A Shade of Vampire 82 A Circle of Nine - Bella Forrest Page 0,67

no authority—and certainly not enough power—to do this to innocent people.

As blood splashed my suit, I felt at peace with this decision. Though violent, it was righteous. Though merciless, it was a natural reaction to their unnatural actions.

Nethissis

We could all hear the chaos outside.

The screaming. The wailing. The sound of bodies falling to the ground, of ghouls growling, of Darklings struggling to keep up with the violence. Something was happening, and it was putting the fear of all the gods into the Visentis brothers.

“What do we do?” Moore asked, quaking in his boots. For all his earlier self-confidence, he looked more like a scared six-year-old than ever before.

“You two stay with Atlas and the witch,” Aganon ordered him and Tudyk. “Simmon and I will go outside and see what’s going on.”

“I’m not sure that’s your brightest idea ever.” I chuckled. My snark quickly subsided as Atlas growled and grabbed me by the throat, possessively pulling me closer to him. He was going into defensive mode, I realized, as he cautiously moved back into a corner, his enormous fangs showing.

Blood splattered across one of the windows. We all saw a Darkling fall and a shadow land somewhere on top of him. My breath was short, and only partially because of Atlas’s grip on my throat. Whatever was happening outside had to do with Seeley and the others. They were coming for me. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so lonely anymore.

Moore frowned. “You should stay here,” he said to Aganon and Simmon. “Mother told us to keep the witch here, away from the Reapers.”

“She also said Atlas can eat her if they try to come for her,” Simmon replied dryly. “We still have leverage here, no matter what’s going on out there.”

“But if you leave the witch’s vicinity, you’ll be vulnerable!” Moore insisted.

“We’re stronger together!” Tudyk added, drawing his scythe.

Simmon scoffed. “Gah, you two are phenomenal cowards.”

“They’re children,” Aganon chastised him. “Cut them some slack.”

“They’re Darklings. It’s time for them to act like Darklings! I’m going to—” Simmon was interrupted by the front door splintering inward. Something heavy and powerful had torn it down in the blink of an eye. Fragments flew all over the room, and the Visentis boys all froze on the spot.

I felt Atlas’s claws gradually digging into my spirit, the feeling of skin being pierced a little too familiar, even when I no longer had a physical body. He wasn’t going to let go of me. He was going to eat me if it looked like my rescuers might succeed.

The Soul Crusher and the Widow Maker came in first. I’d not seen them since our Hermessi kerfuffle, but they were a sight for sore eyes! Both wore cold and deadly smiles, their galaxy eyes glimmering with recognition when they found me. Dark fury filled their gazes when they looked at the Visentis boys.

“This is ridiculous,” Soul said. “And a terrible thing your ancestors did. Look at poor Atlas.” He waved at the ghoul. “Hey there, buddy. Long time no see.”

“You were prettier in your Reaper days, though,” Widow grumbled, staring at the ghoul.

Atlas didn’t react except for a low growl that slipped from his throat. He held on to me tightly enough to make me wonder about my odds of survival.

“You made a big mistake coming here,” Aganon spat and proceeded to whisper a death magic spell. Simmon, too, was channeling the forces into his own scythe.

Unfortunately for them, two shadows swooped around Soul and Widow. I caught the glimmer of scythes as they slashed outward and the shadows bolted past Aganon and Simmon. The two Visentis men stilled, their eyes wide and glistening with pure shock. The color in their irises faded into a milky white as huge gaping cuts opened on their stomachs. Blood spurted out, covering the wooden floor in a steady stream.

A Reaper didn’t need to cut off an Aeternae’s head to kill them. Reapers’ scythes carried traces of purified death, far beyond the physical realm’s limitations. The shadows stopped behind Simmon and Aganon, and only then did their figures become visible.

I sucked in a harsh breath, recognizing Kelara and… Seeley! He had come for me!

They kicked the Visentis men down. The bodies landed in puddles of their own blood with slick thuds as their souls drifted from within and got instantly reaped.

“Mommy!” Tudyk screamed, his eyes red and glassy with tears as he huddled in a corner with Moore. They’d both transformed, deprived of the security the Visentis name had once offered them. In