By the time we left the Sixth Faction, the sun had risen and was filling the wooded area of Richmond Park with light. I peered through the trees, finding no sign of humans, and passed the wards with Fenrir and Griff.My feet dragged, and my arms hung like barbells at my sides. This had been one of the longest and most arduous nights I’d spent in a physical body, and I was sure the ends of my hair stank of brimstone.A trio of enforcers awaited us at the other side of the poppy field and walked alongside us through the gates of the alpha’s compound, down the driveway, and to the mansion’s verandah.“Good work, today,” Fenrir said without a trace of tiredness. “We’ll reconvene at six.”Instead of going into his home, he crossed the lawn and headed toward the guesthouse. Griff stepped ahead of me and opened the door.“After you.”“Thanks.” I stepped into the hallway.“Cathwulf.”I paused, waiting for him to say something meaningful. Seconds passed, and when all I heard from him was a sig
“The only way I could capture your attention for more than a fleeting moment was when I told you new things and gave you new experiences.”“But that didn’t mean you had to invent a whole new persona,” I said.He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re right, but I didn’t want to lose you.”“Even though I’m difficult?”His sad chuckle made my chest tighten. “No wolf backs down from a challenge.”“What?” I pulled my hand away.Griff winced as though he had made the wrong choice of words. I clenched my teeth. If he had called me a challenge, he had probably meant what he’d said.“You were everything I wanted to be, Cathwulf,” he said, his words strained. “I admired you so much that I thought claiming you as my mate might make me whole.”I leaned forward, resting my chest against my bent knees. “What on earth does that mean?”“All those years of failing to protect my mother from that bastard wore me down,” he ground out. “You would have found a way to save your family and seize c
I gazed up at Griff, the pulse in my throat fluttering like the wings of a trapped butterfly. Every inch of my skin thrummed with anticipation of his kiss, even though I hadn’t yet said yes.“Please.” He drew even closer, his full lips inches away from mine. “If we had more time, I wouldn’t press, but this could be our last chance.”His cedar and woodsmoke scent filled my senses, and his warm breath caressed my skin. I whispered, “All right.”Griff closed the distance between us and threaded his fingers through my hair, sending tingles across my scalp. He placed a soft kiss on the left corner of my mouth, and then the right.“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice breathy.“Committing this moment to memory.” He drew back, his eyes meeting mine.Normally, I would lose myself in his amber irises and marvel at the way the dim light illuminated his angular features. The desperation in his eyes was as though this would be our last moment together before we spent the rest of our afterlives
He brought my hand to his lips. “It’s me who should be thanking Fenrir for matching me with you.”“Why?” I whispered.“You won’t believe me when I tell you that you’re my guiding star.” His eyes glistened. “You’re so determined and focused. So hardworking and clever. Every time you’re near, it's hard to feel anything but awestruck.”“Me?”“You.” He kissed each knuckle. “Cathwulf Aibek, not the mysterious Katie from Albion. I should have known it was you beneath that disguise. No other woman makes me want to be a better wolf.”My throat thickened. I could have stayed there all day, listening to him profess his feelings, but I needed a connection that went deeper than words.“Come here,” I said.He drew down and planted kisses at the base of my neck, making me arch against his broad body. I clung to his shoulder with one hand and slid the other down the curve of his back.Griff’s groans vibrated across my chest. My nipples tightened, and I writhed beneath his weight. I slipped my finger
“Thanks.” I took one of the weapons and slipped it into my jacket’s holster while Griff accepted the second.“Each gun contains a hundred needles, but if you run out, use the spares.”I flipped the cylinder and extracted a needle. It closed with a loud snap. Instead of opening it again, I wove the needle into the fabric of my sleeve.Loki walked toward me, his head tilted to the side. “Let me take a look at you.” He walked around me, his gaze sweeping up and down my body. “What do you think?”I turned to meet a face almost identical to mine, stepped back, and bumped into Griff.Loki had the same honey-blonde hair, strong features, and piercing gray eyes. Because of the body I inhabited, I looked smaller, softer, gentler. I looked a little more like Mum than Dad, and almost pretty.My breaths shallowed, and the part of my soul that had spent decades in the Punishment Pits wondered if Griff would have been so forgiving and amorous if I had looked exactly like my old self.Beki’s sharp b
Every limb on my body trembled as we followed Azriel and Loki through the throne room and toward the dais. My pulse beat so loud that it drowned out the screams of the damned. I rubbed at my throat, wishing I’d taken a calming draught or some other elixir to settle my nerves.This was it. The moment we would enter enemy territory. This was the moment we rescued the Hellfire pack and saved thousands of souls, including Mum’s.The two large wolves from earlier sat by the foot of the stairs. As soon as we came near, they rose to their feet and trotted around the back of the dais.Beki gave them a happy yip, and I grinned at the thought of her being excited at the prospect of robbing Hades. If she could see this succeeding, then so could I.Griff took my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m proud to be carrying out this mission with you at my side.”“Really?” I asked.The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. “Having you as my mate is like a dream.”My breath caught, and every instin
Namara sniffed and stepped into the elevator.Azriel drew back, letting us enter before he stepped inside.Griff and I stood at the left, farthest away from the secretary, each of us holding still and trying not to make a sound. Thankfully, Azriel’s huffing and puffing would drown out any heavy breathing.Namara placed her hands on her hips. “What’s this really about?”“You can’t break up with a man based on hearsay,” he said, his voice rising several octaves.“So, you deny standing in the middle of that battle, hiding behind a clipboard while His and Her Majesty fought for their lives?” she asked, her lips twisting with disgust.“I made no secret that I was an administrator and unsuited for warfare,” he said with an outraged squawk. “Besides, it wasn’t a clipboard but a computer tablet.”Namara shook her head. “And that’s why you’ll never be my type.”“But I was once,” he whispered.She rolled her eyes. “This is why you stormed into my office complaining about missing souls? I though
Her head snapped up.“From the looks of things, I’m going to be responsible for shooting the crystals. Griff will free the others and work his way up.”She nodded.Azriel strode ahead with the kind of purposefulness of a man in charge. The demons patrolling through the hallway cringed away from him as though one brush of his wings would burn.“Here they are.” Namara flung open the door to a much smaller dungeon where the crystals rested atop a wooden table. “Satisfied?”Beki gave me three sharp barks, and my breath caught. I tore out the pin from the first grenade and then the second, tossed one into the room and the other into the hallway.They both hit the floor with a thud, and white smoke filled the air. Griff’s bombs detonated in the background.Namara stumbled forward. Azriel caught her before she fell and laid her on the floor. I turned to find the rest of the hallway filling with smoke and the demons nearby dropping to the stone floor.I pulled out the gun and shot the first c