172 Puny Human

"I am not a puny human," I started with a shrug, looking at the thing in front of me. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

I reached inside of me, took my thread, and split it into eight different strands. I then pushed that thread into every one of my men, not asking them if they chose to walk beside me for the rest of eternity but making the decision for all of us.

It felt right. It felt like something that I should have done a long time ago, the second that I had met them.

I plunged four bright rainbow-colored threads into the hearts of the bodies resting on the ground. I wrapped that string around and around their hearts until the original organ couldn't be seen, only my thread. I then forced the heart to start beating, not caring that not all of the limbs were attached or the head was still on a pike.

I wanted those hearts to beat. The ribbons would handle the rest.

And then I did the same to Nicholas and Michael, where they stood beside me… and then again to Viktor and Mathew, who weren't able to leave New York.

If I had claimed them in my mind… I was claiming them through my heart as well.

"I am Natalia Nadezda Sokol Tesalor," I said slowly and calmly. The words were pulled out of the very center of my being as I created a whole new web. I could see the shadow of a person in the corner, but I couldn't see who it was. "I am a gypsy will all the pride of my people intact. I am the adopted daughter of Queen Pandora, the Queen-Mother of all gypsies. But, I am also the biological daughter of Raguel, the angel of justice and peace, and her mate, Drac, the first of the line of demons. I am the judge, jury, and executioner, and you… Peter, have been found guilty."

The words continued to be pulled out of me, and I could feel the astonishment of both Michael and Nicholas.

But I didn't stop there. "You are guilty of heinous crimes against your fellow demons, humans, and all of the monsters of the six Houses. You have been found guilty of conspiring with Angels in order to destroy billions of lives. And for these sins, you will die."

"Nice try," smirked Daemon, even though I could see his army behind him starting to back away warily from me. It didn't matter, though. There was no place for them to hide. Not anymore. "But demons cannot be killed. While the body in this realm might be taken from us, our soul is ever-lasting. Even if you managed to kill me, I will come back for you…"

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the hybrid in front of me. Part vampire, part demon, and yet, the angels had no problem working with them. Maybe I should relook at the idea that Phil the phlebotomist, was told to kill all those people by an angel.

And if all of this was connected, what was the angels' endgame?

For a species I never knew existed, they were fast becoming a pain in my ass, that was for sure.

No longer willing to waste my breath on the creature in front of him, I took my golden sheers and cut through his thread. There would be no second chances for him. He had been judged.

I continued to cut the threads of every being in the clearing, with the exception of my men. The abominations couldn't be allowed to live—wait… now I was sounding like Gabriel.

I paused my cut for a second, letting the last creature fall to his knees as he begged me to let him live.

Was I really as bad as Gabriel, not letting monsters live simply because of their genetics?

But no, I wasn't killing them because they were a hybrid of vampires and demons. I was killing them because of what they wanted to do to everyone on Earth.

I have been given the honor of upholding justice. Not the justice of man or monster… or even a higher being… but the justice of knowing right from wrong.

And no matter how humans acted or the decisions they made; they didn't deserve to die because someone thought that they knew better. This world was made for humans; we were just living in it.

"You are doing the right thing," grunted Michael and I could feel the thread between us shortening as he got closer to me. "They would never stop. Fanatics like that are never able to stop."

"And what about the angels working with them?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as I looked at the angel I had claimed. I saw his heart and I know where he stood. But that didn't mean that every angel was the same.

"I will go look into it," replied Michael, bowing his head before his white wings burst from his back.

"No," I shot back with a shake of my head. "I played that game and lost. None of you will be going off on your own… not until this is sorted out."

"What?" asked a hoarse voice from in front of us.

I looked across the dead bodies of the hybrids to where Levi sat, whole and alive on the ground. "What happened?" he asked again, his voice breaking halfway through as a ribbon continued to sew him back together.

"Welcome back," I smiled, rushing up to him and wrapping my arms around him. "It's a long story," I continued, even as the tears poured down my cheeks.

The last hybrid, thinking that I was in a vulnerable position, jumped on my back, its teeth puncturing into my neck.

A quick snip and it joined the other bodies, never to be reborn again.

The jungle will eat well this night, gorging on the invaders. But I had plans of my own.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Greyson, his voice huskier than ever as a black thread reattached his arm to his body.

"We are now," exhaled Sasha. "Nice trick," he smirked, looking at me as ribbons sewed together the flesh on his cheek.

"Isn't it just?" I smirked back. I couldn't wait for the moment that they realized that those weren't my ribbons but theirs. "Shall we go back home?"