AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I want to help, Malik. Focus on the enemy,” I grunt, taking a step toward Talon with my hands thrust forward, freezing the six men circling him.
Talon’s crazed white eyes flick to me, a short exhale passing his lips as he attacks the men frozen in place. I watch with wide eyes as he slaughters each and every one of them.
He checks their arms, searching for something, before snapping their necks and taking their hearts. One by one by one.
I can sense Malik battling the other men around us and manage to keep my feet planted in place and my magic as focused as possible, but some motherfucker with the ability to send out goddamn high-winds targets me again. It’s like a mini fucking tornado whirls toward me, managing to darken the sky too as I’m knocked completely off my feet this time.
“Harmonia!”
My back slams into the sidewalk, a grunt bursting from my mouth as I try to catch my breath through the pain. I can hear Malik calling my name with panic rich in his deep voice, but I struggle to focus my gaze on anything as I roll to my side before managing to get on my hands and knees.
“Dumb bitch likes it on her knees, huh?”
I frown, tilting my head in search of the voice, but my hair is in the way, blocking my full view before I’m kicked in the face. I crumble in a heap, my hands rising to my face as I bite back the cry desperate to break free.
Focus, Harmonia. Use your magic.
Attempting to pep talk myself, I growl through clenched teeth, angry that I’m letting them hurt me like this. A chuckle sounds from above me and I know my attacker is taking pleasure in seeing me in this state.
Weak. Vulnerable. At his mercy.
Refusing to accept those words being associated with me, my throat burns as I growl once more and shove my hair off my face as I look up at the motherfucker.
Rage and chaos sounds around us but all of that fades into the background as I settle all of my attention on this asshole. “Little girl, you’re going to make a sweet little notch on my bedpost tonight,” he sneers, running his tongue over his teeth as he grabs at his crotch suggestively.
I scoff in response, nostrils flaring and anger coursing through my veins, beckoning my magic forward as I lurch my hands in his direction. “Sorry, I have other plans.”
Any response on the tip of his tongue goes unheard as I let my magic loose from the tips of my fingers, but the freeze I expect to come never happens, instead, flames flicker like embers in his direction.
A gargled cry tumbles from his mouth as his entire body burns so bright I have to shield my eyes. My chest squeezes, fear, adrenalin, and raw survival overwhelming me as the world seems to stop around me.
I struggle to take a full breath, every sharp inhale stabbing at my lungs as the noise stops, the brightness dimming as I slowly lower my arm. I can feel blood trickling down my face, my body aching from head to toe from his attack, but it’s only when I don’t find him hovering above me any longer that I finally feel any kind of relief.
My head rolls to the side, my eyelids threatening to close and my body exhausted, but the sudden sensation of someone bundling me into their arms manages to sharpen my brain enough to keep me from passing out.
Warmth presses against my face as I’m moved, my eyes remaining closed even though my brain is alert. The light at the back of my eyelids dims as I hear chatter surround me and I get the feeling we’ve stepped inside the office building.
It’s not until I feel a palm swipe a loose tendril of hair back off my face that I even attempt to blink my eyes open. When I find a furious Alexi looking down at me, I shrink in his grasp, desperate to get away from his anger which I know is coming.
“Is she okay?” Talon rushes into the room, Malik hot on his tail as Alexi takes a seat at a desk, keeping me firmly in his hold as I get comfortable in his lap.
“Does she look okay to you?” The venom in his voice is palpable and I can’t decide if it’s because of me or for me, but I’m praying for the latter.
Malik rakes his fingers through his hair as he moves to the right of the desk separating us at the same time Talon sweeps to the left. The three of them surrounding me makes me even more light-headed, which is definitely not helping the situation, but I can’t bring myself to complain about it either. For the first time since I got here, I feel complete. Almost.
“What the hell was all that, Alexi?” Malik’s pinched brows frame his eyes as he glares at his friend, who scoffs in response.
“The Red-fucking-vellions, obviously,” he bites, and I can sense his eye roll without looking. If I make eye contact with him, he might remember himself and drop me like a sack of potatoes, which I really don’t want to happen. Not when it’s so warm here.
Snuggling in, despite my thoughts, I relish the feel of Alexi’s hands gripping me tighter.
“Why? What the hell was that attack for?” Talon’s anger is mixed with frustration as his hand falls to my knee.
“While you three were taking your time this morning,” Alexi starts, likely glaring at us, but I keep my gaze anywhere but on his face. “I received another slab of flesh from Noose, exactly the same as the last.”
“A fake? Again?” The surprise is clear in Malik’s voice, and I adjust myself slightly to look at him. Reaching out toward him, my sleeve rises up a little with how I’m positioned, and as I move to place my hand on his arm, he grips my wrist, freezing me in place.
“What’s going on?” I ask, but none of them answer me. All three of them are staring at my wrist in horror, even chancing a glance at Alexi shows he’s red in the face and ready to explode with anger. “Guys?”
Uncertainty trickles down my spine as I watch Talon gulp harshly, reaching across Alexi and me to twist my wrist so he can see better. Confused, especially since no one is responding to me, I snatch my arm back, wanting to see what has all of their attention.
My brow furrows deeper together as I see black ink etched into my skin that wasn’t there before. My mouth dries as I look up at Alexi, knowing he will cut all of the bullshit and be straight with me.
“What is this?”
To my surprise, he pinches the bridge of his nose before resting his hand on my knee, his brown eyes etched with pain as he shakes his head. “That, Harmonia, is the Mark of Death.”
My pulse rings in my ears as I ask the question I know I don’t want the answer to.
“The Mark of Death?”
