I glanced from a grinning Ophois to Fenrir, who gazed back as though the entire heist depended on my ability to ride an Egyptian wolf god through a void between realms. My throat spasmed. Was I supposed to jump on his back while the atmosphere of that place sucked all the air and moisture from my lungs, or would he transport me in a bag of sand?My gaze darted to Griff, whose features were as tense as the tight band of alarm wrapping around my lungs.“I don’t understand,” I murmured. “Why me?”“Ideally it would be a large team, but Ophois needs someone to help him detonate the smoke bombs, gather the prisoners, and collect the crystals.”The band of alarm tightened around my throat. “It sounds like there needs to be at least twelve of us.”“You know what happens when people who don’t belong to Hell try to enter it,” Ophois said in that booming voice.I rubbed the back of my neck. It wasn’t like I was chickening out, but I wasn’t sure if I could do everything they wanted. But they woul
I gave him what I hoped was a confident smile. Ophois and I would just go training. It wasn’t like he would consume me like he did that wizard. At least not until the heist was complete.Griff pursed his lips, his brows creasing with concern.“After you.” Ophois swept an arm toward the doorway.Griff nodded and drew back.I stepped through the opening and into the darkened enclosure of tents and Viking-style buildings, my lungs filling with the scent of the forest. Ophois followed after me and closed the door with a flash of golden light.The lining of my stomach trembled with trepidation. How on earth did he think he would get me ready to traverse that void?I gazed up into his golden eyes and asked, “What would you like me to do?”“Fenrir tells me that the layers between the two wards were based on the space between dimensions. How did you cope with that particular void?”“By holding my breath,” I murmured. “But that dark patch felt nothing like sticking my hand through the door.”“
He paused, seeming to wait for me to say something else. When I continued my stony silence, he walked in the direction of the wards. “This shouldn’t be too onerous, but speak if you become faint.”“All right,” I whispered.The magical barrier tingled over my skin, and as Ophois stepped into its depths, everything went black. Instead of emerging out through the other side into the forest, he turned left and continued a steady path through the dark.“Are you feeling any effects yet?” he asked.“Nothing,” I murmured.“Then your soul is more resilient than most,” he said.“But this is a milder version of the void.”“Correct.”We walked the rest of the way in silence, but several moments later, a sensation of pins and needles attacked my skin. Or maybe it was fleas.“I’m feeling something, now,” I said.“Can you continue for thirty more seconds?” he asked.“Yes, why?”“Because that will be a full revolution of the wards.”With a sharp nod, I uncurled my fists and placed them flat on his sh
If Griff were a teakettle, his insides would have been roiling, and steam would have risen from his spout. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and grimaced. What was he so pissed off about? The bikini had been scandalous, but it was still better than being naked. Or had the prospect of being chastised by a wolf god gotten his tail into a knot?Beki nodded, confirming my suspicions.“He wouldn’t have spoken so rudely to Fenrir,” I said.She tilted her head to the side and sighed.Crossing lines and challenging others was typical wolf behavior. There were only a few ways to deal with a much stronger opponent: submitting or ignoring their overwhelming influence while still treading around them on tender paws.He pulled me in the direction of the wards, but I yanked my arm out of his grip.“Don’t tell me you’re going back to him,” he snarled.“It’s been ages since I’ve seen Glinda.” I walked around the back of the bell tents to the distorted part of the wards that led to the kennel
Stupid Ophois and his poisonous suggestions. The wolf-headed bastard was correct. Griff was only paying attention to me because another wolf showed interest. If the wolf god hadn’t been so flirtatious, Griff would probably still be snarling at me to stay away. Now, he was volunteering to take me out to eat, even though I looked nothing like Katie.As I placed a hand on the edge of the booth, the kitchen door on my left opened, followed by a flash movement. I whirled around to find a black woman with long braids coming at me with a dagger.My stomach dropped, and my instincts reared to the surface.I pivoted, picked up the table, and threw it into her face.It clipped her shoulder, making her stumble backward and land in a crouch. She snarled, “You’re a dead woman, Cathwulf Aibek.”Adrenaline flooded my system, making every muscle in my body tighten. Hadn’t I told Fenrir that Hades had sent Marianna back to Shifter City in another body? He had probably ordered her to kill me for siding
Tiny bolts of lightning crackled in his blue-green eyes, making me wonder if the world he had swallowed was now suffering a thunderstorm. I had no idea why he was ordering me to do the interrogation and not Griff, who he trusted, but I wasn’t about to argue with a furious god.I gulped. “Of course.”When I turned back to Marianna and Don, they were both quaking and alert.“This is Marianna Shade, an assassin Hades pulled from the Punishment Pits.” I pointed to her face. “She’s in a new body, but it’s the same soul.”“Shut up,” she hissed. “He’s going to torture us all.”“Why did he send you back?” I asked.Marianna clamped her lips shut.“Answer the questions,” Fenrir snarled, sending out even more pulses of that power.It was like cold electricity running up and down my nerves and sending sparks across my bones. My teeth chattered, but I clamped my jaws shut.“Larissa disappeared,” Marianna blurted. “King Hades needed someone familiar with you, since you were getting so close to the
We returned to the alpha’s mansion with Fenrir, where one of his staff led Don and Marianna to the dungeons and another showed Griff and me to separate but adjacent rooms.Griff paused at his door with his gaze turned to me. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes, waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat, making me turn my head.“Cathwulf,” he said.“Yes?”“Good work today.”“Thanks.” I raised my brow.As he continued staring, Beki barked at me to invite him to my room.A flock of angry butterflies thrashed their wings, reminding me of Griff’s reactions each time we’d been intimate. If he wanted to start something, then he would have to speak first.“Good night.” He pushed his door open and disappeared into his room.Beki’s reprimanding snarl told me I was an idiot, but I shook my head.“At least I’ve ended today with my pride.” I stepped into my room, tore off my clothes and sank into the softest feather mattress.The silk sheets were smoother than anything that had gra
The next morning, light streamed in through my eyelids, and my nostrils filled with the sweet scent of the forest. For a moment, it felt like I was back in the tent within the Hellfire pack’s enclosure. My front leg twitched, reminding me that Beki and I had swapped places. The light became warmer, brighter, more golden.My brow furrowed.Golden?Since when did the enclosure ever get bright light and since when did it seep through the bell tents?I cracked open an eye to find myself in one of the alpha’s guest rooms. At the foot of the four-poster bed stood a doorway filled with golden light.My jaw clenched. This could only be Ophois.“The sleeping Nefertiti awakens.” His deep, rumbling voice swept over me like thunder.I barked to ask what he was doing in my room.“You were supposed to return for training after eating,” he said, sounding mild for a god I’d just ditched the night before.Beki made a whining noise in the back of her throat. On the inside, I shook my head. She was bein