Envy (Dark Waters Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-three:

He dodged.

The cheeky fucking bastard dodged the bullet.

Was I wrong to think he'd be taken down as quickly as Greed? Probably. With him, I hadn't even heard Gabriel fire his gun. But Pride saw us, grinned, and the second our guns fired, he backstepped and dodged to the right.

I fired again, three times, mindlessly hoping this gun was properly loaded, but each of those missed. He hopped and skipped around each shot with ease. I ground my teeth.

"Shit," Gabriel reached into his back pocket for more ammo, "I can't get him."

As Pride sidestepped again, dodging Priscilla's attempt, I growled and threw it to the floor. "Because these won't work!"

When my pistol hit the floor, it fired, the bullet grazing the side of my leg. I hissed, but I wouldn't let my mistake stop me. I pushed forward and rushed Pride, aiming for his face. Of course, he dodged that, too, but I expected it. And needed him to do it.

My arm stretched out in the direction of his rapid movement. When the tips of my fingers found the back of his shirt, I grabbed it, gripped it, and pulled him toward me. He gasped, not expecting it, and once his back was against my chest, I wrapped my arm around his neck.

Digging his nails into my forearm, he laughed and tried to look back at me. "This is all you got, Octavio," he snickered. "Pathetic."

I shook my head as I squeezed his neck, looking down at the floor. At Gluttony. He slowly shook his head.

"Stop saying no!" I hissed at him. "He's trying to kill you!"

"I'm killing him because I can't kill you," Pride leaned his head back against my shoulder, "his baby bird."

"Shut up." I squeezed again, harder. This time he gagged. "I should fuckin kill you."

"You can't." Looking at Pride's face, I saw the corner of his eye as they shifted to black. The temperature of his body raised like I was holding fire. "No one can."

My chest burned. The gashes I had under my shirt, having healed for the most part, split. I felt fresh blood trickle down my chest.

Extending my nails, I sharpened my teeth, revealing my demon side. I had to let him go, or I'd die from his heat alone. But I needed to land a hit. My pride depended on it.

"Octavio!" Priscilla cried behind me.

Don't look back. She'll see your face and run.

A low growl slipped passed my lips as I focused on a spot on the floor, the same place stained with Gluttony's blood. Seeing his pain, the torture forced on him, gave me the rage I needed.

Shifting my gaze to Pride's face next to mine, my hands glowed blue.

"Oh, ho," Pride coughed out a laugh, "look at you, remembering the Seven's gift."

"Gift. My. Ass." I pulled Pride back by his neck and listened to his spine crack. He grunted, eyes, closing in his, but I wasn't going to stop. He needed to pay for the shit he'd done. What he put all of us through. The others obeyed him because they feared him. He used his pain to control others; we all knew that.

And that needed to end. Tonight.

Extending one hand, I spread my fingers, allowing the power of Envy to slide to the tips of my fingertips. I could slice his face with one swipe. Cut his eyes eye. Ruin that smirk that made me sick. Gluttony went through hell in this building tonight, but the rest of us had a lifetime of Pride's torment.

"Octavio, watch out!" Priscilla screamed.

Before I could wrap my hands around Pride's ego for an attack, I turned back at Priscilla's warning. A white missed dashed between her and Gabriel. Knowing what it was, Gabriel quickly reached for more ammo to refill his gun. But he wasn't as fast as the approaching demon. Once reloaded, he pointed and aimed, but it wouldn't do us any good. The mist solidified, smelling rancid, like the sewage in an alley. And Sloth's face appeared before mine, yellow teeth grinning at me.