“Need me?” Gwendolyn’s tan cheeks reddened. Wrapped with her floral scent, her essence intermingled with mine. It wrapped around us, and Wrath’s familiar rush of energy settled in my gut. That wasn’t right. It was more like a determined fire engulfed me, sparking a fervent desire in my jeans. My skin prickled as I realized just what Gwendolyn’s closeness was doing to me. Lust tingled and practically burned me alive. So much longing for her.
Her eyes glossed over and her lips parted as she took another step toward me. Her need hung in the air and pulled us in.
Gwendolyn’s body sent me signals, and my entire body—my fucking soul responded .
Dangerous. She was so terrifying to me. Every emotion of mine seemed controlled by her.
Fucking Hades, how bad I wanted to give into her. To drown in her.
My nostrils flared. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What?” Her glassy gaze widened as she jumped and squeaked. My harsh voice spooked her.
Closing my eyes, I tried to reign in my thundering pulse before it turned into rage. When I reopened them, I said, “My curse is more erratic than usual. I’m almost certain it’s because of you.”
She was frowning and I swear to fucking Hades, even that turned me on. “What? Because I’m your marked lover?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“I don’t believe that. You seemed calm the night you kissed me.” When I glared, she scoffed. “Try not to look so disgusted. You’re bruising my ego, Big Guy.”
“Big Guy?”
Did she really believe that I was disgusted by her? Was she fucking blind? I was coming apart at the seams because I wanted her so damn much. I was battling my curse who was equally obsessed with Gwendolyn.
“Well,” she gestured to my chest, “you’re not exactly small.”
Don’t respond. Don’t respond.
But my cock was already pressing against my jeans.
“Come on,” I blurted, trying to ignore the discomfort of sporting a massive erection inside my parent’s home with the chick that was driving me insane.
Suddenly, the entire castle shook. Dust and pieces of brick fell from the walls. My legs jarred so much they kept buckling.
“What’s going on?” Gwendolyn’s shrill matched the crinkled fear marring her face.
I sensed the swell of magic entering Grim’s woods and my rage intensified.
“Harvesters.” I growled.
Chapter 18
Gwendolyn
Barron’s skin rippled like a pond after someone skipped rocks across it. He became transparent for a moment or two—Mr. Bones peeking out before Barron regained it. Barron’s red essence swirled around him as bits and pieces of drywall fell around us.
I couldn’t keep myself upright, and I was too afraid to lean on the walls. “Come here,” Barron barked. Before I could fall to my knees, Barron, with a murderous scowl and slanted brows, lifted me into his arms. Then dozens of red cloaks appeared. White doll-like masks covered their faces. They surrounded us in the long hallway.
The earthquake or whatever stopped, and the cloaked figures advanced in rapid speed.
Fear took over. Breathing became difficult when I realized that the demons who killed me wore a similar get-up. Were they there for me again? A sharp ache sparked in my chest. It was like being stabbed all over again. Gasping for air, I clung to Barron’s shirt.
“Don’t worry. They will not lay a single hand on you.”
I stared up at Barron’s face, but he was focused on the enemy.
Without letting me go, he kicked the first one that came near. A loud whoosh escaped the attacker’s mouth. The force of it threw the attacker into the others like a bowling ball. Next to Barron, a chain formed in the air, then began to move. What the—
It was freaking insane watching it slither through the air in two different directions. One side went behind us. Crack! Crack! Crack! It zipped straight through the chests of the demons. The other side did the same to the ones in front of us.
Barron’s grip never loosened on me as he faded us. Within seconds, we were in a different spot. A thunderous screech sounded overhead. I glanced up to see dragons then I made the mistake of looking down. I exhaled, wrapping my arms around his neck for dear life. We were standing on top of the castle on the highest peak.
Sebastian was standing outside. Why was he just standing?! A group of them surrounded him. Outnumbered. But then the strange guy yawned and smacked one in the face. Whack. Whack Whack. My jaw dropped. I understood the expression bob and weave right then as I watched him. Bob, weave, smack!
I hated the bad guys, but man I felt embarrassed for them.
BOOM!
I jolted in Barron’s arms. A few yards from Sebastian, a good chunk of the castle wall blew out. I heard the screaming first. Several demons flew through the air, legs and arms flaying. Oh, well yeah. I’d scream too. Thankfully, we were too high up to see the splatter of them hitting the ground. Prudence floated out of the hole.
To the right of us, Joy kicked a dude to the ground. Two more charged after her screaming. There was a screech in the air. I looked up in time to see River and Ruby swoop down and swallow one each. Wrinkling her nose as she glanced up, she waved at them and faded somewhere.
Jesus, though. It was insane watching the red cloaks and the family fighting. It was obvious that I had a lot to learn about Barron’s world. Not just about my powers, but why anyone would fight them.
“Are they here for me again?” I whispered.
When Barron didn’t respond, I glanced up.
Oh, no.
Not again.
Mr. Bones was back.
Chapter 19
Prudence
I didn’t move an inch as my sword hovered and stabbed, missing no demon that tried to get close. Being a Reaper had its perks. It was rather nice to prop myself against the wall and let my weapon do all the work. I glanced away from the Harvesters a moment and picked at my chipped dark purple nails.
I need a new color; I thought absentmindedly.
With a deranged battle cry, the demons charged forward. Or more accurately, tried. My blade pierced the heart of its opponent before cutting through the one closest to reaching me. His scream cut short. The others still moved forward. There was too many for my sword to take care of alone. Smirking, I morphed it into a dozen daggers and let them zip through the air. Their shouts quickly faded as the small blades cut through flesh. Yikes! So much blood.
These guys were weak.
What was Harvest up to?
Once only one remained, I held my palm out and sent all my daggers back to me. By the time it reached me, it was my sword again. I pushed myself off the wall as the demon rushed forward. When he swung his blade out, I dodged and smacked the hilt of my weapon against his wrist. The sword fell from his hand. His fate rested in my hands. He knew this. His stony, bulged eyes through his mask showed his fear. It didn’t stop him from throwing a punch. I bobbed then kicked his feet out from underneath him. He scrambled to get back to his feet. I’d rather he didn’t. Lifting my blade, I pushed it through his chest. Blood poured out around my sword. No wonder he screamed a brief second before death took him. I’d died from a blade injury before. It sucked.
“Pretty brave for weak demons,” I said.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Footsteps approached.
“There!” another demon yelled.
More? I sighed, whirled around, and saw ten or more cloaked demons heading toward me.
“Not the brunette,” another whispered. “She’s already linked with someone else. It’s a different sister.”
Different sister?
“There are two brunettes!”
Those demons made the worst villains. Everyone knew you didn’t announce the plans—plans that I knew may involve the women of our family.
They were looking for one of us. But why?
“How are we supposed to know which one?” That one’s voice was shaky. Someone w
asn’t all too eager to be there for the cause. I could use that against him. Maybe I should keep that one alive. He seemed like the type to spill the beans.
Okay, I was done listening. Keep the chicken alive. Everyone else would die.
I flicked my hair off my shoulder and tightened my grip on my weapon.
But just as I moved to attack, Barron, in his skeleton form, faded with Gwendolyn in his arms. Moving like a snake, his chain floated through the air around them and ripped through every one. Normally, when raging we had to brace ourselves for the damage. He always came after us too, but he bypassed me completely.
My brows knitted together. Just what was going on with him?
I could barely see them anymore with his wild essence funneling around them then it all vanished when Barron faded.
My eyes darted around the space wondering where Barron disappeared to. Then, I felt his wild fury below me. It was like hatred seeped through the walls and touched my skin. Then the shrieking—like banshees screaming in the night—hit me. Barron’s smoky-red essence seeping through the walls as he took out any remaining demons.
Oh, Barron. I smacked my forehead with my palm.
Thanks to all the demons, we’d be descending spirits for hours.
So much for keeping my scaredy-cat alive, I thought as I stared down at his lifeless form on the ground.
Someone needed to grab Gwendolyn from Barron. He wasn’t hurting her, but that could change. And, I guess that person had to be me since I saw them first. Or maybe I should let it run its course. She didn’t look unsafe in his arms. On the contrary, Gwendolyn looked like she belonged there.
I studied the pink swirl of my essence flowing around me. We all knew what it was like to be controlled by our curses. I had it easier than the others because I had outmaneuvered mine.
For now, Lust lay dormant inside me. Even if she awakened, I never let her last long.
Chapter 20
Gwendolyn
Brick walls crumbled. Bodies with pierced chests from where the chain had torn through littered the floor everywhere. It wasn’t a fight, but a massacre. Mr. Bones wreaked havoc on the bad guys. On everything. Never once did he set me down, and I didn’t dare try to get away from him. Fear and fascination kept me quiet as he painted the walls in blood.
Thump! Scream. Thump! Scream.
He rushed around the castle until there was no one left but his family.
That family was insanely powerful.
The skeletal creature’s destruction was a terrifying sight to behold while I could see it. When his essence around us continued to grow larger, all I saw was red.
Barron was a monster. Skeleton form or not, he wasn’t someone to mess with.
But that version of him was also the one that plunged his beating heart into my chest. The one that had yet to harm me. The one that took me skating and made me look at him anew.
My body responded by heating my skin, especially the places his cold fingers touched.
Why couldn’t Barron seek me out like Mr. Bones did? He wanted me here.
But why?
“Because you belong here with me, not Heaven.” The deep and menacing voice boomed in my head.
My pulse kicked up a notch as I peered up and saw the eyeless sockets.
“How did you do that? I wasn’t speaking out loud.”
His cold, bony fingers slid over my legs and tapped the red lion tattoo. “It connects us. Body, mind, and spirit.”
“The tattoo?” I thought.
“Yes.”
I shivered in his arms. Even my thoughts weren’t safe.
“They’re not,” he agreed. “But neither is Barron’s.”
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer that question inside my head though. Instead, he faded us. His essence returned to normal by the time we arrived at what looked to be a cave.
The air was damp and cold. I noticed several boulders and a pinkish-orange moss covering the ground. The same colored vines draped the walls. They didn’t light up like the plants in the woods, so the small area was dark with a bit of light casting from one direction. I heard running water. Was that a waterfall? Sadly, I couldn’t see anything else, but the light shining from over his shoulder.
“Why did you bring us here?” I asked as he set me on my feet. The waterfall was easy to spot once Barron’s skeletal form moved aside. The heavy stream was shining blue. That explained why it was so easy to see. The water sparkled like specks of diamonds were in it, illuminating the area. I rubbed my arms as he walked away from me. I didn’t follow him. My body was slightly stiff from being held for so long in his cold grip. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Did he hear my thoughts? My stomach dropped as I waited for his response.
“I cannot take Barron’s true body for you, but I would if I could.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, but the resounding tone in his creepy voice made me think he truly meant it.
Between the water and air wafting in, it chilled the cave. I continued to rub my arms as I stepped away from the cliff. “Why are we here?” I asked again.
“Because the family does not understand, nor does Barron. They’ll come and make me surge—they’ll take you from me so that Barron will return.”
“Who are you exactly? Have you always done this to Barron? Take his body?” I whispered the question, not wanting my words to sound like an accusation. I didn’t think I was in danger with him, but my fate still resided with the creature.
“I am Wrath, Gwendolyn. Barron is my holder. But to him, I am his curse. I’ve always sought destruction, I need to shed blood…” He balled his digits into a bony fist and faced me. “But no, I haven’t done this before. I’ve never had a voice before you. I’ve only appeared when I can’t suppress the anger any longer.” He shook his head and sighed. “Barron made me this way.”
My nose crinkled. “I don’t understand. How did he make you this way?”
“Because I was nothing more than a sin until all his suppressed emotions slipped into me. He’s concealed them so much over the years to keep me from unleashing. In doing so, he turned himself into an impassive black cloud. It was when he found you that I thought he’d reached a tipping point. His bottled-up feelings—his desires—manifested inside of me because I do not agree with staying away from you. His denial has made me angry.” He stalked toward me. I took a step back and stumbled over a rock. “He takes nothing and wants nothing. Until now. I am simply taking what he wants.”
My heart picked up on what he just said. What Barron wants? I gasped and sputtered. “You’re saying you keep stealing me because Barron wants me?”
He nodded.
I didn’t believe Wrath.
“Truly. Barron mastered hiding his emotions. He denies himself you. Over and over.” The red essence increased around him. Was it a spike in his emotions? His eyeless gaze landed on me. “You don’t feel his desperation? His driving need for you to be safe? My presence is shaking him up. Don’t worry, it’s only a matter of time before you feel his affection.”
“For what?”
“For you.”
Don’t give me hope, Skeleton! I wanted to scream at him.
“Don’t. Please don’t confuse me. Yes, I see that he wants to keep me safe. You all want to keep me safe. But where I come from, and all the places I’ve been, has taught me that nothing lasts. The two people that truly cared about me don’t even remember who I was. The sad thing is, they were never mine to begin with. That’s where Barron and I see eye-to-eye.” Then it dawned on me as I said the words. I understood why Barron pushed me away. I dropped to my knees and covered my face. God, this sucked! Barron was trying to protect me. Like I had chosen Helen and Harold’s happiness over them remembering me, Barron chose to send me away. Only his choice was harder. Barron knew who I was to him, but he still chose my life over his happiness because of the end approaching. His determination was so much crueler for him that my heart hurt. “He truly wants me?
” I raised my gaze to Mr. Bones, and he nodded. “Truly?” I asked again.
His deep voice rumbled as he said, “To the point of madness.”
My shoulders slumped, insecurity flaring and churning my gut. How could an immortal care about me? So many people didn’t want me growing up that it was just plain sad. And even angry, Barron was so handsome that he could have anybody he wanted. So why me? And, why did I dare think I could seduce him into kissing me again? Self-doubt kept creeping in. “But he promised to keep me, then he took it back at the first sign of danger—”
“Enough!” Mr. Bones yelled so loud in my head that I stumbled back onto my ass. “Your insecurities won’t exist one day when it comes to me. You are everything, Gwendolyn. Everything.”
“I don’t care one way or another,” I lied.
The red essence brightened in his eyeless sockets. “Then why did you cling to him when he was sending you to Heaven?”
My mouth dropped. Did I have an excuse? “As far as I knew he could have been sending me to Hell. I knew nothing about him other than he was a Reaper.”
Wrath shook his skull. “Remember, I hear your thoughts.” Tossing his hand up, he walked away. “Come. I’ll build a fire.”
“Shouldn’t we go back and check on everyone?” I asked as I followed.
“I killed all the threats before I left. I’ll do the same to the family if they come and try to take you from me again.”
“That’s Barron’s family,” I told him.
“So? I’ve killed them a lot over the years. So has Barron without my help. It’s therapeutic.”
“That’s awful.”
He chuckled, and the icky sound vibrated off my skin.
He stopped building the fire to stare at me.
“You will come to like the darkness for my presence is woven inside Barron—always there to protect you. I won’t apologize for that. No one messes with him, and soon no one will dare mess with you.” A boned hand reached over and rubbed my jean covered knee intimately.
Conjuring Wrath (Seven Deadly Book 3) Page 14