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I can’t tear my eyes away from Brenna, nor can I lower my heart rate at watching her in there without us by her side.

“You know what I mean,” Dima replies, staring at me.

I tear my eyes from Brenna, meeting Dima’s hard stare before turning back to Percy through the glass. And that’s when I feel it. The souls. Or soul fragments. My big toe starts to tingle. A gentle twinge of pain before it travels up my shin, pain clawing at my knee.

“Fuck, we’ve got to get inside. I need-ah, shit,” I shake my hands out, stretching my fingers to stop any ache that may settle deep within my bones. “I have to send those souls home.”

Kristie’s wild eyes turn to me and Dima. “Soul fragments?”

“Da. But not enough for him to live.” Dima answers.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Why is this a thing now? First the last La Madrina and now this weirdo loser? And a year after the last soul fragments?” Kristie is pissed as she starts muttering under her breath.

I don’t blame her. We’d made it most of our lives with just the shitty gifts we were given, barely crossing paths with others like us. Now? There seems to be fuckers all over the place with gifts that they use for evil. I don’t know what the hell Percy is, other than an abomination. A soulless man walking the earth with the power to freeze Grammy in her tracks? To snatch bits of others’ souls? That’s unnatural.

My gaze takes him in. His stooped posture, the wide grin on his face. The shadows that live in his dark gaze, the remnants of souls he’s supposedly feasted on. But it’s not enough. He still needs Frank. Or maybe he just wants her.

Staring through the window I watch as Brenna stiffens, her brows low as she spits words of fire aimed at Percy, her eyes blazing. Pride fills my chest and I know, deep in my soul, that he will never have Frank. She belongs with Brenna just as Brenna belongs with her.

Her hands fist, shaking in rage and she’s fucking glorious. My woman is soft, sweet, lovely, but she is also not fucking around when it comes to the ones that she loves.

Her gaze meets mine through the window and that’s when I see it. The fear that she’s trying to hide behind her bluster.

“Bren!” I roar, snatching the gun from my sister and shooting out the lock on the door of the coffee shop.

I lift my size 13 boot and kick in the door, the remnants of the lock smashing onto the floor with a metallic clang.

“Bren!” I call just in time to see her eyes widen, her face paling as she grips at her chest.

“No!”

Chapter 17

Brenna

“Iwill have her, one way or another Brenna,” Percy says, his weird black gaze on mine. “I can leave you living, or you can join your Grammy.” He shrugs as if it’s an easy choice.

My gaze flicks to Grammy who is frozen outside the coffee shop and my heart aches. Not just for Grammy, but for my friends on the other side. For Gabe who bangs on the window, eyes wild as he watches me in here. Alone with this creep.

You need to let me go.

“Never!” I hiss at Frank. “I belong with you!”

No point in having me if you’re dead, Bren.

“That’s not fair.” I mutter.

Nothing in life is fair, babe.

I roll my eyes and hope she can feel it.

“Come to me, Frank,” Percy commands, growing slightly taller than I’ve ever seen him.

“Why do you want her? You don’t deserve her! You don’t deserve a soul,” I spit

“Regardless,” Percy flicks a hand at me, “whether deserving or not, I want Frank. I’ve wanted her for a long time. I thought I had her when I took your parents from you. But you had an angel looking out for you then. Now? Now you have a bunch of fucked up mongrels and they’re not going to stop me,” he sneers.

Rage courses through me at his words. At the thought that he killed my parents. At how he views my people. They’re my family and no one talks shit about my people.