He could stand against Natalya. He could stand against the lesser fiends, even when weakened by silver. He couldn’t stand against all the seven Sins combined.
Varro surprised the fiends by tearing towards Evie. They hadn’t expected him to move so suddenly, and they couldn’t hold him back. He wrenched free, crossed the room, and grabbed Evie just as the dagger chipped Vex’s circle, freeing the Lady of Envy.
With a deep snarl, Varro threw Evie against the wall. There was a crack. Then a thud as she fell to the floor. Unmoving.
Natalya forgot the rest of the room existed. She forgot about Varro, who had been knocked down by the just-freed Vex. She forgot she should help. She forgot they hadn’t won yet. All she saw was Evie’s crumbled, unmoving body, and then the rest of the world didn’t matter.
She rushed to her side, hesitating to even touch her lest she somehow ruin her more. There were cuts on her skin from the wall and concrete. Her shoulder was dislocated, and she was bleeding from a wound on the back of her head.
“Evie…” Natalya touched Evie’s chest, feeling her warm skin. She was still breathing, but just barely. “Evie, can you hear me?”
Evie didn’t respond. She didn’t move. Maybe she would never move again.
With blinding fury, Natalya spun and fell on Varro once more. On this snake of a man who had hurt and killed so many. Whohad hurt Evie. He deserved nothing but pain, and pain she would give him.
Natalya didn’t care what happened to her. She didn’t care about anything other than destruction. All she wanted was to tear the hide off this monster who’d dared terrorize the woman she loved and who might now have killed her.
The fiends ripped Varro to pieces. They didn’t do it quickly or with any sort of grace. They did it screaming and without care until nothing remained of the vampire King but strewn pieces of flesh scattered all over the room. The fiends Varro so arrogantly thought he could control had turned him into streaks of gore. One of the most powerful vampires in the world, reduced to little more than stains.
Only then did they all turn to the human woman who had given them their freedom.
Fiends weren’t like some sects of fae. They didn’t subscribe to life debts or to owed favors. They weren’t good creatures, and they didn’t indebt themselves to anyone or anything. It was too much like indenture.
Despite that, they all followed Natalya as she rushed to Evie’s side and pulled the unconscious woman into her lap.
“Is she okay?” Vex asked. Natalya shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
“I don’t know.” She touched the back of Evie’s head, her fingers coming back covered in fresh blood. “She’s hurt. She’s bleeding.”
Sloth crouched down next to Evie, putting his hands on her face. His brows furrowed. “She needs medical attention.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Natalya didn’t sound commanding. She sounded like her heart had broken into pieces.
Sloth fiends could imbue lethargy in others and detect weakness in the body. They were often summoned to be servants, especially for people injured or diseased.
“There’s bleeding in her brain,” Sloth said quietly.
“Will she wake up?”
Sloth looked grim. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
Natalya couldn’t understand the words. She wouldn’t. It wasn’t fair. Being torn away from the life she’d just had a taste of with Evie was torturous, but thenNatalyawas the one who suffered. She deserved it. She’d killed countless people, many of them innocents. She’d terrorized and destroyed. She was a vile creature meant for ruin.
Evie wasn’t that. Evie was caring and kind. She had been through more than anyone deserved, and she was still so brave and strong. So wonderful. She should live. Because she loved Natalya, now she might not get to.
“I’m getting her out of here.” Natalya stood, holding the unconscious Evie in her arms and trying desperately not to fall apart. She couldn’t yet. She turned to the lesser demons. “There is a greater Wrath fiend in the building. Find him and wreak havoc. Spare the slaves.”
The fiends nodded, leaving the bloody room behind. The only one who remained was Vex. She was staring at the still unconscious Dominic lying behind his desk.
As she stepped towards him, Natalya realized what she was about to do. Natalya moved in front of her. “Vex, stop.”
“Get out of my way, Lust.” Vex kept staring at Dominic. He was stirring now.
“You aren’t bound to this world,” Natalya said. “You can go back. If you kill him, you’ll be made to stay.”
Natalya started to move towards Dominic. “I’ve already killed a summoner. Let me do it.”
“With all due respect,fuckno.” Vex’s eyes glinted with hate. “You were with this rat for a day. I was with him for decades. You don’t get to take this from me.”
