War released me, both from the chain and his grip on my neck. “I know you ain’t hating on a dead woman,” he said, shoving me.
“I’m not jealous, bitch!” I screamed at him.
“That’s the only time you backtalk me and challenge me. You’d kill over me again if you had to,” he replied.
“Can I go upstairs now?”
His eyes softened, but I knew better than to trust it. War grabbed my hand, caressing it. The sudden tenderness made my skin prickle with confusion. It was always like this with him—pain, then comfort, never in any pattern I could predict. He’d break me, then offer warmth, just enough to keep me hoping for more. It was a cruel magic, this way he kept me tethered, never sure if I’d get his wrath or his affection.
“Come here,”his voice echoed in my skull. I drifted closer, my chest flush against his, cursing how easily he could reel me back in. War’s grip clamped around my hips, his fingers hungrily digging into my flesh. He inhaled, nose buried in my hair, pelvis pressed hard to mine—he was ready to devour me, and I, damn fool, was already puckered up, waiting for him to suckle on my lips again.
“If it’ll make you feel any better, this beef is deeper than Clover. Besides, her death was good enough for her betrayal,” he finally said.
Then, the house convulsed. The floor shuddered beneath our feet, the chandelier above the kitchen table swung wild, glass prisms scattering rainbows across the ceiling. In the living room, the couches screeched against the wall, a framed photo crashed to the floor, and the center table exploded into splinters as a portal ripped the air open. Gold light flooded the room, and three men in black hooded cloaks stepped out, diamond chains with Hex13 medallions flashing on their chests.
One warlock yanked down his mask. Grim—War’s brother. His angry stare could curdle milk as he mean mugged me. I stepped closer to War, returning the look.
“That bitch is still breathing? How about I put her out of her misery for you. Our clan is getting attacked while training and you’ve been MIA, up in that fairy pussy! Ain’t that’s how you died the first time?” Grim spat, venom dripping from every word.
v
War’s voice was a growl. “Nigga, I ain’t never died. And the next time you come to my crib unannounced, I’ll forget me and your brother share a body and put your bitch-ass in a wicker basket, deliver it to hell, right next to your mother.”
The warlock behind Grim stepped forward, his mask slipping down to reveal a handsome face that couldn’t have been more than eighteen. He stood at least six-three, with deep mocha skin and hazel-gold eyes burning with power. Witch symbols glowed on his cheek, and when he spoke, his open-face golds flashed. “The elves released trolls in Druid Hill Park while our people were training. We can handle it, if you need more time with her. We just had to let you know because shit is about to get hectic,” he said to War.
Grim gave him a look sharp enough to decapitate someone. “Kissing his ass ain’t gonna replace me, dummy! Know your place!” he snapped.
“Ignore him, Crash Out. Keep up with your training so you can replace him and have him dust off your spell books,” War said, making Crash Out smirk.
“Replace me? Yeah right! Yo, I know you’ve been geekin’ for some fairy pussy, but let her go and focus on our plans!” Grim barked at War.
War moved faster than thought—one moment he was beside me, the next he was a shadow streaking across the room, a black flash that bent the light. His hand closed around Grim’s throat, black smoke pouring from his fingers, seeping into Grim’s skin and making his veins pulse. Grim’s eyes rolled back as War lifted him, slamming him through the drywall with a thunderous crack. The ceiling split, paint chips raining down around my feet.
Grim gasped, clawing at War’s hand, but War’s grip was iron, shadows coiling tighter, threatening to snuff the life right out of him. “Now, you know better than to fix your rabbit-ass mouth and come at me sideways. You must’ve forgotten what I can do to you.” War squeezed tighter. The gears on his chest spun at a furious rate. The other warlocks in the living room took a step back, not daring to intervene.
“I run this shit, Grim! You need to get it through your thick skull that being connected through blood ain’t going to keep saving you. And the only muthafucka who can disrespect my pussy fairy is me!” War said, then looked over his shoulder.
“That goes for all of you too! I’m still your leader regardless of my unfinished business, but leave her out of it! Don’t look at her! Don’t acknowledge her! Pretend she ain’t even here!” War barked.
Grim’s eyes turned pitch black, and dark veins spread across his face like a spiderweb as he conjured his sorcery. Suddenly, a swirling hole opened in the floor near War’s feet. Shadowy hands shot out from the darkness, grabbing at War’s clothes and yanking him back, trying to pry him away from Grim. War finallylet go, and Grim stepped out of the hole in the wall, brushing debris off his cloak. The hands on the floor crumbled into ash, dissolving into dust.
“Aight, baby bro, I see she got your mind gone. I’ll let you handle it though. We’ll be waiting for you at the park,” Grim said, his voice heavy with sadness. He glanced at the other two warlocks who came with him, motioning for them to leave through the portal. The three of them stepped through, and just like that, they were gone.
A glint of sadness flickered in War’s eyes too. It was clear the brothers cared about each other, and Grim was worried about War’s choices.
“War, it’s okay to let me go if keeping me is coming between you and your clan,” I spoke up.
War looked at me, his eyes shifting from sad to cold. “I can kill you right now if you want to break the contract,” he said, meaning the soul-binding curse.
War’s gold chain slithered out of his hand, twisting and growing until it became a sharp axe. My heart raced and my legs shook with fear. “Tell me you want out, and I can end this shit right now!” he snapped.
That voice inside me spoke up again, betraying me for what felt like the hundredth time. “If I die, I won’t be able to feel you.”
War walked over to me, and I stood my ground, even though I was scared. His axe melted away into nothing, but I was still nervous about what he might do while he was pissed off. He tilted my chin up, looking down at me. “Good. Because even if you chose death, I’d just bring you back to life to kill you again for leaving me,” he said.
He unlocked the collar around my neck. My wings burst free, and I let out a shaky breath of relief. War waved his hand over me, and my clothes shifted—black petals wrapped around my body, forming a warrior-style catsuit. A black hooded trench coat appeared, draping over me, with slits for my wings to break through. Black knee-high boots with metal trim snapped onto my feet.I hesitated, my mind racing. Did I really want to keep following War down this path? He looked at me, waiting for my answer.
“You want me to kill again?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
