Chapter Thirty-Six

Nova

August steadied me as the floor vibrated. The walls rattled like something was tearing out the bricks. Payne shoved Barron and Gwendolyn aside right before the chandelier collapsed on the floor. Tiny shards scattered everywhere.

“Harvest!” I yelled.

“I’ll go check,” Payne shouted. “You guys get out! Something is happening. I don’t think the castle’s going to hold.”

As Payne looked at Joy, she quickly murmured, “Go. I’ll keep our babies safe.”

Joy left before everyone else to reach her eggs. Payne ran out of the room while everyone pulled out their portal chips. “I need my weapon,” Sebastian grumbled, but I could barely hear him over the rumbling of the structure.

“So does everyone!” Maureen shouted. “But we can’t get them right now.”

Before Sebastian could protest, I hollered, “Just go. We have two witches. No one is going to get through Isabella and me.”

Isabella and I exchanged grins and nodded in agreement.

We ported into the woods. All I saw were giant, looming trees full of vibrant colors. August head snapped frantically left and right, as if he was searching for someone. Everyone materialized beside us.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Where’s Kitty?” August questioned, then everyone else looked around, worry pinching their faces.

“She ran outside after Dad…” August couldn’t finish. He shook his head. “Fuck. We have to find her. We were supposed to put up some sort of shield.”

“What shield?” Prudence’s nose wrinkled.

“To keep the Devil from reaching her,” Sebastian finished.

Maureen’s eyes widened. “So, it’s true. Her mate is really the Devil ?”

“I think we should worry about Harvest first,” said Jackal, Maureen’s mate, as he pointed ahead.

Just as I looked, a deafening boom hit my ears. The castle fell. Dust and debris blew up, flying out toward the trees. We were too far out for any of it to reach us.

Prudence covered her mouth, shaking. “Hades, Kitty better have been out of there.”

“We don’t have weapons, but Payne is going to need us,” August said after a long sigh.

“I can help him. You guys need to stay safe until your powers are back,” I told him.

His jaws flexed. “ You’re mortal, too, Nova. I won’t let you put yourself at risk without me by your side.”

“No, no, no,” Barron’s chanted words had everyone turning around. He was trying to grab a tearful Gwendolyn.

Oh, Hades. She was a ghost again. Her shoulders trembled. “It’s okay, Barron,” she whispered.

“No, no, no,” he said again as he fell to his knees in front of her.

“You’re going to come get me,” she whispered.

“You’re not going anywhere. Do you hear me?” Barron told her, still trying to touch his ghostly mate.

His head moved around until he found me and pleaded. “Nova, please. You’re the only one with the magic to touch her. Don’t let the portal take her.”

My heart crumbled. Could I touch her? I was still an otherworldly witch, a demon. Touching a ghost shouldn’t be too hard.

Pulling from August, I rushed toward Barron and his mate.

“Barron, please,” Gwendolyn begged. “Tell me goodbye while we have the chance!”

“No!” Barron yelled. “Heaven spat you out. They gave you me. They can’t just take you away now.”

Heaven’s gate opened behind Gwendolyn as she tensed. I grabbed her wrist, connecting with her skin fully, and yanked her in the opposite direction.

“The pull toward it is great,” Gwendolyn said, latching onto my arm in return. Her face brightened with hope when we made contact. “Maybe this can work.” The faith in her voice lit the fire in my resolve.

I blasted magic toward the gate. It didn’t budge. My magic didn’t reach it. Instead, it vanished before connecting. Maybe no one could destroy gates to Heaven and Hell. The thought was unsettling.

I dragged Gwendolyn away. The gate, however, was even closer. “Isabella!” I yelled, and she was by our side in a blink. “Help me. Take off your glove and use your power, too.”

She threw her hands out, backing away slowly. “I can’t. I’ll—”

“You can’t hurt me, remember?” I smiled to assure her. “You don’t have to touch her, just me.”

With a nod, Isabella removed a glove and pressed her hand on my arm. Her power flew into me. Together, we pulled Gwendolyn. Only for the gate to be closer.

I felt a surge of panic as my heart sank. “It’s not working,” I whispered.

Gwendolyn lowered her head as shudders wracked her body.

“Please, please,” Barron pleaded as he moved with us on his knees every step we took. I could no longer look at either of them, especially when Gwendolyn’s legs flew up in the air behind her. Isabella and I stumbled forward, trying to hold her, but she was being sucked into the gate.

My vision blurred. Was I not going to save her? I was so tired of letting people go. I didn’t know her personally, but it didn’t matter. We were family and wanted to get to know her someday.

Gwendolyn raised her head and smiled at Barron, giving him her undivided attention . “After you save the world, come get me, please. I’d rather face Hell with you than know peace where I’m going.”

I tripped forward as Gwendolyn flew backward. Isabella fell on top of me as I smacked the ground. I never let go as the dirt and grass dragged me along with Barron’s mate . It didn’t matter in the end. One second I felt her in my grip, then I didn’t. When I looked up, Gwendolyn and the gate were gone.

The most awful wail came from Barron. Isabella cried on top of me, and I didn’t move. My knees and stomach stung. Suddenly, someone removed Isabella’s weight from on top of me, and then they lifted me off the ground.

August dusted me off. When he saw my face, he cradled my cheek and leaned closer. He said , “When she’d already been through it once, nothing could stop that gate from snatching her.”

“I couldn’t save her.” My voice cracked.

“We can get her back when this is over,” August said, kissing each cheek. “She belongs with us. Heaven will see that again, okay?”

Maureen and Prudence came over and squeezed my shoulders. I wanted to believe it was a show of support.

“Go.” I urged August toward Barron, who needed his family most right then.

But August didn’t leave like I expected. He gave out orders. Sebastian and Isabella were to help Barron while the rest of us searched for Kitty, Harvest, and Payne.

_____

Eight hours. That was how long the Reapers were without power, and we were mortal. A feeling of helplessness hit me at the news of Harvest’s breakout. He was gone, and so was Kitty. Payne couldn’t detect their scents. He couldn’t track what he couldn’t smell, which meant he couldn’t track them. We ported to the last of Harvest’s hideouts. I killed any lingering demons, but we had no luck finding Harvest or Kitty. Someone had destroyed the concealment spell I used on Harvest.

We couldn’t kill him or trap him, so what could we do?

Only when the Reapers regained their power did more details about the castle’s events come to light. While Payne hadn’t been able to discover scents, Kitty’s essence lingered in front of the ruined castle, along with two other colliding auras.

August squeezed his hands into fists as he walked toward the dark, menacing aura where Kitty disappeared. “It’s him, ” he muttered, eyes blackening as the veins in his arms protruded. “The Devil actually came.”

“Yeah, but this presence belongs to Harvest,” Payne said, waving his hand toward the left side, where another dark aura had been.

I recognized Harvest’s putrid darkness immediately, and panic pumped through my veins. If Harvest had her, she was in danger. He wanted to hurt his creator badly. Harvest always thought one of Grim’s daughters was the key to the Devil’s destruction.

“Yeah, but which one took her?” Maureen asked the most important question.

“Does it matter? She’s in danger and we’ve got to find her,” Joy whispered, rubbing her arms as she stared at the empty spot her sister had last been.

“Grab your imbued weapon just in case we turn mortal again. We must stop forgetting them,” August muttered. “We’re going to Hell. While Harvest might hide, the Devil doesn’t. We know exactly where he is.”

“That’s probably a good thing.” Sebastian’s voice drifted from behind us.

When I turned, I saw Sebastian and Isabella. He supported Barron, who was unconscious and slumped against him . My eyes widened when Sebastian pulled his left hand from beneath his cloak. It was translucent, like Grim’s had been.

“Because I’m pretty sure we’re running out of time,” Sebastian said.

“We are,” Melanie whispered, fading in front of us. She brought her hands up, showing her ghostly arm. “This is it, children. If we don’t halt Harvest soon, we won’t be here to stop him or the Devil.”

To Be Continued….