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“Feel better?” I asked.

“No,” she said, heading tilting to the side.

She closed her eyes, and the cabin behind us erupted in flames.

Wrath sighed. “That’s better.”

She walked away.

Envy whistled. Greed grinned. Sloth stared open-mouthed at her and all the children.

“Do we take them back to the manor?”

Her shoulders dropped, just barely. I caught her arm before she could stumble.

“I’ll carry you if I have to,” I said. “You don’t get to save the world and then faceplant into the mud.”

She snorted. “Is that your version of affection?”

“It’s the Lust version. Limited emotional availability, unlimited physical support.”

She didn’t smile. But she didn’t pull away either.

Behind us, the children gathered closer, unsure what to do next.

“Come with us to our home. We will contact your families,” she promised them.

“And you?” I asked lowly. “Where’s Wrath going next?”

Her eyes gleamed in the dark.

“Wherever there’s something left to burn.”

Sloth yawned but his eyes flared with interest as he took in the children.

“Let’s each grab one. Meet you there?”

He gently reached out toward the incubus, who shot a terrified look at me. I nodded, and he relaxed into Sloth’s grip. They disappeared.

Envy gave Wrath a slight nod of his head, and offered his arm to the dryad. She frowned, but took it. They also disappeared.

“Guess it’s you and me, aye?” Greed joked, bowing in front of the selkie. She giggled, and disappeared with him in a small swirl of smoke.

The goblin looked at us, hope in his large eyes.

“Alright, let’s–”

BOOM.

The house exploded, a wave of power exploding out toward us in a shockwave so fast that I barely had time to grab the goblin and Wrath before it hit.

Agony wreaked havoc on my body as I absorbed most of the blow, every nerve on my body lighting up like a damn firework. I staggered and fell to my knees. Wrath’s terrified face floated above me, her lips moving but no sound coming out. Everything blurred in front of me. If it hadn’t been for the extra magick of our bond, I’d probably be unconscious.

Well, give me a few minutes and I’ll get there.

Chapter

Thirty-One