Darker Days (The Darker Agency #1)(91)

“I admit, I do feel badly about going back on my word, but there are just some things a girl can’t ignore. I was hoping you’d be open to Wrath. That would have been poetic, but Pride will have to do.”

My blood ran cold. The box. She was going to put me in the box.

Hand still dripping from the cut she made, Meredith reached for me. “EGO dico in phasmatis of Superbia—”

From the other side of the room, Mom let out an anguished scream.

That was the moment my knees unlocked. Hand going straight for the knife in my belt, I launched myself at the witch, ready to draw blood.

But as fast as I was, a witch was always going to be faster. She blinked out of existence, reappearing by the base of the stairs where Lukas was just getting to his feet.

“Look out!” I yelled as she appeared behind him.

Lukas swiveled and threw his weight at her middle. Caught off guard, they both hit the concrete floor and rolled a few feet.

With Meredith occupied, I turned and started for the other end to free my parents but didn’t get more than three steps when something hit me in the back of the head. I went down on one knee, catching myself before I tumbled completely, but my bag wasn’t so lucky. It slipped from my shoulder and crashed to the floor a few feet away.

I saw the box a fraction of a second before she did. Throwing myself forward, I shot it across the floor toward Lukas. It skated over the concrete, coming to a jarring stop when it hit his feet. He grabbed it and whirled to the wall. Chained by Meredith’s magic, Kendra, still controlled by Envy, had no place to go.

“I’ll make your eternity more painful than you can possibly imagine,” she snarled.

There was no hesitation. No retort on Lukas’ part. In one swift motion, he had the latch undone, the box opened and aimed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as a bright green light began to form, Kendra’s eyes went wide.

“NO!” Kendra’s body bellowed. Her scream was cut short as the light surged up her throat and out her mouth, diving for the box. Finally free from Envy, Kendra, slumped forward, eyes closed and silent.

One down. Two more to go. I left Lukas to recapture the other Sins and was on my feet again, lunging for my parents. Somewhere behind me, I heard Vida scream and saw a flash of dark blue light shadow across the wall. Lust had been banished. Only Pride left.

“Why didn’t you just shadow out?” I panted as I fumbled the knife.

Dad held out his wrists, bound in thick rope. “Soaked in quartz.”

I got the blade to the rope and was about to slice when I was jerked backwards. The knife flew from my hands and clattered to the floor, just out of Mom’s reach.

“Not so fast. We have unfinished business.”

I climbed to my feet. Lukas was inching his way around the room, behind Meredith and over to where Amari—AKA Pride—stood against the wall.

“Your family has been a thorn in my side for over one hundred years. Simon Darker threatened me.” Meredith laughed. “Me!”

She held her hand out and I was stuck again. This time, the ward was useless. She’d underestimated me last time. Not again.

“He told people I’d killed my parents. And Lukas.”

I couldn’t help it. “You did!”

“And then you come along and try to take what’s mine.”

Lukas was almost to Amari.

Meredith glared at me, then, with a smile, whirled toward Lukas. Pointing to Amari, she said, “Not that one.” Like it was attached to a giant rubber band, the box flew from his hands and landed in hers.

“EGO dico in phasmatis of Superbia, solvo is vultus. EGO dico in phasmatis of Ira, peto tectum in alius cognatio populus.”

Like someone had dropped a building on my shoulders, my knees buckled and I crumbled to the ground just as Lukas had before. With each word she spoke, the pain intensified. Lukas had said it was like being pulled apart and set on fire. That didn’t even come close. It started in my legs, spreading like poison throughout my entire body. A pulling sensation accompanied by fierce heat. A thousand tiny fingers were gripping my skin, tugging hard enough to remove it from my bones. With my eyes closed, I could almost see them. Ripping and shredding my flesh.

Meredith’s palm, sticky and wet, rested against my forehead. “Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

A scream ripped from my throat.

“Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes. Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes. Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to order vos licentia is somes.”

Most of the breath left my lungs in a single, painful push. One word. I only needed to be able to say one more word. “Val—” The rest was lost to an involuntary scream as the remainder of the air squeezed from my lungs.

Meredith grabbed a handful of my hair. Jerking me forward, face in mine, she whispered, “Phasmatis of Superbia, EGO to—”

I couldn’t gather the air to scream it, but I did manage a whisper. “Valefar…”

Meredith was close. She heard the word and, for a minute, looked utterly confused. She blinked several times before pulling away, eyes wide.

Everything went silent. Mom’s yelling. Lukas’ curses. Even the occasional dripping pipes had stopped. It was like the entire room just…froze.

“Stand, Jessie,” a deep voice boomed from behind me.