very light from around them, replacing it with an intense urge to flee; to be away from here, playing on the humans’ darkest and most primal fears.

  Isabelle stopped and let out a sob. “It’s so horrible. So much fear. Michael is terrifying these people into becoming his servants. Once he rips their minds open, they can’t help but see what he shows them.”

  Isabelle covered her heart as Mammon whispered softly to her, bringing her head up and kissing her gently. His words were lost to Ze in the thick air, but Isabelle heard him. She nodded and closed her eyes. The wind suddenly seemed to rush in around them, and the Seer of Empathy appeared to glow for a second, the wind embracing her, whipping her hair about. Ze could see her sending out her power, cleansing the very earth of Michael’s taint, pushing back the swamping emotions that made the air heavy and chilled the soul.

  Then Isabelle slumped against Mammon, her energy drained from the effort. He held her tightly, his eyes burning with a vengeance for the people who were forcing his female to experience pain. Ze’s attention fell on the old god, who had a funny expression on his face. It was wistful, as though remembering a time when women like Isabelle and Sera walked among them, and powers like theirs were protected.

  “Come. Elmhurst is the next block over.” Odin’s voice sounded clogged with tears, but he hid it well. They crossed the street, coming to a stop as two people emerged from the darkness. Sorrow and uneasiness stabbed at the demon’s heart. It was the preacher he had seen early that morning and one of the men that Odin had brought with him to Sera’s home only forty-eight hours ago.

  “Malcolm, you need to get inside. Please listen to me.” The old god pleaded for his friend to see reason.

  “Deceiver! To think we trusted you to find those kids when in truth you took them for your own dark evil perversions!”

  “Stop this and think. Why would I harm those children? I love this town, I love its people. Stop and see through the haze that bastard has put into your mind.”

  “Who is a liar but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist who denieth the Father and the Son,” the preacher quoted, his voice rising into the darkness. Ze narrowed his eyes at the preacher. The look in his crazed eyes chilled him. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

  Ze felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. He turned to the old man. Odin, the All-Father, would kill Michael for what he had done here. Ze could see it in the dark light glimmering in the god’s eyes. Not that Ze could blame him. His friend was gone, and in his place stood a crazed human with a lust and a drive to kill that which he now perceived as evil.

  Ze moved to stand beside Odin, touching his shoulder. They didn’t have time for this. Sera was possibly in the hands of Michael right now. They couldn’t keep dancing around the mortals like this. Ze had to push away any guilt he might feel at the actions he had to take now. He needed to get to Sera. Nothing else mattered but her. He hoped she would forgive him for what he was about to do.

  In the darkness, two became four. These two must have been trying to claw their own eyes out, judging from the bloodied fingernails and scratched faces. They moved almost like zombies, unable to comprehend anything other than what the puppeteer wanted them to.

  It was surprisingly easy to drop the guilt and the humanity in one’s soul when you made up your mind to do it. Ze could feel the Sin inside him stretching, Envy almost reluctantly opening an eye to assess the situation. It’s too easy, humans are like paper people. They come apart too easy. Where is the fun in killing them? But they have Sera, nobody takes her from us. She belongs to us.

  “We can’t wait. I will make it as painless as possible.” Ze’s voice was deathly cold. The old god’s eyes widened. That’s right old man, Envy is in control now.

  The thick air crackled with sparks of silver light as Ze backed up one step, then another, releasing his tight rein on his own terrified emotions. Rage, fear, and love rushed through him, flooding his form with power. Yes, he loved her. He needed her as much as Mammon needed Isabelle. He felt his brother behind him, protecting his female from the backlash of his emotions.

  Power spread into his fingers, sending flames of liquid silver rolling over his skin. With a hiss born of anger and rage, shimmering white and silver wings erupted from his back. He welcomed the pain, embracing it as it radiated down his spine. The sound of tearing cloth was stolen by the air, as a tail emerged from his lower spine.

  The humans stank of fear, and he reveled in it. He lowering his body with a hiss, deadly claws digging into the concrete like knives into butter. His tail flicked back and forth, reminiscent of an angry feline, and his face twisted into rage. Slitted eyes rimmed with silver locked on the humans. The scent of urine and fear soaked the air.

  “Do as you must, demon.” It was clear Odin hated those words.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Sera’s head was splitting. She winced as she opened her eyes, blinking back the spots that flashed over her vision. With a groan, she attempted to raise her hands to the painful spot on the back of her skull, only to realize that her hands were secured tightly behind her with thick cable ties. She could feel them cutting into her wrists. Raising her head, she tried to get an idea of where she was. She ignored the pounding in her head and attempted to get her bearings. She was tied to a chair, the room was dark, but she could hear humming coming from the corner.

  “Glad to see I didn’t hit you too hard, dear. Michael said he wanted you alive. I won’t risk his wrath.” Sandra’s insanity-tinged voice made Sera’s head ache all the more. She struggled against the bindings, finding them tight to the point of cutting off circulation.

  “Sandra, you need to let me go. Don’t you understand what he wants to do to those children?” Sera had to stall—do something, anything, until Ze found her. She knew he would. She trusted him.

  “Oh yes, I know. He is going to make them into angels. They will help him fight the darkness. He will raise them up to heaven. Now I have seen the real evil; I saw the demons that walk the world. And you, little whore of the devil, letting that vile creature touch you, lay with you. I don’t believe you can be saved, but Michael says he needs you, so I must keep you for him.” The insanity was painfully clear. The shame was that Sera believed it wouldn’t have taken much to drive this woman insane.

  “He is going to kill those kids, Sandra! You need to let me go!” Pulling on her bindings, Sera felt the plastic break the skin. The warm flow of blood began to coat her hands.

  “I know, my dear. He told me everything. He trusts me with the truth. Don’t you see? Those children will become the weapons with which he will fight the darkness. He will save our race, making a new Eden. I will be one of his chosen. It will be wonderful. No demons, no fake gods parading around like humans. To think I was friends with that harlot of Satan. Well, she won’t be tricking anyone else. I’m sure not even she could survive a bullet to the head.” Her voice was a sickening sing-song as she spoke.

  Freya? Sandra had shot her? Could a goddess with little to no power live through a direct head shot? God, she hoped so. The woman might have been spiteful and full of jealous rage, but she didn’t deserve to be killed that way. Sera felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as she beheld the monster before her.

  The woman just hummed happily, moving about in the darkness. The hymns she kept repeating were going to drive Sera nuts. She had to do something, she wouldn’t sit by and let this woman help Michael kill those innocents.

  Closing her eyes, she reached out, trying to find her power within her. From what Ilianna had told her, she needed Ze. Bu
t she was the Seer of Hindsight. This was her power, and she would master it. She dug deep, deeper inside her soul than she ever thought possible.

  She found the darkness, that stain left by the minds of the many sick humans she’d helped capture and take off the streets. The fear rose like bile within her. She had never ventured below that inky blackness, terrified that she would lose herself to the ‘gift,’ that she would become that which she hunted. But it felt different now. She felt a strong hand at her back, a strength she’d not experienced before. Ze! Even though he was far away, she could still feel his grounding power running through her. He was her anchor.

  Reaching within herself, she sank her hand into that writhing black mass, the inky pitch surging up her hand and arm, covering her head and mouth like so many times before. This is where she had always pulled back, feeling like her life was being taken from her as she drowned in the darkness. Not this time! This time she needed to get through it, needed to fight through her own fears. So Sera stopped resisting and let the surge wash over her, closing her eyes within herself, accepting its embrace.

  For a second she felt lost, like she would never again see the light, yet a soft tingling on the side of her neck reminded her she had someone waiting for her, someone fighting to get to her. Opening her eyes, she lifted her hand, watching the swirling darkness dance around her fingers. Odin said it was her badge of honor, her battle scars. She stepped forward, feeling the darkness give way, parting for her, imparting a warmth to her skin. That desperate feeling of being drowned evaporated, and she stepped out into the light. Her body felt light, and she looked down to see herself tied up, her chin resting on her chest. Projection?