Her ears pricked.“You and Griff’s wolf just want to be together, and we keep messing things up for you both.”She raised her front paw in a wolfy shrug. It seemed that she was used to me wrecking her love life, and this was one more setback. Beneath the resignation was a shard of hope that she would see her mate again or that maybe Griff might come back for us once his temper had cooled.As the roar of a mammoth-sized drake made Glinda slow down and allow it to pass, I swallowed hard. What if Griff returned to us so that Fenrir could bind my tongue? If Captain Caria or one of the other demon enforcers picked me up outside the gates of Shifter City, it would be me on the torture rack being impaled with hot pokers.I stared at the wingless dragon, finding a blue-skinned demon riding on its back. They were heading toward a small lake of lava up ahead where a bunch of demons had huddled together in a tight crowd.Beki’s heart plummeted, and pain lanced through her chest. I glanced around
Everything happened in slow motion. The bullets exploded from the gun and raced toward their targets. I sprinted to the left as the back of the general’s head exploded. The demon who had tried to drag Griff dropped him to the floor and clutched at his neck.I’d missed.Shit.“Behind the rocks,” bellowed a red-skinned imp with horns like a ram.Another javelin flew through the air and lodged itself into the rock where I had been hiding. Its wielder was a demon with skin like a prune and eyes a vivid shade of turquoise. This had to be the one who had hurt Griff. While the others were glancing around or tending to the fallen general, this one was aiming another javelin in my general direction.I crouched low and shot him between the eyes. He reeled backward and fell onto Griff’s legs.My stomach clenched. I hoped for Griff’s sake he was completely unconscious and hadn’t felt the impact.“Gerba,” snarled one of the imps. “Fill a quarter-mile perimeter with fire.”A six-and-a-half-foot tal
She paused for a moment, her entire body trembling.“The demons won’t find us. This time, if he tries to leave, I’ll knock him unconscious until they’re gone.”Beki nodded her approval.Swallowing hard, I glanced behind us to find only a network of barren rocks. There were too many of them between us and the carnage I had left behind, but the demons would soon concentrate their search to this area. I had to set up a hiding spot before they did.A ten-foot-tall wall of stones surrounded the village up ahead, but it had crumbled in places, and there wasn’t a single sign of life. Brown and shriveled stalks the size of tree trunks protruded from some of the straw roofs. They curled around the settlement’s exterior, looking like it had once been overrun by a giant vine.I shuddered at what kind of plant might have caused such damage. It either took place very quickly or the village had been long deserted. Nobody would allow vegetation of any kind to run riot.Glinda took a running jump ove
His eyes narrowed, and the muscles of his face tightened.“When you stole my pack, cheated on me with a crowd of naked women, and then banished me and everyone I cared about, my emotions got the better of me, and I overreacted.” I raised my palms.He spluttered. “That’s all?”“And I’m sorry.”Griff shook his head. “Sorry doesn’t begin to cover it.”“If you want me to grovel—”“Get out of my sight,” he roared, the muscles of his neck cording.I picked up a saddlebag, walked around Glinda, and settled on her other side. “Is that better?”“Out of the tent,” he snarled.“That’s not going to happen.” I lay beside the huge hellhound and rested my head on her side. “Someone has to save you from your stupidity and deliver you to the Living World. If the demons capture me, then it will only be a matter of time before you get caught.”“Don’t test me,” he said in a low growl.I squeezed my eyes shut. “A search party even larger than the six who captured you is probably on their way to this villa
I sucked in a deep breath, my entire body going still. I shrank against Glinda’s warm, soft body, trying to disappear into her fur, but Griff closed the distance between us, making the air crackle with the force of his suspicion.Beki whimpered. She knew this moment would happen eventually, which was why she had wanted me to be honest with Griff. The tiny shred of me that believed in good luck had hoped I might escape before anyone worked out I was a spy.“I’m waiting for an answer,” Griff snarled.My lips trembled, so I forced them into a tight line. What was wrong with this wolf? Why of all times was he asking such questions?“You’re feverish,” I said, my words clipped. “In case you’ve forgotten, your body is trying to recover from being impaled by a demon’s javelin.”“Cathwulf.” He said my name with the kind of hatred one would reserve for their worst enemy. Considering everything I had done to him, I guessed that he counted me as his nemesis.“Go back to bed.” I gave him a shove.
“It was a faerie curse,” he snarled.“That’s what you’re saying now,” I spat. “But you weren’t under their influence when you stole my alpha power.”Griff turned to me, his eyes burning with hatred. “Nothing I ever did to you could ever justify that execution. You could have challenged me to become the alpha again, but you came in with guns. ”“I’m not saying it does,” I hissed from between clenched teeth. “But don’t act like you’re one-hundred percent innocent.”“If I’m such a villain, why did you save me?”“I shouldn’t have bloody bothered.”His lips tightened, and he jerked his head away. “Go back to your side of the shelter.”“With pleasure.”I turned on my heel and walked around Glinda, my insides loosening with relief. Nothing I had told him had been a lie, but I had distracted him a little from his question. I settled beside the Hellhound and leaned against her flank. Hopefully, Griff wouldn’t ask this question again… at least not until we’d reached the Living World and I had a
“You never answered my question,” he said in a low voice.It took every ounce of willpower not to huff an annoyed breath. “If we ever make it out of Hell alive, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”A dragon swooped down from one of the clouds, gliding in a circle above us before making a 180-degree turn.My heart plummeted into my stomach. I whispered to Griff, “Do you think he spotted us?”“It’s safe to assume that he has just left to report the presence of a suspicious Hellhound to his superiors.”“Glinda,” I whispered. “Can you go any faster?”She picked up her pace, but it was nothing like the rapid stream of movement she made when it was just her and me and the soul crystal. Part of me wanted to suggest that we hide the crystal so Glinda could move faster, but I couldn’t sacrifice thousands of souls to save my life.Beki barked a rebuke, making my insides clench.“Can you honestly say that we should risk all those people just so we can make Glinda run faster?” I asked her.
Since a lot of wild animals roamed Hell, I hoped to anyone listening that the demons by the tunnel entrance had dismissed the sight of Glinda as another wild hound, especially since she didn’t venture close to our only way out of their dimension.We descended down an increasingly steep slope until we reached a patch of rock that recessed a little to provide an overhang. “Here,” I said to Glinda. “Let’s take a rest.”He jumped off her back as though staying close to me for a second longer than necessary would burn him from the inside. “So, what’s your bright idea?”“There’s a needle and thread in the first aid kit,” I said as I swung my legs around and dismounted. “I’m going to use the shears to turn the tent into an invisibility suit for Glinda.”His gaze darted from the saddlebags to the hellhound, whose pristine fur was still covered in dirt. “You can sew?”“It’s an important wilderness skill,” I said with a sniff. “Any objections, comments, better ideas? Or will you just stand ther