CERBERUS UNLEASED

LACEY CARTER

ANDERSEN

Chapter 26

Also By Lacey Carter Andersen
About the Author

Published by Lacey Carter Andersen

Cover Art by Logan Keys

Formatting by: Kassie Morse

This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All

characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters,

places, and incidents are either a product of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any

persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or

locales is entirely coincidental.

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United

States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use

of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the

express written permission of the author.

To my kids – thanks for letting your mom get some

writing done this summer.

~ Lacey Carter Andersen

Chapter One

CERBERUS

hey’re coming for me, damn it.

I can hear the familiar soft

screeching that travels up from the darkness of the
Underworld that means Hades has unleashed his
cruel Soulless to drag me back down. The
screeching is a sound meant to terrify the souls of
the dead. A sound that I’m ashamed to admit makes
my heart race and my palms grow sweaty around
the handle I clutch. I move faster, dragging the tool
back and forth as I saw at the metal encircling my
neck.

My time is almost up.
I can sense their heavy feet dragging along the

ground not far down the tunnel, drawing closer with
every precious second that ticks by. Feverishly, I
continue cutting the collar around my neck. I’m

close. So fucking close.

But if they catch me now, I’ll never have

another chance. I’ll be trapped in my own personal
hell for eternity.

I can smell them now. The wretched smell of

decomposing bodies. Of death and blood. Hades’s
own personal guards.

I’m screwed. So fucking screwed!
Once they reach me, the sharpened bones of

their clawed hands will slice into my flesh. I’ll be
pummeled. And the more I fight back, the more
he’ll send after me. I’ll be left in a pool of my own
blood, in his dark tunnels. Sometimes the Soulless
grab the chain attached to the collar around my
throat and drag me the miles upon miles to Hades’s
realm. And sometimes they’re kind and leave me in
the darkness, choking on my own blood, waiting for
my immortal body to heal itself.

I’ve danced this dance too many times to

expect anything else.

Suddenly, the god’s magic tool slices my flesh,

and the collar drops to the ground, the sound of
metal hitting the earth ringing through the dark
tunnels. Tears sting my eyes as I touch my bare
neck, slick with my own blood.

It’s gone! It’s really fucking gone!
Still clutching the tool, I rise to my feet and turn

toward the surface. Not thinking. Not feeling. I run.
My feet pounding against the earth.

I don’t need to see in the darkness. These

tunnels have been my home for far too long. I know
every stone, every turn of my prison. Several
minutes tick by, and I know I’ve almost reached the
surface. I can smell the plant life. I can almost taste
the mist on my tongue.

Breaking out of the darkness of the cave, I can

feel the blood from where the tool cut into my neck
leaking down my neck and onto my chest. But I
ignore the insignificant flesh wound.

My gaze goes out to the real world. To the

island that serves as an entrance and exit from the
Underworld. In the jungle of this god-forsaken
place, red eyes glow in the darkness, too intense
not to stand out from the mist and the scarlet
plants. Rotters, Hades’ fucking undead dogs
themselves.

Hades created the perfect protection into and

out of this entrance into the Underworld: an island
covered with a dense forest and guarded by
dangerous creatures. Unfortunately for him, I’m
fucking Cerberus. A creature he decided would
make a better guard than a daughter. He taught me
that life was about killing or being killed.

So I’ve become more dangerous than any of his

other weapons.

Without a thought, I shift. My bones cracking,

my flesh ripping. As a child, this process hurt. But
since then, it’s only a whisper of pain in the back of

my mind.

This is nothing. I know real pain.
Standing on all fours, I’ve become a massive

hellhound, the size of a large human on all fours.
And fire leaps from my dark fur. The little beasts in
the jungle whimper.

That’s right, fuckers. You might never die, but I

can certainly make you feel pain.

The putrid smell of Hades’s Soulless guards

float out of the entrance of the tunnel. Damn it,
they’re getting too close. I can’t hesitate another
moment, or I’m done for.

Using my nose, I push Hephaestus’s tool into

the underbrush. It’s the first thing capable of
removing his collars and chains, gifted to me by
Keto herself. I can’t risk letting it fall into the hands
of the wrong person.

When I’m done, I turn and race down the

golden path in the jungle, lined by torches. The red-
eyed Rotters in the jungle race along beside me,
dozens and dozens of filthy creatures, but I’m
protected from them on the path. Until it ends.

It takes no time at all to reach the end of the

path, and then I leap into the jungle, not caring that
I know what will happen next.

The little dogs immediately jump onto my back,

but I shake them off. Any that come close enough
are crushed by my powerful jaws. I barely slow. I
just keep going. Heading toward the water.

Most people get lost in this jungle, wandering

until they die. But my superior nose means that I
can just barely smell the salty sea over the coppery
scent of blood and the overwhelming scent of
Soulless bodies. The mist curls around me as I run,
trying to conceal the tangled underbrush, but my
senses are alive in this form. Nothing will trip me
up.

The little beasts continue to run at my sides.

Snapping at me. Drawing blood. But I’m bigger,
stronger, and faster. Slowly, I leave more and more
of them behind, until it’s just me breaking free from
the jungle. My feet pad lightly on the rocky shore.

I’m free! They can’t reach me out here!
The ocean stretches out in front of me. I’ve

never seen it before. My chain didn’t reach this far.

The souls of the undead, the ones I keep from

leaving the Underworld, told me stories. Stories of
everything in this world, including the sea. But for
the first time, I realize how different actually seeing
life is. Their stories felt so real, but this, this is real.

This ocean. It’s beautiful… expanding out in all

directions. Even the sound of the waves fills me
with emotion. Hope, perhaps.

Shifting out of my hellhound form, I’m a

woman once more. I’ve swam many times in the
sea of the undead, floating among the souls that are
cursed never to pass on to the Underworld. But
this, I suspect, will be different.

Better, I think.
Taking a deep breath, I run lightly over the

rocks, then dive in.

The salty sea is all around me. I kick my feet

and move my hands, swimming forward. I know I
have miles upon miles to go before I’ll reach land
once more. I know Hades won’t just let me go
either. He’ll send his people after me. I’ll always
have to be afraid.

But I don’t care. I’m free. Free for the first time

in my immortal life.

I’m ashamed to say that my tears blend in with

the salty sea as I swim forward, never looking back.

Chapter Two

KAGE

crouch naked before the fire along the
river. I’m irritated. Ever since my
brothers and I awakened, expecting to

fight and to defend our lands, and discovered all
our masters dead and our home abandoned, we’ve
felt lost. We were released from our perches and
alive, yet we had no purpose.

I’d considered telling my brothers that we

should return to stone and wait for another time
when we would be needed. Even though usually
when gargoyles awaken it’s for a reason, we still
weren’t sure what ours was. But then we’d met
some of our own kind and were told about a
sanctuary for gargoyles. A place where we’d have a
new purpose.

And a female of our own.

Those fucking liars.
Since arriving at this sanctuary months ago, we

were still no closer to knowing what our purpose is.
To kill monsters? But only if chosen to do so? To
share a few females with the many other
gargoyles… for a short period of time, if they
happen to choose us?

Yes, this is nothing like we were promised.
And as the leader of my Brotherhood, the fault

for this mistake lies solely on my shoulders.

So for now, we live a pointless existence. One

that reminds me each and every day that I might
have been mistaken to lead my Brotherhood here.
Even if I still pretend otherwise. A leader can never
let his Brotherhood know he doubts himself.

Even though I’m sure they know by now.
It’s not that the people here aren’t kind.

They’ve tried to teach us their rules and ways. But
we want none of it. We hunger for battle and
purpose. We go mad in this quiet place with its
rules and peace, and its lack of females.

We cannot survive here much longer.
Something changes in the air. My hand goes for

my sword lying sheathed beside the fire. I am not
alone. And yet, I can only imagine it’s another
couple taken off to the woods to fornicate alone. Or
a young woman gathering herbs.

Nothing of interest.
But I draw my sword and rise slowly to my feet.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and
I whirl around, leveling my sword at the danger.

I’m frozen. Unable to move. Magic, powerful

and dark, washes over me. My sword is inches from
the throat of a man. A god. I know it without
question.

He raises a dark, arrogant brow. His hair is

neatly styled. His clothes, a sleek black suit. And
his eyes? They hold a hint of red.

“Gargoyle,” he purrs the word.
His gaze moves over me, and he tilts his head as

he stares at my cock. “Why, you’re a big, wild
thing, aren’t you?”

I cannot speak, so I simply glare.
For a second he moves forward, and I think he

might touch my cock. If he does, I will find a way
to sever his head, I swear it to myself. But instead,
he curls his fingers into his palm just inches before
he touches me.

“I, Hades, the great and powerful god of the

Underworld, have need of a Brotherhood of
gargoyles. You are experienced monster hunters,
and I have a monster I need hunted.”

This man makes my flesh crawl, and yet, this is

exactly what I need. Blood, death, a purpose. A
creature to hunt and destroy.

He waves his hand, and while I still can’t move,

my mouth can.

“What is it that you wish?”

“That’s a good gargoyle,” he coos at me,

patting my lower belly in a way that makes me wish
he’d unfrozen all of me, so I could kick his ass.
“My hellhound, Cerberus, has escaped. I wish for
you to find my little pet and return it to me. Can
you do that?”

“Easily,” I say.
He laughs. “A cocky little gargoyle, I like that.

But it won’t be so easy. My hellhound is fierce.
Charged with guarding the Underworld for eternity.
It knows how to kill, to hunt, and to avoid danger.”

“So do I.”
He laughs again. “A few rumors have caught

my ear, of humans being attacked by a creature that
could be my hellhound. The places these reports
came from are human cities called Great Hollow,
Blood Meadow, Shadow Valley, and Darkwood. I
suspect that one of these places is where you’ll find
Cerberus.”

“And what do we get for the honor of helping

you?”

He waves a hand. “What do you wish for?”
What do I wish for? The answer comes easily: a

mate. What all gargoyles want. If we have her, then
perhaps our new mundane life will be bearable.

“We wish for the mate of our choice. A woman

we find to be our match.”

“A female mate?”
I glare at him. “Yes.”

“Too bad,” he says, glancing at my cock again.

“But you have my unbreakable word that you will
have any mate of your choosing, as long as you
bring me Cerberus.”

“How much time do we have?”
He smiles slowly. “I can hide my hound’s

disappearance for a time. Let’s say until three days
after Thesmophoria. Just after the harvest festival,
you will bring me my missing dog.”

A little over two months? That should be more

than enough.

“It’s agreed,” I say.
And then, Hades is gone.
My sword drops, and I’m breathing hard. Was I

actually just tasked with a job from a god? I don’t
like Hades, but this is what I need. I simply can’t
allow these old gargoyles to take this task from me.

Turning, I resheath my sword and start through

the trees to the little gargoyle town. I pause as I
pass our little cabin. Should I tell the rest of my
Brotherhood?

Not yet, I decide.
I move past our house and keep going through

the forest. It takes several minutes before I come
out of the trees and move through the town. A
woman on the path glances at me, then back. Her
gaze goes to my cock, and a smile breaks on her
face. She moves toward me, swaying her hips.

The other gargoyles fall over themselves to

impress this female, but she does nothing for me.
She’s soft. Unable to fight or care for herself. I
don’t want a mate who is as useless as an infant.

“Hello, Kage,” she greets.
I huff at her and keep walking.
She frowns and scrambles after me. “Still not

wearing clothes?”

I huff again. She has eyes, doesn’t she?
“I was thinking maybe I could stop by your…

home, later on today?”

“No,” I tell her.
She steps into my path, and I’m forced to stop.

“Surely you want the company of a woman, right?
Soon I’ll be able to choose another Brotherhood to
have my next child with, and I’d like to know you
guys better.”

I answer without hesitation. “You do nothing to

stir my cock.”

Her mouth drops open.
I move around her and keep heading for the

largest building in the town. Throwing open the
doors, I barely glance at the towering roof, the
pillars that line my path, or the big stained glass
window. I head straight for the thrones at the end of
the room, raised slightly higher than the rest of the
room.

The old gargoyles were talking, but they stop as

I approach.

I don’t kneel before them. The others might see

the Elites as their new masters, but I don’t.

“I’ve been given a task by a god.”
Edgar’s eyes widen. “And it is?”
“To retrieve Hades’s lost hellhound, Cerberus.”
The old man, and the leader of these gargoyles,

looks worried. “You and your brothers don’t yet
understand the modern world. You don’t have
enough experience to not accidentally reveal
yourselves as being from another time. I think it’d
be better if we sent another Brotherhood who—“

“No,” I interrupt. “The deal has been forged

between the god and I. He will give us a mate in
exchange for our help.”

Every one of the Elites sits up straighter.

“Another female gargoyle? One old enough to
produce young? That’s truly a blessing.” He looks
at the other Elites, a few of whom nod. “Alright,
Kage, you and your Brotherhood may go and
retrieve the hellhound. We’ll supply you with all
you need to find the monster.”

I nod. “We leave at first light.”
They continue talking, but I turn and go. I don’t

care about their plans. Yes, I asked them, but it was
not for permission. It was because we don’t have
human coin or their connections. Having their help
will make our hunt easier, and I want to be done as
soon as possible, so we can claim our prize.

As I stomp through the town, I’m not

embarrassed to feel my cock hardening. I imagine

what our mate will be like. How her pussy will feel.

We need to hunt this dog quickly, return it to its

master, and claim what is rightfully ours.

The sooner, the better.

Chapter Three

CERBERUS

wo months later…

The music in the human club is

pounding. In my human form I find the music
irritating, in my hellhound form I would tear this
place down to the rafters… until every last note
was burned from this world. Sometimes having
superior hearing is a curse. But my superior eyes
have a use here. Between the dark and the flashing
lights, I can deliver the humans their liquor with
ease.

Something many of the other waitresses

struggle to do.

Even though I suspect it might be because of

the couple of open bottles of vodka they keep
hidden in the storage room.

“How are your tips?”

I spin away from the counter, where I’ve been

waiting for the bartender to complete a tray full of
shots.

Stacy Mettler is behind me. Her breasts seem

even larger tonight. They’re pushed up so high
they’re nearly dwarfing her neck, and her shirt is
see-through, showing off the red bra underneath.
My gaze moves back up to her face, concealed by
dark makeup.

“My tips are decent. You?”
She grins. “More than decent.” Her gaze goes

to one of her VIP tables, overflowing with drunken
men. “I got a bachelor party.”

“I prefer to deal with the women.”
“Really?” she asks, then winks. “I had no idea.”
I frown. “They don’t always tip as well, but

they’re less irritating.”

She throws back her head and laughs. “A little

irritation is fine, if it pays the bills!”

I think of my tiny apartment and my mostly

empty fridge.

Yes, money is required to live as a human. And

the animal shelter I volunteer at some days can’t
pay me. So, she’s right, a little irritation is worth
continuing to live this life.

Even if I don’t like it.
“My old clothes look nice on you!” she says,

her gaze roaming over me.

I look down. My shirt is black, with several

buttons left open on top. The skirt is black too, and
short. And my boots are tall, but comfortable.

The human’s clothes were a great blessing to

me. They helped me blend in. They almost make
me feel like a person worthy of things I like.
Almost.

“I like them,” I tell her.
She laughs. “You’re welcome.”
I frown. So many of the human things are

confusing. I thought I had to say thank you before
she’d say ‘you’re welcome.’ Every time I think I
understand these fragile beings, I learn I’m wrong.

My gaze sweeps back to the table of ladies who

are waiting for their drinks. They seem… unsteady.
I almost want to stop serving them. How can they
possibly protect themselves when they seem to
struggle just to speak? But as the manager has told
me, time and time again, that is not my call to
make. It’s theirs. And if there’s one thing I
understand, it’s how valuable freedom can be. So
I’ll keep serving them and trust that human adults
can make the right choice.

Some strange instinct crawls along my spine.
Instantly, I’m alert. There’s danger—but where?
My gaze continues to scan the bar then freezes

on a man and woman speaking, heads close
together. She laughs at something he says. He grins
like a fool.

This man looks like all the others. A simple,

short-lived human and nothing more. So why does
my hellhound side feel irritated? Why can I sense
the fur on my hound’s back standing on end?

The woman glances away from the man,

grabbing her purse off her lap and looking down at
her cellphone. My lip curls. The man watches her
too keenly. Lifting a hand, he drops something into
her drink.

A pill.
A drug.
“He put something in her drink.”
I go to step forward.
Stacy catches my arm.
I almost growl at her as I look back.
“That’s the Chief of Police’s son. He’s also

wealthy as fuck. If we get him in trouble, if we kick
him out, that’ll be it for Club Sulfur. No one will
come back to this bar. His dad will slap us with
every possible fine. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen
before. Gary, our manager, said we’re not allowed
to approach him about any issues. I mean, I know
how you feel, that you want to help. I felt that way
the first time too, but any woman stupid enough to
trust a bad guy like that sort of has it coming.”

It’s hard to breathe. My chest feels tight. My

dad was a bad guy. The fucking king of hell. Hades
himself. Every rumor, every story, told me not to
trust him. But when he put that collar around my
throat on my sixth birthday, attaching it to a chain

outside of the gates of the Underworld, I was still
surprised.

There’s nothing in this world wrong with

innocence.

Except that innocent people need people like

me—people with souls as black as tar—to keep
them safe.

And I will.
“Cerce.” Stacy has a slightly desperate note to

her voice.

“I’m not going to do anything.”
Something in the way her hands tighten on my

arm tells me she doesn’t believe me. “I know what
he does to those girls. It’s happened more times
than I can count. But at least they won’t remember
it.”

I shake her off my arm. That’s the fucking

stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. Not remembering
does not make being hurt any better. But then,
Stacy has a kid to feed and a rough life, she can’t
afford to risk this job. I can.

“Cerce!”
I turn.
The bartender gives me that wicked smile he

thinks makes him seem sexy. “Drinks are ready!”

With a sharp nod, I collect my tray and head

towards my table of women, near the man who will
soon feel my wrath. As I turn to face the women at
the table, my movements are a jerk of power, so

quick and powerful that the humans can’t possibly
follow what I’ve done.

The poisoned drink knocks to the ground and

shatters on the floor.

The woman squeals and jumps off her barstool,

away from the mess, while the man looks from the
mess to me, very slowly.

I force a smile I already know makes people

uneasy. But fuck them, this is probably the best
smile any hellhound has ever had.

“Sorry, I’ll clean that up.”
A sweet bar-back, whose name I don’t yet

know, is there in an instant. He carries a broom and
dustpan, instantly setting to work.

I thank him, and he gives a shy nod.
Then I turn back and set the shots out for my

table.

Everything I do is casual. Calculated. But I

watch that fucking slimeball until the bar closes and
they let me go. He doesn’t try to poison the woman
again, but that won’t save him now.

I can’t fight the beast within me. The one who

wants to punish the bad. The part of myself that
dragged screaming souls into the Underworld and
refused to allow them to escape.

My hellhound must be satisfied. She must

punish people like this man.

And tonight… that’s exactly what she’ll do.

Chapter Four

CERBERUS

t’s two in the morning when the bar
closes and the man starts his walk
home. I follow behind him, my steps

measured. He’s unsteady on his feet.

Even though I’m a hunter, capable of

concealing myself until I want to be revealed, I
don’t need to make the slightest effort. This man is
drunk. He’s left himself vulnerable, which surprises
me. Evil beings usually realize they have enough
enemies to not leave themselves in such a position.

Which tells me this man is a specific kind of

evil. The kind that preys on innocence, but isn’t
intelligent or calculated.

That will make what I’ll soon do easier.
The moon is out tonight. Almost full. It casts

the quiet streets in a surreal glow.

I smile, enjoying it all. This town of Darkwood

was truly the perfect place for my hound and I to
settle for a time. All the other cities just didn’t feel
right, and it seemed that every place I spent time at
was only a resting place until I reached here. At
first I was simply drawn to this area because of the
magic in the air, the knowledge on the wind that
this would be one of the Furies next targets.

All magical creatures already knew the three

immortals had chosen to unleash their attack on the
night of the Thesmophoria, in this area. Which was
a ballsy move, to piss off the gods on one of their
holidays. But then, the Furies didn’t give a shit
about the gods.

It was one of the many reasons I liked them.
The Furies were a wild threesome of women

born from the waters of the river Styx, covered in
the blood of a fallen titan. They came and went
from the Underworld as they pleased, outside of
Hades’s control. I strived to get a glimpse of them
when they came and went, seeing them as women
who had the freedom I so longed for. But a few
times a year, their fury over the loss of their sister
came to a boiling point, and they unleashed the
powers of the four winds onto the world.

I’d heard the tales too many times to count.
This year, they’ll unleash their fury in this area.

Not the full extent of it on Darkwood, we’re on the
outskirts of their target, but enough so I can feel

their magic in the air. Enough so that I was drawn
to this place above any others.

And I can’t wait for that moment. To feel their

power. To see what they’re capable of.

I only had a couple more days to wait, and then

my dream would come true.

Unable to help myself, I inhale deeply. It’s such

an explosion of scents when I breathe in this human
world. Yes, there are the smells of this city, some
sharp, some unpleasant. But beyond that are the
smells of the forest that surrounds us, and those
rich flavors fill my soul with happiness.

My hellhound stirs within me, appreciating the

scents. But she hasn’t forgotten her prey. She never
forgets.

We’ve almost reached the edge of town. My

gaze sweeps over the shadows of the woods, and I
move with quick movements to conceal myself
within the darkness. I slip out of the clothes I like
so dearly and hide them in a bush.

Naked, ready, I shift. The cracking of my bones

vibrates through my body, and I clench my teeth at
the waves of pain that come over me as I take on
my other form. I know from speaking to undead
shifters that most of them don’t hurt nearly as badly
when they change forms, but my beast is unearthly.
Taking on her form takes sacrifices, but luckily for
me, this pain is nothing in comparison to the pain
I’ve experienced in my long life.

In my hellhound form, I keep the flames from

leaping on my back. Soon, I can let them go. But
not yet, not when I’m hunting.

My paws move silently through the dirt and the

leaves of the forest as I track the man. He’s a
movement on the sidewalk, stinking of liquor and
sweat.

I already know he’ll be easy prey.
Choosing my moment with care, I wait until

there’s a long space between buildings. I circle
around him, and I leap out onto the sidewalk. It
takes him a stupidly long minute to see me. But
once he does, he freezes.

I growl, the sound starting softly, then gaining

volume and intensity. My lips draw back, flashing
my sharp, deadly teeth.

“Oh, shit!” he exclaims, and stumbles back.
I stalk slowly towards him.
“Fucking hell, that’s a big dog!” he says.
I snarl again.
He goes pale. “Nice dog. Nice, angry dog.”
The muscles in my legs bunch, and I leap

toward him. Not on him, no, not yet.

He screams and turns to run. I’m much faster

than he is, but it’s not my goal to catch him. Not
yet. Instead, I steer him off the sidewalk and into
the woods. He stumbles. He falls. And I pretend
that I’m not playing with him.

We run deeper and deeper into the woods. The

sounds of my heartbeat and his panting fill my ears,
and the moon paints us in a glow as old as time. A
predator in the night hunting its prey. The end of
this story is the same every single time.

I nip at his ankles. He screams again, the sound

echoing around us. Dark shapes, birds, lift off into
the sky. But still, our hunt isn’t over.

We come exploding out of the underbrush, and

he cries out. Up ahead, the earth has fallen away. A
deep gorge cuts off my prey’s escape.

He nearly falls over the edge but catches

himself, stumbling back onto the ground. Looking
at me, he fists a handful of dirt and throws it in my
direction.

I growl low in my throat. Seconds later, the

scent of piss fills the air.

He’s shaking. Scratched and bleeding from the

branches of the forest. He’s covered in sweat.
Maybe even tears.

And yet, it’s not enough. This will teach him

nothing.

At last, I allow the flames to grow upon my

back. My fur ignites in a fire that dances, deep red,
a scarlet like the blood of the dead.

His eyes go wide with terror. He knows now

that I’m not just any dog. I am death.

Advancing on him, my teeth flashing in the

moonlight, my growl a rumble that seems to echo
all around us, I move until I reach his feet. He

draws them back. He’s shaking, covered in his own
piss. But I keep going until my massive paws are on
his chest. My drool slides down my chin, falling
onto his face.

“Pl—please,” he stutters out.
If he knew what and who I am, he would know

better than to beg. Begging does nothing. I am a
heartless creature of the Underworld. No matter
how sad or how heartbroken, I’ve never allowed a
soul to return to the world of the living.

When I attack him, it isn’t a fast snapping of his

neck. No, he isn’t meat, or a meal to feed upon.
This is a torture. This is a punishment for the
women he’s hurt.

I want him to bleed. I want him to suffer.
When he’s covered in his own blood, weeping

like a child, I stand above him.

Never hurt another innocent.
He stiffens as my thoughts fill his mind. He

stares at me. A bag of blood covered in flesh.

If you ever hurt, drug, or rape another

innocent, I will come for you. Your death will be
slow, and it will be painful.

And then I turn and slip back into the shadows

of the woods. I race through the trees, needing a
release. Needing to feel… I don’t know what.

I tell myself I didn’t kill him because in death

he could reveal my location to my father or his
minions. That’s the easiest answer. The only answer

I want to consider.

Not that I find killing a human, any human,

upsetting. My job was to keep the undead where
they belonged. Not to kill people. Not to extract
revenge for crimes.

And as much as I hate it, I’m not sure I want

that job. I just want to protect humanity.

So, I run and run until I feel more like myself.

And then I circle to the back of my apartment
complex. Sitting in the shadows, I watch for a while
until I’m certain no one is there then I rush across
the sidewalks and up the stairs. My legs bunching, I
leap from the outside stairs to the balcony on my
second story place. There, I shift back into myself.
A woman covered in blood.

But instead of going inside, starting my shower,

and feeding, I lie upon my back on the balcony,
staring at the moon. Feeling… uncertain.

I had to teach the man a lesson. But the more I

do these things, the more word could spread.

No matter what, I’ll have to move on soon. But

I like this place. I like the people.

It almost feels like home.
And it can’t. A hellhound hunted by the gods

can’t have a home. And no matter how much I
want to pretend I’m human, I’m not. And I never
will be.

Chapter Five

SOREN

tanding in the shower, I let my head fall
forward and my muscles relax for the
first time in longer than I can remember.

I’m accustomed to waking from a stone-slumber
into war. I am not accustomed to waking up with no
masters and no clear path to take.

Nor to a place that feels entirely alien to me.
We’d received a crash course in the modern

world from the gargoyles before we left the
sanctuary, but since reaching the human-populated
lands, we’ve realized we still know absolutely
nothing about this modern society. The cities are
large, crowded, and loud. There are so many lights
and so many strange kinds of technology. And
we’ve had to immerse ourselves in these places to
search for the hellhound.

Even though now we’ve searched every city

Hades told us to, with no sign of the dog.

Reaching the small city of Darkwood was

somewhat of a relief, especially since hearing from
the local gas station owner that a dog with flaming
fur has been attacking people in the town. It meant
not only had we found the right place, it also wasn’t
some massive human city.

Besides being cleaner than some of the cities

we’d experienced, it was also less bright and noisy
than others. Even if it’s still so very different than
what we were used to.

But we’re trying to blend in. We want to get a

feel for this place, so we can find this hellhound
and get out of here. That’s the only way we’ll be
given a mate by the gods.

And who knows what the hell Hades will do

after the Thesmophoria celebration takes place in
a couple of days, and we still don’t have his hound.
Even though we haven’t heard from him since the
deal was struck, I imagine he’ll be here to collect
his prize when the time comes.

I sigh. Tick tock. No more time to waste.
Turning off the shower, I dry off and carefully

place the towel back where I found it. I pass Kage
still sleeping in our bed, and then step out into the
living room. I’m surprised to find Draven half-
asleep, staring off into space, on the couch.

Frowning, I try not to sound annoyed. “What

are you doing up?”

They’re never up early. This is my time. Time to

regroup and gather my thoughts. And more than
that, time to get my anger in check.

“Had to pee. You were in the only bathroom,”

he grumbles. “What are you doing up?”

I shrug.
His tired gaze meets mine. “You’re still upset

about Harleen.”

I stiffen, my teeth clenching together. I’ve been

doing my best to push her out of my mind and to
hide my frustrations. The last thing I need is
someone just bluntly pointing out what’s bothering
me the most about this new life. And our choice to
walk away from everything we’ve ever known.

“We had to leave her,” he says, and he no

longer sounds tired, just annoyed. “So it’s time to
stop sulking. This deal is almost done, and then we
need to meet our mate without acting like
assholes.”

“I’m not discussing this.” I start to stomp

toward the kitchen.

He sighs, loudly and with annoyance. “Harleen

hasn’t woken up during the last three attacks. She’s
lost to the stone.”

“Fuck you!” I say.
He stands. “Fine, be pissed. But Kage was right

to leave our lands. We couldn’t stay there, clinging
to ghosts, when we have a life to live.”

I glare at him. “He could’ve waited longer. We

could’ve given her more time.”

“Soren—”
“What? You might have given up on her, but I

haven’t!” When he stares at me blankly, my anger
grows. “She’s our sister!”

After a minute he heads toward the bedroom,

then pauses in the doorway. “We miss her too, but
we said our goodbyes to her the last time she didn’t
awaken.”

Before he can go, I shout after him, “Well, I

didn’t, and I never will!”

He strides through the bedroom and into the

bathroom without looking back, then closes the
door quietly.

I stand where I am for a minute, glaring. Female

gargoyles are rare and precious things. The fact that
one was carved and given a home at our estate was
lucky beyond words. For many, many battles, over
many lifetimes, Harleen fought at our side. She was
stubborn and cocky to a flaw, but she was our
sister.

Initially, I’d been eager to go find the gargoyle

sanctuary, but then I’d had a chance to think about
it. Leaving the estate was like giving up on Harleen
forever. Something I couldn’t bring myself to do. In
my mind I could picture her with her long dark hair,
the hair that somehow looked dark purple beneath
the sun’s rays. I’d remembered her jokes, and her

loyalty to our masters, and I couldn’t bring myself
to accept that she was dead to us forever. A statue
still sitting on the estate, the life within the stone
gone forever.

But even when I changed my mind about going

to the gargoyle sanctuary, Kage gave us no choice
but to obey him and leave. And then when we
reached the sanctuary and discovered a place that
was nothing like we imagined, Kage still stubbornly
refused to admit he was wrong or to go back. I’d
thought I couldn’t be angrier with him.

Which of course was right before he made this

stupid deal with a god.

So, I’ve accepted that this is our path now.

Even if I’ll never truly give up on Harleen, or
completely forgive my Brotherhood for leaving our
sister behind.

Now I just need to focus on why we’re here: to

prevent bringing the wrath of an angry god down
upon us. Which means, unlike my brothers, I can’t
just stay here and rest any longer. I need to explore
this town, find the hellhound, and leave.

Maybe with the mate Hades will give us, the

sting of this empty life will be lessened.

I hope.
Feeling agitated, I walk through our home… a

place they call an apartment. I’m not entirely
pleased with it. The gargoyles at the sanctuary
assured us it would suit our needs. They said it was

furnished with furniture and all we would need to
blend into this world. But everything in this place
has an unkempt look about it, as if the people who
stay here never stay long.

Going to the strange glass door, I struggle with

it for a moment before yanking it open. Outside on
our tiny, drab balcony, I watch the sun rising, my
thoughts wandering. Can we find this hellhound if
we can’t blend in and find leads? Probably not.

I reach up and rub my head, frowning as the

short strands poke at my fingertips. I’m not entirely
sure that the haircut and modern clothing they gave
me, will be enough to make me fit in here. But I
hope it will be.

My gaze slides over the apartment complex

until I spot a woman. Stiffening, our eyes lock.
She’s sitting on the balcony next to ours, in a chair,
sipping a cup. She has long dark hair and startlingly
blue eyes. One of her brows is arched in a way that
makes me feel like she’s mocking me. Even the curl
of her lips giving her the feel of a woman who finds
me strangely amusing. I follow her gaze down to
where it lands squarely on my cock.

I cover myself. Kage might not mind flashing

himself to every female who crosses our path, but I
think there’s a time and place for modesty. Like
right now, with a strange human female.

Next time I go on our balcony, it’ll have to be

clothed.

She stands, her movements fluid. So fluid that

she instantly strikes me as a warrior. She wears a
dark shirt with thin straps. The material clings to
her flesh, and I know I’m not imagining the points
of her nipples.

I’m ashamed to find myself aroused by her.
“You’re my new neighbor?” she asks.
And I’m right, she does have the air of someone

who finds me amusing. Which I don’t understand.
People find me frightening. Intimidating. Not
amusing.

I move closer to the edge of the balcony. We’re

perhaps fifteen feet from each other, the opening
for the staircase to our floor the only thing that
separates us… we’re too close.

“We moved in last night.”
She sips from her little tea cup again, that smile

teasing her lips. “I’m Cerce.”

“Soren,” I tell her, frowning.
Why does she smile at me like that? I don’t like

it. In fact, her beauty isn’t enough for me to like
her.

“Well, Soren, what brings you to this delightful

place?”

I study her. Why does she ask? It’s not any of

her business. And we haven’t come up with an
answer yet.

My mind turns. “Business.”
She cocks her head, and sets her cup down on

the edge of her balcony. “And how long will you be
here?”

“As long as it takes,” I answer, frowning.
Her smile seems to widen. “Well, Soren, enjoy

your business. And feel free to knock on my door if
you need anything.”

“I’m sure I won’t.” I know my answer is curt

and unfriendly, but this woman puts me on edge.

She picks up her tea cup and turns around,

heading back into her apartment. I glance down and
see that she’s only wearing a pair of underwear that
cups her beautiful ass. I’m transfixed by her round,
perfect curves. Asses like hers don’t come along
every day, and I have a weakness for them.

My gaze snaps up when she pauses, and I see

that she’s staring at me. I stiffen, hating that she
saw me staring. But then she disappears inside her
apartment, and I find myself rooted in place. What
a strange female. A very strange, beautiful female.

Going inside, I dress quickly in something

called jeans and a t-shirt. I put on boots that fit
well, then stare at myself in the mirror. My beard
has begun to grow again. My hair looks strangely
short after a lifetime of having long locks of hair.
But, I must admit, I believe I look more modern
now.

I think I’ll blend in nicely.
Opening our apartment door, I look at the door

directly across from ours. An instant later, it opens.

The dark-haired female from the balcony starts out,
pauses when she sees me, then turns away to lock
her door. I will myself not to notice that she wears
jeans as well. A dark pair with rips in the front that
hugs the delicious curves of her body. Again, my
gaze goes to her ass. She’s strange, but her ass is
perfection.

Scowling, I turn and lock my own door.
We reach the top of the stairs at the same time,

and a breeze teases her hair, which has now been
pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck.
She tucks the hair behind her ear, and her gaze
travels up to mine in an almost shy way.

I gesture with my hand for her to precede me

on the stairs.

Both her brows shoot up. “You can go,” she

says. “I’m not in a hurry.”

“I would never forget my manners in such a

way,” I tell her.

She tilts her head, and there’s something

unreadable in the depths of her striking blue eyes
before she turns away from me and starts down the
stairs. Her reaction is strange to me. Harleen didn’t
have these coy little smiles, but she always
expected us to treat her like a lady. Even covered in
blood from a battle.

What is wrong with this woman?
I follow behind her, catching her scent on the

air. For some reason, it suits her. It isn’t fruity or

flowery, it’s almost masculine. Rich.

And so distracting I nearly miss a step and fall.

Luckily though, I catch myself in time.

Smooth, Soren, very smooth, I chide myself.
She turns on the sidewalk in the same direction

I must go. It’s the quickest path to town. It’s a
sidewalk that weaves through the center of the drab
apartments, winding past the buildings, and the
spattering of grass, trees, and bushes. I feel
awkward as I walk behind her.

“Where are you going?” she asks, over her

shoulder.

I stiffen, not wanting to answer her question,

but seeing no reason to lie or ignore her. “To town.”

She glances back at me. “So am I. Why don’t

you walk beside me instead of at my heel?”

I scowl. My mission is very clear: find the

hellhound and get out of here before my brother
brings the wrath of the gods down on us. I don’t
have time for this woman, with her coy smiles and
her amused expression. But walking with her won’t
take more time than walking beside her, so...

Internally sighing, I speed up until I’m at her

side. Then I match her pace. She’s a tall woman,
this Cerce. Not massively muscular, but I can see
the swell of muscles in her arms as she walks. She’s
still a head shorter than I am, and barely half my
size, yet she seems sturdier than most of the
females I’ve met. Like a warrior. Again, the

thought comes. A strange thought.

Females aren’t warriors.
Silence swallows us as we leave the apartment

complex and walk together on the sidewalk to
town. There are little buildings and shops separated
by the woods along this path. A town carved out of
a flourishing forest. It’s both a strange place and a
place I enjoy.

But when I reach the center of town, I’ll have

to look for signs of the hellhound. I’ll need to
speak to people, gather gossip and pull out the truth
from what I hear. We’ve done this enough times
now to know the drill.

My gaze slides to the woman. I should be

asking her questions, even though she makes me
uneasy. It’d be stupid not to. So why aren’t I?

I search my thoughts for the best way to

approach my subject carefully. “Have you lived in
this town long?”

“No,” she says simply.
“And what brought you here?”
Her teasing smile is back. “Business.”
I frown. “What kind of business?”
“My business.”
My scowl deepens. “Do you not wish to speak

with me?”

Her brilliant blue eyes lock onto me. “I

wouldn’t mind speaking to you, but I’d rather not
be interrogated.”

“Interrogated?” I feel my brows rise in surprise.
She raises a brow. “Yes, interrogated. Haven’t

you ever spoken to another person before?”

I hate that she’s making fun of me again. Yes,

it’s true that I’ve been in my stone form for far too
long, and that even before that I was mostly just a
tool my masters used to fight. But even though I
have little experience making polite conversation,
and even less speaking to females, I don’t think I’m
interrogating her.

“How else should I get to know you then asking

questions?”

“So you want to get to know me?” she asks, her

gaze returning to the street ahead of me.

“Well, yes,” I say. But it’s strange, that’s not

what I want, right? So now why does it bother me
so much that she thinks I’m getting to know her so
poorly?

She sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear

again.

My gaze moves to her arms and her back. She

has… a lot of scars. They’re small, faint pale lines,
but now that I see them, they’re all I can see. She
looks like she was attacked.

Something within me tightens, like I’ve been

punched in the belly. This woman mocks me with
her teasing smiles. She bates me with her words.
And yet, someone has hurt her. There’s no denying
it.

“I volunteer with a veterinarian,” she says, her

words uncharacteristically soft. “That’s where I’m
going now. It’s a good place. A place that helps
animals. A place where they try to find homes for
animals without families.”

It’s strange. I can feel that her words are a

peace offering, but I’m still distracted by her scars.
I want to ask her about them, but I won’t. If she
didn’t like my other questions, I suspect she won’t
like anything brought up about her injuries.

Which bothers me a little. But I press on,

determined not to focus on anything but my task.

“You sound as if you enjoy your work.” It isn’t

a question, nor an interrogation. Just a statement.

She looks at me, and her expression has

gentled, if only by a little. “Of course I enjoy my
work. Who wouldn’t enjoy helping animals who
need it?”

I shrug, thinking of the hellhound. An animal

doctor might be just the place to start. “I don’t have
a pet, but I’ve been thinking of getting one.”

“A cat?” she says, her nose wrinkling in a way

that almost makes me smile. “You seem like a cat
person.”

I don’t know why, but I think she’s trying to

insult me. “No, I like cats, but I’m more interested
in getting a dog.”

She stops on the sidewalk and turns to look at

me, her expression serious. “Do you actually want

to get a dog? You’re prepared to walk it, feed it,
and give it the love and care it deserves for a
lifetime?”

“Perhaps.” I keep talking before she can stop

me. “Could I go with you to see the dogs there and
learn more?”

Some of the fight goes out of her eyes. “Alright.

But just to see them.”

As we continue walking, she mumbles, “But I

still think a cat might suit you better.”

“Why’s that?” I ask, not being able to stop

myself from challenging her.

She shrugs. “Dogs need strong alphas to lead

them. Cats need servants to tend to their needs.”

My jaw drops open. “Do I look like some

animal’s servant?”

Her gaze flickers to me. “I wouldn’t want to

answer that and risk offending you.”

I glare. “You are the most irritating woman I’ve

ever met.”

“At least I don’t look like the kind of person

who would glory in cleaning up cat shit.”

My fists clench. “I—I do not!”
She flashes an odd smile that’s all teeth. “It’s

strange to meet a man with the cock of an alpha
and the attitude of someone’s bitch.”

I step into her path, towering over her. “I could

snap you like a twig.”

But instead of cowering away from a big man,

that toothy smile of hers comes again, and she
actually reaches out and pats me on the head. Like
a fucking pet. “I’ll agree with you, since it’d be
impolite to do otherwise.”

When she steps around me, I stare after her in

shock.

I am not someone’s bitch. I am not a servant.

No woman would ever consider me such a thing.
Doesn’t she have eyes? Can’t she see that I’m built
like a warrior?

Hurrying after her, I remember something else.

She said I have the cock of an alpha?

Some of the fight goes out of me, and I feel my

balls tighten. That’s right, she saw what I’m
packing. And she knows it’s something impressive.

It still doesn’t forgive her other words, but my

pride is a little soothed.

We continue walking through town, but I stay a

few feet behind her. And I’m glad she doesn’t look
back, because I’m staring squarely at her ass. Ever
since she mentioned my cock, the bastard’s been
hard as a rod, begging me to show her what else
he’s capable of.

Traitor.
After a few minutes, we reach a tiny building

near the center of town. It’s brick and has a tall
brick fence concealing the backyard. The sign out
front says, “Pet Vet,” and nothing more.

She pauses just outside of it and glances at me.

“Just promise me you won’t get a dog unless you
can handle it.”

“I could handle a pack of dogs!”
An unexpected laugh, one that’s almost husky

and uncertain, comes from the woman. “We’ll see.”

As I follow her inside, I find that my gaze

instantly goes to her ass again. Her delicious, round
ass. My heart races a little faster. My job is to get
information. Not to get involved with this strange
woman. Nor argue with her.

I don’t like her. I don’t trust her. And I refuse to

be distracted by her.

Even though she’s without a doubt the most

beautiful woman I’ve seen in my many lifetimes.

And she’s a woman who thinks I have a nice

cock. The thought warms my chest as I follow her
inside.

At least that’s one thing we can both agree on.

Chapter Six

CERBERUS

mells rush over me as I enter the
veterinary clinic. It irritates the hellhound
within me. So many smells: cats, dogs,

other animals. My hound strives to show them she’s
dominate. But she also has a soft spot beneath her
tough exterior; she’s always quick to defend
creatures in harm. She always instinctually treats
other animals like they’re part of her pack of
misfits.

It’s one of the many things we have in common.

A weakness for those who need our strength.

My gaze lands on an older woman. Mrs. Meyers

has her old, sickly cat in her lap again. The animal
within me wants to put it down, to end its suffering.
But the human part of me understands that even a
miserable life is often better than no life at all. And

so, I smile at the old woman, which I can sense
makes her uneasy.

“You’re back?” I say.
She gives a tired smile. “I don’t have an

appointment, but I told Kayla I’d wait until she was
done with her morning work.”

I nod, knowing she’s a lonely woman. “It

shouldn’t be too much longer.”

Then I glance back at Soren, hoping to read his

expression.

He meets my gaze. “I thought there would be

an animal doctor or someone here.”

It takes me a second to respond. His voice is so

low and masculine. Even my hound seems to purr
in response to his voice. He sounds like an alpha,
and my hound loves a good alpha.

Although neither of us could help but tease

him.

“She’s probably in the back.”
He grunts in acknowledgement and nothing

more.

I walk through the tiny waiting room with its

walls lined with chairs. I push open the little
swinging door that leads past the counters to the
back rooms, and Soren catches it behind me and
follows. There are three small rooms for patients
and their pets, and a hallway between them that
leads to the back. Here, cages line the walls, and
we have little rooms for surgeries, and metal tables

near the cages.

I don’t like most of this place. Cages make me

uneasy. They remind me of my collar and my chain.
But I push down my emotions, knowing this place
is not a forever-prison for these animals. They’ll
only remain here while we either heal them, or they
die. Either way, it’s just a brief resting place in their
lives.

The vet isn’t in any of the rooms, so I know the

only place left that she’ll be. The backyard. My
favorite place here. I steer toward the backdoor.

And I try to ignore the big man, trailing me like

a shadow. Because I haven’t completely decided
what I think of him. In the Underworld, I had
visitors now and then. Some gods. Some semi-
immortal beings. Many of them became my friends
over the many years, a few became my lovers. I
saw sex as a way to connect with people, to feel
something other than loneliness and pain for a few
minutes before reality came crashing back to me.

I like physical contact. More than words. More

than anything else. A touch never lies. Never makes
promises it can’t keep. It simply is what it is. Two
people who want to feel something. Even if
afterwards the men leave me chained in the
darkness, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t need them to
care about me, just to make me feel like I’m not
alone.

Seeing Soren this morning reminded me of how

long it’s been since I touched a man last. When I
had looked at his massive body, his muscular arms,
his delicious chest, smooth belly, and large cock,
something had stirred within me. Need. But then
he’d looked at me, and I realized I had no idea how
to show interest in a man in this world. I don’t even
know how sex works here. If I sleep with him, will
he simply go away afterwards? I have no desire to
get him entangled in my situation.

Beside the back door is a large bag of dog food.

Knowing how heavy it is for Kayla, I reach down
and sweep it into my arms.

“I’ll get that!” Soren says behind me.
“I have it,” I say.
He makes a frustrated sound, and his arms

come around me to grab the bag.

My hound, unable to back down from the

challenge, holds the bag tighter. “Let go.”

“It’s too heavy for you!” he says.
“It’s not.” I lean forward, trying to keep it out

of his grasp.

Suddenly, my ass is bumping against him. And I

swear I feel his erection through his pants, hard and
tempting.

We both freeze. His breath is hot beside my ear.

“Give it to me.”

“You want it?” I say, and my voice is strangely

husky, the question implying that what he wants has
nothing to do with a bag of dog food.

He takes a long minute to answer. We both

simply stand together, his arms around me and the
bag, his cock pressed against my ass.

I close my eyes, and suddenly all I can imagine

is what it would feel like if he suddenly torn our
pants off and buried into me from behind. My
hound and I would submit to him then. We’d let
him ride us with his long, thick, delicious-looking
cock.

All he has to do is give any sign that’s what he

wants.

All he has to do is be the alpha his cock

suggests and take control.

“I’m the man. I should carry it,” he says, but

unlike before, he no longer sounds angry, just
frustrated.

Doesn’t he understand that he needs to make

the move now?

I frown. Perhaps I have to be more obvious

with human men.

Rubbing my ass slowly against his erection, I

glory in the feel of his arms tightening around me.
“And here I thought men in this position usually
like to grab a woman’s hair, not the items she’s
carrying.”

He swears and jumps back from me.
I look at him, feeling strangely triumphant,

while at the same time disappointed. Then I turn
and open the door. Going into the backyard, I carry

the bag easily and set it down near the others.
When I stand, Soren is glaring at me, arms crossed
in front of his chest.

“Want to look for that cat now?”
His glare darkens.
I move up to him and can’t help but put a hand

on his thickly-corded arm. “Soren?”

His gaze darkens, and he leans a little closer.

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need me to teach you how to carry

heavy bags, or pull a woman’s hair the way she
likes, just ask.”

His jaw drops open.
There. Now there’s no misunderstanding what I

said.

Spinning away from him, I ignore his anger at

losing our battle of wills and search for my friend.
Kennels line the back wall, and fences separate
animals in different areas, while still giving them
room to run and play. These are the animals the vet
cares for until they can find a permanent home.
This is where Soren can see animals without a
home.

Although I’m not sure he’ll even look at them

now. Not after I challenged his manhood.

Kayla is in the back, sitting in the middle of one

fenced-in area. Tiny puppies crawl and play all over
her. And in her face I see something I envy more
than anything else in this world—pure and utter

happiness. This woman, with her short dark hair
and deep purple tips, is beautiful. She breaks every
rule I’ve come to understand, with the tattoos that
cover her arms and chest, and the piercings that
race up and down her ears. But that fact makes her
even more beautiful. It reminds me that it might
even be possible for me, a scarred-up freak, to be
beautiful to someone.

Maybe.
Kayla glances up at me and smiles.
I smile back.
And unlike every other person I smile at, she

doesn’t flinch. “Cerce! All the puppies are doing
great, even the runt!” Then, her gaze goes to the
man behind me. “Who’s the stud? I hope he’s your
new boy toy.”

A flash of warmth hits my cheeks, but I lift my

chin a little higher. “He’s my neighbor. He might be
looking for a dog… if he can handle the
responsibility.”

I continue walking closer to her, trying not to

look back at Soren. What did he think when she
implied there was something romantic between us?
He didn’t deny it. Could that mean he’s interested?
Or did I just clear things up quickly enough?

If he was interested, he’d be plunging in and

out of your pussy right now, a tiny voice whispers
in the back of my mind.

I try to push the troubling thought away. That’s

what it would mean if a man in the Underworld
came to see me, but what does it mean to humans?
Perhaps I really was being too subtle.

We stop before the pen, which was fenced off

by metal posts that reach my chest. “Can we come
in?”

She nods. “Just make sure none of the scamps

run off!”

Soren and I scoot in and close the gate behind

us. Instantly, the puppies lift their heads, sniff the
air, and run for me. I kneel down, and they’re
everywhere. I knew that some instinct within them
thought I was their mother, from the moment they
were born and their mother passed. I pet them
different than Kayla does. Like a dog, my palm
dragging along their backs. They roll over and show
me their bellies, a sign that I’m dominate. I stoke
their tiny tummies covered in spots and pray that
they never know cruelty. Such innocent babies
never should.

Soren clears his throat, and I glance up at him.

He’s staring at a couple puppies that are sniffing at
his shoes. “I just came to town,” he says, sounding
uncomfortable.

Kayla laughs and stands, grabbing a bag and

continuing to fill their food bowls. “In a town this
small, we all know each other, so no need to tell
any of us you’re new.”

“Okay.” He hesitates. “I’ve been thinking of

getting a dog for a while, but I have concerns.”

I glance up at him, and my mouth goes dry. The

sun has peeked out from behind the building,
bathing him in its glow. I’d thought his hair was
brown, but in the sunlight, there’s a slight reddish
hue. And the golden color in his eyes seems to grow
deeper, giving him a godly air.

Something inside of me warms. This man is so

big. So strong. So masculine.

I’m definitely going to have to figure out sex in

this world, because I think he could satisfy me just
fine. But not if I don’t learn to show him the right
signs that that’s what I want.

“What are your concerns?” Kayla asks,

distracted as she fills up the puppies’ water bowl.

“I heard about some kind of dangerous, wild

dog running around this town.”

Everything inside of me tenses.
Kayla laughs. “Don’t worry; we don’t have any

dangerous dogs here.”

“You sure?” he presses, crossing those big,

muscular arms in front of his chest again.

“Absolutely,” she says, rising to her feet. “All

our dogs spend enough time with us before we
adopt them out that we learn about any of their…
quirks.”

“Quirks?” I ask, unable to stop myself.
She shrugs. “Dogs are like people. They have a

history. If their owner punishes them with water,

they might fear it. If they’ve been starved, they
might be possessive of their food. If they’ve been
taught to protect their pack, they might be more
aggressive. And then, of course, these things can
feed into their natural instincts, so we get to know
them.”

I’ve never heard Kayla speak like this before,

and for some reason, it makes me like her even
more. My gaze goes to my arms, to the scars from
the clawed hands of the Soulless, the marks from
the teeth of the Rotters. I don’t like knives anymore
or the feel of teeth on my flesh. And then I think of
my back, and the larger scars seem to grow heavier.
The reason I don’t like whips.

Yes, humans or dogs… we carry our history.

Our fears.

Kayla continues, breaking into my thoughts.

“So, we try to match the right dogs with the right
owners. With puppies, it’s more about getting the
right breed and temperament. That’s important with
older dogs too, but their history is another factor.”

“But I imagine not every dog is adoptable? Like

the one I’ve been hearing about,” I ask.

For some reason Kayla’s answer is very

important to me. Me—my hellhound—we’re the
same. Dangerous. If we were here, I’d assume we’d
meet the unadoptable category.

“Yes, some dogs are too dangerous to adopt

out,” Kayla says, very slowly. “But just so you

know, the one people are talking about, I doubt it’s
just some crazed dog.”

“Why do you say that?” Soren presses.
She leans against the fence and grins. “Because

the men who were supposedly attacked—they’re
all assholes who like to party. I’m thinking they
probably just got a little messed up on drugs, ran
around the woods and got hurt, and then came up
with a bullshit story to explain it all. That makes
more sense than the alternative.”

“And what’s the alternative?” he asked.
Her grin widens. “That some crazed dog is just

attacking the town assholes… oh yeah, with its fur
on fire.” She laughs. “You do the math.”

His brows draw together, and I can actually see

his thoughts turning over in his mind. “So, the—dog
—only hurts bad men?”

Kayla nods. “Yup. If there was a dog.”
I rise, gently shifting the puppies so they won’t

be hurt. This conversation is setting me on edge.
Has everyone in this town noticed that my targets
fit a certain profile?

That might make it even harder to go unnoticed.
Hades might be sending his Soulless after me

sooner than I thought. And yet, I’m not ready to
pack up and leave. Not yet.

“You wanted to look at the dogs?” I remind

Soren.

He stiffens. “Oh yeah.”

Kayla takes him around, answering questions,

and introducing him to our dogs. I listen while I
feed all our animals, clean their areas, and fill their
water dishes. When I’m done, I’m sweaty, but I feel
good. Work like this always leaving me feeling
renewed.

My mind flashes to another time—to my teeth

sunk deeply into the ankle of a dead human trying
to escape. I remember the taste of their blood and
their screams as I dragged them back to the other
side of the massive gate the dead had to stay
within.

That woman had begged me to stop. They all

begged me to stop.

But usually the people who had gone to the

Underworld and found their own paradise didn’t try
to escape. It was the bastards who would spend
eternity being punished for their sins that tried to
run from it, not caring how it could impact their
loved ones to suddenly have them return.

“Cerce?”
I come back to the present. I’m shaking.
She puts a gentle hand on my arm and smiles at

me. Kayla says I have PTSD. She even explained
what it is, even though I won’t tell her the cause of
it. The first time I got dragged into a memory, I
came back shaking and vomiting. She’d looked at
my scars and explained PTSD like it was the most
normal thing in this world.

I love Kayla.
“I’m okay,” I tell her, even though the words

come out breathless.

Soren is behind her, frowning. His gaze locks

onto mine and for the briefest moment I think he
looks concerned, and then his face goes blank
again.

“Kayla!” someone shouts.
We whirl around. A young man is standing in

the doorway. His face is pale. A dog lies in his arms,
covered in blood, a wounded mass of flesh.

“He was hit by a truck,” the young man says.
We snap into action, forgetting everything

except this suffering creature.

Kayla leads us to a surgery room. She shouts to

lay the dog down. We wash our hands and put on
our white coats. But the instant Kayla tries to
approach him with a shot, something to help with
the pain, something to put him to sleep, so we can
save his life, the dog goes wild, snapping at us and
growling.

He’s lost. Lost to his pain.
The young man tries to help. The dog snaps at

him. Things are becoming dangerous. His time is
ticking away.

I growl loudly, low in the back of my throat. I

could make sounds that every person within earshot
would know don’t belong to a human, but I won’t.
That would give me away. But I make a sound I

know will draw the dog’s attention, which it does.

Approaching it like an alpha, I hold his gaze.

The dog loses his fight, leaning down, whimpering
as I approach. I grab him by the scruff at the back
of his neck. Kayla gives him the shot. He makes
one final whimper before he goes to sleep.

And then, then it’s time for us to get to work.

To save his life.

Briefly I glance up to the doorway, and my gaze

connects with Soren’s. He’s watching me again in a
way that doesn’t make sense to me, but then he
turns and he’s gone.

I want to think about him. To question what he

thinks of me and what I think of him.

But I can’t. Not now. I have a life to save.

Chapter Seven

DRAVEN

sit up and stretch, instantly aware of
the smell of food. Rising, I dress
quickly and go to the small kitchen to

find Kage cooking about a dozen scrambled eggs. A
massive pan of bacon has been cooked and rests on
the counter.

Entering the kitchen, I immediately snag a piece

of the crispy bacon. My stomach rumbles in
pleasure as I devour it and reach for the next piece.

Kage looks back at me and glares. “Save some

for the rest of us.”

I snag another piece. “Is it really smart to be

cooking naked?”

Kage doesn’t respond. The bastard has always

loved to be naked. He can cook boiling stew on a
fire without blinking an eye, whereas my cock hurts

at just the thought of having my package that close
to a hot stove.

“Where’s Soren?” Kage asks.
I shrug. “Being Soren.”
He’s quiet for a long minute. “We all miss

Harleen, but surely he knows we couldn’t just stay
in a place we weren’t needed forever, just because
her statue remained there?”

Of course Soren is still upset about that, which

is just plain stupid. All gargoyles are loyal to a fault.
So if Kage and I said goodbye to Harleen, it was
because we knew she was gone forever. But Soren
isn’t just loyal, he’s stubborn. It is just how he was.
About everything.

And he doesn’t like change. Of any kind. New

people. New places. He hated it all.

I speak around the bacon in my mouth. “It’s not

just that. He’s also not happy about your little
deal.”

Kage glances back at me, the long hair he

refused to cut falling in his face. “But when it
comes time to put our hard cocks in our mate, I bet
he’ll be thanking me.”

I grunt and eat another piece of bacon. Kage

knows me well. I wasn’t happy about the deal
either, or working with Hades, but the idea of a soft
mate groaning beneath me is enough for me to be
willing to take this risk. I’m not sure Soren feels the
same way. He wanted to work something out with

the female gargoyles who had expressed interest in
us. They made sense to him. Being given a magical,
perfect mate from a god? It wasn’t quite as logical
for him.

But Kage and I were on the same page there.

Watching a woman with her babies and mates
staring at us didn’t turn me on. I didn’t want a
woman for a few months, I wanted a woman
forever. And that was one thing that sanctuary
could never give us.

“Fuck those gargoyles who promised us the

sanctuary would have lots of women.”

Kage pulls out three plates. “If I ever see them

again, I’ll put a sword in their throats.”

I think back to the three gargoyles who had

arrived at our mansion shortly after we’d awoken. I
think back to the lovely woman they’d had with
them… the one that had turned out to be a fucking
monster… a damn harpy.

I was with Kage. If we saw them again, I’d

make them pay.

Kage piles eggs onto each of our plates, then

bacon. Going to a stool beside the counter, he sits
down and tears into his food. I shake my head, grab
a fork, and eat standing near him.

Silence stretches between us until we’re done,

and then we both set our plates down and stare at
one another.

“So you think Soren went out to start

investigating?”

Kage shrugs. “Yeah. He wants to be finished

here as quickly as possible.”

“I don’t blame him.”
Kage raises a brow. “There’s no place for us in

this modern world. No master of our lands. No one
to obey. All of them have died and gone, leaving us
behind. And so, we have to make a life now. A life
of our own. And we can have one, a good one. All
we have to do is find one monster. One. And we’ll
have everything we’ve ever wanted.”

My pulse speeds up. The desire to tell him my

secret bubbles inside of me for the millionth time.

But I can’t.
If Kage and Soren ever found out that it was my

fault we lost everything, they’d never forgive me.
In my mind, it was the only thing that could ever
tear our Brotherhood apart. So it was the one thing
I’d take to my grave.

No matter how the truth ate at me.
Taking a deep breath, I tell myself to calm

down. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t even suspect,
so I need to remain composed and give nothing
away. The focus was our deal with the god and the
monster we must catch, not the family I’d betrayed.

“I don’t care about the monster,” I say. We’ve

killed monsters before. Dozens of the fuckers. We
know strategy. We know how to track and hunt. “I
don’t like the deal with the god. Gods are tricky

bastards.”

“But he can’t renege on his word. Gods are

bound to their promises in a way no other being is,”
Kage says, like it solves all our issues.

“You really believe this is going to be simple? If

it was simple, he wouldn’t have asked for our
help.”

Kage shrugs. “Maybe he was lazy.”
“Or maybe this won’t be as easy as you think.”
We hear the key in the lock. A second later

Soren comes in. I’m almost surprised, yet again, by
how different he looks than he used to. His hair was
cut, just like mine, but even shorter. He wears
casual, odd looking clothes. Just like I wear. He’s
even starting to walk and talk like a modern human.

I wonder if I’ve changed that much too.
“Morning,” he says.
Going to the kitchen, he grabs his plate of food

and sits at one of the empty barstools.

“Find out anything useful?” I ask.
He swallows the bite of eggs in his mouth. “The

hellhound apparently likes to attack a certain type
of human.” He grabs a piece of bacon and starts
munching.

“And what kind is that?” I feel unexpectedly

irritated. Just tell us, so we can get this whole thing
over with.

“Bad men who like to party at night with drugs

and alcohol.”

I frown. “Why would a hellhound care who it

attacks?”

Soren goes for more eggs. “I don’t know, but

I’m thinking it must learn something about the men
before it attacks.”

My thoughts start turning. “There can’t be

many places in this town that cater to that kind of
crowd.”

Both men look at me. Waiting.
I sigh, thinking of a place filled with nightlife

that we briefly stayed at on our trip to this town.
“We should go out at night and go to the places that
are still open. We should try to find a place the
hellhound can watch its victims without anyone
noticing.”

Kage grunts. “It’s as good a start as any.”
“We also need to come up with what we’re

going to tell the humans. I told Cerce we were here
on business, but—“

“Whose Cerce?” I ask, staring at Soren.
A guarded look comes over his face. “Our

neighbor.”

“Neighbor?” Kage asks, perking up. “What

does she look like?”

“Trouble,” Soren says, frowning down at his

eggs.

“Just my type.” Kage grins.
“No,” Soren continues. “We should stay away

from her. I don’t like her. I just wanted to come up

with a plan.”

My thoughts are turning. Since when does

Soren call a woman trouble? She must have really
gotten under his skin. A fact that intrigues me. I’ll
have to meet this woman, but for now, we do need
something to tell the humans.

“We’ll tell people that we are looking to invest

in land, and that we thought the area outside of this
town could work. It’ll explain why we might end up
in the woods and why we’re so interested in the
hellhound.”

“Good enough for me.” Kage rises. “So what

now?”

“We cautiously ask people questions around

town, then tonight we split up and see what we can
find.”

Kage thankfully goes to dress and my mind

continues to spin. Something feels off about this
whole situation. But I can’t quite put my finger on
what it is.

All I know is this… I don’t like it.
Please let me be wrong. Let this be simple and

easy. One dead dog means a lifetime with a mate.

But even when I go to wash the dishes the

uneasy feeling continues to linger over me.

Chapter Eight

CERBERUS

he club is busy even for a Saturday
night. Apparently, a group of tourists

are occupying most of the hotel rooms, staying here
for a brief time before taking off to some concert in
the next city. I don’t mind though. More people
means more tips. And human life means needing
money.

For one brief minute, all my tables are happy. I

stand by the end of the bar, letting my gaze sweep
over the crowd. A second later, someone puts a
hand on my waist. I whirl around, ready to drive
my palm into their nose, but I manage to stop
myself before killing my manager.

Gary’s eyes are wide. His hand drops. “Uh,

sorry, Cere.”

The fucker must not have realized it was me

from behind. For some reason, he’s developed a
healthy fear of me.

“Can you take out the trash?”
I nod. A break from the noise would be nice.
Gathering a few bags, not too many for the

humans to realize how much stronger I am than I
should be for a woman my size, I go out the back
door and out into the silence of the night. The air is
crisp. Cool. The perfect temperature for an autumn
night. The moon is still bright, and the stars are dull
until I get away from the bright lights of the club
and closer to the shadows near the dumpster. Out
here, my hound stretches awake, breathing in the
scents of freedom. Even the dirt and garbage of the
city doesn’t destroy it. This place smells of
freedom.

When I reach the dumpsters, I glance around,

then heft the bags into the dumpster and slam it
shut. The sound seems to echo in the silence around
me.

Suddenly, a man comes out of the alley. Every

muscle in my body tenses, and I regard the hulking
man with unease. He’s got wavy blond hair that
frames a startlingly masculine face. It hugs that line
between a man who’s too pretty to radiate the
alphaness that my hound needs, and the strength
that instantly turns me on. I watch as his dark eyes
move to me, then widen.

What’s he thinking?

“Hello,” he greets.
I consider ignoring him, turning around and

pretending he never spoke to me, but I can’t seem
to stop staring at him. Not that I’ll let him know
how much he’s shaken me.

“Hi.”
The corners of his mouth curl into a smile that

seems friendly and confident. My hound purrs
within me in response. Not that hounds purr
exactly, but I can sense her pleasure at the man’s
attention.

His gaze goes to the club. “Is that Club Sulfur?”
I nod. “If you’re looking to get drunk and go

home with a strange woman, you’ve come to the
right place.”

“Are you offering?” he asks, and there’s a flirty

note to his voice that makes it hard to catch my
breath.

“Not even a little.”
His smile grows. “I’m Draven, by the way.”
“You passing through with the other tourists?”
He shakes his head. “Just in town for a little

business.”

Suddenly, I’m aware of how close he’s come to

me, and I stiffen. How did that happen? He’s just a
few feet in front of me. Directly in my personal
space. And for some reason, I not only hadn’t
noticed, my hound hadn’t cared.

That makes me… uneasy.

“Well, the door’s open, no need to stand out

here and talk to the staff.”

His smile falters. “Am I bothering you?”
“Do you care if you are?”
I’m surprised by how instantly he goes from

pleasant to having an unexpected edge. “Yeah, I
do, actually. If I’m bothering you, I’m gone.”

He starts toward the club.
My hand shoots out and grabs his arm.
In shock, I look down at where I’m touching

him at the same time he looks down. Then our
gazes catch and hold again. Something intense and
delicious flows between us. Something that I don’t
want to end.

“Sorry,” I say, breathless. “I didn’t mean—“
His smile returns. “It’s okay. How about we just

head inside?”

I nod, grateful he didn’t make me apologize. It’s

not something I’m particularly good at.

We turn and start slowly toward the club. The

tension between us continues to linger, and I realize
for the first time that it’s attraction. A different kind
of attraction than I’ve felt before. With Soren, he
seemed content to keep me at arm’s length. With
this man, I get the sense he’s already claimed me as
his own in some way.

Neither my hound nor I know what to think of

that.

“How do you like this town?” he asks, his tone

light.

The words come easily. “It’s nice. The people

are friendly, and it’s beautiful, in its own way.”

He doesn’t speak for a long minute. “Do you

feel safe here?”

Is that a normal question? I frown, wishing that

I knew more about human interactions. “Of course.
Why wouldn’t I?”

“I heard about some dog attacks.”
My entire body stiffens. “I…”
We step through the back door to the club,

which is exactly when I realize I should’ve had him
go in through the front, like a customer. What the
hell is wrong with me? Yes, he’s tall, muscular, and
has the kind of face that might just keep me up at
night, but I’m not a mortal woman. I don’t swoon
over men. I possess them.

And then the screaming starts, coming from a

dozen terrified voices all at once. Voices
somewhere inside the club. Instinctually, I know the
man beside me will run the other way, that’s what
any logical person would do, but I can’t. Instead, I
turn and head right inside, stopping short right
when I get the main room of the club in view.

A masked man stands in the middle of the

room, waving a gun around. “If no one decides to
be a hero,” he shouts, “there’s no reason for
anyone to get hurt!” Every muscle in my body
tenses as he points the gun at one of the bartenders.

“Bag up the money and hand it over.”

“Fuck.” The man from the alley is directly

behind me, his voice a whisper.

How did he get here? And what the hell is

wrong with him? Smart people don’t run at danger.

I ease him backwards slowly, with my hand on

his chest. For some reason, my hound is screaming
that I must keep him safe. So we slip out of view
and move backwards until we come to the wall.

I shove on it, and it instantly pushes open. The

secret storage room for extra liquor. Glancing again
toward the front, I push the man inside and close us
into the darkness of the small room.

“Stay here,” I whisper. “And don’t make any

noise.”

“Are you fucking serious?” His voice is harsh

and filled with disbelief. “You stay here. I’m going
to go beat the shit out of that guy.”

I catch him before he can open the door. My

eyes have adjusted to the darkness. And I can see
him. I can sense him, his breathing rapid, his chest
filled with a righteous anger.

“No,” I say, pressing my hand against his chest

again. He allows me to move him back a little.
“That man wants to get his money and get out.
Those people will be safe, as long as no one bothers
him. I’m going to go out and make sure that
happens. And you’re going to stay here and stay
out of sight.”

He leans in closer to me, so close his breath is

hot on my face. “If all he wants is money, maybe
he’s already gone.”

“Maybe,” I tell him. Where’s he going with

this?

“So there’s no use in you going out there.”
Is he actually trying to protect me? I hold back

a snort of laughter. No one needs to protect a
fucking hellhound.

Instead, I simply say, “I can handle myself.”
He reaches up and pushes a few stray strands of

hair out of my face. “I have no doubt about that,
but here’s the thing, it’ll be a cold day in hell before
I let you go out there and put yourself in danger.
Especially, as you say, when it’s unnecessary.”

Again, I almost laugh. “Well, I’m not letting

you out there either.”

“Then I guess we’re staying in here.” I hear the

sound of the lock being flicked into place.

Tension sings between us. He leans in closer—

and my phone beeps.

“Fuck,” I whisper, then pull it out of my pocket.
It’s from Stacy.

Where are you? We were just robbed. The police
are on their way.

I type back, my pulse racing. If the police come,
they’ll ask me for identification, and then they’ll
realize I don’t exist, at least not with a human
paper-trail. And I’ll be screwed.

I’m hiding in the storage room. The cops can’t find
me.

A second later, she responds.

I’ll take care of it. Go to the secret spot.

I shove my phone in my pocket, realizing too late
the Draven man had been reading the texts over my
shoulder. Shit. That can’t be good. What does he
think about my reluctance to talk to the police?

“So, there’s a place here we can hide from

these police?” he asks.

“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s get there. I have my own reasons

for staying off their radar.”

Some of my worry slips from my shoulders.

Going to the back of the storage room, I shove the

tiny square on the wall behind some boxes. The
small door swings open, and I slip around the
boxes, duck, and enter the small hidden space.
Draven struggles a bit more to climb in, but once he
does, I have to step back to give him room. When
the door closes behind him, I slip the wooden bar in
place.

Now we’re in a broom-closet-sized room, with

just barely enough space for the two of us. It’d take
nothing at all to reach out and touch him, but I
don’t. Because I have no idea what this man wants
right now. For all I know, it’s nothing like I’m
wanting.

To be touched. To feel pleasure.
“Do most bars have hidden rooms?” Draven’s

voice is husky.

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I think he might

feel the tension between us too.

“I think whoever originally built this building

had something to hide, but the owner pretty much
just uses these areas as extra storage space now.”

Draven nods, and his fingers push back the hair

from my face again. His fingertips are both soft and
somehow possessive.

Every hair on my body stands on end, and I

find myself leaning into his touch. Even my hound
seems to be watching and waiting, wanting more.

“You shouldn’t be in this room with a strange

man.”

I put my hands on his chest. “Are you saying I

should be afraid of you?”

He chuckles, and the sound is low and

masculine. “Yes. You have no idea what I’m
imagining doing to you right now.”

So, he does want me. This I understand.
Unable to help myself, I slide my hands slowly

down his chest. When I reach his belt, I hesitate.
He’s breathing hard, watching my every move.

“I’m not very good at knowing what men

want.”

“I think you know exactly what we want, you

just want to torture the hell out of us.”

His words are a challenge, and damn it my

hound and I love a challenge.

My hands slide lower, and a groan slips passed

his lips as I reach the delicious bulge in his pants.
Oh god, this man is packing something sinfully
amazing.

I know what will happen next. He’ll tug down

his pants, and mine, and plunge in and out of me
until he comes. If I’m lucky, I’ll come too. And for
one shining moment, I’ll be touching someone.
Being touched by someone. Feeling the closest
thing I’ll ever come to being loved.

It all comes into my mind like the reel of a

movie, so when his hands lift to caress my face, I’m
startled. What’s he doing?

A second later, his lips descend on mine.

I’m overwhelmed. His lips… they’re so soft, so

perfect. They press against mine, not with
hesitation, but with an exploratory air that makes
me think he’s waiting for my reaction.

Could he really be?
When he pulls back, breathing hard, his voice

comes as soft as a whisper. “Did you like that?”

I nod, unable to speak.
“Do you want me to kiss you again?”
I don’t hesitate, I nod again.
This time when he kisses me, I’m ready for it.

My lips don’t just stay still waiting to see what he’ll
do next. They kiss him back, following his lead. I’m
overwhelmed by how his touch seems to awaken
my body. My skin feels hot. The space between my
thighs has grown wet and tight, aching for this man
in a way I never have for anyone before him.

I didn’t expect to experience my first kiss

tonight, but somehow, I’m glad it’s happening. And
I’m glad it’s with this man. Someone I likely won’t
see again after tonight. A stranger, passing through
a town, wanting to touch a woman he barely knows
in the darkness.

What happens here feels like a secret. Like a

dream I’m having that I know will fade in the
sunlight. But I don’t care enough not to dive into
every second of it.

When my lips part, his tongue moves inside my

mouth, flicking against my tongue. I gasp and tense

as need rolls through me. This man’s kiss… it’s out
of this world. Soon my tongue begins to tangle with
his, and I’m satisfied to feel him hardening and
swelling even more beneath my touch.

This is it then, the moment when he plunges

inside of me. He’ll rip his cock free, tear off my
pants, and we’ll come together. And for once, I feel
not just ready for the touch of another person, but
for his touch.

But he doesn’t. Still.
I’m perplexed as he murmurs words I don’t

understand, sliding his lips from mine down my
neck. He sucks the soft skin of my throat, shocking
me. I’ve always seen my throat as a weakness.
Something never to expose to my enemies. And
yet, for the first time in my life, that softness has a
purpose. To be touched and kissed by this man.

He swears and slips one sleeve of my tank top

down onto my arm. Then, just as slowly, with a
touch that borders on worshiping, he slips off the
other side.

I hold my breath as one of his fingertips brush

the tops of my breasts.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.
No, I’m not. I know that. I’m a warrior. Not a

woman. I’m a tool to be used and thrown away. I’m
a scarred-up pile of flesh.

So why do I feel like I’m something different?

Like I’m something more? I can’t decide if this

man’s touch is lying to me, or if every person who’s
ever touched me with hard, cruel hands made me
forget that I could be this… this person. A woman.
Someone to be worshipped.

I feel a tear slip down my cheek. I’m glad he

can’t see me. He wouldn’t understand why his
gentle touch is breaking me more than any blow,
nor do I want him to understand.

He tugs my shirt down further, and then his

fingertips continue to explore my skin, moving past
my bra, brushing the skin of my stomach. I almost
tell him to stop, to simply mount me and fuck me
like the others, but the words won’t leave my lips.

Leaning forward, his lips brush the tops of my

breasts, and then he pulls down my bra. My breasts
come free, exposed to the chill of the air. But the
moment the uncomfortable sensation washes over
me, his mouth closes over one of my nipples. I
move backwards until my back hits the wall. His
other hand begins to roll my nipple between his
thumb and finger, causing my pleasure to build.

I’m overwhelmed. His mouth is so hot, sucking

and licking in a way that sends fire racing straight
to my core. I don’t care if this man has touched a
thousand women like this. If it taught him to bring
me this pleasure. If it made it so his touch could lie
to me, could say that I’m something worth feeling
this pleasure.

Even if I’m overwhelmed.

I think of the past men who fucked me. It was

hard and rough. The air was filled with the sounds
of their grunting. The smell of their sweat hung in
the air, and I clung to them. Clung to the touch of
another person.

So what was that if this is what it feels like to

have sex?

I feel… torn. Pleasure rolls through me in a

wave that has my skin awakening. But my
thoughts? They keep spinning. Shouting above my
pleasure that this man wouldn’t be touching me if
he knew what I am. That I’m not something to be
touched and loved gently.

It’s all a lie.
My phone buzzes. The man doesn’t care. He

moves to lavish my other breast with his hot, skilled
tongue.

You’re lying to him.
But his touch… it’s everything. The best thing

I’ve ever felt.

Meant for someone else. Someone who

deserves it.

My heart’s racing. What do I do? Should I stop

him? Or do I let him take me to the place I know
we’re headed? A place I’ll remember forever. A
place that will change me.

And then what will you do when you lose his

touch? You’ll be alone again with nothing but
memories.

My phone buzzes again, and instinctively I push

the man away. He allows it, breathing hard, so
close. Watching me in the darkness. I pull up my
bra and take my phone out of my back pocket.

If you want to get out of there, this is your chance.
Go out the back.

“What is it?” he asks, his hands reaching for me.

I slide out of his grasp, shove the phone back in

my pocket, and yank my tank top back into place.

“What’s going on?” This time he sounds

worried.

I dart around him, undo the door, and step out.

Over my shoulder, I say, “Time to go.”

Moving around the boxes, I hear him struggling

behind me. Not slowing, I unlock the next door,
dart out into the hallway, then head for the door
outside.

I don’t slow. I can’t slow. If I do, he might catch

up to me. He’ll have questions. Why I stopped. Or
maybe he’ll want to start again.

And I was wrong before. I wasn’t ready for a

gentle touch and whatever the hell that man wanted
to give me. I expected to be fucked hard. I didn’t
want to ruin myself by feeling something I don’t

deserve and would never feel again.

Outside, I dart away from the flashing lights of

a police car, down an alley, and don’t stop until I
weave through a few streets, reach the woods, and
disappear inside of them. Then, and only then, I
pause and look back. Not long after, Draven
emerges down one road. He’s looking all around
himself, and I can sense his tension even from
where I stand.

My heart beats so hard, that for a minute, I’m

sure he’ll hear it. But then, he turns down the
sidewalk and heads away from my hiding place. I
ignore the unexpected emotion that feels like
disappointment and turn back to the woods. My
hound is pacing inside of me. I wish she was angry.
But instead, I think she might be broken hearted.

I’m stripping off my clothes, already preparing

to shift, before I can process what I’m doing or
why. But then, I realize that I’m running away from
my feelings. When my hound takes over it’ll be
easier, easier to forget this night, and the man who
almost changed everything for me.

At least, I tell myself as my bones start cracking

and shifting, I’ll never see him again.

Inside of me, my hound gives a lonely howl.

Chapter Nine

KAGE

don’t know what the hell is wrong with
Draven. He’s in the worst mood I’ve
ever seen him in. All he’s done since

we returned to the apartment is pace the floor.
When I tried to interrupt him, he’d grabbed me by
the shirt and shoved me back. If it wasn’t for Soren,
we would have beat the shit out of each other.

It’s fucking strange. I expected this kind of

behavior from myself. But from Draven? Not so
much.

For the first time since making my deal with

Hades, I wonder if I made a mistake. Is Draven
unravelling from the stress? Or was he not yet
ready to face this modern human world?

“I’m going to go out and search the woods,” I

tell him.

He ignores me, continuing to pace.
Gritting my teeth, I leave, slamming the door

behind me. Instantly, I’m hit by the chill of the
autumn air. I long for my gargoyle flesh. It doesn’t
feel the cold the way my human body does.

And then I realize what I need, to change, to go

for a flight.

I hurry out of the apartment complex. When I

reach the woods, I keep going until I find a quiet
clearing. And yet, I feel strange. Like I’m being
watched.

Instead of shifting, I slow my pace but continue

through the trees. Deeper and deeper into the
forest, my hand itches to touch the blade I have
concealed along my spine beneath my jacket, the
hilt hidden in the middle of my shoulder blades. But
I don’t, I just keep going, thankful that all gargoyles
can conceal their weapons beneath a glamour.

Glad I wasn’t stupid enough to enter the woods

unarmed.

There’s something in this forest. Something that

thinks it’s hunting me.

The hellhound. It has to be.
And then, I hear a twig snap. Turning slowly, I

stare into the darkness. Seconds tick by as sweat
rolls down my back, and then a dog emerges from
the shadows. No, not a dog. This must be the
hellhound.

Its flesh is frightening. Like its body has been

turned inside out. I can see the muscles stretched
and hanging from its bones in a way that makes my
pulse race. It’s creepy as fuck, but not nearly as big
as I’d imagined.

With slow movements, I reach for the hilt of my

sword.

Its strange mouth draws back, and a low growl

emanates from its lips. Sharp teeth catch the light of
the moon, and I swallow hard. Those are fucking
sharp looking teeth.

When I hold my blade out before me, waiting

for the attack, my instincts suddenly scream a
warning. Spinning around, I slice my blade, and it
strikes another one of the creepy dogs. My sharp
sword slices through its rotten flesh like butter, and
the pieces of the beast hit the ground with sickly
thuds. Within seconds, its corpse turns black and
melts into ash.

There’s fucking two hellhounds! Two! It was

nice of Hades not to mention it…

As I turn back to face the other one, I see

movement in the woods. Time seems to freeze, and
then half a dozen of the beasts emerge from the
shadows.

Heart racing, I take a step back. I’ve faced

worst beasts than these, but there’s too many of
them. I have no chance of getting away without a
few good bites. But whether there’s one hellhound,
or eight, this is what I was sent here to do. And

once they’re dead, we’ll have our mate.

And then more of the bastards emerge from the

shadows on my other side.

My stomach drops.
Thirteen. There’s thirteen of them.
Shifting, my human flesh turns into that of a

gargoyle. I wanted the thrill of taking on the beasts
on more even ground. Of knowing every scar and
wound was earned.

But in my human flesh… well, I won’t survive

this attack.

All at once the beasts leap at me, like they were

given an unspoken command, and I launch into
movement. I managed to kill one, and swing and
miss at another, before one of the dogs sinks its
teeth into my calf.

I nearly drop my sword as pain radiates from

the wound. This is… impossible. Nothing can hurt
me in my stone flesh. And yet, it does.

Kicking off the beasts, I turn around, swinging

at the creepy beasts, but all I’m managing to do is
keep them at bay, not kill any more of them. One of
the dogs leaps onto my back, biting down on my
shoulder. I gasp, then shake to get him off.

But he bites down harder, and my sword drops

from my hand as his bite causes a cold feeling to
spread down my arm. Like… like death.

Reaching behind me, I yank him off.

Concentrating, I cause my wings to sprout from my

back. I don’t understand what’s going on. But these
creatures can hurt me. I need to get out of here.
Now! Before it’s too late.

Two dogs leap onto my wings, their teeth

clamping down. I swing around, try to grab for my
sword, but have to jump back as more dogs race
toward me. I manage to knock the dogs off my
back on a tree, but my wings feel numb.

And that cold feeling? It’s spreading.
For the first time in my long life, I feel

something unexpected: fear. I’ve never run from a
fight before. But I need to get out of here, now.
And I’m truly not sure I’ll be able to escape.

I thought gargoyles couldn’t die.
I think I was wrong.
Instinctually I try to shoot into the sky, not

caring that I’ll have to break branches to escape.
But my wings? They don’t obey me. They simply
lie limply on my back.

Shit. Flying is out. I have to run!
Heading back in the direction I came, I

suddenly find my path blocked by the dogs. There’s
so many of them. Too many of them. There seems
to be more each second that passes.

I look behind me. If I run deeper into the

woods, I’m dead. But how can I reach the town and
my brothers?

And then, I feel it. Something I never imagined

in my life. I feel my wings disappearing and my

hard flesh melting away. In absolute terror, I look
down at myself.

I’m in my human skin.
This is impossible.
The dogs begin to growl, and the sound makes

every hair on my body stand on end.

I think… I think I’m going to die.

Chapter Ten

CERBERUS

’m racing through the woods when I
catch the scent on the air. Hades’s
fucking guard dogs.

Freezing, I inhale again, hoping that my nose is

wrong. But my hellhound’s sense of smell is never
wrong. There are Rotters in these woods, and that
fact terrifies me. Hades might think he can control
them like he does everything and everyone else, but
I

know

that

he’s

wrong.

They’re

wild,

unpredictable, and dangerous to the nearby town.

I’m sure he sent them here to find me. I’m sure

all logic should tell me to turn, shift into my human
form, and abandon this town. But I can’t. I just…
can’t. Not when I know the people won’t be safe.

My paws pad softly on the forest floor as I

follow the scent of the creatures. But as I draw

closer, another scent comes to me: blood.

Speeding up, I race through the darkness until

the scent is overwhelming, and then I creep slowly
forward until I see them. They’ve surrounded a
human. A human who’s injured.

Blood drips from his back and from his leg….

and the wounds are bad. Really bad.

Perhaps he’ll die from his injuries, but I won’t

have him spend his last moments on this world
being torn apart. I know how it feels to be torn
apart piece by piece, and I wouldn’t wish it on my
greatest enemy.

So, I have no choice but to attack.
And to kill them all.
My legs bunch as the muscles tighten, and then

I leap forward. Soaring over the dogs, I land lightly
on the ground before the man. Turning my back to
him, I face the dogs. A growl tears from my lips,
and I watch them cower back.

But neither myself nor my hound are fooled by

their submission, because we both know their
orders will quickly overwhelm their fear.

Within seconds, I see it. Their backs

straightening. Their fear vanishing.

They must attack me. They have no choice. A

god’s order to his creations overwhelms everything,
even their instincts.

But we’re old enemies, and this dance is a

familiar one to me. So I give into the desire of my

hellhound to take control, and I watch as if from
afar as my hellhound destroys them one by one.
She bites into their flesh. She tears off their limbs.
It’s a bloodbath of death and carnage.

But here, away from the Underworld, the beasts

can’t respawn. Their bodies simply melt into black
piles of disgusting mush. Leaving nothing behind to
show signs that they encountered me. For all Hades
knows, their lives ended by any number of
dangerous beings.

At least I hope so. Otherwise, he’ll just send

more creatures after me here. More dangerous
ones.

When all of the dogs are dead, I look to the

human man. He’s fallen to his knees, a sword
clenched in his hands. I’m startled to see the sword.
I’d thought it was a weapon no longer used by
humans.

I guess I learn something new every day.
Going to him, I move slowly, afraid to awaken

his fight or flight instinct, but he doesn’t move. And
yet, he doesn’t fall over. Pushing his arm gently
with my nose, I see him almost topple.

His unfocused gaze lands on me, and I realize

he’s more than just struggling because of his
injuries. The Rotters have poisonous bites. But after
so many years of fighting the creatures, I’ve grown
immune to it.

But now I suddenly remember what the effects

of it are like. I would see the undead humans on the
island after they were bitten. They had the same
unsteady look on their faces as the poison slowly
moved through their body, leaving them weak and
confused.

I knew on the island they would collapse, and

I’d drag them back down through the tunnels. But
what would the poison do to this man if left to
fester within him?

I didn’t want to know, and luckily for this man,

I knew the cure.

Even if it was an unpleasant one.
Moving under his arm, I turn and try to help

him stand. He attempts to use me to accomplish it,
but falls once more on his knees. At last, he puts
the sword away.

“You’re… trying… to help me?”
I do my best to nod in my hellhound form.
His pale, almost white eyes lock onto mine, and

something unspoken passes between us. Then, and
only then, do we start our slow way back to town.
He leans heavily on me, half-crawling. Time ticks
away. I consider shifting into my human form, but I
don’t. Deep down I can’t bring myself to reveal my
other form to him.

I think he’ll survive these bites and the poison.
I don’t know if he could survive knowing

another world of magic, immortals, and gods exists
outside of his understanding. I’ve heard of humans

locked up for making such claims. I wouldn’t want
that for this man. But then maybe the creepy dogs
will be enough to have him questioning everything
he’s known about his world.

My gaze goes to his ashen face. His hair is dark

brown and matted in blood, and it hangs over his
face. But beneath it, I see a handsome man. A man
with strength, and a whole life ahead of him.

The poison should screw with his memories

enough to make all of this seem like a bad dream.
Maybe his injuries will remind him that he was
attacked by dogs, but it should be enough to help
gloss over the whole Rotters thing.

At least I can hope it’ll be enough.
He’s breathing hard. Stopping to rest more. I

don’t communicate with him in his mind, but I urge
him with my own thoughts to keep going. We’re so
close. Just a little further and I can get him to
someone who can help.

Finally, he sags, losing his grip around my back.

When he lies on the ground, I push him with nose.

He doesn’t move. His chest still rises and falls,

but otherwise he remains still.

In my hellhound form, I’m big enough and

powerful enough to drag him the rest of the way
with my teeth. But he’ll sustain more injuries to his
already broken body.

I look at him again. He’s unconscious. He won’t

see me change. He won’t have to know about me

or this world.

Closing my eyes, I shift, my bones breaking

painfully, my flesh pulling and stretching.

When I return to my human form, I’m breathing

hard, and I’m suddenly aware that I’ve been
injured too. My adrenaline must be fading.

I need to drag this man back to my home before

my own strength fades.

Leaning down, I struggle, wrapping his arm

around my shoulder, and slowly stand. I’m a little
surprised as I drag him along. Normally my superior
strength means lifting a man wouldn’t be difficult in
the least, but this man is heavier than I expected.

I’m beyond grateful when I see my apartment

complex. For a minute, I hesitate in the shadows,
remembering that I’m completely naked and
bleeding, and the man I’m carrying is bleeding too.
But then, when I don’t see anyone, I decide the hell
with it and dart out.

Hurrying as fast as I can carry him, I drag him

up the stairs. I don’t have the keys to my
apartment, but this crap-hole isn’t exactly built
solidly, so I just kick in the door. Wincing at the
sound, I drag him inside and close the door behind
us. Letting him sink onto the title near the door, I
force the door back into place and manage to get
the lock well enough to keep the door shut.

Instantly, I hear the apartment across from mine

open, and I give a silent thanks that I made it inside

before they saw me.

Then I limp across the apartment, turn on the

shower, heating it up, and return to the strange
wounded guy on my floor. With the effectiveness
of a doctor, I strip him, then hoist him back on my
shoulder. Dragging him through the apartment, I
manage to get him in the shower, where I watch the
water turn red.

Letting him sink onto the bottom of the tub, I sit

near his feet, panting, trying to find the strength to
do what’s next. The water slowly warms up, and
after a time, I realize that it almost feels good. I let
the warmth sink into me, then begin scrubbing my
wounds beneath the spray. I’m lucky I’m not
human, because judging by my many wounds, the
dog’s poison would have left me as badly injured as
the strange man.

When I’m done, I turn to him. Grabbing soap, I

scrub him down and scrub out his wounds. I’m
satisfied to see that the injuries aren’t nearly as bad
as I first thought. But still, I don’t like knowing the
poison is inside of him.

I’m also increasingly glad he’s unconscious. It’d

be strange being in here with him naked, but I could
handle it. It’s the scrubbing of the wounds that
would make this horrible. I can’t imagine how
much this would hurt if he was conscious. Not
everyone is as numb to pain as I am.

When I’m done, and the water begins to run

clearer, I climb out of the tub. Wrapping a towel
around myself, I turn off the water, then grab
another towel and dry him the best I can.

For a minute I stare at his wounds, wondering

what I should do. If I bring him to a hospital, they
won’t know about the poison. I’d have to sneak in,
and if I couldn’t, he might die. But I can’t just leave
his wounds open…

And then I remember my kit. I have it for when

I go on runs with the veterinarian… and I think it
might have everything I need to stitch him up.

Running back into the living room, I pick up the

black bag from beside the door and hurry back.
Staring down at the man, I contemplate how best to
do this. And I also wonder if he’ll appreciate a
volunteer at an animal hospital patching him up.

Pushing the thought aside, I get to work,

cleaning his wounds, stitching him up, and
wrapping his injuries. When I’m done, I’m not
entirely satisfied that everything will heal without
scarring, but I’m mostly confident that he won’t
have any infections.

Helping him up yet again, I drag him through

the bathroom and into my bedroom. It takes some
struggling, but I get him lying on the bed, then
cover him up. At last, I sink into a chair, staring at
the sleeping man. My legs and arms are shaking. A
headache is pounding at the back of my skull, but
I’m almost done.

I just need to keep going a little longer.
Already my injuries have stopped bleeding, so

even though they’re sore, I ignore them. Dressing in
a pair of shorts and a tank top, I manage to reach
the edge of the bed. Staring down at the man, I take
several deep breaths.

Old memories come back to me, of my friend

Lamia, another monster like me. She’d washed up
on the shore of the island I’d guarded, then entered
the woods without knowing the danger. I
remembered

hearing

the

fight,

the

dogs

whimpering, and the angry noises of a person. But
my collar wouldn’t allow me to see what was
happening. And then she’d stepped safely onto the
path, and I’d offered her my help.

She managed to stay for two weeks there, with

me giving her the sustenance she needed to survive,
before she had to leave. It was an amazing time for
me. I had someone to talk to. She’d even tried to
help me escape, but the collar, made by a god, was
unbreakable.

From her I learned many things. I learned that

being a female monster was hard for all of us. I
learned that we should stick together and help each
other as much as possible. And I learned how to
give someone my blood in the cleanest way
possible.

Lamia fed on blood. Needed it to survive. And

I’d given her mine.

And learned that my blood held an immunity to

the dogs’ bite that saved Lamia. So now, I knew
how to help this man, even if the idea turned my
stomach.

Lamia could open up the skin of my wrist

gently with her fangs. She hated doing it. She
sometimes lost control and needed for me to beat
her back, but I knew now what to do, even if it
wasn’t as clean with me.

Taking a knife from my nightstand, I turn my

wrist to the side, not wanting to hit a major vein.
Slicing just a tiny sliver of my flesh, I watch the
blood rise to the top of my skin. Then, putting the
blade back, I bring my wrist to his lips. Carefully, I
drip the blood into his slightly parted lips until I’m
certain I’ve given him enough.

Hopefully he wouldn’t need it again.
But usually people needed the blood a few

times.

Cleaning my knife and wrapping my wrist, I

stumble to the bed and slip beneath the covers. I
will myself to stay awake and watch the man, to
ensure he’d lived. But my head feels cloudy, and
my eyes feel heavy.

So I decide to sleep for a little while. Just a few

hours, I promise myself. And then I’d give him
more blood.

Just a few hours.

Chapter Eleven

CERBERUS

aking up to feed the human blood
every few hours was exhausting, but

I forced myself to do it. This man deserved my care
as much as any injured animal I’ve cared for. No
matter how much my body ached and hurt from my
fight with the Rotters.

But even so, when I sensed him moving beside

me in the early morning hours, it took me a
ridiculously long time to shake myself awake. My
eyelids felt so damned heavy, and every part of my
body screamed in pain.

And yet, when I open my eyes, the strange man

is staring at me.

I stiffen.
“Hello,” he says, his deep voice rolling over me

like a wave.

“Hi.”
His gaze runs over me, then around my room.

“Uh… how did… how did I get here?”

“You don’t remember?” I ask, glancing at the

many bandages covering his flesh.

“No.” The word comes out rough, confused.

“The last thing I remember…”

I watch him, waiting. The humans who were bit

by Hades’s poisoned beasts recalled bits and pieces
of their attacks. But nothing of substance.

Would it be the same with him?
“I think—I think I was attacked by dogs.”
I hold myself perfectly still. “I found you

outside my apartment. You were injured, so I
brought you here and fixed you up.”

He stares down at himself, his gaze lingering on

his bandages. “Are you a doctor?”

I wince. “A vet. Well, a vet’s assistant. Mostly, I

fix up animals.”

His pale, almost white eyes lock onto me.

“Animals?”

“I wasn’t sure if I should’ve brought you to a

doctor…” Like a normal person would have.

“No,” he said. “I don’t like doctors. You did the

right thing.”

I’m surprised by how relieved I feel at his

words. And that he seems to be alive and not
suffering the poison’s effects.

“You look like you were hurt too,” he says,

reaching out and snagging my hand, then lifting it to
examine my bandaged wrist.

I’m surprised by the warmth that spreads from

his touch. “I got a few nips from the dogs, but no
big deal.”

Glancing down at the rest of my body, I’m glad

to see my wounds are healed. The scars left from
the dog bites are pinker and fresher than my others,
but they still look months old.

His brows draw together. “You sure?”
I snag my hand back. “I’m sure.”
After a minute, a smile twists his lips, and I’m

struck by how handsome this strange man is. “Any
idea where my clothes went?”

My mouth goes dry. “They were covered in

blood…”

“I’m not complaining. I just can’t remember the

last time I awoke in a bed with a naked woman.
Actually, I wish I wasn’t the only one naked in this
bed.”

I feel my cheeks heat. “You might want to slow

down, big guy. I’m pretty sure you won’t be doing
much with those injuries for a while, including me.”

He leans a little closer. “I’m a fast healer.”
It’s suddenly hard to breathe. “We should get

you dressed and home. Someone will need to care
for you for the next few days.”

He sits up slowly, and the blankets fall further,

displaying more of his chest. And even though the

bandages give him a beaten, sad look, it’s also
impossible not to notice his sea of muscles.
Whoever this man is, he’d be just my type. If he
wasn’t ridiculously injured and all.

“I’m Kage,” he introduces himself.
That’s a strange name. “I’m glad to meet you,

Kage.”

He smiles again, and I swear my heart beats

faster. “So, what do you want to do now?”

My gaze goes down. Is it just me or is this big

man a little turned on?

I shake my head and tear my gaze back to his

face. There’s no way. No one gets brutally chewed
on by dogs and then has a hard-on.

“I guess… get you home.”
He sighs, then leans back, his hands behind his

head in a sexy-as-hell way. “Can I—buy you
breakfast or something first?”

“With no clothes and no money?”
He laughs. “I could cook you something. I’m a

decent cook.”

“Seriously, you need to spend a few days in

bed.”

His humor vanishes. “That’s exactly what I was

thinking.”

And the way he looks at me, well, there’s no

way he’s thinking about sleeping.

I swallow. Hard. “I have some food in the

kitchen. I’m a pretty awful cook, but I could fix up

something for us.”

He smiles. “I can help.”
When he starts to climb out of bed, my mouth

goes dry. “Wait!”

He freezes.
“You’re naked.”
He raises a brow. “Is that a problem?”
I swear my lady bits grow hot. “Just a second.”
Going to my closet, I manage to find a blanket.

Then, turning, I throw it at him. “At least tie that
around your waist.”

Then, feeling strangely shy, I rush out into the

living room. Pulling out my beat up frying pans, I
open the fridge and find a package of bacon and
eggs. Besides that, I have milk and bread… and
that’s it.

Nice going. Starve the sexy guy in your bed, I

scold myself.

But then, I couldn’t have exactly planned for

this, so I’m not a complete moron. I just need to
work a little more and shop a little more… at least
if I have any plans of making this a regular thing.

The man, Kage, emerges from my bedroom,

looking strangely comfortable with just a blanket
tied around his waist. “So, was that a yes on me
helping you cook?”

I barely hear his words. Damn. This man is hot.

How did I not realize just how hot he was?

Again I feel uncertain. I’ve had plenty of men

in my bed. Yet, I don’t know what to do right now.
This is yet another situation where a man isn’t just
climbing on me in the dark wanting sex. This man
wants to make me breakfast.

And for some reason, I seem to be unable to do

anything except gape at his mostly naked body.
“Yes! I mean, sure, you can help me cook.”

He smiles, a soft smile, and struts into my

kitchen like he walks around half-naked in front of
women all the time. Which, well, for all I know, he
does.

The thought makes my smile falter. Maybe he

does do this all the time.

That shouldn’t matter, but it does.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, taking the frying pan

from me and setting it on the stove.

I glance up at him and find him watching me.

“It just kind of feels like you do this all the time.”

He regards me strangely. “You think I get

attacked by dogs every night and wake up naked in
a beautiful woman’s bed?”

I feel my cheeks heat. “Something like that.”
He moves even closer, and suddenly his

massive body seems to surround me. “I have never
woken up naked in a beautiful woman’s bed.”

I raise my gaze to meet his, my breathing

coming in and out fast. “Never?”

“Never.”
When he leans down and brushes a kiss against

my lips, I’m shocked. My entire body seems to be
humming with desire as he turns and begins to
make the eggs and bacon on my shitty stove.

It seems to me I’m frozen in place for a

painfully long time before I shake myself and go to
help him. Even though I don’t have a clue what to
do. I didn’t exactly do a lot of cooking in the
Underworld.

After a minute, he smiles at me. “Why don’t

you sit down and let me take care of this? You did
save my life, after all.”

Nodding, I go around the counter and sit on the

barstool. He whistles softly under his breath as he
cooks for me, and I gape, hoping this isn’t a dream.
But no matter how much time passes, the half-
naked man continues to cook for me. He’s standing
in the kitchen like a fantasy. His long hair framing a
shockingly handsome face. His chest a rock hard
sea of muscles. And lower, where the blanket is tied
loosely at his hips, I find myself transfixed.

If there is a trickster god anywhere around me,

I pray to him or her that this man’s blanket slips
right off.

But when he finishes cooking and puts our food

on two plates before scooting one to me and the
other on the barstool next to me, his treacherous
blanket remains in place. Then he sits beside me,
and I turn slightly so I can continue gaping at him.

“Not hungry?” He’s watching me again, that

hunger back in his eyes.

I realize I haven’t touched the food in front of

me, then force myself to focus on my plate and eat,
even though it’s hard to concentrate with the man
beside me. For a time, we eat in silence. And then
he begins to slow in his eating.

“Did you see any of the dogs last night?”
I stiffen. “Just the one that bit me.”
“Was there… a really big one with dark fur?”
Me. He’s asking if I saw me. Which means he

remembers. But how much? “No.”

He frowns.
“Why?”
“I thought I remembered a big dog. But what I

remember, it doesn’t make sense.”

“How so?” I ask.
“The beast… kind of helped me.”
My food tastes like ash on my tongue. “Helped

you? Why is that so strange? Dogs help people all
the time.”

“Not this one,” he says, and his voice is gruff.

“This one was something wild and dangerous.
Probably the same vicious thing that attacked that
man the other night.”

If I was in my hellhound form, my hackles

would be up. “So, you think a giant dog helped you,
but in the same breath you call it vicious and
dangerous? Sounds like an asshole thing to say.”

His entire body stiffens. “I didn’t mean to

offend—“

“You didn’t.”
A strained silence descends between us.
“Sorry,” he says at last. “I forgot you work with

animals. You must be protective of them.”

I rise, suddenly irrationally angry. “I’m not

angry because I work with animals. I’m angry
because it seems like you’re more interested in
believing what you heard about this dog rather than
what you saw.”

“I didn’t say—“
“Yes, you did!”
He stares at me for a minute.
At last, I reluctantly sit back down.
After a long minute, he sighs. “Just so you

know, I’m always a person who believes what he
sees rather than what he hears. But this thing… it’s
just different. I can’t explain it.”

I realize he’s trying to make a peace offering.

And as much as I want to refuse him, I know I’ll
look like a nut job if I keep this up. Hell, I might
already be labeled a nut job by him.

“Forget it,” I say. Then, before the silence can

get too awkward, I change the subject. “So what
brings you to town?”

He’s slow to answer. “Business. I’m thinking of

purchasing some property here.”

His answer reminds me of my neighbor Soren,

and I stubbornly refuse to think about him.

Business. Coming here for it isn’t all that strange…

“I guess I never realized this town was in such

high demand.”

He shrugs.
After a minute, his voice comes out softly. “I’m

sorry. Like I said before, I don’t have a lot of
experience with beautiful women, and I get the
feeling I’ve said all the wrong things.”

It’s weird how my chest aches when he calls me

beautiful. “You didn’t. Honestly, I’m just tired and
being a little sensitive. Last night was a weird night.
I’m still trying to sort some things out in my head.”

“So you forgive me?”
I take a deep breath. “It’s all forgotten.”
We talk throughout the rest of the meal, and

I’m surprised how easy the conversation flows.
He’s explored a lot of new places recently. So had
I. Our travels were interesting and unexpected, and
we both found ourselves drawn to quieter places.
He loved the outdoors, just as I did. He also loved
to explore and see new things.

It was a shock. Most humans seemed trapped

running in circles, but he seemed as eager to
experience every inch of this world as I was.

If I wasn’t a hellhound running from Hades, I

could imagine a world in which we could travel
together. We’d find new small towns to spend time
in, then go off to the next place.

It was a nice picture. Even if it was only a

fantasy.

When we finish eating, he leans back in his

chair, and I feel the air in the room change. It was
strange. I thought I’d felt comfortable with Stacy
and Kayla quickly, but I feel just as… safe, with
this Kage. There’s just something about him.

I tuck my hair behind my ear and rise, feeling

awkward. “So what now?”

“Sex?”
I’m so shocked by his response I laugh. “I

already told you, you need to go home and rest.”

He moves around the counter and looks down

at me. “Does it look like the most important thing
on my mind is sleep?”

My breath hitches. “I’ve never had a guy die in

the middle of sex, and I won’t have today be the
first time.”

He grins. “You must think I’m fragile.”
He’s human, of course he’s fragile, but I don’t

say so. “I should take you home.”

His smile falters, and I can practically feel his

disappointment radiating off of him. “Okay, but I’m
coming back.”

I’m pleasantly surprised by his answer. “You

better be.”

And then he leans down and brushes his lips

against mine again. Every nerve in my body seems
to awaken, and I find myself pulled to him like a
force outside of my control. When his lips touch

mine again, the pressure is stronger, more certain.

I should pull away from him. I know I should.

But I don’t. Instead, I reach up and dig my hand
into the back of his hair, pulling him down to me.

The smallest groan tears from his lips, and then

he kisses me. Really kisses me.

Everything around me melts away, and our kiss

grows more and more intense. When my lips part,
his tongue darts inside. Not one to back down, I
tangle my tongue with his.

He yanks me hard against his body, and now

I’m not imagining the hard erection beneath his
little blanket. I want to be bad. To take my hands
and shove that blanket down. To pull his deliciously
hard cock out and have my way with him.

But then I remember him the night before. His

many wounds. The pallor of his skin.

And I pull back from him.
“What?” he asks, panting, trying to tug me

back.

I turn my face away, trying to calm my racing

heart. “You need to rest.”

“Fuck,” he groans. “I’m never going to sleep

again.”

I lick my lips. “What do you want instead?”
“To taste your pussy.”
My gaze jerks to his. “What?”
“Come on.” He takes me by the arm and hauls

me back into the bedroom.

I’m shocked when he gently pushes me back on

the bed.

“We can’t,” I say.
“You said I was too weak for sex. This isn’t sex.

It’s just a little dessert.”

My mouth goes dry. “Dessert?”
He reaches for the edge of my shorts. “Just a

little taste. Nothing too… exhausting.”

I’m shaking with need. No man has ever tasted

me before.

“It won’t hurt you?”
He grins. “It’ll only hurt me if you make me

walk away right now.”

“As long as you don’t strain yourself…”
Leaning back, I’m breathing hard, trying to

figure out what the hell is going to happen next. I
mean, I know what will happen next, but what if I
don’t like it? What if it’s too much?

With gentle hands he slides off my shorts and

underwear, then presses gently on my thighs until I
spread my legs, letting them fall on both sides of
me. Right now I feel so vulnerable. So crazed. I
barely know this man, right? So, what am I doing?

Is this how humans work?
He makes a satisfied sound then lowers onto the

bed. His hand brushes my mound, and every hair
on my body stands on end. When he parts my
lower lips with his fingers, my heart’s beating out of
control. And then his tongue licks me slowly.

“Fuck!” I say.
“You want me to stop?” he asks, panting each

word.

“No.” I’ll lose it if he doesn’t do that again!
This time when he licks me, my entire body

jerks, but the feeling isn’t so unexpected.

Closing my eyes, I try to relax as his tongue

works magic into my body. Each lick seeming to
soothe every muscle in my body. And then, when
he presses his lips into me, I gasp, and my hands dig
into his hair, drawing him closer.

He makes a pleased sound and then I realize he

was holding back. Going slow. But he’s not
anymore. He licks, sucks, and presses that hot
mouth into me until I’m writhing on the bed.
Trembling. So close to coming that I’m almost
afraid of the intensity of my desire.

And then he presses two big fingers slowly

inside of me.

“Oh hell!” I moan.
Not holding back, I start to ride those delicious

fingers of his. Only, that isn’t enough for him. His
mouth closes over my clit once more, and an
orgasm rocks my body. Rolling through me like
thunder. Awakening things inside myself I didn’t
know existed.

Pleasure like this… it’s like a drug.
Something I know I’ll need more of, but right

now I don’t care.

When I come back to myself, he’s continuing to

lick me, to use those big fingers of his to plunge
slowly in and out. My muscles spasm. The pleasure
he brings me borders on pain. But I get the sense he
could lay here forever with me like this.

“Kage,” I whisper.
His mouth pulls back. “Yes, sweets.”
“That’s enough.”
He sighs, then rolls beside me.
We lay like that for several long minutes before

I turn to look at him. The erection straining beneath
his blanket is out of this world. I long to ride it. To
climb onto him and claim it as my own.

But I look at his bandages. That would be too

much for him right now.

Yet, I turn onto my side, push up the blankets,

and curl my hand around his hard length.

His eyes pop open, and he turns to stare at me

with wide eyes. “You don’t have to…”

“Just stay still. Don’t hurt yourself,” I whisper.
Staring down at my hand, it struggles to hold

the length of his hard erection. And the size of him?
It turns me on.

I think of my past lovers. They were not even

half this man’s size. I can’t begin to imagine how
it’d feel to have him sliding through my tight
channel.

The thought has me pumping him faster.

Watching the sheen on the head of his cock.

Watching the precum bead his tip.

Unable to help myself, I lean closer and lick his

tip.

He groans.
Then I close my lips around him.
He swears as I pump him in and out of my

mouth. Letting him brand me as his own. Feeling
the way he swells with each stroke.

When my hand moves to his balls, then

squeezes them, he gives a strangled cry and comes.
I feel aroused at his enjoyment of my touch. I
swallow his sweet cum and continue to suck him
until he softens in my mouth.

Pulling back, I stare at him.
He looks… overwhelmed. “That was amazing.”
I grin. “Yes, it was.”
“I’ve never wanted to mount a woman so badly

in my life.”

Regret moves through me. I feel the same way.

And yet, he is only mortal. And his body is fragile,
no matter how strong he might appear.

I look back at him, consumed again by his

shockingly pale eyes. “Rain check?”

He frowns.
“It means… another time.”
He nods, but doesn’t look any happier.

“Another time.”

Rising, I stare down at the big man in my bed.
“I’m going to change,” I say. “And then maybe

I can borrow one of my neighbor’s cars, so you
don’t have to go through town dressed like that.”

He glances down. “What’s wrong with how I’m

dressed?”

For some reason, my lady bits agree. There’s

absolutely nothing wrong with the way he’s
dressed.

“I’m going to change,” I say again, hating the

raspy quality to my voice.

Then I turn, but not fast enough to fail to catch

the knowing looking in his eyes.

Putting on my bra, shirt, underwear, and jeans, I

shove my feet into my boots, frowning at my
almost bare closet. I need to go around and gather
up all my clothes, left all over this town. And find
my phone.

Then I turn, trying to avoid his gaze. “Ready?”
“I guess,” he says, sounding anything but ready.

“But, I am coming back. I want to see you again.”

His words are both concerning and strangely

nice. I can’t get mixed up with a human here. It’s
one thing to touch him and to be touched. To feel
wanted again. It’s another thing to make him
believe we can be anything more.

I lead him out the door, noticing the slightly

cracked doorframe from when I kicked it in. I have
to really pull on the door to close it. Note to self:
fix the door and find my keys.

When I turn around, the door across from mine

opens and Soren comes out.

My heart seems to stop. I don’t know why it

bothers me so much that the jerk caught me outside
with a half-naked man. I didn’t have a chance with
him anyway. But for some reason, I feel my cheeks
heat.

“Kage?” Soren says, sounding shocked.
I turn to the man beside me. “You know my

neighbor?”

He grins. “This is Cerce? The neighbor?”
I look between them. “I don’t understand. You

two know each other?”

Soren’s voice holds a chill as he responds.

“We’re best friends. And we’re both your new
neighbors.”

I have to pick my jaw off the ground. “You live

together?”

Soren’s golden eyes flash with rage. “Yes. And

we’ve been up all night worried about that asshole
beside you. When, apparently, we should’ve just
expected he’d jump into bed with the first woman
who would spread her legs for him.”

I hit him, and Soren goes down like a bag of

potatoes.

As he rises onto his elbows, both men stare at

me in shock.

I take a step back, my back hitting my door.

Punching a human is dangerous. How the hell did I
lose control like that?

“Are you okay?” I ask.
Soren slowly stand, rubbing his cheek. “You

have one hell of a right-hook!”

When I realize I didn’t gravely injure or kill the

jerk, my anger returns. “Well, you deserved it!”

“For stating the obvious!”
I advance on him, fists at my side. “You don’t

know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“I’m sure I don’t,” he leans over me, so close

our faces are just inches from each other. “I’m sure
you spent the night talking.”

When I taste blood, I realize I’m biting the side

of my cheek to keep my anger in check. Not good.
Not good at all. And I also notice something else,
my hellhound is not only wide awake within me,
she’s pissed too.

So, with all the control in the world, I force

myself to back down. “You know what I think,
Soren? I think you just need to get laid. Too bad for
you, I have standards. But don’t worry, I’m sure
you’ll find some woman in town to help give your
right hand a night off.”

Spinning on my heel, I walk right up to Kage

and kiss him lightly on the lips. “See you around,” I
say sweetly, then head down the stairs.

Neither man calls after me, but then, I’m

grateful.

Being Hades’s prisoner was hell, but trying to

figure out human men and dating… well, this is not

exactly easy either. So I’m going to gather up my
clothes and head to the Animal Hospital. Hopefully
by then I’ll know what the heck to do next.

“M

Chapter Twelve

HADES

y lord?”

Opening my eyes, I stare at

the undead warrior that serves as

the head of my guard. The big man, with his sad
eyes, stares at the ceiling above my head. Always
such a respectful bastard. But then, that was one of
the many reasons I’d kept this gargoyle’s soul,
preventing it from entering any kind of afterlife. A
dead gargoyle was too precious a gift to waste.

And yet, he better have a good reason for

interrupting me now.

Stretching, I disturb the pile of people

surrounding me in my bed. One man near my legs
doesn’t even open his eyes before he shifts to start
sucking my cock once more. Such a good little
nymph.

My wife, Persephone, however, mumbles with

annoyance in her sleep and curls closer to my side.

“What is it, Andros?”
“I’ve just received reports of… that task you

asked me to handle.”

I curl my hand around the back of the head of

the man who sucks me. “Later, nymph,” I say, then
pull him off.

Untangling myself from my lovers, I climb out

of bed, pull on my robe and exit my bedroom, the
head of my guards at my heel. I don’t need to tell
him I don’t wish to speak about Cerberus in front
of the others. He already knows. My dear wife
hates to hear of the daughter from my love affair.
And my people don’t need to know that she
escaped. Running the Underworld is easier when no
one doubts my abilities.

We circle down below the palace to the prisons.

There, and only there, do I turn and face the
gargoyle.

“What have you learned?”
“We sent your dogs to four locations, all places

that had spotted something similar to Cerberus. In
two locations, all of your dogs were killed. In one,
your dogs began killing humans, so I called them
back. And in the fourth, your dogs simply
vanished.”

“Dead. Useless. And gone.” My voice rises with

each word. “This is intolerable! She’s one shifter,

Andros! One! She should be back on her chain
already!”

“Maybe she’s not as tame as you believe.”
I turn at the soft yet familiar voice. Hecate

leans on the bars of her cage, and everything within
me tenses. The witch, whose skin glows softly blue,
glares back at me. So arrogant, even after all this
time.

“Watch your words, Hecate,” I warn, not in a

mood for her.

But she simply smiles back. “You want to

believe everything and everyone is in your control,
but you’re wrong. Your control is only superficial.
One day, you’ll watch it unravel, mark my words.”

My hand snaps forward, but to my shock,

Andros catches it before I strike the witch.

I turn to stare at him. The big gargoyle isn’t like

the undead ghosts that drift around here. He has
substance just like any living being. His coloring is
simply a sickly green, and a slight glow hovers
around him. But until today, he’s never touched me.
Never stood against me for any reason.

Nor should anyone with half a brain stand in my

way.

“Hitting a prisoner seems beneath you, my

lord,” he says. His gaze holds mine, then he
releases my hand.

I look back at the witch. Her bravado has

faded. Instead, she watches us with fear rather than

amusement.

My thoughts begin to turn. Is there something

going on between these two?

“I will check in with the gargoyles I sent out.

And the other creatures I’ve enlisted.” My gaze
moves back to Andros. “You will whip the witch. If
her lashes aren’t deep enough, I shall do it when I
return.”

He hangs his head. “Yes, my lord.”
I start back up the stairs when the witch’s voice

calls after me. “So sad… a powerful god who fears
both his daughter and an imprisoned witch. How
frail must your confidence be.”

Freezing in mid-step, I look back at the

gargoyle. “Fuck her too.”

Then, I continue back up the stairs. If there was

anything between those two, it’ll be gone once he
forces himself on her and beats her. There could be
no greater punishment to give a man with honor,
nor a female with so much pride.

But that’s why I run the Underworld. I always

know just what to do to punish those beneath me.

And then there’s her accusation. The witch

might believe I’m powerless, but there’s no greater
danger than an angry god. If she doesn’t know it
yet, she will soon.

Chapter Thirteen

SOREN

want to punch something, to break
something, to shatter these walls into a
million pieces. As Kage leans casually

back on the couch, watching me pace, I have the
unexplainable desire to direct every ounce of my
anger at him.

“You made this deal with the god,” I accuse.
He shrugs his massive shoulders. “So?”
“And now you’re fucking our neighbor?”
The thought has everything inside of me boiling.

He did this to us. He put us in this position, where if
we fail to catch the hellhound, we’ll have the
punishment of a god. And all for a mate.

And then the first time he sees a pretty woman,

he fucks her.

But not just any woman. No, that would be too

easy. He fucks the mouthy, arrogant neighbor. The
woman with long legs, a firm ass, and the face of a
goddess.

Doesn’t he realize that we don’t have time for

this? That we don’t have time for a distraction?

“There’s more to it than that,” he begins.
I cut him off. “Do I look like I fucking care?

We have a task from a god to complete!”

The fact that Kage looks so damn pleased and

relaxed ticks me off even more. Didn’t he see the
woman hit me? She even accused me of needing to
get laid.

Horse shit!
I’ll show her just how much I don’t need to get

laid.

An imagine forms in my mind of taking that

woman to my bed. I’d pin those wrists of hers
above her head and press my big cock so deep
inside her that she’d see the heavens. I’d give her
pleasure unlike anything she’d felt before, and
leave her aching for my cock.

Gone would be her arrogance and her fucking

attitude. She’d become a simpering woman on her
knees, sucking me like she’d never touched another
man before. I’d grab that long hair of hers and keep
her sealed around me, the head of my dick firm in
the back of her throat.

Fuck. I realize I’m hard. Panting. Not just from

anger but from arousal.

I do not need to get laid. I just need to finish

this task, get out of this place, and get the mate
we’ve been promised. But someone needs to tell
my treacherous dick that!

“I was attacked last night.”
My gaze jerks to Kage. For the first time, I see

all his bandages. I was so infuriated, finding him
with our neighbor, I hadn’t even noticed.

“Are you okay?” I ask, my chest feeling tight.
He nods sharply. “They’re dog bites.”
“You faced the hellhound?” I ask, my legs

feeling unsteady.

Suddenly, all I can imagine is Kage alone, being

attacked, and us not there to help him. I never
imagined this mission of ours was dangerous in any
way other than that we could tick of Hades.

He shakes his head. “I was attacked by

something else. Beasts not of this world. Creatures
capable of hurting me, even in my stone form.”

“What?” I go to the couch and sit down beside

him. “That’s impossible.”

He looks away from me, and his bravo fades. “I

think I would have died, if not for—“

“Died?”
He nods.
It’s impossible. “But someone helped you?”
He glances up slowly. “My memories are a blur.

I’m not sure if it was the blood loss, or something
else, but they’re… scrambled. Flashes of moments.

Of pain.”

“But you remember someone?” I press.
He holds my gaze. “The hellhound. I think… I

think it killed the dogs that were attacking me and
brought me into town. Close enough that our
neighbor found me.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“How is that possible? What we know of the
hellhound is that it has three heads, that it’s
covered in fire, and that it’s dangerous as hell. Why
would it help you?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t even

know if my memories are right.”

I fall back against the couch. If Kage’s

memories are right, there’s more than just a
hellhound out in those woods. And the beasts are
capable of hurting us.

The part about the hellhound helping him…

well, that seems more like some screwed up
memory from his injuries. But he was hurt, one way
or another, and I doubt he’d be alive today if those
injuries came from the massive beast we were
hunting.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask.
Kage is quiet for a long minute. “We change

our plan. Speaking of which, where’s Draven?”

I shake my head, sighing. “He’s in the worst

mood I’ve ever seen him in. I don’t know what the
hell is wrong with him.”

Silence stretches between us.
I clear my throat. “So… how was she?”
“How was she?” he repeats, sounding confused.
I feel my irritation grow. “The neighbor. How

was she?”

Suddenly, he looks frustrated. “We didn’t

fuck.”

I’m shocked by the relief I feel. “Why not?”
His gaze locks with mine. “She thought I’d need

time to heal after my attack.”

I laugh at the frustration in his gaze. “I guess

you couldn’t exactly tell her you were a gargoyle
who heals quickly.”

He sighs. “Unfortunately.”
I’m feeling a little happier as I stand. “Well,

why don’t you shower and get dressed. I can check
out your wounds and make sure they’re healing
well, and then we can go look for Draven and
figure out a new plan.”

Kage rises but hesitates in the living room. “You

know… Hades doesn’t need to give us our mate
right away.”

I raise a brow, surprised by his foolishness. “We

don’t want to give a god any reason to renege on
our deal.”

“But I don’t mind this human town. I actually

think we could stay here for a while. Maybe even
get to know the people better.”

“Kage… if you wanted to date humans and live

a normal life, you should’ve thought of that before
you made this deal. Now we have to focus on it.
We can’t get distracted. The gods are capable of
some awful things. Things we don’t want to
experience.”

Kage’s shoulders sag, and he rubs the back of

his neck. “I guess you’re right.”

Suddenly, we hear the key in the lock. A second

later, Draven storms in.

When he sees us, he slams the door. “So, you

finally found the wandering asshole!”

“He got attacked last night.”
Some of Draven’s anger fades, and his gaze

goes to the bandages on Kage. “You okay?”

Kage nods. “A beautiful woman nursed me

back to health.”

Draven glares. “You’re lucky she stuck around.

Some women just have amazing moments with men
and take off.”

Kage and I exchange a look. I glance back at

Draven, surprised. “Want to talk about it?”

He shakes his head, back to glaring. “Definitely

not.”

I’m about to ask more questions when the air in

the apartment changes, and every instinct within
me screams to life.

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” The cold, slimy voice

comes from our couch.

I turn and stare at the man in the black robe.

Instantly, I know who he is: Hades. He has the air
of a god. A power that seems to swell around him.
Even with his dark hair messy, and anger radiating
in his red pupils, he could only be a god.

And him being here? It terrifies me.
Because gods are cruel, selfish creatures. And

we were foolish enough to make a deal with the
worst of them.

“Hades,” Kage greets. “Meet my Brotherhood,

Draven and Soren.”

“Where is my hellhound?” He asks the

question, drawing each word out.

We exchange a look, but it’s Kage that answers.

“We’re still searching for it.”

“Disappointing,” he says, tapping his fingers on

his knees. “Very disappointing.”

“We just need more time,” Kage tells him, and

there’s a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

The tension in the air grows, and at last Hades

glances at us once more. “I blame myself for this. I
had thought the reward would be enough to keep
you focused, but a god of the Underworld knows
better how to… motivate people.”

He stands and moves across the room, before

stopping in front of Kage. Every muscle in our
bodies tense, ready to battle. Even if we have no
chance against a god.

Hades smiles, a hideous little smile. Then his

hand shoots out and plunges into Kage’s chest.

Kage’s scream tears through the room.
I try to launch toward the god, but I’m frozen in

place. Held by magic. Magic that keeps me from
saving my brother.

This can’t be happening!
A second later, Hades pulls a beating heart from

Kage’s chest. Only, it isn’t quite his heart. It’s a
glowing, thumping echo of it. And it stinks of dark
magic.

Hades holds it in his hand, turning it slightly to

make sure we can see it. “This is one of the many
powers of Hades, God of the Underworld. This is
your soul, Kage. Or at least, a link to your soul.
Each day I am without my hellhound, I will siphon
more and more of your soul away. By the night of
the celebration, I will have all of it, and you will
enjoy a kind of death you never imagined. An
immortal one, as my servant in the Underworld.
Tick tock, my sexy gargoyles.”

Instantly, he disappears, and Kage crumbles to

his knees, grabbing his chest. His mouth hangs
open, his expression frozen in a look of pain I’ve
never seen before.

I rush to him and kneel down. “Kage…”
He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head.
Draven is on his other side in an instant, and

our gazes connect.

I knew this would end badly, but I never

imagined this.

Now, whether Kage’s memories of the

hellhound were real or not, we must catch it. And
return it to Hades. It’s the only way.

My thoughts start to spin. “It’s okay.

Everything is going to be okay.”

“How can you say that?” Draven asks, his tone

desperate. Frightened.

I clench Kage’s arm. “Because we’re done

waiting to track down the beast. We’re going to set
a trap, and we’re going to save Kage’s life and get
our mate.”

But when I speak, I’m not just trying to

convince them, I’m trying to convince myself.
Because I’d do anything to save Kage’s life.

Even something completely stupid.

Chapter Fourteen

CERBERUS

umping the last bit of dog food into a
bowl, I step back from the fence as the
dogs inside gather around the bowl.

Usually seeing all the creatures in the animal
hospital happy and cared for cheers me up. But for
some reason, I still don’t feel like myself. The scene
this morning with Soren and Kage has me
completely confused.

I just… I don’t understand human men.
And what’s worse, my body still aches from my

battle just a short time ago. Had I slept well last
night, I’d be feeling more like my old self. But I
didn’t. And I don’t like feeling weak when Hades
could send more enemies here at any moment.

“Yo!”
I spin around and see Kayla hurrying out the

door of the animal hospital to join me in the back.
She looks so happy that I try to smile, but I’m not
sure I manage it.

She gives her familiar bright smile, and I see

she’s changed the highlights in her hair to a pretty
green. “How’s the morning?”

I set down the empty bag of dog food and wipe

sweat off my brow. “All the kennels are cleaned.
Everyone has been fed. All new water. And I’ve
checked on all our patients.”

“You’re amazing!” she says, then her gaze goes

to my wrapped wrist. “What happened?”

“Just a little dog bite from last night.” Then I

add, “Found a scared stray, but couldn’t quite catch
it.”

Her smile vanishes. “Come inside, I’ll get it

cleaned and looked at.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine.”
But she ignores me, grabbing my good wrist and

hauling me inside.

In her little office, she sets me down, opens her

medical bag, and unwraps my wrist. Looking at it,
she frowns. “That’s the weirdest dog bite I’ve ever
seen.”

“See, it’s fine,” I say, trying to stand.
She shakes her head. “Sit, I’ll clean it out and

rewrap it… even though it’s mostly healed.”

Slowly, I sit back down.
She hums softly as she begins to clean the small

wound biting my wrist left early this morning.

I stare, feeling uncertain, but finally decide to

go for it. “I don’t understand hu—men. I don’t
understand men.”

Kayla raises a brow. “Does this have anything

to do with that hunk you brought in yesterday?”

I look away from her. “Kind of.”
“Come on then, girl, out with it.”
It takes me a minute to find my words. “I don’t

have a lot of experience with men. With sex, yes,
but not men.”

“Okay,” she says, moving slower as she

continues to clean my wound.

“I don’t understand them.”
“How so?” she asks.
“I met a man last night. He spent the night,

although we didn’t fuck.” I take a deep breath.
“This morning when he was leaving, we ran into
Soren, the man from yesterday.”

She whistles softly under her breath. “I bet he

wasn’t happy.”

I frown. “He wasn’t. But I don’t understand

why.”

She laughs, then seems to realize I’m serious.

“Girl, Soren was so into you it was ridiculous!”

“Into me?” What the hell does that mean?
She rolls her eyes. “He likes you!”
I stiffen. “He doesn’t. He made that perfectly

clear.”

She arches a brow as she reaches for a new

wrap. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you, and he
was constantly checking out your ass.”

Everything she says takes me by surprise. “If he

liked me, wouldn’t he have suggested we have sex
in some way?”

Kayla finishes wrapping my wrist and sighs,

sitting down in the chair beside me. “Cerce, I can’t
even begin to imagine what you’ve been through.”

I start to stand, feeling panicked, but she tugs

me back down.

“It’s okay, I know you don’t want to talk about

it, and you don’t have to. I’m just saying, it doesn’t
take a genius to see that you’ve been through a lot
of awful things, so I want to thank you for feeling
safe enough to talk to me.” She pats my hand and
leans back. “Most decent men want more than
sex.”

Deep breaths. She’s not asking you about your

life before. About the darkness. And the pain.

Deep breaths. What did she say? Men want

more than sex?

“Like what?” What else could a man want from

me?

She hesitates. “They want love. A relationship.

Maybe even marriage and kids.”

Panic uncurls inside of me. “What if I can’t

give them any of those things? I don’t know
anything about love and relationships. I don’t plan

to marry, and,” it takes me a second to swallow
around the lump in my throat, “I’m pretty sure I
can’t have kids.”

“Take a deep breath,” she tells me, then gives a

small smile. “I think I’ve gone too quickly. Look,
Cerce, nice men just… they want to be around you.
They want to spend time with you and get to know
you.”

“But what do they want from me?” I

emphasize, because she still doesn’t seem to
understand my problem.

“Just you,” she says.
“Just me?” I repeat. That can’t be right.
“Which is why Soren seemed upset this

morning,” she says, her tone gentle.

I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
“He likes you. He doesn’t want to see you with

another man.”

I frown. “Men don’t like to share their

women?”

Is this a human thing? Gods and semi-

immortals have few rules when it comes to things
like sex and love. They enjoy who they want, when
they want. Unless they’re old fashion.

But those are the immortals who smite and

curse every time their hearts get broken.

No one wants to be like them.
Choosing just man… it would never be

something I’d consider. Before, I simply slept with

whoever wanted me when they came to visit the
Underworld. And now, knowing that I’ll never
remain in any place too long, well, it just makes
sense to not grow too attached to any single man.

But do human men require this?
Kayla studies me, as if waiting for another

question, then sighs and continues. “Men are like
dogs who need to be fed separately. They get
possessive of their… food… sometimes. They want
to know that their food likes them and only them.”
She laughs. “I mean, they kind of ‘feel a woman
out’ a lot before they ask them out. They try to see
if she likes them. They ask you out for dinner and
drinks. They ask questions about you. Basically,
they get to know you. And while they’re going
through this whole process, they want to know
there aren’t any other men sniffing around you.”

A lot of what she says makes a strange kind of

sense. Even though the men who visited me in the
Underworld never cared if other men had visited
me. Humans are, after all, still just animals. And
animals can be possessive of a lot of things,
including their females.

“So, if I want things to continue with these

men… I need to pick just one of them?”

“Exactly!” she says, clasping her hands

together.

“So how do I decide which one to pick?”
She grins. “Go with your gut.”

“My gut?”
“That little instinct in the back of your mind

that leads you down a certain path.”

Ah, instincts I understand.
But then I think of Soren. I imagine him

covering his cock. I imagine his little scowls.

For some reason, I find him… interesting. And I

think of Kage so happy between my thighs, both
my hellhound and I like his confidence.

And then, against my will, I think of the man

from the club.

All the air rushes out of my chest. I’ve never

been touched that tenderly before. I’ve never felt
on the verge of something so powerful and
significant like that.

It scares the hell out of me.
“What if I can’t choose?”
Kayla shrugs. “You’ll know what to do when

the time comes. Until then, enjoy getting to know
both guys.”

“Three,” I say. “There’s three guys.”
Kayla leans forward. “You and I are going to go

get coffee this second, and you’re going to tell me
about all three of these guys.”

I actually laugh. “I’m not sure there’s much to

tell. But—” I hesitate. “Can you tell me more about
sex?”

One of her brows rise. “Uh, are you working

tonight?”

“No,” I say.
She grins. “This conversation would be best

over some margaritas. How about we finish up
everything and plan for an awesome Saturday
night, with lots of sex talk?”

I nod. “Okay.”
“Tonight, then.”
As she gets up, I stay in my seat. Part of me is

shocked that I actually opened up to Kayla, but the
other part of me feels relieved. I’m just so… torn
about my experience with Draven and the others.

I don’t want to feel things that are stupid.

Maybe human men are always that tender with
women. Maybe I’m reading things into our
experience together that doesn’t actually exist.

And I have a feeling the only way I’ll

understand him is to ask an actual human woman.

This world is so different from the Underworld.

So much about it is frightening and confusing, but
having a friend? That is one thing about my new
life that isn’t confusing.

It’s just wonderful.

Chapter Fifteen

DRAVEN

lying usually calms me down, but
not right now. Not after what we’ve

been through.

We’re all shaken by our visit with Hades. It’s

strange to be warriors. To be gargoyles who know
how to fight, to kill, and to keep going, even when
injured. But then, to suddenly feel so unexpectedly
uncertain.

The three of us have fought through more

battles than we can count. We’ve survived against
extraordinary odds. But this time, I’m worried
about our future.

There is no world without Kage, so we must

find the hellhound and return it to Hades. No
matter what we must do to achieve this goal, we
don’t have a choice. Kage is my Brother. I won’t

let him down.

Realizing that I’ve been flying for too long, I

almost turn back when I sense the coast not far
ahead. Yet, that isn’t why I keep flying. Something
about these woods feels strange. Like a pulling I
can’t ignore.

And every gargoyle knows how important it is

to follow ones instincts.

Scanning the ground, I head straight for a small

clearing. When I land, I move cautiously beneath
the shadows, remembering Kage’s attack. And his
warning that beasts were capable of hurting us,
even in our stone forms.

But instead of anything dangerous, I soon find

myself standing above an unmarked grave.
Something within me recognizes this grave is old,
and yet, no grass grows upon the earth.

Kneeling down, I know without words that this

is the grave of a gargoyle. Gargoyle deaths are so
rare. Usually only the result of being destroyed in
our statue form. So when one of us is buried, the
grave always pulls us to them.

Because the gargoyle has a story to tell.
Reaching out, I ignore the way my hand shakes.

I’ve touched a gargoyle grave before, and I know
what’s to come. There’s nothing to fear, and only
peace to bring to the dead warrior beneath the cold
earth.

Closing my eyes, I let my fingers graze the

earth.

Instantly, images come to me of a massive

gargoyle. He radiates bravery and strength. He is a
warrior, as we all are, and his power is nearly
immortal.

And then I see him in these woods, and I see

the woman. She’s a strange beast with the body of a
snake and the face of an angel. When she stares
into the eyes of this warrior, he is gone. Unable to
fight her, pulled to her like he’s under her spell.

She leans down and bites into his throat. I feel

my pulse race as he groans and tosses his head from
side to side. My brain whispers the word monster,
that this woman is one of those creatures we hunt
and kill, but the man and creature are locked in
their own state of bliss. The sight is strangely erotic,
intimate in an unexpected way.

And then, suddenly, he collapses.
Her eyes widen. She looks terrified. Leaning

over him, she touches the side of his throat. His
eyes grow glossy, and she trembles.

This monster has killed one of us. The man

buried in this unmarked grave.

Another gargoyle races to his brother, and the

monster slithers away. As he kneels over the fallen
gargoyle, he doesn’t look to the monster, but I do.
Tears race down her cheeks, and then she’s gone.

I’m trembling as I draw my hand back from the

grave. I would recognize that monster anywhere.

Lamia. And I know the tales of the gargoyles she’s
killed.

What I don’t understand? The gargoyle seemed

to enjoy her bite, and she seemed to enjoy him.

And then there were her tears… monsters don’t

cry. Do they?

I stare down at the grave and give a silent

prayer to the fallen warrior, hoping he found peace
in the afterlife. And yet, I don’t believe he has. Not
if the pull of this grave was so strong.

Rising to my feet, I stare down at the mound of

dirt. What led me here today?

I believe in fate. I believe in powers larger than

myself. And I believe I came here for a reason.

Was it to be reminded that tomorrow isn’t

guaranteed? That even Kage can die?

I don’t know, but I keep seeing that monster…

Lamia… crying. The image of her makes me feel
sad. Not just for the man that died, but for the
monster.

And that’s how I know I’m not in my right

mind. Monsters don’t cry. Monsters don’t deserve
empathy. They’re emotionless beasts that deserve
nothing but death.

If I was brought here to be reminded of why we

can’t fail, then I have been. Not that I needed it.

No matter what, we will catch the monster and

save Kage.

Taking back to the air, my mind spins. Right

now, Kage and Soren are laying out their plan to
catch Cerberus. And I was supposed to search as
far as I could for any sign of it. There is nothing,
but I didn’t expect to see any. A beast from the
Underworld… a creature raised for death and
destruction… well, it won’t be stupid enough to be
caught so easily.

It’s evening when I arrive back at the

apartment. Inside, Kage and Soren have showered
and they stand when I enter.

I frown. “What’s going on?”
“The trap’s set,” Soren says. “Tomorrow’s

supposed to be stormy. We’ll spring the trap then,
when it won’t be able to see us and smell us as
well.”

I nod. “Then why do you both look like you’re

going somewhere?”

“We are.” And I try not to notice that Kage

looks paler than usual. “We’re going out to help set
our plan… and maybe to relax a little.”

I think of the beautiful woman from the bar. “I

know the perfect place to go.”

We walk to town. Kage and Soren talk ahead of

me, but I follow slowly behind. I’ve been trying so
hard not to think about the beautiful woman from
the bar. More important things have shadowed my
thoughts… like the god’s impending doom. But
now, in the darkness, heading toward the bar I first
saw her at, I can think of nothing but her.

I’ve had sex with many women before. Yes, it’s

been a long time since I touched a female, but my
memories are still crystal clear. I know just how to
touch a woman. Just how to make her feel all the
wonderful things that bring her pleasure.

And yet, nothing was the way I expected with

the woman in that closet. I didn’t try to touch her
the way I have before. I watched her and did what I
thought would bring her the most pleasure.

The truth was that she intrigued me. Something

about her was so harsh and strong, and yet, she
seemed so different when we were alone together.
Every time I touched her, she looked so amazed.
Like she’d never been touched like that before.

I wasn’t foolish enough to think I was her first

man. A woman that beautiful doesn’t remain
untouched. But I felt like our time together was
special and unexpected for her too. Powerful and
significant.

Touching her was how I imagined it would be to

touch my mate.

And yet, she’d run from me. Disappeared as if

into thin air.

Just the thought of it makes me angry. Had I

done something wrong? Had I not brought her
pleasure the way I had imagined?

Or did she perhaps already have a lover?
The thought makes me enraged. I can’t imagine

another man touching her. I can’t imagine that she

would leave and search out someone other than me
to bring her pleasure.

I have to find her.
Why? I don’t know. But I have to. Before we

leave this place.

Logically I know that when we get the

hellhound, we’ll be given the mate of our dreams.
Anything that happens with this woman would just
be a rest stop before finding our mate.

So why doesn’t it feel that way? Why is it so

hard to stop thinking about her?

“Which way?” Kage asks.
I realize we’ve reached the center of town.
Pushing past them, I lead our way to the bar the

woman had been at the night before. I try not to
hope she’ll be inside, but I’m kidding myself if I
don’t accept that this is exactly why I led them
here.

They say something, I don’t know what. But I

ignore them, heading straight for the doors.

Inside, the club is loud, dark, and crowded, but

I don’t care. Kage moves past me as he and Soren
go to sit in an empty booth on one side of the room.
I don’t follow them. Instead, I scan the waitresses
and bartenders, trying not to feel disappointed
when I don’t see her.

Walking slowly, I head toward my Brothers,

then freeze. In one corner of the room, the woman
is there, with a friend, laughing. I want to race right

over to her and demand answers, but I also don’t
want to scare her off again. So I force myself to go
to our booth and sit down, my gaze never leaving
her.

“What can I get you boys?” a woman says.
“Drinks,” I tell her.
Suddenly, she’s leaning in front of me, blocking

my view of the beautiful woman from the night
before. A growl catches in the back of my throat.
What more does she need to know?

“What kind of drinks, sugar?” she purrs.
I glare. “We don’t care.”
“Alright then, I’ll get you something special,”

she says, her voice crisp as she turns around and
goes to the bar.

“That was polite,” Soren says, his sarcasm

heavy.

I turn my glare to him. “I don’t want to waste

time.”

He raises a brow. “Didn’t we come here tonight

to start laying the foundation for our plan?”

Yeah, but that was only one of the reasons I

came here tonight, yet I don’t say so.

He continues. “We should talk to anyone we

can, especially the waitress. This is just like any
pub or way-stop. The serving staff usually have a
pulse on everything going on around the town.”

I scowl, because he’s kind of right.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Kage asks.

“You’ve been pissed since the other night.”

I think about lying or denying it again, but

instead, I sigh. “I met a woman.”

“A woman?” Kage repeats, leaning forward.
I nod. “And things got… intimate between us.”
Kage grins. “Then what’s with the bad mood?”
“She took off. I don’t know why, and I didn’t

know how to track her down again.”

Kage’s grin fades. “What did you do to anger

her?”

That’s just it. I don’t know. “I wish I knew. But

I can’t stop thinking about her.”

Soren shakes his head. “How are you two

getting this distracted by women?”

I turn to Kage, a question in my gaze.
“The woman who helped me last night also

turns out to be our new neighbor,” he explains.
“And she’s amazing. Sexy as hell. Confident.
Strong. She’s everything a woman should be.”

“So is my woman,” I tell him, and the words

ring true.

And now I know why I’m so upset. Before we

were bound to our lands. We would awaken to
battle enemies, remain awake awhile to celebrate
and sleep with beautiful women, and then we’d
turn back into stone. But never before did I meet a
woman who seemed… special. And for the first
time in our lives, we can do something about it.

If we weren’t bound to a god.

But after…?
“She’s here.”
Both the men across from me stiffen.
“Where?” Kage asks.
I gesture with my head. “In the corner.”
They both turn around. My heart races. If they

find her attractive too, maybe this woman could
really be something. Finally a mate for us to share.

Soren swears. “Is this a joke?”
When he turns around, glaring at me, I find I

can’t speak. Doesn’t he find her attractive? Doesn’t
he feel the same pull to her that I do?

Kage turns around more slowly. “The dark-

haired woman with the blue eyes?”

I nod.
“That’s Cerce. The woman who helped me last

night, and our new neighbor.”

My jaw drops. What does this mean?
I wrack my brains. It means… Kage already

likes her.

Turning to Soren, I study him. “What’s your

problem with her?”

He scowls. “Besides the fact that she’s arrogant

and difficult? How about the fact that we’ve got
three days to save Kage’s life? How about we’re on
the cusp of being given the perfect mate? Take your
pick.”

I open my mouth to respond when the waitress

returns. “Three Long Island Ice Teas!”

Tea? I was hoping for ale.
Shrugging, I grab it.
“Thank you so much,” Soren says, and

suddenly his voice is as slick as silk. “We’re new to
town.”

The waitress winks. “You don’t need to tell me,

sweetheart. Every girl in town knew the second you
three came strutting along.”

“It seems like a pretty unique town,” Soren

continues.

She smiles. “Oh, you won’t find people like us

anywhere else. It’s truly a special place. And my
home town.”

“You grew up here?” Soren asks, flashing his

smile.

The woman melts under his attention. “Born

and raised.”

He leans a little closer. “I’m a little surprised. A

woman as beautiful as you… it’s hard to picture
growing up in such a dangerous place.”

“Dangerous?” she asks.
He feigns surprise. “First the vicious dog, and

then that guy out in the woods.”

“What guy?”
He lowers his voice. “I heard there was some

guy attacking women out in the woods near The
Maple Tree apartments.”

Her eyes widen. “I haven’t heard anything

about that.”

“Oh,” he says. “Sorry, I hadn’t meant to scare

you.”

She shakes her head, standing up straighter. “I

have some friends in The Maple Tree apartments,
so I’m glad you warned me.”

Soren flashes her another smile and takes a sip

of his drink. “No problem. And wow, this drink is
amazing. I have a feeling we’re going to need more
of these.”

She winks. “Big guys like you? I bet you’ll

easily take three or four.”

There’s a bit of a challenge in her voice.

Confused, I take a sip of my tea. It’s sweet and
absolutely delicious. So what’s with the challenge?

“I’ll come back and check on you boys in a

few,” she says, turning and strutting to another
table.

We all look at each other triumphantly.

Spreading the rumor has begun. Hopefully by
tomorrow night we’ll have led the hellhound right
into our trap.

As time passes, we drink two more drinks and

random women join us in our booth. We subtly
spread our rumor and manage to avoid the drunken
arms and kisses of the strange women. By the time
we’re on our fourth drink, I realize that I feel pretty
damn good.

Spread our rumor. Check.
Seduce the beautiful Cerce…

When my gaze goes to her, I stiffen. A man is

talking to her. Leaning close. Grinning.

Despite myself, my pulse speeds up. Is he

flirting with her?

Sinking back in my chair, I feel anger growing

inside of me. I’d thought waiting awhile would
build my confidence to go talk to her. I hadn’t
considered other men might approach her.

Sipping my drink, I glare across the bar. This

won’t do. This won’t do at all.

Soon one of two things will happen. I’ll seduce

Cerce, or I’ll beat the shit out of the man talking to
her.

Maybe both.
“Ready to head back to the apartment?” Soren

asks.

I don’t look away from my target. “You guys

go. I have something to take care of first.”

Chapter Sixteen

CERBERUS

stare at the man who doesn’t seem to
be getting my not-so-subtle rejections.
“We’re busy.”

Kayla flashes him a smile. “It’s girl talk, Frank.

So get out of here!”

He winks at me. “Girl time is just code for

wasting time before you have another dick to ride.”

Anger uncurls inside of me, but he stumbles

away before I can give him a verbal lashing.

“So where were we?” Kayla asks.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my pulse. “I

was telling you about my general… experiences.”

“Oh, yeah! And I have to say, you’ve had the

worst lovers ever!”

I shake my head, feeling the buzz from our

drinks. “I guess I didn’t realize until now that they

weren’t good.”

Stacy stops by our table with more shots. On

the house. “What’s so funny?”

Kayla’s gaze goes to mine, as if silently asking

for permission. I nod, then knock back the shot,
deciding without words that it’ll be my last one.
Feeling fuzzy is one thing. Drinking enough to let
down my guard, nope, not going to happen.

“The only men Cerce has been with have

basically climbed on top of her and gotten
themselves off. The other night a man actually
engaged in foreplay, and she’s feeling freaked out.”

Stacy shakes her head. “Oh, sweetheart, is that

the guy you disappeared with during the robbery?”

“Yeah,” I say.
I’d given her a very brief version of that night

after she’d called to check on me after the robbery.

She makes a little sound and sits beside me in

the booth. “If the guy was gentle and tending to
you, it just means you got a good one.”

Is she right? My stomach sinks. I think she is. I

actually met a decent guy, but then I had to go and
screw everything up. And yet, given my situation,
not getting more involved with a nice guy was the
right thing to do. Any of the nice guys I’d met.

Wasn’t it? My brain says it was, but my gut says

I fucked up in a major way.

I stare down at my empty drink. “I think I might

have scared him off. I just… I didn’t expect a man

to treat me like that.”

“Nicely?” Kayla asks, then knocks back her

shot, wincing. “From now on, you better expect all
men to be nice to you. Because if they don’t, Stacy
and I are going to kick some serious ass.”

A laugh tears from my throat. “Why should I go

for the nice guys? So I can be utterly disappointed
when their true colors show?”

The two women exchange a glance.
Again, I get the feeling I messed up. It’s one

thing to be a screwed up disaster inside. It’s another
thing to unleash that poison on two innocent
humans who are trying to help.

Still, my chest aches as I try to explain myself

without saying too much. “Sorry, I’ve just never
met a man who was really nice to me. When push
came to shove, all the men in my life betrayed me.”

“Oh, honey,” Kayla says, reaching across the

table and squeezing my hand.

My hound’s fur stands on end. Is she pitying

us? We don’t need pity.

Taking several deep breaths, I separate my

feelings from hers. No, I tell my hound, she’s
comforting us, not pitying us. There’s a difference.

Still, I’m feeling uneasy. Like this conversation

needs to end. “It’s okay. I don’t need to talk about
it.”

“Of course you need to talk about it!” Stacy

exclaims. “And we’re your friends, so we’re here

to listen.”

I look at both of them. Such different women.

And yet, they’ve shown me nothing but kindness
since the moment I stepped into this town. “You…
you are my friends. Aren’t you?”

They both start talking at once, and I smile. Not

a forced smile, or a pained smile. But a real one…
that almost feels natural.

Then they’re both silent again, staring at me.
I take a deep breath, trying not to overthink it.

“My father… isn’t a good man. Actually, he’s a
pretty awful man. He’s pretty much taught me that
only fools trust, and that people show us what they
are, we just don’t want to see it. The idea of
trusting a man makes me feel sick to my stomach. I
feel like it’s impossible. Something I can never
imagine myself doing.”

Kayla squeezes my hand. “Listen to me really

well, Cerce, because this is something important.
Your dad’s cruelty has nothing to do with you. It’s
his problem. But don’t let it poison your whole life,
because there are good people out there, but you’ll
never meet them if you don’t let your guard down.”

Stacy flashes me a smile. “No risk, no reward,

sweetheart.”

I lean back against the booth, feeling uncertain.

These women are my friends. But they’re also
innocent. They have no idea about the evil in this
world. So while they mean what they say, I’m not

sure I can ever follow their advice.

But I can try.
Stacy stands. “I have to go back and check my

tables.” But when she turns to go, she looks back.
“But be careful. I heard some guy has been
attacking women in the woods outside your
apartment.”

Every muscle in my body tenses. “Are you

sure?”

She shrugs. “That’s what I heard.”
My heart races, and I make a mental note to

myself to check the woods really carefully for now
on. I’d hate for someone to be hurt because I
wasn’t there to help them.

“Cerce?”
The deeply masculine voice slides over me like

silk. Heart racing, I slowly look up.

It’s the man from the bar last night. And to my

shock, he looks even better. His silky blond hair
looks achingly soft, and he wears a dark green t-
shirt that hugs his muscles. His arms look massive.
His chest hard as a rock. And despite myself, all I
can think about as the way those muscles felt when
I was sliding my hands along them.

“I don’t think we officially met last night. I’m

Draven.”

Draven. I mesmerize the name. “Hi,” I say.
He shifts as if restless. “Could we talk?

Outside?”

I look to Kayla.
She grins. “Actually, I have my eyes on a

particularly sexy booty call. Have fun!”

Feeling uncertain, I scoot out of my booth and

follow him out to the back of the bar.

Exiting the door, I’m immediately hit by the

cool autumn night and the pleasant scents of the
woods. Out here, only one lone street lamp lights
the space.

Wrapping my arms around my chest, I watch

him carefully as he turns to face me. His expression
is unreadable. “Why did you take off last night?”

I stiffen. I should’ve expected his question. I

should’ve prepared an answer.

“I—“
He stares for another minute, then roughly runs

his fingers through his hair. “I scared you off.”

“No,” I say.
His gaze meets mine. “Then, what?”
Suddenly, I feel irrationally frustrated. I pace

away from him. “I don’t know!”

He follows me, catching my arm. “How about

we go for a walk?”

Desperate to avoid the questions I don’t have

answers to, I nod. We start to walk, past shop after
shop, to where the woods start to line our path.
Briefly I think of the man attacking women. Even if
I wasn’t sure I could kick the nasty human’s ass, I
knew the giant man beside me would discourage

any trouble. So I do my best to relax and enjoy the
quiet walk.

At last, he stops and points to a bench.
Wordlessly, I take a seat.
“Your friends seem nice.”
I nod. “They are nice. Especially to talk to

about… girl stuff. I’ve never really had that
before.”

Draven’s expression goes distant. “My sister

used to irritate me with all of that. It annoyed me at
the time, but now I miss it.”

I turn to face him. “Did you move away from

her?”

He’s quiet. “No. She died.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
It’s actually kind of odd to talk to the living

about death. Somehow, it seems more tragic that
they just have to go on without that person.

He looks off into the distance. “I’ve made

peace with it. At least as much as I can. I just wish
Soren would.”

“He hasn’t accepted her death?” I ask,

surprised.

What good was it to not accept something that

was?

“Soren believes we could have done more to

save her.”

“When Death comes for you, there’s nothing

more people can do. Their fate is sealed.”

He glances at me. “You really believe that?”
I nod. “And besides, the dead want to know

their families are happy. Soren being miserable
because she’s gone from this world to the next
doesn’t help her. It only hurts him.”

“You seem so confident about that.” He smiles.

“But I’ll have to tell him that; maybe it’ll be the
thing that finally gets him to calm down.”

“I hope so,” I say. “Because one way or

another, death comes for all humans. Whether it’s
from sickness, injury, or old age, in the end it
doesn’t really matter. All that matters is what you
did with your life when you had it.”

His expression falls, and there’s something

vulnerable in his gaze. “I always kind of thought if I
fought hard enough, I could protect everyone who
needed me.”

Such a human thing to believe. “Warriors fight

enemies. But there’s no true enemy with death. It’s
like trying to hold back the turning of the earth. To
try to attack it like a foe. You can try, but your
efforts are fruitless.”

Then I glance away from his keen gaze. What

the hell is wrong with me? I slipped so easily into
the conversation of death, because it’s something I
understand.

But again, I get the feeling I revealed too much.
“I like you,” he says without hesitation.
Even after all the weird stuff I just spewed?

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye.

“We barely know each other.”

“I know you better than any other woman in

this world,” he continues. “You’re an easy person
to like.”

The cynic in me rears its ugly head. “I think

you liked what we did, not me.”

He opens his mouth and a strange sound comes

from the woods behind me. I’m shocked when we
both leap to our feet in an instant. I’m a shifter. Our
instincts are fine-tuned. Our reflexes unmatched.

So how did a human respond as quickly as I

did?

Again, a terrible sound comes from the woods.

A strange wailing that crawls along my spine and
makes the hairs on my body stand on end.

I know that sound. And I hate that I know that

sound.

“Come on,” I say to him, tugging on his arm.

“Let’s go back to the bar.”

His expression is confused. “But there’s

something out there.”

I tug him harder. I’ll survive this fight, but this

man won’t. And I could never live with myself if he
was hurt.

The wailing comes again.
He breaks free from my grip. “I think

someone’s hurt. You go back to the bar. I’ll check it
out.”

“Are you serious?” I say, pulse pounding.

“Haven’t we gone through this already?”

“Go back to the bar,” he orders, then races into

the woods.

I stare after him for a minute. This man is an

absolute fool. I don’t want to fight the creature in
those shadows, and I know what it is and how to
kill it. What the hell is wrong with a person who
runs toward danger?

And why do I find his recklessness oddly

attractive?

I follow slowly after him, circling behind the

trees, creeping through the shadows.

When I come to a clearing, the moon only

slightly obscured by clouds, I see the wailing
creature. One of Hades’s Soulless. I don’t know
why my father sent such a dangerous beast to the
human world, but I’m beginning to realize that he
doesn’t value the human life in this town much.

Draven moves slowly closer to it in the woods.

He calls out to the creature, and I know he hasn’t
yet seen it. Doesn’t know yet what he faces.

I grit my teeth, irritated by this cocky human

man.

Then, searching the woods, I spot a heavy

looking stick. Picking it up, I continue to circle
behind the Soulless creature.

When Draven is perhaps ten feet from it, he

stops short. “What the hell?”

My pulse races. But the fool still doesn’t run.
I can’t believe I’m really going to have to do

this. In front of him.

Slinking closer in the shadows, I see when the

creature is close enough to attack. It raises its
sharpened claws, clicking its sharpened teeth
together.

Draven reaches behind him, as if for some

unseen weapon, and I leap out. Hitting the creature
as hard as I can, I watch as its head goes flying. A
second later, its body tumbles to the ground. And
like the dogs, it turns to ash and melts into the
ground.

Slowly, Draven’s gaze meets mine. “What—?”
Heart racing, I shrug. “That thing looked

dangerous.”

I expect so many things from this man, but not

the anger that leaps into his eyes. “I told you to go
to safety.”

“Just like in the club,” I tell him. “And just like

in the club, I’m telling you that there’s no way
you’re going to run at danger, and I’m going to run
away.”

He moves closer to me. “Where have you been

all my life?”

His words should be corny. We should both be

laughing. But we’re not. We’re just staring at each
other, his words ringing so true within us that the
knowledge is almost too much.

It’s hard to breathe as I stare at his inhumanely

beautiful eyes and try to find the right words.
“Draven… I don’t know how long I’ll be here. This
town isn’t home for me. So whatever’s between us
can’t be anything.”

Regret flickers in his eyes. “It can’t be anything

for me either.”

Some of the pressure lifts from my chest.
“Want to go to my home?”
I know what this means, and I don’t hesitate to

nod.

He takes my hand, and we leave the woods.
“Any idea what that thing was?” he asks.
I shake my head, forcing out the lie. “Maybe

some creepy thing someone in town made to scare
people?”

He doesn’t answer for a long minute. “Yeah,

that’s probably it.”

When we reach the sidewalk, he moves even

faster, his movements telling me he’s on high alert.
I easily keep pace with him, my heartbeat racing as
we climb the stairs to our apartments. Time seems
to slow when his key scrapes the lock, and then he
pushes the door open.

This is it. No going back now…
He takes a step forward, and a voice shatters

the quiet night.

“What took so—?” Soren’s question dies on his

lips as he glances at me.

I don’t know what to do now, so I stand in the

doorway frozen. I should have considered the fact
that the other man might be there. Somehow I’d
gotten so caught up in the idea of taking things
further with Draven, it’d slipped my mind.

A second later, Kage comes out of the bedroom,

completely naked. “Did you manage to talk to
her?”

When he glances at me, he freezes too.
Soren pulls me further into the apartment and

closes the door behind me.

“She’s here, with me,” he says, and there’s a

challenge to his words.

Kage moves closer to me, and my gaze moves

down to his beautiful cock. Beneath the scrutiny of
my gaze, it hardens, and I find myself struggling to
breathe. This man is handsome. Striking. If the
others weren’t watching, I’d already be on my
knees before him.

But Kayla said I had to pick just one man.
My gaze moves to Draven. He’s watching me

closely.

“I want you in my bed,” he says, his declaration

simple and to the point.

My mouth feels dry. “I want that too.”
Kage moves even closer, invading my space.
My gaze goes to him. “I can only have… one of

you?”

His mouth curls into a sinfully delicious smile.

“Not a chance. You can have us all, any way you
want us.”

Soren clears his throat. “We won’t be here in

another day or two…”

“So best make the most of it,” Kage says, still

staring at me, his dick deliciously hard.

“We can’t afford any distractions,” Soren

continues.

His words shake my confidence. Sex I

understand.

Distractions?

Worrying

about

tomorrow?

Those are things I can’t handle.
If I think about those things, I’m going to run.

I’m going to leave these men and this possibility
behind. So I know I need to act now.

Take a deep breath and do it!
Reaching for the hem of my shirt, I tug it off

and toss it onto the floor. Then, undoing the button
and zipper on my pants, I drop my clothes on the
ground, along with my shoes. Standing in nothing
but my black bra and underwear, I raise my head as
if I’m confident and walk past all of them to the
bedroom.

I’m aroused and confused by these men, but I

know what I want. I want them to touch me. I want
them to make me forget that I’m going to have to
leave this town soon. The dogs were one thing. The
Soulless a whole other. Hades must know I’m here,
and I can’t afford to stay much longer.

So I’ll enjoy tonight, and then I’ll carry with me

the memories of these men.

Whether I understand them or not.
When I reach the center of the bedroom, I turn

around. Kage follows quickly after and comes to
stand before me. Draven follows more slowly after,
his gaze running over me from head to toe.

Not wanting to overthink anything, I drop to my

knees before Kage.

I can sense his heart racing as I lean closer and

wrap my lips around his cock.

A groan tears from his lips, and a thrill moves

down my spine as I take him in and out of my
mouth. My hound sighs within me. She is an alpha.
But so are these men. She can kneel to them.

I continue to work Kage’s cock, and his hands

bury into the back of my hair, holding me closer,
pumping me faster.

“Fucking hell!” Draven groans.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him strip

off his clothes. Working one perfect cock, I glory in
the sight of every inch of Draven’s muscles as his
clothing hits the floor. When he moves closer, hard
cock free and eager, I grab him with my free hand.

He makes a strangled sound.
When I continue to pump him, he begins to

move. Rocking in tune with my strokes. Both men
stand before me, and yet, I’m the one in charge.
The one capable of bringing them pleasure.

I try not to think about what Soren is doing

when Kage jerks his cock free of my mouth and
draws me into a standing position. With confident
movements, he strips off my bra and then yanks
down my underwear. A string of swears leave his
lips, and then he lays me back on the bed.

My body aches for them. To have these big men

inside me as I spread my legs and lay back.

Now I truly understand what it means to be

ready for a man. To be so wet and slick that my
body demands a hard cock within it. Draven and
Kage taught me that. And I’m excited to
experience this type of sex for the first time. To see
what more pleasure they can bring me.

But instead, I feel lips between my thighs.
My eyes open, and Kage is before me, nestled

between my legs. He spreads my bare pussy wide,
then presses his lips deeper inside of me.

Oh, this man knows how to touch me. Knows

already how to drive me wild.

A moan tears from my throat. Stars speckle the

outside of my vision. One of my hands tangles in
the back of his hair, and I pull him closer, urging his
amazing tongue to continue its slow exploration of
my body.

Draven lies on the bed beside me. His mouth

catches mine, and I surrender to his kiss. So hard
and possessive, sending sparks of pleasure straight
to my core.

And then one of his big hands closes around

one of my nipples, and my body is overwhelmed by
pleasure. If this is sex… I’ve been doing it wrong
all these years. This is something different.
Something life changing.

But this time, I’m not scared.
My friends say this is human sex. That it

doesn’t have to mean anything.

And so I won’t overthink it.
When Draven breaks our kiss, and his mouth

moves to my breast, I’m in ecstasy. But as my head
lolls to one side, I see Soren standing in the
doorway. His gaze is darkened with arousal, his
hands clenched into fists at his side, and his
erection straining his pants. And yet, he remains
where he is.

I want to tell him to join us, but I can’t find the

words. Even if I feel like something’s missing
without him here.

And so, as the two men touch me, I imagine all

three of them are there. Working my body into a
frenzy. I imagine that whatever wall Soren has put
up between us comes crumbling down, and I feel
completely content surrounded by them.

At last, Kage rises from between my legs. My

core trembles, clenching around nothing. Wishing
for more. And Draven moves back as Kage wraps
my legs around his back and stands.

Instantly, I feel his hard cock brushing my core,

and I gasp, digging my nails into his shoulders.

And then Draven is behind me, his erection

pressing against my ass.

I know what will happen now. I’ve had men in

my pussy and my ass. But never at the same time. I
wonder if it’ll be painful… or pleasurable.

Surely anything these men do to me will bring

pleasure.

And then Kage leans down and kisses me,

stealing my breath. For a long minute I’m lost to the
kiss, and then his shaft slides into my wet body. I
gasp against his lips, digging my nails into his
shoulders deeper and deeper.

When he reaches his hilt, I’m in shock. “You’re

fucking huge!”

He chuckles. “All the man you’ll ever need.”
“Except me,” Draven says, his voice husky as

hell.

Then, as if to prove it, Draven slowly eases into

my ass.

Again, I hold myself still. But my arousal has

slickened my body, and his own arousal has coated
his cock, so even though the fit is tight, it’s all
pleasure. Inch by inch of delicious pleasure.

When they’re fully inside me, I open my eyes,

and my gaze locks onto Soren’s. His expression is
dark, tortured.

So when I begin to ride the two men inside of

me, I hold his gaze. Somewhere inside of me, I

want to punish him for not being here to touch me
too. I want to make him imagine what it’d feel like
to be one of these hard cocks inside of me.

Even when the men begin to thrust harder

inside of me, even when I’m crying out, riding them
with a frenzy, I hold Soren’s gaze. And when I feel
my climax coming, I don’t hold back. I let myself
go crashing over the edge.

I barely hear the names I shout as I orgasm, but

I hear Soren’s. And I know he hears it too, his hand
curling around his cock and his eyes widening.

The two men inside of me groan, rocking hard.

Pounding like mad. And then I feel their cum fill
my body. They hold me tightly, their fingers
branding me, claiming me as their own. Not
stopping until they seem to spend every last drop of
their seed inside of me.

Then, breathing hard, Draven pulls out of my

ass. Kage brings me to the bed, and the men press
me between them.

“That was fucking amazing!” Kage says, kissing

me softly.

Draven brushes the hair from my shoulder

behind me, then drops the lightest brush of his lips
onto my shoulder. “You’re fucking amazing.”

I smile, feeling strangely content. But not.
Kage’s eyes close. “A little nap and then round

two?”

I can’t help myself, I laugh. “Yes.”

Both men hold me closely, and as the night

deepens, they slip into sleep. Soren is no longer in
the doorway, but I sense him out there, alone. And
it bothers me.

So when both men are soundly asleep, I slip out

from between them.

When I reach the bedroom door, I close it softly

behind me.

Soren looks up from the couch, his face in his

hands. “What do you want?”

I don’t know what to say. I’m a woman

standing before him naked. Shouldn’t he know
what I want?

Going to him, I kneel down in front of him.
“No,” he says.
“Why not?”
“We won’t be here long. This doesn’t mean

anything.”

“I won’t be here long either,” I say. “I don’t

expect anything from you.”

“I don’t like you,” he bites back at me, and yet

we can both hear the lie in his words.

Rising up, I push him gently back on the couch.

He watches me uneasily as I undo his pants and slip
his cock free from his boxers.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” he repeats.
I lean forward and brush my lips lightly against

the tip of his cock. “Not one thing.”

Opening my lips, I take his tip softly into my

mouth and suck.

“Fucking hell!” he groans.
I continue to torture him, lavishing the head of

his shaft with attention, and doing nothing else. In
his body, I sense his tension. I sense his patience
dwindling. But still, I play with this man who says
he doesn’t like me.

And when at last I pull back from him, I lick my

lips slowly.

His heated gaze follows the movement, and he

leans forward. Grasping my breasts, he wraps them
around his cock and begins to thrust into them, his
gaze holding mine.

I sense within him a need to put me in my

place. To show me this means as little as he wants it
to.

And for reasons I don’t understand, I refuse to

allow him to win.

When his body tenses, and I feel a shudder

move through him, I pull back. He watches me
frantically as I stand, his gaze moving to my pussy.

“Goodnight, Soren,” I say, then turn and head

back to the bedroom door.

In an instant he’s on his feet, catching my arm

and spinning me around. A second later, he’s
backed me against the wall.

“I hate your arrogance. I hate the way you have

my brothers under your spell. And female, if you
don’t find me to be a big, intimidating male, you’re

a fool.”

I smirk at him. “If you hated all those things

about me, why are we doing this right now? Why
not just let me walk away?”

He yanks off his shirt and tosses it. “Because

you’re a fucking siren.”

His cock brushes against my mound.
“Am I?”
He rests his arms above my head, so close our

mouths almost touch. “You sat there fucking my
brothers. Looking at me. Tempting me with that
sweet body of yours. What the hell do you call
that?”

I can barely breathe. “I think you like me.”
His hands grab my ass and pull me up. My legs

wrap around his back, and his cock brushes my
entrance. “I’m going to pound into your sweet,
little body, and you’re going to say my name.”

When his cock eases inside me, I’m breathing

hard, nails digging into his back. “Oh, Kage...”

His eyes flash with rage at the other man’s

name, and his lips descend on mine. His kiss is
nothing like Draven and Kage’s. It’s angry.
Controlled.

I reach between us and start to stroke his cock.
He makes a choking noise and rocks into my

hand.

When his lips leave my mouth, he sucks my

neck. And I let him, moaning.

His hand moves between us, and suddenly he’s

stroking my pussy in tune with my strokes of his
cock. “Say my name,” he pants. “And only my
name.”

“Soren,” I whisper, not able to wait any longer.
He pushes my hand away, and a second later

he’s sinking deeply inside of me.

I’m shocked by how tightly my body holds him,

and by the way we move together. Like one. Like
we’ve done this a thousand times before.

This time when our gazes lock, there’s shock

and uncertainty in his eyes.

But he doesn’t slow, he fucks me harder and

harder. Until my body is trembling and squeezing
around him, and then we come together, my inner
muscles milking him of every last drop of his seed.
Our bodies are so in tune that for one moment I
can’t separate myself from him.

And then he’s done, and I’m done. And I don’t

know what to do.

“I should go,” I say.
He tenses. “I’m still inside of you.”
“I should still go.”
Instead of obeying, he takes me to the couch

and lays me beneath him, covering me with his big,
warm body. And somehow this moment feels even
more intimate than sex.

“I thought you said none of this matters?”
Something in his expression has changed, and I

see the man inside of him. The one that wants to
make sense of me and what’s happened here, and I
desperately want to escape him.

Because I was right. Somehow being touched

gently has changed something inside of me. Right
now, I need to escape. I need to put my walls back
up before I crumble. Can’t he see that?

“I need you to tell me about yourself, Cerce.”
“It’s just supposed to be one night,” I repeat,

feeling emotions I don’t understand rising inside of
me.

His eyes close for a moment, and his body

tenses. He’s angry now, for reasons I don’t
understand. Aren’t I giving him what he wanted?
Sex with no attachment?

We aren’t supposed to be getting to know each

other. Asking questions. None of this.

“Who hurt you?” He says each word with such

emphasis that he leaves no room for arguments.

“No one,” I lie.
“What about your scars?”
“Those were just from my father.” The second

the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve screwed
up.

“Your father?” he repeats, a threat in the

question, his gaze holding mine. “No father should
hurt his child.”

I feel something inside of me crumble. Soft

words I never wanted to come out do. “But I

wasn’t what he wanted. I was a reminder of his
mistake.”

Of his affair with the woman Persephone

hated.

“No child is ever a mistake, and every child

deserves to be loved. At the very least.”

I shake my head, a pained laugh leaving my

lips. “Not me. And don’t argue. Some people just
don’t deserve to be loved.”

Staring at his chest, I’m surprised when he

brushes the hair back from my face. “You’re
wrong.”

My eyes sting. “You just like to argue.”
He chuckles, the sound strangely low and sexy.

“I do enjoy arguing with you, but I’m right this
time.”

I bite my lip. “Don’t you think there are people

who are too… bad… too worthless… to ever be
loved?”

“Maybe,” he says, and I feel my breath catch.

“But not you. I’m a good judge of people, and
you’re not bad or worthless.”

My gaze meets his again. “I don’t trust people.”
“You can trust me.”
“Promise?” And I hate that the question slips

past my lips.

“Yes,” he says without hesitation, then kisses

me lightly again. “We might not be here for long,
but you have my word that you’re safe with us.

We’ll never hurt you.”

For the first time in my entire life, I actually

believe him. This man… this angry stranger. I trust
him. More than my father. More than the men who
visited me in the Underworld.

Yes, it’s true he doesn’t know what I am, and

that he wouldn’t be saying these things if he did,
but right now I don’t care.

All I know is that even though I’m a scarred,

worthless monster, for tonight this man sees me
differently. And no matter what happens next, I
won’t let go of that.

Chapter Seventeen

CERBERUS

t’s raining when I start walking to work,
but I don’t care. I feel… amazing. My
night with my neighbors was unlike

anything I’ve ever experienced before. And the
rain means the Furies’ storm is coming.

Everything feels like it’s finally coming together

for me.

I’m not a fool. I know it was just one night. I

also know that it can never happen again. But that
doesn’t stop me from enjoying this feeling.

I imagine it’s close to how people feel when

they’re loved.

When I’m halfway to my destination, I sense

someone running behind me. Turning, I squint into
the rain and spot Kage. He’s soaking wet. Not
wearing a shirt. And looking frantic.

“What is it?” I shout over the storm.
Instead of responding, he kisses me so hard and

fast that the rain fades away.

When he pulls back, his gaze holds mine. “You

were gone when we woke up.”

“I had to check on the animals,” I say, even

though that isn’t the only reason I left.

The idea of spending a morning with them is too

much for me. It might further complicate my
already complicated emotions. And that’s the last
thing I need right now.

“Can I help you?” he asks.
I know I should say no, but somehow I nod.
He takes my hand, weaving his fingers through

mine in a strangely sweet way. And through the rain
we walk like that, the wind blowing around us, the
raindrops soaking us. None of it meaning anything,
because we’re together.

I use my key to open the animal hospital, then

flick the light switch on and go in. Kage comes in
behind me, his massive frame seeming to surround
me. I lead him through the building, aware of every
inch of him in a way that shocks me.

He’s a good assistant. Handing me bags of food

without a word. Taking water bowls and refilling
them without being told. And yet, I can feel his
eyes on me every step of the way.

I talk to the cats, reassuring them about the

rain. I pet my dogs, knowing the thunder and

lightning makes them jump. And I Ioad up the
snacks for the little creatures who seem unaware of
the storm.

When I’m done, I find Kage staring at me.
“What?” I ask, feeling uncomfortable.
“You’re just… so good with all the animals.”
I smile. “I like animals. They’re innocent.” I

look at a basset hound with big sad eyes and stroke
him through the cage. “Like humans, except
vulnerable. In need of our protection.”

He kneels down beside me and pets another

dog. “I never thought of them that way.”

“I just… treat them like I think a child would

deserve to be treated.”

Kage frowns. “I don’t remember most of my

childhood. Just that Soren and Draven always had
my back. We protected everyone we loved, and did
our best to be the people they needed.”

I study him. “Children shouldn’t protect other

people, they should be protected.”

His gaze goes far away. “No one has ever taken

care of us. Not really. But we didn’t need them to,
that’s what we had each other for.”

“So, you guys protect each other?”
He shrugs. “I’m the oldest, so most of the

responsibility falls on me.”

“Why? Don’t you trust them?”
He looks surprised. “Of course I trust them!”
“Just not enough to share the responsibility with

them?”

His brows draw together. “I never thought of it

that way. I always just felt I had to lead them
alone.”

“Dogs have an alpha who leads them. It seems

to me that it wouldn’t need to be that way with you
guys, if you trust each other.” He looks troubled, so
I continue. “I’ve always had to do everything
alone. It seems to me you’re just as lonely, but you
have people right there willing to help.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about. Maybe I

need to do things differently.” His gaze catches
mine. “Why were you lonely?”

I hesitate. “I guess because I didn’t have any

siblings. I only had my father.”

His mouth draws into a line. “When I have

children, I’ll be certain they never feel lonely. That
they know above all else that we’ll protect them
and love them.”

My stomach turns. “I—I don’t think I can have

children, but if I could, I’d do the same.”

“You don’t think you can? What makes you say

that?”

I swallow the lump in the back of my throat.

“There’s a wi—a healer where I live. She was
allowed to see me every so often. And she said she
doubted after all my injuries that I’d ever be able to
carry a child.”

“How many injuries does a child get?”

I don’t answer.
“I’m guessing the same people who failed to

protect you were responsible for them?”

It’s hard to know what to say. “I don’t like to

talk about those times. I just try to remember that
I’m free from them now, and that if I’m smart
they’ll never get me again.”

To my surprise, Kage rises and kisses the top of

my head. “I’m sorry.”

I force a smile. “It’s okay. Just like these

animals, we all have a history, and we carry it with
us wherever we go.”

His expression is surprised. “You’re right.”
And somehow Kayla’s words do feel right. “I

need to check on the animals in the back.”

He moves to follow me, but cries out, falling to

his knees.

“What is it?” I say, going to his side.
He presses a hand to his chest, eyes screwed

tightly shut, and I try to swallow my panic. What is
this? Does it happen often? Should I call
someone?

“Kage?”
After a minute that seems to go on forever, he

lets out a whoosh of air. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

He seems weak as I help him to his feet. “You

were hurt the other night! We shouldn’t have… last
night…”

He shakes his head, giving a strained smile.

“Sex didn’t cause this injury, nor the dog attack.
Believe me, one tiny woman could hardly break
me.”

“Kage, I—“
He cuts me off with a kiss. “I have to go see

Draven and Soren. You tend to your animals.”

I move to follow him. “Are you sure? You look

pale and—“

“I’m fine,” he reassures me, then turns and

heads for the exit. “We’ll talk tonight.”

I watch him leave feeling uncertain. Should I

really let him go? He said he was fine…

And yet, I’d told myself I wouldn’t get my

feelings involved in this. That it’d be one night with
these men, and that’s exactly how it needed to be.

Because I’d come to another realization getting

ready this morning. I needed to leave this town. As
soon as possible. It was foolish that I’d stayed so
long. Somehow my emotions had gotten tangled up
in this place, confusing my logic. But now I needed
to face the truth; staying here was dangerous. For
me and the people here.

So I had to go.
This week.
I just had to set a few things straight first, and

then I’d go on. And next time I’d be sure that when
I stopped somewhere I remembered that a
hellhound could never have a home, just a resting
place.

Because this place… it was starting to feel like

the first home I’d ever had.

And that I couldn’t allow.

Chapter Eighteen

KAGE

oren and Draven are eating breakfast
when I walk in. Ignoring their dirty looks
at my soaking body, I hurry across the

house, grab a towel and dry myself, then change
my clothes. When I come out, I grab a plate of
food, my thoughts turning.

When Hades had said that each day I’d lose a

piece of my soul, I hadn’t known what it would feel
like. I certainly didn’t expect it to be a painful
tearing that brought me to my knees. When I’d
accepted the task from the god, I hadn’t ever
questioned it. It made sense.

We’re monster hunters. Hunt a monster. Get

our mate.

But every time I think of our deal now, my

stomach turns. The night I was attacked still feels

like a strange nightmare, with twisting shadows and
lots of pain. But if I hadn’t made the deal, I think I
might walk away from this task. Something about it
no longer feels right.

And yet, now I have no choice.
“About the girl…” Soren begins, but then just

stares at us helplessly.

Draven grins. “She’s amazing.”
I grunt. Of course she is. Not only did she

handle all three of us last night, but she’s
everything a woman should be. Strong, confident,
and perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Even if under all of that there’s a softness to her

that seems unexpected.

“I think we should avoid her for now on.”
Soren’s words take me by surprise. “Why?”
He stares down at her plate. “She’s not as…

arrogant as I thought.”

Draven grins. “And that means we need to

avoid her… why?”

“Because,” and now Soren seems angry, “she’s

been hurt before. She’s vulnerable and in need of
good men who will stand by her. We can’t be those
men for her. Not with our task. Not with our deal.”

“What if we give the god his dog and keep the

girl?”

Soren stares at Draven. “There’s no guarantee

with her. When she finds out we aren’t human, she
might go running for it. We have a once in a

lifetime chance to get our perfect mate. Is it really
worth the risk?”

Some of my confidence fades. He’s right, of

course. We can’t gamble on maybe when we have a
sure thing.

“She might be more understanding about the

whole gargoyle thing than we think.”

I glance at Draven. What isn’t he telling us?
He sighs. “Last night Cerce and I encountered

something in the woods.”

“Something sent by the hellhound?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Something that looked a

hell of a lot like a zombie. And, I’m thinking, when
it comes to humans being animated back to life, it
might be a creature sent by Hades.”

I freeze. “Those dogs that attacked me were the

same way.”

Of course. I hadn’t really processed any of it.

But it seemed less likely they were working with
the hellhound, especially after it killed them, and
more likely that Hades sent them.

But why?
Soren looks troubled. “So, is Hades sending

these creatures to attack us or the hellhound?”

Draven frowns. “I have the feeling he doesn’t

care who gets hurt, as long as he gets his dog back.”

I think of Cerce. “We need to get that dog out

of here. Before any of the people in this town get
hurt.”

Draven gives me a knowing look. “So, we push

ahead with tomorrow night?”

Soren nods.
But I still feel troubled. “Doesn’t it bother any

of you that we’re counting on this dog wanting to
protect the innocent for our plan to work?”

“It’s not what I’d prefer,” Soren says. “But our

options are limited. Besides, as far as we know
Hades doesn’t plan to kill it, he just wants it back
where it belongs. We can’t exactly allow a
hellhound to run around with humans, whether it
has a sense of right and wrong or not.”

“Still, it feels wrong,” I say.
Soren shoots me a dirty look. “It’s you or the

dog now, so no more doubts. Just focus on the
task.”

He’s right. And I hate that he’s right.
“Going back out into the human world is

changing us.”

Neither man responses. They just stare down at

their plate. And that’s how I know I’m not the only
one who’s noticed it. Which for some reason makes
me even more concerned. Being a gargoyle meant
being a warrior and a protector.

Now?
It seems to mean being part of a gargoyle

society, making deals with gods, trapping monsters,
and becoming lovers.

I just hope as we fumble to figure out this world

that we don’t screw up too terribly.

Chapter Nineteen

SOREN

itting on our balcony, I stare at the clouds
off in the distance. My mind turns,
wanting to pull me to the negative, but I

refuse. Everything is going as according to plan as
it can.

Our trap is set. We now know what to do. We

just have to wait until night.

Overhead, thunder rolls and lightning splits the

sky. It smells of rain and the promise of a serious
outpour. Everything is lining up perfectly. Between
the rain and the darkness, the hellhound should
never see us coming.

And yet, no matter how many times I tell

myself that things are looking up, I don’t feel that
way. My thoughts keep going back to Cerce. I still
can’t believe we slept with her. It was such a dumb

decision. I don’t even know if I like her, or trust
her. But as much as I try to tell myself it was a
mistake, the words ring false within me.

Outside, a woman comes into view, jogging

clumsily down the path between apartment
buildings. She’s blond and tall, wearing tight jeans
and a halter top. As she comes closer, I recognize
her as the waitress from the bar the other night,
Stacy. To my surprise, she heads up our stairs, and
this close I realize she looks panicked.

The protective gargoyle within me flares to life.

Something is wrong.

She pounds her fists on Cerce’s door, and a

second later our beautiful neighbor opens it.

“Billy is missing,” Stacy says, then bursts into

tears.

I don’t know who Billy is, but I’m instantly

alert.

Cerce places her hands on the woman’s

shoulders. Other than a slight softness that comes to
her eyes, she looks fierce. “Tell me everything.”

The woman can’t seem to catch her breath

between sobs.

Cerce’s voice comes again, harsher. “If you

want my help, you need to tell me.”

Finally, between sobs, Stacy explains. “We

were playing near the woods. Just—kicking a ball
back and forth. I got a call. I took it. And when I
turned around, he was gone. I found the ball further

in the woods, but not him. If I tell anyone… I’m
going to lose custody, Cerce. His dad’s going to
take him, and I’ll never see him again.”

Cerce draws herself up taller. “It’s okay. Look

at me. I got this. We’re going to find him, and he’s
going to be fine.”

I’m stunned by Cerce’s calm demeanor. Is she

this good in an emergency? Or does she just not
care?

Either way, we’re gargoyles. We’re here to

help.

Going inside, I kick Kage’s feet off the table.
“What the hell?” he says, shooting to his feet.
“There’s a lost boy in the woods. We need to

help.”

Draven’s bored expression changes to one of

concern.

“Come on,” I say.
They rise and follow me out the door.
The women are already at the bottom of the

stairs when we emerge.

Cerce looks up at me, and our gazes collide.
It takes me a second to find my words. “We

heard about the boy. We can help.”

Stacy turns, her eyes filled with tears. “No one

can know.”

“We just want to help,” I reassure her.
Cerce’s gaze runs over us. “I trust them. Come

on.”

When she turns, holding Stacy’s arm and

dragging her along, she walks like a warrior. She
neither slows nor seems to second-guess herself,
she simply leads us down the sidewalk. After a
time, she speaks to Stacy without slowing.

“Show us where you were playing.”
Stacy starts to cry, blubbering about how she

can’t imagine what she’ll do if he’s hurt.

Cerce cuts her off. “Where were you playing?”
Stacy draws herself up a little taller, and her

crying slows. She leads us off the sidewalk, and we
walk until we come to a clearing in the woods. We
continue on passed it until we come to a random
soccer ball in the middle of the woods.

Cerce squeezes her friend’s shoulder. “You did

well. Now, just stay here in case he wanders back.
I’ll look for him.”

I feel an urge to take to the sky and search for

the boy, but some instinct makes me follow Cerce.

She stops every few feet and seems to inhale

deeply, staring in each direction. Then, seemingly at
random, she starts heading in one direction.

We exchange a glance and follow slowly behind

her.

She’s a strange woman, this Cerce. In her black

shirt, jeans, and boots, she could look like any other
woman, but something about her is different.
Special. I’m right about the way she walks and
moves, it is unusually graceful, like a warrior. And

her gaze is scrutinizing as she leans down and
touches slight marks in the dirt, or lightly brushes
her finger along a tiny broken stem on a bush.

Normally, I think Kage would take charge in a

situation like this. He’d lead us, and we’d follow,
regardless of whether or not he knew what he was
doing. The fact that even he follows submissively
behind the woman says a lot.

It says he trusts her. And thinks she might

actually be capable of finding the boy.

“Are you a hunter?” Draven asks.
Cerce doesn’t slow her steps. “Yes.”
“You seem to be able to read tracks and signs.”
She nods. “I’ve been hunting since I was a

small girl.”

Again, we exchange a glance. Somehow I don’t

think any of us had imagined the woman who cares
for animals hunting, but then, she contradicts many
of the things we’d expect in a young, beautiful
woman.

Thunder rolls above us again and she freezes,

glancing at the sky. “We need to find him before
the rain comes and washes away all his tracks.”

Kage moves to her side. “Then wouldn’t it be

better to call in the help of other people?”

Her eyes go wild. “Stacy’s ex is a fucking

asshole. He beat the shit out of her and her son
before she left him.”

We’re all confused. “So, obviously no one’s

going to give him back to his dad.”

She laughs, a cold laugh, then continues moving

through the woods, slowly and carefully. “He’s a
powerful man with a lot of money. One misstep by
her, and he’ll get his son back. And she’ll return to
him to keep the boy safe.”

Draven shakes his head. “That’s impossible. No

one would put a child in a dangerous situation—“

“This world does not protect women and

children. Unless we protect ourselves, you can bet a
man will come along to harm us.”

“Not all men are like that,” I say.
Her gaze meets mine, then away. “Good men

are precious, and few and far between.”

“No,” I press. “There are lots of good men.

Women just choose the wrong ones.”

She whirls on me. “The greatest thing that evil

ever does is convince the world it doesn’t exist. So
many men are handsome and charismatic. The
world sees them and can’t believe that anything
bad could fester beneath such a convincing surface.
But they’re wrong. The worst kind of men are the
ones most of you see as good. Usually the people
who see beneath all their falsehoods are their
victims—usually women and children. So don’t tell
me the courts will see Stacy, a young waitress, and
her ex, a smooth-talking businessman, and side with
her after this. Because if you think that’s how this
world works, you’re wrong.”

“Not every man is like your dad.” The second

the words leave my mouth, I regret them.

There’s a flicker of pain that comes and goes

from her expression in an instant. Then she turns
and continues walking, speaking over her shoulder.
“No one is like my father. But many people have
his black heart.”

Draven shoots me a dirty look. “Don’t worry.

We’ll find the boy. No one ever needs to learn that
he was gone.”

I don’t understand why Draven is so eager to go

with this plan. It would be smarter to have the help
of more people. The boy could get seriously hurt
out here. Or worse. Especially with the hellhound
loose.

And yet, I don’t say anything more. I don’t

know why.

Yes, every warrior knows there are bad men,

but there are bad women too. My sister, Harleen,
always said we’d fall for the wrong kind of woman.
One who could bat her eyes and swing her hips and
coax us under our spell.

If she were awake, I wonder what she’d think

of Cerce. She certainly doesn’t speak with honeyed
words. Nor does she bat her lashes and ask us to
help her. On the contrary, she seems quite capable
of taking care of herself.

I’ve never met a woman like her before.
Up ahead, Cerce freezes, then she changes

direction.

Above us, thunder booms and lightning flashes.

Then, a drizzle of rain begins to fall.

This is stupid. Cerce was right that any signs of

the kids will wash away in the rain. We need more
help than just us. We can’t just walk along like
fools, hoping she knows what she’s doing, not when
a kid’s life hangs in the balance.

“Let’s turn back and get help!”
She doesn’t even slow. “You turn back. I never

said I needed you.”

I stiffen. “This kid’s time is running out.”
She moves faster. “Which is why we need to

keep going and not waste time arguing.”

I look to Kage.
“I think she’ll find him,” he says.
My teeth clench together. “And if she doesn’t?”
He shrugs. “I think she will. She looks like she

knows what she’s doing.”

I stop walking. “I’m going back.”
“Then go,” Draven says.
They continue to follow her, and I stare in

shock. Since when do they ignore me? Since when
does our Brotherhood split apart?

Angrily, I stomp after them. This is wrong. We

hardly know this woman. Yes, she’s intriguing. Yes,
she seems confident. But that doesn’t mean she
knows what the hell she’s doing.

We pause when we reach a ravine. She holds up

a hand, indicating we should stay where we are.
Then she walks cautiously out onto an unsturdy-
looking rock that juts out over the fall.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, my brothers and

I watch her. Everything about her reminds me of a
warrior as she crouches down and looks over the
edge. When she looks back at us, her expression is
fierce.

“He’s down there.”
My throat clenches. “Is he—?”
She shakes her head. “He’s hurt, but not dead.”
Moving off of the rock, she walks along the

edge, then glances down. What the hell is she doing
now? We should get her to go back and then just fly
down and rescue him.

Except that’d blow our cover.
Suddenly, Cerce slips over the edge. We leap

forward as one, careful not to get too close to the
edge, and see her cautiously climbing down. Then,
we spot the boy not far down, on a little ledge. He
has a mop of blond hair on his head, the same
shade as his mother’s, and he stares at me with big
brown eyes. On his head is a dried scrape, and he
has another scrape on his shoulder, but otherwise,
looks fine.

As Cerce makes her way to him, I find myself

in a state of frozen fear. If she misses a step or a
handhold… she’d fall straight down. And from this
height, she’d die.

Despite all logic, I find myself ready to shift in a

second’s notice. I don’t care if it gives us away. I
don’t care if it’s reckless. This human woman is
willing to risk her life for someone else’s child. I
would risk everything for her without a thought.

When she climbs down low enough to reach

him, clinging to the side of the ravine, she turns and
looks at the boy. “Hi, Billy.”

He lifts his head from his knee, but says

nothing. And yet, there’s fear in his gaze.

“I’m Cerce. Remember? Your mama’s friend.”
Still, he says nothing.
But she doesn’t seem to expect him to, she just

goes right on talking. “If you hold onto me real
tight, and not let go, I’ll take you back to your
mama.”

He looks past her and into the distance.
I look to Kage. What’s going on? Why doesn’t

the boy talk?

Cerce inches closer. “Do you want to play with

Scaly? I bet he misses you so much. And you know
your mama is scared of Scaly. She doesn’t like to
feed your snake.”

The boy still says nothing. He still stares off, but

his shoulders relax.

“I’m going to touch you now,” she says. “I

know you don’t like to be touched, but it’s only to
save you. I have to carry you back to your mama
and Scaly.”

After a second, he blurts out, “Scaly.”
She smiles. “That’s right, Scaly and mama.”
Cautiously, she reaches out and wraps an arm

around him, then draws him off the ledge, to press
him between herself and the side of the ravine.
Then, as we hold our breath, she carries him up,
even though he doesn’t hold her back at all.

I don’t remember a time I was more afraid than

I am now. It seems impossible that Cerce should
have the strength and ability to climb out one-
handed and to take the boy with her. It seems
foolish that we even let her go this, let her put
herself at risk.

Kage swears beside me as Cerce seems to

struggle to find purchase with one foot for a
minute.

Draven whispers, “Come on, come on!”
And then her foot finds a spot, and she

continues up. Minutes seem to drag into hours. The
drizzle of rain marks the side of the ravine, drawing
my gaze with each drop. Will the water make it
slick? Too hard to hold onto?

Images flash through my mind, and I stop

breathing. Waiting for the danger I know will come.

And so, it seems surreal when she reaches the

hold. Kage and Draven reach down and pull her
and the boy to safety, and Cerce collapses onto her
knees, still holding the boy. For several seconds,
she just sits, holding him and panting, and then she

rises to her feet.

“Let’s go find Scaly and mama.”
We follow at her side, staring at her in shock.
“Do you want me to carry the boy?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Billy has autism. He

doesn’t like to be touched. The fact that he’s letting
me is almost a miracle. I think he’ll panic if I hand
him to you.”

Kage frowns. “What does autism mean?”
Her gaze moves to him, and there’s a smile in

her eyes. “It means he’s special. He sees the world
differently than we do. He experiences it
differently than we do. He doesn’t often talk, or
like to be touched, but he makes this world better
just by being in it.”

I don’t understand. Not talking or being

touched seems like a hard life. But the tone of
Cerce’s voice? It’s like she doesn’t think those
things matter. Which makes no sense.

We continue trudging through the woods, and I

feel utterly useless. Cerce tracked down the child,
rescued him, and now continues to find the strength
to carry him through the woods. And us? Three big
gargoyles? We stood and watched her do it all.

Her steps are soft through the woods. Ours are

loud, and the rain falls a little faster.

She hums softly under her breath, and after a

moment, the boy starts to hum too. Slowly, her
voice fades away, and the sound of his humming

follows us. It’s somehow a beautiful sound, an
expression of something. Something sad.

I find my throat tightening. How can a humming

be so sad? As each note comes and goes, I feel it
building to something, and when it finally ends, I
feel different.

Looking at the boy, who is staring off into the

distance, I think maybe I understand a little of what
Cerce is saying. There is something special about
the boy.

When we finally reach Stacy, she spots us

instantly and starts running. When she reaches her
son though, she doesn’t touch him. Tears streaming
down her face, she simply says. “Thank you.”

Cerce nods and walks up onto the sidewalk.

Near it, a beat-up car waits. Stacy opens the door,
and Cerce loads the child inside. Once he’s
buckled, Stacy kneels down and hands the boy a
sucker.

“Do you want a sweet treat, Billy?”
His gaze locks onto the sucker and he takes it,

carefully removing the wrapper and folding it
before sticking the sucker in his mouth. Stacy
continues to kneel by the car, staring at him, her
eyes roving over his injuries. Then she takes a step
back and closes the door.

In an instant, she turns to Cerce. “Will he be

okay?”

Cerce smiles, and the tough woman is gone. She

simply looks… kind. “He’ll be fine. Clean out his
flesh wounds and bandage him, and he’ll be good
as new in a few days.”

Stacy nods. “He won’t like that, but at least

nothing looks broken or like it’ll need stitches.”

“He’s fine, Stacy. These things happen.”
Her friend’s eyes fill with tears. “I shouldn’t

have answered my phone. I knew better.”

Cerce strokes her arm. “If only we were all

perfect, huh? Then we could hold ourselves to such
high expectations.”

Stacy laughs and rubs at her eyes. “That sounds

like something Kayla would say.”

Cerce’s grin widens. “She did say it.”
Stacy seems calmer when she looks at us.

“Thanks you, guys.”

I shrug. “It was all her. We didn’t do anything.”
It’s almost embarrassing how true my words

are.

“Well, thank you, all the same,” she says. When

she moves to the driver’s side of the car, she
pauses. “I think maybe you guys might be some of
the good ones.”

When she gets into her car and drives away, we

linger a minute longer. I’m not sure why. We just
don’t seem to be able to leave.

And then Cerce turns to us. “Thanks for coming

with me.”

Kage grins. “I just wish we could’ve done

more.”

She shakes her head. “It’s enough that you

came.”

Then something comes over her face, and she

looks to the woods. “What are you guys doing
now?”

Draven answers. “Heading back to our

apartment. Want to join us?”

I’m shocked by his offer, but even more so, I

find myself aroused at the thought. Flashes of
images from the night before come back to me, no
matter how hard I try to push them to the side.

She’d felt so fucking good.
If she comes back to our apartment, no matter

how illogical it is, no matter that we have a
hellhound to catch tomorrow night, we’re going to
have sex again. And this time, I’m not sure I’ll be
able to walk away from her.

Hell, if I’m honest, I don’t know if I could’ve

walked away from her last night, if she hadn’t have
been gone in the morning.

She glances at Draven, her expression

unreadable. “Maybe another time. I have
something to take care of.”

He looks disappointed. “We might be gone after

tonight.”

She looks away from him, tucking her hair

behind her ear. “If I don’t see you, well, take care.”

And then she turns and heads back into the

woods.

We watch her for a time, until she completely

disappears from view. And then, finally, I seem to
be able to take a deep breath.

“I never imagined a woman like her,” Kage

says.

“She’s different,” I say.
He grins. “She’s strong, fearless, and kind.”
She’s all those things and more.
“Do you think she feels the same way about

us?” Draven asks.

I answer honestly. “With her, I can’t really tell.”
We walk a little slower as we head back to our

apartment. It’s true that Cerce is amazing. More
amazing than I ever imagined.

But it’s also true that Hades will give us a

perfect woman.

I just can’t imagine she’ll be more perfect than

Cerce.

Chapter Twenty

CERBERUS

ndros stands in the shadows of the forest,
the rain drenching his dark hair. The
undead gargoyle radiates pain and

sadness. I know him to be a warrior, to be my
father’s most loyal soldier, but I also know that if
he’d come here to kill me, I’d know it.

He had been watching me from the shadows for

a different reason.

“Why are you here?” I ask.
His gaze meets mine. “If Hades ever learned of

this, he’d torture me for eternity.”

I hold his gaze. “I will never speak of it. Even

when we meet again in the future as enemies.”

He gives a sharp nod. “Your word has always

meant something. I’ll take it.”

We continue to stare at each other.

He takes a deep breath. “Your father has

narrowed down that you’re here. He won’t face
you on his own, because he knows what you’re
capable of. He also knows that most of his powers
don’t work on his own flesh and blood.”

A chill moves down my spine. “What’s he

planning?”

Andros closes his eyes. “He knows your

weakness for innocents. He knows that you won’t
allow anyone to be hurt in your place.”

“Andros…”
His pale blue eyes flash open. “He plans to

unleash unspeakable things on this town. He fully
intends on everyone within it dying.”

My breath catches.
“Come here,” he says.
I follow him out to the woods. We reach the

edge of a clearing, and there I see it. Hundreds of
his undead staring blankly, waiting for my father’s
command.

My heart races. “I won’t just go back.”
“But you can leave. You can protect the people

of this town.”

I face Andros. “How will he know I’m gone?”
“Make your trail obvious,” he says. “At least

for a little while.”

I nod. That makes sense. “When is he planning

the attack?”

“If you haven’t been caught the next evening

after the celebration and the Furies’ storm, he’ll
unleash them three days after. When he can slip
from the Underworld unnoticed.”

My stomach turns. “But he’ll leave everyone

alone if I’m gone?”

He raises a brow. “Even the gods can’t go

around attacking whole towns of humans without
reason.”

“Then I’ll be gone before then.”
I turn and start to leave.
His voice makes me stop. “I’m glad you

escaped.”

Pausing, I look back at him. “You can escape

too. I’m not even there to stop you.”

He shakes his head. “It isn’t possible.”
“Orpheus was almost successful bringing back

his lost love.”

“And look how that turned out,” he says.
“All he needed to do was not look back. That’s

all you need. Don’t you have one living person who
can bring your soul back? Anyone who loves you
that much?”

He stiffens. “No.”
“Not even Hecate?”
His face goes blank. “She’s just a witch. A

prisoner. I don’t care for her.”

My heart aches. “Of course. But just think

about it, because I think she feels the same way
about you.”

His expression is troubled as I walk away.

Andros, just like most of the good souls that serve
my father, is tragic. After all he’s been through, he
deserves love. As does Hecate.

I just hope one day they’re brave enough to

stand against my father.

Chapter Twenty-One

CERBERUS

’m standing outside the bar, debating
about what to say to Stacy , when I
hear someone call my name. Spinning

around, I see Stacy and Kayla grinning beneath an
umbrella. They have shopping bags on their arms.

“Hey, girlie,” Kayla greets. “We tried to call

you about joining us shopping.”

I wince. “Sorry, I have my phone charging at

the apartment.”

When they get closer to me, their smiles falter.
“What’s wrong?” Stacy asks.
Suddenly, my mouth feels dry. How do I tell the

only two human friends I’ve ever had that I’m
leaving and not coming back?

“I—“
After a minute, Kayla puts the umbrella over

me too. “You’re soaking wet!”

“I’m leaving,” I say.
Her face falls.
Stacy shakes her head. “What are you talking

about?”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “I’m

sorry. I know me leaving means less help with the
animals, and less help at the bar.”

“We don’t care about that.” Kayla holds my

gaze. “Why are you going?”

A lie comes easily to my lips. But looking at

both of them, I just can’t do it. “I told you that my
father is a dangerous man. And he’s coming for me.
I knew he would. I just hoped I’d have more time.”

Kayla looks angry. “He can’t just send you

running! We’ll tell the sheriff! Stacy and I—“

“No,” I say, even though her anger touches me.

“But thank you.”

“So what’s the plan?” Stacy presses. “You just

keep running forever?”

I look at her, but I can’t quite read her face. “I

don’t have another choice.”

“You could stand your ground.”
“You don’t understand—“
Her gaze meets mine. “I know what it is to run

from your problems, and sweetheart, I got to tell
you, your problems always find you. The only way
to ever be free from them is to deal with them head
on. That’s what I did when I faced Billy’s dad in

court. Yeah, it’s true if I screw up for one second
he’ll ruin me, but by facing him in court I made it
so I wasn’t just a kidnapper in the eyes of our
government. I could settle in one place with Billy
and have a real life. You deserve that too.”

If I was human, maybe that would be true. But

they can’t possibly imagine what it’d be like to be
collared and dragged into the darkness. They can’t
possibly know what it’s like to be a prisoner.

So, I fight down the sadness that rolls through

me. “I didn’t want to just disappear.”

Silence slips between us.
“Did you say goodbye to your guys too?” Kayla

asks, but I can tell she wants to say something else.

“Not yet, but I will.”
She nods. “Well, Cerce, I want you to know

you always have a home here with us. If you ever
need anything, just call.”

“Thank you.”
Unexpectedly, she leans forward and hugs me. I

stand frozen, emotions rolling through me.

The thing is, I’ve never been hugged before. I

don’t think so… maybe from another monster.
Maybe in another life. But not like this.

Reluctantly, I put my arms around her too.
When she releases me, Stacy hugs me too. “Be

careful out there, sweetheart.”

“I will,” I promise.
We remain standing together, the rain falling

around us. And in this moment, I feel sad. Like I’m
losing something, even though I’m not really.
Moving from town to town was part of the plan. I
can’t suddenly complain.

“When are you going?” Stacy asks.
“Tonight. I think.”
Kayla clears her throat, and I can see tears

rolling down her cheeks. “Well, you have our
numbers.”

I nod then step away from them, back out into

the rain. “I just want you both to know that you’ve
done more for me than anyone has ever done. And
you can always call me your friend.”

Then, turning, I jog off into the rain. I can’t

look at them anymore. I can’t feel like this
anymore. All I can do is stay focused and get out of
here before I bring any more trouble down on
everyone.

The walk home seems to grow colder with each

step as night descends. The wind howls and moves
through the trees, and the street lights flicker on.
When I reach my apartment, I briefly look at my
neighbors’ door.

Not yet. I won’t tell them yet.
Inside my apartment, I put the few items I’ll

really need into a black duffle bag and pull out the
bus schedule. I’ll take it as far as it’ll go. Then I’ll
settle down in a new place, find a new job, and
hope to have another roof over my head.

A far better life than the one I had with my

father.

Outside, I lock my door and then stare at the

door across from mine. It’s now or never. But
maybe it should be never. After how hard the
goodbye with the women was, I can’t imagine what
this will be like.

I take a step, not sure which direction to go in,

when I hear screaming over the sound of the rain
and the wind. Every muscle in my body tightens,
and I remember the man spotted outside of my
apartment.

It’s time to say goodbye. It’s time to leave this

place before Hades finds me.

And yet, I can’t walk away if someone is in

danger.

Dropping my bag, I stuff my phone and

important information into it. Then take off in the
direction of the scream. I hear it again when I reach
the bottom of the stairs, and move faster until I
reach the trees. There, I slip into the shadows and
strip off my clothes.

Shifting, I wince as my bones crack and my

muscles change shape. Within seconds, I’m my
hellhound once more, and she’s grateful to be
unleashed. All these emotions. All these changes.
They’ve made both of us uneasy. And neither of us
can think of a better way to let out our anger than
unleashing it onto an evil man.

Starting through the woods, I’m briefly tense.

With the wind and rain, it makes it hard to catch
any scents. And yet, the screaming person can’t be
far from here.

Picking a direction, my hellhound moves

through the woods at a light run. Her eyes see
through the shadows better than I can, searching
for movement, searching for any signs of danger.
And yet, we see nothing.

And then the scream comes again.
We switch directions, confident now on where

it came from. My hellhound picks up speed and
we’re racing until we get closer. Then we hear the
scream again and slow down. It’s just up ahead.
We’re almost there.

Lingering in the shadows, we prowl forward. A

man leans over a body. In the shadows, he would
blend in entirely with his surroundings, but
unfortunately for him my hellhound can spot him
even in the dark.

Anger leaps within me. I jump out and barrel

toward the man, ready to save the woman, ready to
tear his throat out. The man turns as I approach,
and suddenly I’m staring at Soren.

I scramble to stop. My hellhound’s instincts are

to attack, but I fight for control over her. I look to
the ground, to the victim Soren stood over. But it
isn’t a woman, just a pile of clothing shaped into a
person with a tape-recorder stuffed into it.

Moving slowly backwards, panic unravels

inside of me. What is this? What is Soren doing
here?

He rises, a strange expression on his face.

When he reaches behind him, he withdraws a long
sword. Within seconds, his flesh changes into a
strange grey color, and wings sprout upon his back.

I stop. My heart is in my throat.
Soren’s… a gargoyle?
It’s impossible. Gargoyles kill monsters like me.

But most of them are extinct. Hades couldn’t
have… but he did. He sent this gargoyle here to kill
me. A gargoyle I was tricked by.

Turning, I start to race away.
Something heavy drops from a tree branch.

Another gargoyle.

Not just another gargoyle. Kage.
No. No. This isn’t happening.
They’ve been tricking me? Setting me up for

this trap? But now I see it clearly. Of course every
moment with them was part of a plan. Things that
are too good to be true usually are.

And yet, I can’t hurt them. No matter what

they’ve done.

I switch directions, using all my strength to push

myself forward and away from them. A shadow
separates itself from behind a tree. Another
gargoyle with a blade. Draven.

Betrayal tastes like ash upon my tongue. I try to

maneuver myself to escape them, but everywhere I
go is closed off.

They swing their swords at me. I leap out of the

way, my heart racing.

Suddenly, a blade bites into my shoulder. A yelp

leaves my lips, and I jump to one direction. But I’m
not fast enough to avoid a boot that hits my side.

Slipping to the side, a blade digs into the earth

beside me.

“Stop moving!” Kage puffs.
What? He expects me just to let them kill me?
I turn, growling, my hair standing on end. I see

before me weaknesses. If I latched onto a leg or an
arm, I could avoid their blades. But just the thought
of attacking them makes me sick.

I need to escape. Now.
Continuing to back up, I shift and move each

time a blade swings toward me. The wound in my
shoulder protests, and I smell my own blood in the
air, but I keep going.

Another blade hits me, and then another. But

I’m fast, they just barely sting my flesh, and yet,
the blows hurt. Not just because of the sharp steel,
but also because it’s them hurting me. The three
men who’d touched me so gently just the night
before.

I growl again, my head swinging from side to

side to keep them all in view.

“Why isn’t it attacking?” Soren asks, puffing.

“The beast knows its beat,” Draven says, and

his gaze is narrowed and cruel.

This time when he swings at me, I leap out of

the way and bite down softly on his hand. His blade
tumbles to the ground, and I try to keep myself
positioned over it. I can’t possibly get away from
three armed gargoyles.

Kage attacks next, and my new plan is clear:

disarm them with as little damage as possible.

I wrestle his blade free and leap out of the way

before Soren can attack. But I’m foolish enough
not to keep the other two in sight for half a second.
Suddenly, blows are being rained down on me.
Fists. Kicks. They pommel my body like the
Soulless who ripped me to shreds in the
Underworld. Only, these men aren’t just tearing my
body to shreds, they’re tearing my heart too.

A blade hits my throat, but I roll. I roll away

from them all. Only, the earth is suddenly gone, and
I’m falling and falling. A painfully terrifying minute
passes, and then I hit the ground, hard, the
vibration of the hit ringing through me.

Lying at the bottom of the deep hole, I can’t

find the strength to get up. My blood coats my fur,
and I know my ribs are cracked and my bones are
broken.

But I refuse to succumb to my injuries in this

dark place alone. If they’re going to kill me and
send me back to my father, they’ll have to look me

in the eye and do it.

They’re above me. I can hear them. There’s no

room for their wings, I hear them say. They could
get stuck. Or trapped with me.

And suddenly, my hellhound can’t do it

anymore. She lies inside of me, broken and
defeated, and I feel like a coward to leave her
feeling this pain. She deserves better.

Closing my eyes, I shift. It’s so painful to take

on my human form that my vision goes black for a
minute. And I hear a cry of pain come from my
very human mouth.

Opening my eyes, I stare up into the rain, tears

and blood running down my face.

The gargoyles are above me, arguing. My head

lolls to the side.

And I feel it. The change in the air.
Out of the shadows, a woman shimmers into

existence. No, not a woman, a Shade. I have known
many Shades in my life. They’re minions of Hades.
Prisoners like me, that don’t completely understand
that that’s what they are.

She’s naked. The air around her is deeper and

dark, and light purple lights dance around her. She
looks at me with wide, innocent eyes. A child to
this world. A creature born of violence.

And I know now that I cared too deeply for

these men. She wouldn’t be born from enemies
attacking. But lovers? Friends? Yes, she’d be born

from that.

Our eyes lock, and I know the men can’t see

her as she comes closer.

“I’ll avenge you,” she whispers.
Shades are born of violence. Compelled by an

instinctual desire to punish those that commit the
worst of violent crimes. This Shade will kill the
gargoyles and carry their souls to Hades to be
tortured for eternity.

And again, I can’t allow them to be hurt. No

matter how much they’ve hurt me.

“No,” I tell her, and the word is choked with

tears.

“No?” she repeats, and I can see her warring

within herself.

“You have freewill,” I whisper. “You do. So

don’t punish them.”

Her eyes are wide as she reaches down. Her

finger brushes my face, and she lifts it to show the
blood on the end for a moment before the rain
washes it away.

“I know, I—I know they hurt me,” I say. “But

your freewill won’t last long, so listen well. Follow
the pull you’re feeling to the Underworld.” I cough,
and my ribs scream in agony. But I know now.
There’s no saving me, but she can still be saved. So
I force myself to keep talking, even though every
word has to be pulled from my soul. “You’ll see a
cord attached from you to the gate that surrounds

the Underworld. Sever the cord. Run. If you don’t,
the connection will be solidified, and you’ll forever
be his slave.”

I hear one of the men swear from above me. A

light suddenly flashes on, painfully bright. I blink
into it until I can see Soren holding a flashlight.

He stares down at me. “Cerce?”
His tone is terrified.
All the men look down, and suddenly, their

entire demeanor changes.

And I know this is it. The moment they’ll kill

me. The moment I’ll make them look me in my
human-like eyes and end my life.

“You lied,” I say, and I think the words are loud

enough for them to hear.

Thunder crackles overhead and lightning

flashes. And then, I’m somewhere else. No longer a
broken pile of flesh on the ground. I look to the
person dragging me along. It’s the Shade.

My head swims. It’s impossible. A Shade’s

freewill is weak. She’d have to go straight to the
Underworld. She wouldn’t understand enough of
death and pain to know to help me.

And yet, she is.
“Impossible,” I murmur, and the words sound

slurred and wrong, even to my own ears.

And the air around us suddenly explodes. Rain

falls hard and fast, so cold it’s like claws digging
into my body. Lightning flashes in all directions in

the sky, and the thunder roars like a thing of
violence and anger.

In the sky, I swear, just for a moment, I see the

Furies. And it’s as glorious as I imagined. Even if
I’m still a broken creature looking up at women I
envy.

The world flashes away again, and I’m

surprised yet again to realize she’s teleporting us.
Usually Shades only teleport the souls of the people
they kill in vengeance. This woman defies
everything I know of her kind.

But then I remember something. Shades form a

connection to the people who bring them into this
world. To me. But what does that mean?

Suddenly, we’re out of the rain. I can’t tell if

we’re in a small cave, or something dug out from a
large animal, but I see roots above our heads. I slide
from her arms onto the floor, and she stands over
me, looking confused.

“Thank you,” I whisper.
She looks in the distance, and I know she’s

hearing Hades’s call.

“You can go,” I say. “But remember to sever

your rope. Remember to run.”

She looks down at me, the purple glow of her

eyes softer and gentler than the Shades I’ve met.
“Will you… be safe?”

I smile, feeling blood run from the corner of my

mouth. “Go.”

In an instant, she’s gone.
Curling onto my side, I try to pull my knees up

to my chest, but the pain is excruciating. I cough
out more blood onto the ground, and then begin to
cry. I’m hurting too much to think about all the
many beatings I’ve taken where no tears fell. All I
can do is cry.

Not just because of the pain. But because of my

loss.

Soren promised they’d never hurt me.
He lied.
Draven said he liked me.
He lied.
Kage said I was special.
He lied.
All of it was a lie. A trap for a lonely hellhound.

And I fell for it.

I’m the greatest of fools.

Chapter Twenty-Two

DRAVEN

ucking hell. My brain is frozen. It
can’t make sense of our attack on

the hellhound and of Cerce lying bleeding and
battered at the bottom of the pit.

“She’s the hellhound,” Soren says, and his

words are numb and frightened.

“No.” Kage shakes his head. “Hades would

have told us the hellhound was a shifter. And a
woman. It was just supposed to be a mindless
creature. Just a dangerous monster.”

“But it wasn’t,” I say, because now my brain

knows. It’s accepted the truth. And it can never
forget it.

Silence descends between us. My flashlight still

illuminates the hole below us. The one stained by
blood. Her blood. Our beautiful neighbor.

I fall to my knees. The flashlight tumbles onto

the ground beside me.

None of us would ever hurt a woman. We could

never bring ourselves to do it.

And a woman we cared for? Cerce. The

frustrating creature with her little smiles and the
softness she hides so well?

No. We couldn’t have hurt her.
Never.
I hold up my hands. Even in the dim light from

the flashlight I can see the bruises on my knuckles
from punching the dog. I remember the sound of it
whimpering. I remember the blood that matted its
flesh, and the sound of its bones breaking.

And then I see her, staring up at us. Cut and

bleeding. Bruised. Covered in mud.

I hurl, spewing my dinner into the pit. Never in

all my years of battle have I thrown up after an
attack. But this wasn’t an attack. This was
something so much worse.

A beating. A violent betrayal.
“That’s why she didn’t fight back,” Kage says,

and I think he’s about to completely lose his mind.

She didn’t even fight back, rolls through my

mind, and if I hadn’t already hurled, I’d do it again.
Because she hadn’t. She only seemed to be trying
to get away.

My entire stomach heaves, and my chest feels

so tight it’s almost impossible to breathe. We beat

the shit out of her, and still she refused to hurt us.

We’re fucking monsters.
Another minute of silence and Soren collapses

onto his knees beside me. “Fuck. I told her she
could trust us. She had those scars all over her.
Scars she said her father gave her.” He shakes his
head, looking lost. “She said they hurt her for not
being what they wanted. She said that no one could
love her.”

“She also said she was hurt a lot as a child. I

think by her family. Her father.” Kage paces.

Suddenly, my mind starts to turn. The

hellhound, Cerberus, was supposed to be a three-
headed dog that guarded the gates of hell. But
suddenly, I don’t see a three-headed hellhound. I
see Cerce, our Cerce, in the dark. Afraid and alone.

We need to fix this. Even though it’s unfixable.
What we did we can never put right. What we

did can never be forgiven.

And yet, we need to help her. We need to do

everything in our power to let her know that we
never meant to hurt her. And that we’ll give up
anything we have to in order to help her now.

“So where is she?” I ask. “Where did she go?”
One second she was there, and the next she was

gone. But we had to find her. Now.

“Did she die?” Soren asks the question none of

us wanted to say aloud.

“No!” Kage shouts. “No!”

“But the zombie thing disappeared when it

died. And you said those dogs did too—“

Kage shakes his head. “She was talking to

something down there. I think she’s somewhere.
We just need to find her.”

I’m not sure he’s right, but I don’t know how

any of us will ever go on living if we don’t find her
and help her. Heal her wounds and explain to her
that we didn’t know.

Standing, I grab the flashlight and fight a wave

of dizziness. All of this feels unreal. Like a
nightmare we can’t wake up from.

When I turn to go, I raise my light and suddenly

a strange creature stands before us. I jerk, nearly
tumbling back into the pit, but catching myself just
in time.

It’s a woman. A naked woman, and yet very

clearly not human. Her skin is slightly green. Her
eyes are purple, and two small horns stick out of
her pale hair, which is weaved with the same bright
purple that almost glows in the darkness.

She tilts her head, studying us.
“Do you know where Cerce is?” Kage asks, his

tone on edge.

“I don’t know that name,” she begins. “But I

don’t know any names. Not even my own. I have to
go to the Underworld. I can’t ignore my summons
much longer. I just wanted to see you. I thought if I
saw you I could figure out why she didn’t want me

to kill you.”

“She?” I ask. “Are you talking about Cerce?

The—the woman who was in injured down there?”
I point to the pit.

The creature studies me, then glances down at

the pit. “Yes. The woman on the edge of death.”

“Where is she?” I plead, desperate.
Anger flashes across her face. “I am a Shade. A

creature of Hades, of the Underworld. I am born
from an act of violence so terrible that it cannot be
excused. I kill the vile beings who committed the
act and drag their souls to the Underworld to be
tortured for eternity.” Her expression freezes. “That
is what my kind do. Always. But she said I have
freewill. And so I did something that Shades don't
do. I tried to help her, rather than to avenge her
pain. And then I obeyed her when she said not to
kill you.”

“All of this was a mistake,” Draven says. “We

want to make it right. She’s hurt, and cold, and
alone. We want to help her.”

The creature, the Shade, glances at him. “I

don’t know enough of man to know if you lie or tell
the truth, but the woman who brought me to life is
in the woods. Safe from you. And no small act will
make her trust you again. I would never trust men
such as you again.”

She tilts her head as if listening to a voice we

can’t hear.

“Where is she?” Draven pleads. “Please, take

us to her.”

It takes her a long minute before she looks back

at us. “I would rather slit your throats and pull your
souls from you like I’m plucking your spines from
your flesh and bone.” Then she gives an eerie
smile. “But I will obey her.”

And then she’s gone.
The three of us look at each other, and I realize

that never before have I seen us look so frightened
or miserable.

This is the worst thing we’ve ever done.
“We’ll find her and make this right,” Kage says.
And reality hits me. “Some things are

unforgivable.”

“No.” Kage moves to stand in front of me.

“We’re good men. We’re gargoyles. We can make
this right.”

Something inside of me cracks. “I’m not a good

man. I’m a liar. I… lied.”

Soren is at Kage’s side. “Lied about what?”
I swallow hard. “I said the last time we awoke

was together. That we fought a war and awoke to
our family being dead. That wasn’t true.” The
memories come back to me. “I awoke. Disturbed
by something I couldn’t name. Our family was sick
in their beds. Dying. And I could do nothing to stop
their deaths. I watched them, one after another, be
consumed by the disease. Then I buried them and

went back to sleep.”

Both men are staring at me in shock.
“You might be good men, good gargoyles, but

I’m not. Cerce isn’t the first woman whose blood is
on my hands.”

After a painfully long minute, Soren’s face

crumbles and he grasps my shoulder. “Things are
not black and white the way we once thought. That
simple life is gone. Now there are things that
gargoyles can’t fight, we don’t always make the
right choices, and we can fall in love with a
monster and not even know it.”

He takes a deep breath that shakes his whole

frame. “And we can betray her, while foolishly
thinking we’re doing the right thing. Forgive
yourself for the past, Draven, because there is
enough to hate ourselves for in the present.”

Then he turns and starts to walk through the

woods.

After a minute, Kage gives a simple nod and

follows him.

I walk more slowly after them. I always thought

revealing my secret would destroy us, but I guess
the failure that’s eaten at me for so long before this
means nothing compared to what I’ve done now.

And that’s another thing. Soren is right.

Somehow, we’ve come to love Cerce.

Now there’s no chance of her ever loving us

back, but perhaps we can find a way to help her.

The rain continues to fall and the cold night

stretches on. But the trail of footsteps we find
disappears after a time, whether from the mud and
rain or the strange creature’s powers. All we know
is Cerce is out here somewhere, and yet we can’t
help her.

Chapter Twenty-Three

CERBERUS

he pain is like nothing I’ve
experienced in my life. Even when

the sunrises, slightly illuminating my hovel beneath
the tree, I can’t will myself to move.

It’s strange, this pain. I try to think of what it

was like to be pulled apart by the Soulless, and I
know somehow that the darkness of the tunnels and
the injuries they gave me were worse, and yet, I
could get back up then, after a time. I wanted to get
back up.

Now I don’t.
I could die here and give thanks for it.
My entire chest aches, and tears rain from my

eyes in quiet moments. Soren, Draven, and Kage
have done what my father and his minions never
could. They’ve broken me.

I think about the moments we spent together. I

think of the laughter, the conversations, and my
night in their arms. These gargoyles truly are the
monster hunters of legend. They never once gave
away their hatred for me. They never once hinted
that they would betray me like this.

Every moment was a perfectly constructed act.
And I was the idiot who didn’t see through

them.

“You thought they liked you,” I say, then wince

as my ribs throb.

I can’t believe I’d somehow thought they saw

me as more than just a hellhound. More than just a
monster or the worthless child of a god.

Two days pass. My body slowly knits itself back
together, but I heal slower than ever before.

No matter the cold or the pain, I find I have no

desire to go on. I imagine the tales of immortals
who turned to trees, plants, or the wind when their
heart was broken, and I wish that some kind god
would have pity on me and do the same.

But it never happens. I’m still just me. A broken

shell of a monster.

As the evening light begins to descend, my

hellhound’s whimpering cuts through my numbness.
I feel her inside me, and I realize for the first time
how frightened she is of my mood. Of my thoughts.

Of my unwillingness to fight for my life.

And that’s what finally makes me sit up, crawl

out of the hovel, and search for water and food.

I won’t let her take over. I won’t let her bear

the pain of my mistake. But I also won’t condemn
her.

Even though by now the gargoyles have probably
already reported to my father that I’ve been
broken, that I’ll be easily caught. Leaving my
hiding place this weak is foolish beyond words.

But it’s also foolish to be lying in a pool of self-

pity until I’m too weak to even lift myself out of
my hiding place. My hound and I need water and
substance. And we need to start healing if we ever
plan to escape the gargoyles and my father.

It takes little to find the river and drink my fill.

But when I’m done, I feel considerably better. The
search for food proves harder. I know how to ferret
out food in the dark tunnels of the Underworld. In
my human skin, in this forest, it’s not so easy.

And then I stumble upon it.
Against a tree is a bag, and within it I smell

food. My hellhound leaps within me, but I keep her
in check. Instead, I search the area, suspecting yet
another trap.

But when I see nothing of concern, I inch

forward and snag it, dragging it to another location

before opening it. Inside, I discover some of my
clothes, food, and water bottles.

An instinct to throw it boils within me. This can

be from no one but them.

And yet, I want these things. I need these

things.

Tossing the bag onto my back, I stand. A slight

movement draws my eyes. A gargoyle lands from
the sky. He drops onto a sturdy branch and watches
me. His eyes are wide, and I refuse to consider why
Soren looks so worried.

Turning, I run. Racing and racing. But every

time I glance back, he remains in place, watching
me without acting.

I circle and take illogical paths to avoid leading

the gargoyles back to my hiding place. But when
I’m sure they aren’t following me, I at last slide into
the hole, concealed by bushes, that has become my
temporary home. Beneath the earth, I unzip the
bag. Each item in it I sniff carefully, trying to scent
any poisons, but everything smells as I’d expect it
to.

So I drain a bottle of water, eat a bag of beef

jerky, and pull on the baggy shirt and sweatpants
that were inside the bag. But when I pull out the
blanket, a paper comes fluttering out.

With trembling hands, I snag it and open it

carefully.

Cerce,

Hade tasked us with returning his hound. We

never knew it was you. We know you can never
trust us again or forgive us, but please come home.
Let someone help you heal. Find somewhere warm
and safe. Please. No matter the consequences to
us, we will never hurt you again.

I stare at the note. Do they think I’m a fool?

Folding it gently, I set it down beside me. Then I

lean back against the dirt wall, feeling unbelievably
tired.

Is it possible Hades tricked them? I feel my lip

curl. Just like it’s possible the sun will rise each
morning. But do I believe three gargoyles didn’t
know they were attacking a monster?

I’d have to be a complete idiot to think

otherwise.

And my heart is that stupid, because it’s urging

me to believe them. Fortunately for it, I’m never
listening to my heart again. The second I’m well
enough to make a long journey, I’m shifting into my
hellhound form and racing through the woods as far
as I can before I come to another town I can
disappear in for a while.

And the gargoyles?
I hope one day they’ll be nothing but a distant

memory of a mistake.

Because I want to forget them so desperately it

hurts. I want to forget how soft their touch could
be, and the way they looked at me. But more than
anything, I want to forget what it felt like to be
around people who made me feel safe and loved.

Safety… love… both are things that no monster

can ever have.

Especially not me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

SOREN

look at my brothers, but no matter how
much I search for the right words, I
can’t. Making a deal with a god was

truly a mistake. One that will cost us everything.

First I failed my sister. And now Cerce.
If I ever thought I deserved love, now I know

I’m wrong. Women are precious. They should only
be with men who can protect them. Who would
give up anything and everything to protect them.

We are not those men.
“So she took the food and supplies? That’s

something.” Kage says the words, but his voice
holds nothing but sadness.

After a long moment, Draven looks at Kage,

and sorrow fills his gaze. “Today Hades is coming
for you.”

Kage nods slowly. “I made this deal. I’m

responsible for hurting her. I deserve this.”

“No one deserves to spend their afterlife with

Hades.”

He shrugs. “There’s nothing to be done about it,

but I want to see her before he comes.”

Draven and I exchange a glance. Kage doesn’t

know it yet, but when Hades comes for him, we’re
going to return to our lands. We’re going to turn to
stone, and we’re going to let ourselves disappear
into the stone.

Today is the last true day of our lives for all of

us. And we all want a chance to make things right
with Cerce before we go.

So I nod. “Then we should go look for her. I

saw the direction she went. We should be able to
track her down.”

We all stand and leave our apartment, trudging

back into the woods. None of us are foolish enough
to believe our note and small gifts are enough to
even begin to earn back her trust. But we selfishly
need to see her again. At least to know she’s safe.

When we reach the woods and find ourselves in

our familiar clearing, we shift into our gargoyle
forms. Taking to the sky, we can’t even glory in the
feel of the wind around us. Everything about our
world has changed since our mistake. But
especially ourselves.

Before, I wallowed in losing my sister when I

should have accepted that we’d lost her. Now I had
someone I cared for who was still alive, and I
would be damned if I sat wallowing in self-pity
over her.

I would find her and make things right.
No matter what I had to do.
When I reach the place I spotted her, I fly more

slowly, gliding over the treetops. When I see the
last areas I caught a glimpse of her above the
treetops, I dive into the small clearing. Draven and
Kage land near me, and we all start searching for
any possible place she could have gone, still staying
close enough together to watch each other’s back
for danger.

When after a time we sense a disturbance in the

air, I’m not sure what to expect. But certainly not
Hades. He stands in the middle of us, wearing a
pale blue suit. His dark hair is styled perfectly, and
his face seems to glow with pleasure.

“Greetings, gargoyles!”
We slowly move towards him, then stop just

feet in front of him.

He gives a pouty look. “Why am I not feeling

the love?”

“Your hellhound isn’t a hellhound,” Kage says,

and each of his words is a dare.

Hades expression changes, and after a second,

he rolls his eyes. “So what? You saw my daughter?
It doesn’t change a thing. We had a deal.”

“You’re her father?” I say. The man who hurt

her?

Suddenly, everything makes sense. Cerce was

never scared or intimidated by me because her
father is the fucking king of hell. She was raised in
the fucking Underworld by a man who hurt her,
who covered her in scars, then sent gargoyles to
hurt her just to get her back.

Somehow, I feel like an even bigger asshole. For

siding with this monster over her.

Hades sighs loudly. “Oh, I assumed if you knew

she was hellhound, you knew she was my little
bastard. Too bad. I usually like to keep my mistakes
private.”

I stare at him, wanting to tear his throat out.
“Now then.” He glances around us. “Where is

she?”

Silence stretches so tightly that it seems

inevitable it’ll snap.

“We let her escape,” Kage says.
Hades’s teeth clench together so tightly I hear

them. “Where did she go?”

Kage shrugs. “She’s probably halfway across

the planet by now.”

Hades scowls and moves slowly around us like

a shark circling his prey. “And you understand that
means your life is forfeit to me, right? Your soul
belongs to me. Your afterlife will be spent at my
side, serving me in any way I command.”

“I understand,” Kage says.
“Don’t,” I tell him.
Hades turns to look at me very slowly. “I

promised you a mate of your choosing. All you had
to do was bring me the hellhound. I was bound to
my word, just as he was, and breaking ones word
has consequences. For him, just his soul. For me, a
great deal more. So don’t pretend this isn’t fair,
gargoyle.”

Kage glares at me. “I knew what I was getting

into, and now it’s my time to suffer the
consequences of my arrogance.”

Draven comes to stand at my side. It feels

wrong in every way to just stand here and let him
kill Kage. But what other choice do we have? Fight
a god?

I look at Draven. Maybe simply to die with

him?

“Sorry I’m late!”
We whirl around and stare in shock. Cerce is

limping toward us, her expression serious. She has a
black eye. Cuts that have barely healed on her face.
And her arms are covered in bruises. Not only that,
but there’s a glassiness to her gaze that speaks of
pain.

And yet, she’s coming right at us. Right to her

doom.

“You awful, little gargoyles. I almost ripped

your friend’s soul out, and you were playing a little

joke! Not only did you gargoyles bring her to me,
but you got her to come of her own free will. How
did you manage that?”

When Cerce nearly reaches us, Kage leaps out,

grabbing her wrist.

She snarls at him and tries to pull away.
“Run! Now!” he commands.
She stands on her tiptoes, looks him right in the

eyes, and says, “I can handle the Underworld, big
guy. But no offense, there’s no chance you could.”

Yanking free of his grip, she starts toward her

father.

I step into her path. “You can’t do this.”
“I can do anything I want,” she says. “Now, get

out of my way.”

Desperation crawls into my voice. I don’t want

Kage to die, but I can’t just let her go back to hell
for him. “We never would’ve agreed to this if we
knew it was you. We would’ve never hurt you.”

Anger twists her lips. “Let’s not lie to each

other now, gargoyle. Not when I can still feel the
sting of your sword in my flesh.”

I flinch, and she darts around me.
Draven pulls his sword, then turns it onto

Hades. “You can’t take her from us.”

Hades mouth twists into a smile. “I thought you

brought her to me to fulfill our agreement?”

Draven doesn’t react. “You can’t take her.”
I withdraw my own sword, but Kage is the one

to pull Cerce behind him. “I’ll take her place.”

Hades smile widens. “You three have actually

fallen in love with her. This is hilarious! Monster
hunters in love with a monster! Three big, sturdy
men drooling over my worthless daughter.”

Cerce speaks to her father, her tone tense.

“They don’t love me. I don’t know what this new
plot of theirs is, but I’m not going to fall for any of
their shit again.”

“Again?” Hades asks.
Cerce’s confident air falters.
“Oh, daughter.” He makes a tisking sound.

“How could you not see right through them? I
thought I taught you better than that.”

She stands up straighter. “Let’s just end this.

Take me. Give them what they wanted. And let’s
go.”

“So eager to return to your dark tunnels and

your sturdy collar… so interesting.”

Everything in me begs me to stop this. To save

the two people I care for. But it’s like I’m frozen.

One way or another, I’m going to lose someone

I love.

The only question now is who.

Chapter Twenty-Five

CERBERUS

’d been lying in my hiding place when I
heard their voices. When I learned that
if I didn’t return to the Underworld,

Kage would have to go in my place. My heart had
started to race. My throat had gone dry. And I
realized that I finally knew one thing that was
worse than being dragged back to those dark,
lonely tunnels.

And it was thinking of Kage in that place.
No matter how I tried, I couldn’t imagine the

strong gargoyle there. I thought of his smile in the
animal hospital. The way it transformed the strong
lines of his face to give him such an unexpected
gentleness.

A man like that was used to being in charge. To

being a warrior.

If he became one of Hades’ slaves, it’d break

him.

And that would break me.
Rising to my feet, I willed myself not to feel my

pain. I crawled out of the darkness, dusted myself
off, and accepted something. Whether the
gargoyles betrayed me on purpose or not, it didn’t
matter. Who they were didn’t matter.

Because the person I am… is a person who

can’t watch anyone suffer. Not people with good
hearts. And I might be a fool, but I thought that
Kage was a good person.

Just not to a monster.
So I’d walked around the tree. I’d come upon

the scene. And I’d known that I could leave a semi-
free woman, but I wouldn’t. I’d already accepted
my fate.

What I didn’t expect? The gargoyles to be

fighting so hard to protect me.

I didn’t understand them. They knew who and

what I was, right? They understood I was their
enemy?

Looking my father in the eye, I say, “They’re

the reason I’m here, so they’ve fulfilled their end of
the deal.”

My legs tremble as I walk toward him. And in

seconds, his clammy hand seals around my wrist.

“You’re right, hound.”
He lifts his hand and a red glow moves from

him to Kage.

After a minute, the gargoyle shudders and

collapses to his knees.

“The pieces of your soul have been returned,”

Hades says, a smile in his voice. “And Aphrodite
will arrive within the hour to help you create your
perfect mate. Our deal is done.”

“No!” Kage shouts. “You said we could have

any mate of our choosing.”

Hades smile falters. “I did…”
“Well,” Kage takes a deep breath, “we choose

Cerberus as our mate.”

Silence falls between us. I turn and look at

Kage. Is this a joke?

And then Hades laughs. “No, this is not your

perfect mate. She is a beastly monster with no
value.”

Somehow even though I know his words are

true, they hurt.

But Kage answers without hesitation. “Then

you don’t mind us keeping her.”

My heart races. Is this really happening? Do

they feel so guilty about what’s taken place here
that they’d give up a mate for me? Or is this
another part of the monster hunters’ plan?

The red in Hades’s eyes deepen, and I know

he’s enraged. “Do you really wish to anger a god?”

“Will you suffer the consequences of reneging

on a deal?”

And I know now, the gargoyles have won. If a

god breaks his deal, he must face the council of the
gods. And they will hand down a punishment,
usually far worse than anything that fits the crime,
because they glory in embarrassing each other.

Hades would never let that happen.
“If a monster is what you wish for a mate,”

Hades shoves me towards them, “then that’s what
you’ll have!”

And suddenly, Hades is gone.
Really gone.
And I’m free. He can never hunt me again. He

can never force me back into the Underworld. I can
finally have a real life.

If I can get away from the monster hunters…
Turning, I start to run.
A second later, a shadow flashes above me and

Draven lands in my path.

“No!” I shout.
Turning, I try to go the other way, but Soren and

Kage are there.

I shake my head, trying to find a way to escape

them.

“Cerce…” Kage begins.
“I won’t submit to you!” I shout, my voice

trembling. “I won’t ever let you hurt me again…
break me again! So leave me alone”

I expect them to launch themselves at me. To

attack. To do anything to keep their prize.

Instead, Soren collapses to his knees. “You

don’t have to. We’re yours to command. Yours to
break. Do with us what you will.”

The other two gargoyles fall to their knees too.
Draven meets my gaze. “We know you can

never forgive us. We can never forgive ourselves.
But we’re willing to spend our lifetimes trying.”

“Just give us another chance,” Kage begs.
I look from them to my escape. Why am I

hesitating?

“You said you’d never hurt me. You said you

cared about me.”

“We’re so sorry,” Soren says.
I inch toward my escape. “Why did you tell

Hades you chose me as your mate? Why did you
lie?”

“We didn’t lie. We realized that you were the

mate we always wanted.” Kage pleads with his
eyes.

“No.” I shake my head. “All of it was a lie.”
“We never lied to you.” Draven’s voice holds

conviction. “We just betrayed you by accident, and
we’re so so sorry. No words can say how much.”

My heart aches. “I’m going to go now.” I turn

and speak over my shoulder. “But I might come
back.”

As I hurry away from them, tears roll down my

cheeks. My body aches from where they hurt me,
but my heart bleeds. I care for them. They betrayed

me.

And yet, do they deserve another chance? Do

they deserve my forgiveness?

I think of all the many things I’ve done in my

life. Some things that haunt me. Some things that
have made me into the harsh creature that I am
now. If they can love me like this, perhaps I can
forgive their betrayal.

I just need time.

Chapter Twenty-Six

CERBERUS

ix months later…

I’m standing outside the door of my

little house. It’s a wooden cabin on

twenty acres of property just outside of Darkwood,
built next to a startlingly clear lake.

Everything about it is perfect. Just like this

moment.

“I had a nice time.”
The three gargoyles standing before me are

wearing suits, looking uncomfortable in their
clothes, but happy otherwise.

“We had a nice time too,” Draven says.
Soren pulls out a book filled with marked pages

from his coat, then turns to the back.

“Not the book again!” Kage groans.
Soren glares at Kage and Draven. “It’s not like

any of you know what to do on a human date!”

He obviously read the book on human dating

many times before taking me on this date. But still,
he seemed to trying his best not to miss anything or
get anything wrong. And his nervousness… it was
kind of endearing.

I smile, trying to encourage him. “What does

the book say to do now?”

Kage and Draven exchange a look as Soren

reads slowly through the chapter, but I don’t feel
rushed in the least. Even though all of us were
nervous, this was the only date I had ever been on,
and I’d thought it’d gone pretty well.

But then, the gargoyles still seemed desperate

to win back my trust, even though I had reassured
them that they had. I mean, they’d spent months
working tirelessly to be near me, even though I’d
told them that all we could ever be was friends.
Then they’d surprised me by buying these lands
and building a home for me on them.

There wasn’t much more I needed to have them

do to show that they truly had never meant to
betray me or hurt me.

“The book says to compliment her, wish her

goodnight, and kiss her,” Soren says, running his
finger along a line in the book.

Suddenly, the air changes between us.
Soren slowly looks up to meet my gaze. We

hadn’t been intimate since they hurt me. Were they

wondering if I was ready for it?

It takes me a second to find my voice. “That

sounds… like a good idea.”

Kage steps closer, drawing himself up taller.

“You look beautiful, Cerce. Goodnight.” Then he
leans forward and brushes the softest of kisses
against my lips and stands back.

Draven moves closer next. “You are the most

amazing woman in the world. Oh, and goodnight.”
Then, he leans in and kisses me a little longer
before pulling back.

At last it’s just Soren and I.
He clears his throat, puts the book back in his

coat, and meets my gaze. “You’re our everything.”
Then after a minute he adds, “Goodnight.”

But he doesn’t come closer.
I try to hide my disappointment. “I’m not

fragile.”

“You spent a very long time healing…”he says.
“And now we know why.”
His face goes pale. “You should be treated with

care.”

“You can kiss me and treat me with care,” I

press.

After a second, he inches closer. Glancing down

at my lips, he leans down.

“Ugh!” I gasp, then barrel forward.
“Fuck!” Soren shouts. “I knew we should have

carried her! I knew she wasn’t ready for this!”

I lean slowly up, panting. Putting a hand on my

big belly, I take a deep breath. “It’s fine. One of the
babies just kicked. Stacy says it’s normal when I’m
this far along.”

But Soren looks panicked. “You should go lie

down.”

I look at him, then at Draven and Kage, who

look just as worried. And, I realize, this is the
perfect time to implement my plan.

“Actually, this happens sometimes. Even at

night. It makes me a little… worried.”

The color drains from Soren’s face. “You can

always call us. Any time. We’ll be here in an
instant.”

“Well, I was thinking. Perhaps it’s time you

move in.”

My words hang over us.
“Are you serious?” Draven asks.
“Because we can be loud, messy, annoying—“
Draven cuts of Kage. “Are you trying to

discourage her?”

But it’s Soren who takes my hand gently in his.

“Cerce, do you want us here to take care of you
and the babies? Because we’d be glad to do it.
We’d do it in a heartbeat. Or, do you… do you
want us here with you?”

My mouth goes dry. “I want you here for me

and our babies and here with me. I think I’m ready
for us to… resume our relationship.”

The guys go quiet.
“Okay,” Soren says, but he still looks uncertain.
At least he didn’t say no.
I unlock the door and lead them through the

house that was built with such care. I hear them
follow me as we go up the stairs and right to my
master bedroom. It wasn’t lost on me that they
made this room so big, with its double-king beds
carved with expert hands. Nor was it lost on me the
bassinet they placed beside the bed.

This room was a room of hope, with wide

windows looking out onto a sparkling lake and love
in every inch of the structure. This place was built
as an apology to me. As a sign of their love.

And I knew it. Felt it so deeply.
It was time for us to take the next step. To be

together. To enjoy this new chapter in our lives.

Turning, I look at them.
“You really are the most beautiful woman

we’ve ever seen,” Kage says.

I smile. “I’m as big as this house.”
“You are carrying twins,” Draven says, and his

voice is filled with awe.

Even though I’m a different woman than I was

when I first met them, in my heart I’m still that
broken hellhound, and the woman they worship,
and the mother of the children growing inside of
me. And I’ve decided it’s okay for me to be all
those things and whatever else I want.

Grasping my dress, I pull it off and stand before

them.

“I want you.” I tell them simply.
Draven is the first to move closer. He crosses

the room, pulls me in his arms, and kisses me like
there’s nothing more he wants to do in this world.
His touch is gentle and yet so familiar it makes me
want to cling to him, to surrender to this moment
and this man.

When Draven breaks our kiss and moves to my

neck, Kage captures my mouth instead. Two of my
men are touching me, claiming me, and it feels
right. Almost perfect.

But it’s Soren who pulls me away from them,

sweeping me into his arms. He stares down at me,
memorizing my face, then brings me to the bed. He
settles me there, and my sexy men remove their
clothes, then mine.

In seconds, I’m lying with Soren beneath me,

hoping that this time is as good as the last.

He’s gentle when he eases inside of me, his lips

sucking lightly on my breasts as he does so. Draven
moves to one side of my bed and turns my face so
that we can continue to kiss, and I feel myself wet
and ready as Soren sinks inch by inch deeper inside
of me.

When he comes to his hilt, he swears, and I

break away from Draven’s kiss, breathing deeply.
Soren holds my gaze as he begins to move inside

me, then pauses, and I feel Kage behind me. He
leans me as far forward as I can bend, then slips
into me from behind.

The power of their glorious friction is just the

way I remember. So good that it seems impossible
that I went this long without it. And when they
begin to move as one, I feel crazed.

Draven stands beside me. His cock sinks into

my mouth. A groan tears from his throat, and he
wraps his hand in my hair to hold me in place as he
drills in and out of me.

All of it is overwhelming. My men. Claiming

me. Finally touching me the way I’ve needed to be
touched for so long.

I knew I missed it. I knew I missed having them

like this.

I just never knew how much.
When at last I feel my orgasm building, my

inner muscles squeeze the two cocks inside of me
with a vengeance. Goosebumps erupt on my flesh,
and I’d be shouting in pleasure if not for the cock in
my mouth.

And then I orgasm, slamming over the edge like

a Fury unleashing a storm. I bounce on the two
dicks inside of me, satisfied as hell as their hot cum
fills me. Even while I still ride the waves of my
orgasm, I feel Draven come into my mouth with a
groan of pleasure.

At last, only our breathing fills the air. Draven

pulls free from my mouth, and Kage’s cock slips
from my ass. The two men lay on both sides of me,
and Soren stays buried within me.

I look down at them.
They look up at me.
“I love you,” I say.
Soren looks startled. “I love you too.”
“So do I,” Kage rushes out.
“I love you more than they do,” Draven says.
And then I laugh.
I never thought when I started on this road that

this is how it would end. And even though it had its
rough moments, I wouldn’t change it for a thing.

“So,” I say, “we all agree on that. Now we need

to just agree on names for our son and daughter.”

I can’t hold back a grin as they launch into their

arguments for their selected names. Because as
much noise and chaos as these men bring into my
life, I’m looking forward to a house filled with it.

Whoever said a hellhound couldn’t find love?

The End

*** Want to check out the next exciting book in
the Monsters and Gargoyles’ world? Then pick

Lamia’s Blood

, the tale of one of the first

vampiric creatures of Greek mythology. ~~~

Also By Lacey Carter Andersen

Mates of the Realms: Mortals

Renegade Hunter

Cursed Hunter

Betrayed Hunter

Mates of the Realms: Immortals

Rebel Lover

Rebel Lies

Rebel Loss

Alternative Futures

Nightmare Hunter

Deadly Dreams

Mortal Flames

Twisted Prophecies

An Icelius Reverse Harem

Her Alien Romance

Steamy Tale of Warriors and Rebels

Gladiators

The Dragon Shifters’ Last Hope

Stolen by Her Harem

Claimed by Her Harem

Treasured by Her Harem

Harem of the Shifter Queen

Sultry Fire

Sinful Ice

Saucy Mist

Monsters and Gargoyles

Medusa’s Destiny

Keto’s Tale

Celaeno's Fate

Cerberus Unleashed

Lamia's Blood

About the Author

Lacey Carter Andersen loves reading, writing, and drinking
excessive amounts of coffee. She spends her days taking care
of her husband, three kids, and three cats. But at night,
everything changes! Her imagination runs wild with strong-
willed characters, unique worlds, and exciting plots that she
enthusiastically puts into stories.

Lacey has dozens of tales: science fiction romances,

paranormal romances, short romances, reverse harem
romances, and more. So, please feel free to dive into any of
her worlds; she loves to have the company!

And you’re welcome to reach out to her; she really enjoys

hearing from her readers.

You can find her at:
Email:

laceycarterandersen@gmail.com

Mailing

List:

https://www.subscribepage.com/

laceycarterandersen

Website:

www.laceycarterandersen.wordpress.com/

Facebook

Page:

www.facebook.com/Lacey-Carter-

Andersen-1940678949483316/

Document Outline

Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Also By Lacey Carter Andersen
About the Author

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