BooksBarbecue
Back Seven Devils
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. 39.
  42. 40.
  43. 41.
  44. 42.
  45. 43.
  46. 44.
  47. 45.
  48. 46.
  49. 47.
  50. 48.
  51. 49.
  52. 50.
  53. 51.
  54. 52.
  55. 53.
  56. 54.
  57. 55.
  58. 56.
  59. 57.
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

“They know I want this for myself. Test me, Discordia.”

Eris and Damocles went for each other, blocking and punching and kicking. Eris had forgotten what it was like to fight against someone in the royal cohort. All the Archon’s children had been built for speed, for strength, for the damage their bodies could take. They crashed into furniture, breaking and splintering wood. Eris threw her brother into the table, and that glorious display of food toppled to the floor. Eris shattered a glass bottle and swiped at him. Damocles dodged, smacking her hard in the face with a metal tray.

Stars exploded in Eris’s vision. Warm blood trickled from her nose. The ringing in her ears only made the palace alarms seem to blare louder. What were Ariadne and Nyx doing? Would they survive?

Focus. Get up, get up!

“It’s better this way, sister.” Damocles hit her. Again and again, until Eris’s knees buckled. “I’ll be a great Archon when Father dies.”

He kicked her in the stomach. Eris’s breath left in a whoosh and she spat blood on the floor. Her sight was blurry as she crawled away from him. Weaponless. That stupid dress let glass cut her legs, the palms of her hands.

Get. Up.

His booted toe caught her under her chin. Eris heard the snap of her jaw dislocating. Pain made her vision go black around the edges.

To someone else, Damocles snapped, “Find out what the fuck is going on out there.” Retreating footsteps.

Ariadne. Nyx.

Clo’s voice, echoing in her mind. <Eris? We’re going to come for you, all right? Just stay alive. We’re coming.>

As the darkness closed in, she felt Damocles’s fingers lift her face. “I hope they tell stories about us, hundreds of years in the future.” Then a whisper in her ear: “I’m going to be the hero in all of them, Discordia. And you’ll be the villain.”

44.

ARIADNE

Present day

The soldiers crashed through the door.

Nyx grasped Ariadne roughly by the arm and shoved her onto the floor. She leaped onto one of the soldiers guarding them, slamming her fist into his face as she stole his Mors.

Morsfire blared in the small room as Nyx shot the soldiers in quick succession. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three dead. One blast each to the head.

Ariadne remained frozen on the floor. Nyx was so fast. So fast. Ariadne couldn’t move. The echoes of Mors blasts rattled in her mind and it was too much bang bang bang bang—

“Get up.” Nyx’s grip was gentler as she dragged Ariadne to her feet. With a hand on either side of her face, she forced Ariadne to look at her. “I need you to keep moving. When I say get behind me, you get behind me. When I say run, you run. Understand?”