“I’m so glad you noticed,” he replied with a broad grin.The older woman settled beside Ophois, who offered us all champagne.Normally, I wouldn’t imbibe alcohol, but the purpose of our girls’ night out was to get Calla to spill all of Hades’ secrets, so I agreed to a glass. With a flick of his wrist, Ophois filled the flutes and floated them over to us.Calla fluttered her lashes. “I just love to see a man performing such high-level magic.”“And what brand do you practice, my dear?” he drawled.“I’m a fire mage.” She clicked her fingers and produced a flame.“Did they execute you?” I asked.I cringed the moment I said those words. She hadn’t divulged her status as a spirit, and she didn’t need a reminder that she was dead. Besides, Logris had changed now, and the Supernatural Council even had a Fire Queen. Calla and Coral didn’t need to be reminded that they’d spent their lives being persecuted.Coral turned to me with a smile. “We lived together in a secret enclosure, far from the e
“People fall in love with illusions all the time.” He floated over the platter of sliced meat. “Some falsehoods are so tightly woven that we believe them to be real. The results of learning the truth are deadly.”Unease settled in my belly, and every butterfly in my stomach tried to crawl through its lining. What kind of person was this to make these sweeping statements based on my life in an attempt to get laid? Maybe that’s why he kept insisting on that dinner. He had a way of burrowing under the skin and pulling out a person’s deepest insecurities.Sitting straighter in my seat, I picked up the serving fork and placed a few slices of pork on my plate. I was about to serve him some but had to ask, “Do you eat food?”“On occasion,” he replied, his voice light with amusement.“That man who visited you before we arrived. What did you do to him?”“Gregory Beaks?” Ophois asked.“I think so.”“He’s somewhere in my digestive tract,” Ophois said with a shrug.My stomach dropped and I placed
Captain Caria squeezed the trigger. I dove behind the table, the bullet missing me by inches.Shit, shit shit. If one of those things hit me… My mind filled with memories of Rocco, and how the captain had shot him and carried him off to Hell.“Cathwulf,” Ophois bellowed from the other side of his doorway. “Run.”I reached for a weapon, but all I had was the chair I was hiding behind, which was going to do fuck-all against the gun-toting daughter of the King of Hell. Golden light flashed across the room, and something rolled across the floor and stopped at my feet.My gaze darted to the object—a gold cylinder that looked like it needed a burst of magic to open. It thrummed with Ophois’ crackling power, but I had no idea how to employ it as a weapon.“What are you standing around for?” the captain yelled. “Seize her.”The waitress hurried around the table, her features grim with determination. After checking that she was unarmed, I lunged at her ankles and brought her to the floor.She
My jaw dropped, and I was about to ask if Griff had told her when my gaze caught the gold object I’d left on the floor.“What’s that?” I asked.Aunt Sybil picked it up and placed it in my hand. “It looks like a needle case. Are you thinking of taking up sewing?”I pinched the bridge of my nose, remembering how Ophois had asked me to stick a golden needle into the goat-horned demon. If I had thrown it through the door, it might have transported him to Fenrir’s basement.Beki’s sharp bark reminded me of Captain Caria’s gun. If she had killed me, and my soul had floated over to the other side, then I could have look forward to an eternity of torture.I wrapped Aunt Sybil into a hug. “It’s great to see you, but could we catch up later?”“Sure.” She gave me a gentle squeeze before letting go and walking out of the door.Now that Shifter City was safe from Hades and I was alone, all that remained of the debacle was the upturned table and the broken plates and glasses across the marble floor
I rose from the seat and made sure that Calla was too busy with her champagne to notice me heading for the cartographer sitting at the table behind them. One of the fire pits flared, sending out flames that reached the restaurant’s concrete ceiling.The dark-haired woman raised her head from her drawing as I slid into the seat beside her.“Did you get enough information? Is there anything you need me to ask about the palace?”“The other two questioned her quite thoroughly, thank you.” She gestured at what appeared to be a mobile phone.It was transcribing every word from the women on the other table and creating images based on things that Calla said. I shook my head and marveled at the modern magical developments.“Did they say anything else about the elevator?” I asked.She glanced down at the screen and tapped a few commands. “There was a brief conversation earlier where they mentioned the number of people authorized to use it. His Majesty will have the master transcript if you wis
I recognized the location immediately. Hades stood at the foot of the stairs that led to his office’s mezzanine. Beside him floated the pane of glass that had trapped Ophois. He was still in his human form, and his handsome features twisted with rage.My jaw clenched, and I swallowed back an insult. It wasn’t like the bastard could hear me.“Fenrisúlfr,” Hades drawled. “I never thought you would recruit the Egyptians to carry out your futile quest. My demons have destroyed Demeter’s root tunnels, and the Opener of the Ways cannot escape my trap. You have run out of options.”“Shit,” Griff hissed.Bile rose to the back of my throat. I really hated this guy.Whoever was holding the camera zoomed in to get a close up of Ophois. The light had faded from his golden eyes, leaving them a dull amber. He strained against the glass, looking like he was trying to smash through it with his magic, but it remained firm.“If I don’t hear from you,” Hades' voice continued over the footage, “I will ha
Griff and I stepped back from Fenrir’s desk as the wolf god rose from his seat and rolled his shoulders. Moonlight streamed in from the huge bay window that made up that corner of the alpha’s study, coloring the ends of his blond curls silver.He turned his gaze to the other end of the room and said, “Tell Lydia I’ll be in Hell.”“The Sixth?” Philip asked from where he stood by the doorway.“That’s right.”The Neutral inclined his head before leaving the room.“Where’s Lydia tonight?” I asked.“Dealing with the latest disaster in the Shifter Trials.” Fenrir walked out from behind his desk without elaborating.Griff placed a hand on the small of my back, bringing me closer to his body. I couldn’t tell if the gesture was to comfort me or to warn me not to ask for more details. Either way, his silent show of support calmed my nerves.How bad could it be to blackmail an angel when I had a wolf god and the Norse god of Mischief providing backup?I cleared my throat. “Does your father live
“I’m not taking any chances after tonight’s security breach.”The door ahead of us flung open, and a seven-foot-tall demon charged out, holding a trident. His oxblood-red skin reminded me of the bastards who worked the pits. Behind him jogged a pair of similar-looking creatures who I was certain I had knocked unconscious with sleeping gas.“You,” snarled the one in front, although he was looking at Fenrir and not at me.“Take me to my sister,” Fenrir said.He bared his teeth and hissed, but he still managed to bow. His companions opened the door, which led to a chamber that looked like it belonged in a movie about Hell. It was dome-shaped with metal walls etched to form intricate archways. Giant skulls hung halfway to the ceiling, each spewing streams of lava over shackled prisoners.My breath caught. I had never visited a working throne room. The ones in museums didn’t count, and neither did any I’d seen on television. But this space was huge. It was probably the size of the alpha’s