Lost Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 4)

She’s so depleted. I should have taken more, but I couldn’t harness more than I had.

The color returns to her cheeks, and I sag into the embrace of Chaz, relaxing in his hold. I can take more later. Right now... Right now I just want to breathe in air that isn’t tainted by death.

I’m sure Chaz thought we had no control. I’m sure Slade was under that same grim impression.

But we did. We fought until we had nothing left. Karma looked away. I continued killing.

“Anyone want to explain what just happened?” Ella asks, stepping out of nowhere. “Why didn’t someone call me?”

“None of us were called in. You were supposed to tell us when you found them,” Thad snaps. “Instead, you drop Karma off and disappear.”

“There wasn’t much left for you to do,” Karma says quietly, her eyes finding mine again. “What did we do?”

I shake my head.

“Twins are a very curious thing indeed.” Slade’s words has everyone snapping their head to the doorway, but it’s only me he’s looking at.

“You were right about those instincts,” I say, smirking when his lips twitch.

“Not quite what I had in mind, but it’s definitely a weapon to use again in the future... If the time ever calls for it. I’d rather not see anything like that for a while.”

If it makes Slade shudder, I know it was bad. But he didn’t see the endless vat of evil inside their souls. We could see them as though they belonged to mortals. We could see the torture they’d inflicted, the lives they’d stolen from the innocents who’d begged them to stop. We could see everything.

And we wanted them to pay.

Karma shivers, as though her mind is still partially linked to mine and hearing my thoughts.

The demonic powers we fused together were intoxicating, but I’m not really sure what we were unleashing. I’m also not sure what happens now or if anything has changed.

“Is the baby okay?” I ask her, my chest getting tight.

She nods. “Dray inspected me as soon as Chaz dropped me off.”

My gaze returns to Slade.

“Karma is pregnant. Unless she’s on the verge of being killed, we can’t risk that ever again until the baby is born. If we can ever even do it again anyway.”

“I’m not sure I want to do it. I’ve been desperate for us to be closer... but... yeah. That’s not what I had in mind,” Karma says with a mock shudder.

Her smile is fake and brittle, and she’s trying to distract herself from the man whose hand she’s clinging to. Her knuckles are white with her grip, but Dice still seems to be out of it. The bed is massive, and so is the room.

Slade takes a seat, and everyone in here looks at him like he’s lost his mind. The last time he was here he picked a fight. Since then, he’s helped save lives yet again.

“Like it or not, I guess we’re stuck with each other,” Slade says to the angry eyes glaring at him.

He acts as though it’s the worst thing he’s ever had to say. He runs a hand through his inky black hair, frustrated.

Chaz came for me. Slade came for me.

My sister and I weren’t victims this time though. This time we fought back. This time we found a weakness and we took from them the way they’ve taken from so many.

“We killed their visionary,” I tell Chaz softly, and he kisses my head, still clinging to me like he may never let go.

I drink in the affection, wondering if this is how Karma feels for Dice, no longer believing my feelings are one-sided.

Dray looks confused as the wounds on Dice continue to heal very slowly.

“What could do this?” he asks, still studying the damage.