Harley Merlin 12 by Bella Forrest (story books to read TXT) 📗

you might as well make things easy. Do you want their blood on your hands, as well?” Davin showed signs of frustration, running a hand through his oily mop.

“I told you last time, and I’ll tell you again: go to hell,” Nash shot back, adding a massive ball of Fire to underscore his point. Davin sidestepped, the fireball searing close by his face.

Davin’s eyes narrowed. “I think you should reconsider.”

“Why do you think I put this curse on myself in the first place?” Nash spat as I lashed everything I had at Davin: Fire, Air, Earth, and Water, with a hint of Telekinesis to really pack a punch. It forced Davin to dart outside and use the wall for cover to avoid a five-point obliteration.

“You did that because of Davin?” I asked, as Luke joined us. Huntress had taken up the reins of Librarian protector, crouched and prepared to spring if necessary.

Nash’s mouth twisted up. “He’s been hunting me a long time. He’s the reason I hide. He’s my unfinished business.”

“You and me both.” I sighed.

“You?” Nash sounded confused. “What beef do you have with him?”

I sent a snake of Telekinesis to pull Davin back into the room. “It’s a long story. If we survive, I’ll tell you everything.”

We might have been evenly matched, the three of us against Davin. But Davin still had tricks up his sleeve. As he staggered back into the cabin, tugged by my Telekinesis, he started lobbing smoky pouches at us. They exploded on the ground, releasing thick masses of fog that I couldn’t sweep away fast enough. Davin disappeared in the haze. Not a comforting feeling. I couldn’t see Nash or Luke anymore, either.

Bursts of light cut through the smoke, like we were in a war movie. Tremors shuddered through the floor. I shot back, aiming my magic at the epicenter of the blasts, but if I managed to hit Davin, I had no idea. We were in the dark, literally.

“Nash. All you have to do is come with me, and we can stop this nonsense!” Davin’s voice echoed through the fog.

Two blasts went off simultaneously—one from my Fire, one from Nash’s. At least, that was my guess. Luke only had Magneton abilities, and if he used them, me and Nash might’ve ended up looking like porcupines.

“Go to hell, Davin!” Nash roared.

“Have it your way.” Another flash burst through the haze, followed by a howl of pain. It sounded like—

“Luke! What’s happened? Luke, are you all right? Luke!” Melody screamed. An agonized groan answered. I heard the scuffle of feet and paws on the floorboards and cursed under my breath.

“Melody, stay back!” I yelled, but the scuffling continued.

“Luke! Where are you?” she called hopelessly.

A bark splintered the air, followed by muffled sobs. Huntress had found Luke, by the sounds of it, and it didn’t sound good. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it, as something snagged my leg and pulled me down. I hit the deck with a hefty thud, my back smacking the floor and knocking the wind right out of me. I rolled away immediately. A cold laugh hissed through the fog.

Davin’s voice followed. “I will kill them all, Nash. It is your choice.”

“You don’t seem to hear me, Davin. I’d plunge my own knife into my chest rather than let you take my blood!” Nash bellowed back, though I had no clue where he was. His voice echoed all around, the smoke confusing my bearings.

“Now, don’t do that until I’ve lifted your curse. That would be foolish,” Davin replied. I rose to my hands and knees, peering underneath the smoke to see if I could catch a glimpse of feet—Davin’s shiny brogues stood out a mile off. But even near the ground, the smoke rolled thick and impenetrable, and no amount of Air-wafting could dissipate it. There was too much of the stuff. It made it hard to breathe.

A violent detonation of Telekinesis struck my face and sent me sprawling. Nash grunted nearby, and then came the scrabble of someone trying to make their way across the floor. Melody, presumably, trying to find her way back to Luke, if that blast had separated them. Huntress barked again, giving Melody a direction to follow.

Purple threads slithered through the fog. Necromantic magic. I built a wall of Telekinesis to defend myself, but the purple threads crept through. More explosions of fire ricocheted in the smoke, but it was impossible to hit a target you couldn’t see. Especially one as sneaky as Davin.

One of the violet threads touched my upraised palm, and a brutal jab of icy energy shot through my arm. It stole the breath from my lungs, and my throat strained for air. My limbs sagged and everything slowed, my bones aching as if I’d just been diagnosed with arthritis.

My hands turned a sickly gray-blue color, and liver spots speckled my skin. Davin was trying to kill us by decaying our cells—speeding up the aging process. A new skill he’d evidently learned between this meeting and our last one. Through the fog came the wheezing of strained breaths and panicked gasps. Davin had saved the best for last, and we couldn’t fight it.

“Last chance, Nash. I won’t kill you, but I will kill the others.” Davin laughed bitterly. “I’ve wanted to put an end to Finch for a long time.”

“Finch? Who’s Finch?” Nash rasped.

Davin cackled louder. “Oh dear, it looks like someone has been telling porky pies. What name did he give you, hmm? Not that it matters. He’ll be dead in minutes.”

I couldn’t respond. A zombie groan was all I could muster. The gray-blue skin and liver spots had rapidly spread, and everything ached. I felt my cells dying, one by one, my heart slowing to a perilously snail-like pace. Luke and Melody were likely in the same predicament. Nash, too, though he’d get out of this alive. Until Davin finished with him.

Davin wanted him for the same reason Erebus did. No PhD required. The details about why were