“You fucked with the wrong Bastard, assholes.”
My Reaper was pissed off and wanted blood. I knew something was off when I picked up the kids and dropped them off at the Crossroads, but I hadn’t been able to get ahold of Gina. Her cell kept ringing even after Rev called her twice with no answer. There was no way she’d ignore her son.
Behind me, spreading around the exterior of the house, were my brothers. Patriot, Rael, Bodie, Chaos, and Wraith had the place surrounded. Neither of these Titan fuckers was getting away, especially not after what they intended to do to Gina.
I arrived in time to hear what they planned and reacted so fast I hardly realized my Reaper had risen to the surface. He was ready to act, and nothing but a bloodbath would follow.
My lip lifted in a snarl when the one called Spyder decided to lunge in my direction. Wraith chuckled from across the room as he entered through the kitchen and bounded forward to intercept. Spyder never saw him coming. I strode forward with purpose, not bothering to give two shits about Spyder’s fate or the reaping that would follow.
Gina’s ex Jack reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of reach. A knife appeared as he yanked the blade free from his jacket and held it up below her chin against the soft, unblemished skin. “Move a single fucking step, and I’ll slit her throat.”
His threat enraged my Reaper with his smug look of satisfaction and his audacity. My body trembled with fury as I felt the last of my control slip. Until this moment, I kept my ability a secret from the outside world, but that was no longer an option. Jack’s twisted, cruel soul was ripe for reaping, and Lucifer had already marked him with the taint only a Reaper could know. My head tilted back, and I roared a heavy, rage-fueled cry.
Jack’s eyes widened as my transformation from human to Reaper took place in his direct line of vision. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know the demonic entity within was now hovering over the surface of my skin like a devilish Halloween mask. His invincibility was now mine. I couldn’t be harmed, and that meant I no longer cared about my own limitations.
All that mattered was Gina and getting her away from the monster who tormented her and the kids. The fucker who raped his son.
The fear that had been in her eyes a moment ago morphed into a combination of awe and disbelief. My Reaper flashed her a grin and then winked with an arrogant, albeit charming attempt to flirt.
“Your eyes,” she gasped. “Red.”
She blinked and then gasped as Jack’s hand slipped, and the blade began to slice into the vulnerable flesh beneath her jaw. Her eyes clouded over as blood seeped from the wound and began trickling down the smooth column of her throat. The next few seconds were a blur. Chaos ensued as I yelled for Patriot and tackled Jack to the ground.
Gina collapsed as Patriot dived in her direction. If it weren’t for our Reapers’ quick reflexes and enhanced abilities, she would have hit the ground hard. Gina landed in Patriot’s arms as he pressed a hand to her neck to stop the bleeding and then shouted at Bodie for help. Pulling my gaze from the woman I longed to make mine, I focused on my enemy.
Rael appeared next to me as I held Jack down with my weight. He fought and punched wildly at the air, hoping to inflict any injury that he was able, but he didn’t stand a chance.
Snarling, I stared into his eyes and then focused on the internal function of his organs. His beating heart. Inflating and deflating lungs. Blood circulation. My Reaper latched onto his brain, specifically the cerebellum. I knew his movements and balance were controlled in that small portion. A wicked laugh tumbled from my lips as Jack began to groan, his facial features pinched in pain. A light sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead and upper lip. He jolted a few times but couldn’t fight off the Reaper’s control.
The longer I stared into his eyes, the more intense the reaction. His body began to convulse as his head thrashed from side to side. Spit bubbles formed at his lips as he opened his mouth, and a scream of pure agony ripped from the depths of his soul. He seized again, his fingers digging into the flesh of his legs as we held him down.
“The agony you feel is nothing. Eternal torment awaits you.”
Tired of playing with this dark, tainted soul, I stood as Rael released Jack. The supernatural scythe, always at my beck and call, appeared in my right hand. Disgust for this human and his numerous crimes left no room for pity. Swiping through the air, I slashed at his body as he cried out in a wail that would induce chills for most men who heard it.
No blood covered the ground. No flesh. All that remained were sooty, filmy fragments that hung with an oppressive, heavy aura in the air.
The ground rumbled beneath our feet and then cracked open, hot steam rising in uneven bursts of heat-filled clouds. Flames flickered from below and cast shadows on the walls around us. The sky outside darkened in response as I chanced a glance in Gina’s direction.
“She’s unconscious, but her injuries are minor. I think she’s a bit shocked by recent events,” Patriot surmised. “I’ll do a thorough inspection of her cut once we’re back at the Crossroads.” He wrapped her lower body, covering the exposed areas.
Thankful, I nodded.
My Reaper, however, was a bit disappointed she missed all the fun.
Rael shrugged. “Easier to explain. All she saw was your Reaper before Jack went down.”
He was probably right, but it didn’t decrease my concern for Gina. A popping sound followed by an eerie moaning pulled our attention back to the fissure growing in Gina’s living room floor. A gust of wind billowed the spiritual residue of Jack’s soul, gathering up the pieces as they spun. Faster and faster, they picked up speed and dropped lower to the ground. A loud clap of thunder cracked outside overhead before the dark filaments were sucked inside the gaping hole below like liquid draining through a funnel.
A few seconds later, there was a loudpop, and then the fissure snapped closed. All that remained was the humidity in the air and the slowly declining temperature. There was no sign of Spyder, and I realized he’d been reaped along with Jack. A fitting ending for both.
Rael snickered. “This shit never gets old.”
Bodie shook his head. “You always sat that.”
“Cause it’s true,” Rael defended.
“We all get off reaping souls,” I added. “It’s who we are. Lucifer chose us well.”