After throwing on a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a leather jacket, I put my wet hair up into a bun and stepped out into the hallway. Ophois stood beneath the mounted head of a lion and drummed his fingers on his snout.“I knew this man,” he said.“Leandro Benroy?” I tilted my head and gazed up at the preserved head.He turned to me with his furry brows raised. “Why is the leader of the Logris Pride mounted on your wall?”“That’s what happened to those who challenged my dad for leadership of Lunaris,” I said with a shrug. “Back then, it was all part of the terms and conditions.”The wolf-headed god blew out a long sigh and materialized a golden key. “And you mortals call me barbaric.”With a flash of light, he created a doorway that led to the reception area of a spacious hospital. Its walls were made of glass and curved inward, much like the throne room of the Sixth Faction of Hell. Instead of skies or roads or other buildings, all I could see through the windows were schools of fis
She gave me a shaky nod, seeming to remember that Griff had saved his father from being indebted to the faeries by offering his first-born.“But people can ask for beauty or some other thing where the faerie has to give them the magic.” I pushed to check that Beki understood.She barked a question.“Griff is naturally beautiful, but some other people make those bargains,” I replied. “In cases like that, the faeries will use those black spikes to give them the magic to maintain their glamor.”There was a lot more to the issue, but Beki seemed happy enough with the basics. I turned to the healer and asked, “Could you show me what Hades did to my mate?”She flicked her fingers.The black spikes moved together, forming a single mass that filled the hologram’s entire chest cavity. Instead of black spikes, flames the same color licked at his body and covered it with soot.I held my head in my hands, trying to suppress a moan.“It’s a surprise your mate is able to function with his chakras o
Healer Sakhet strolled in through the door with her hands in her pockets. “My memory enchantment rewound his soul, and the Neutral body he inhabited made the appropriate adjustments.”I nodded, wondering if Fenrir had purchased the bodies from the same place Healer Iaso had gotten hers. “Has he woken yet?”She placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “Try kissing him awake.”Beki gave me a bark of encouragement, but all it did was upset my stomach. My heels dug into the floor. “I wouldn’t have been so forward in the seventies.”“Think of the kiss as an experiment to see if your presence activates the flames,” the healer said, sounding like she wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose.“Fine.” I walked across the room on trembling legs, my stomach churning at the prospect of kissing this version of Griff. The one who had held me under his spell for two years, the one I had loved so much that I had relinquished my alpha magic.Griff’s broad chest rose and fell beneath the white sheet that cover
I glowered at the angel. The last time I had seen him in public had been in my trial, when he had sat on a high podium with five of his colleagues and sentenced me to death. My nostrils flared. Now the bastard was asking me for favors?Bugger that.Griff sat straighter on the bed, his brows creased. “What did you say about Fenrir?”The Angel King turned to him with a smile. “Franklin, I’m pleased to see you alive and well. Perhaps you can answer a few questions.”“About what?” Griff asked.I folded my arms across my chest. “You’re going to prey on my mate in his hospital bed like a vulture?”He flinched. “Of course not.”“Who told you we were here?” I snapped.The angel narrowed his eyes. “Cathy—”“It’s Miss Aibek to you,” I hissed.He inclined his head. “I apologize for the intrusion, but this is a matter of great importance.”“Oh yes?” I raised my brows.The slippery bastard had avoided my question. Only one person would have told him our location, and that was Hades. The Demon King
“If Hades refuses to reverse his curse, then bring us someone equally as powerful who can break it apart,” I said.He nodded. “The Fae King is available.”My jaw tightened. Another bastard who had sentenced me to death. “Is he capable of doing more than standing around and bullshitting?”The door to Griff’s room opened, and the male nurse poked his head out into the hallway. “Miss Aibek? Healer Sakhet has finished.”I rolled up my sleeves and headed into the room. As I crossed its threshold, I turned to the Angel King and said, “Don’t come inside unless it’s to give me a cure for my mate. There will be no talk about Fenrir or Shifter city until the healer confirms that Franklin Griffith is free of demon, fae, and any other kind of curse.”Without waiting for the angel’s reply, I strode into the hospital room and stopped at Griff’s bedside.He slumped against the pillows, his brow furrowing. His features were slack, and rapid breaths whistled in and out of his parted lips. I’d never se
His lips parted, presumably to lie, but I spoke first. “Franklin Griffith, if you insult my intelligence by saying you’re not planning on fucking the alpha out of me when I become the Shifter Queen, I will punch you so hard you’ll be shitting teeth.”He squared his shoulders. “I didn’t know you could be so violent.”My chest erupted in a bitter laugh. “If only you knew what I was capable of doing to betrayers.”“Cathwulf,” he said with a sigh. “How could you think these things about me?”“I know everything, including your plan to steal my power. I know you find me difficult to love and you’re hanging on because of what I represent—an opportunity to escape your bargain.”His eyes bulged, and his face pinched in a look that said he’d been caught. If I could see thought bubbles, his would say ‘Oh shit.’Griff’s gaze darted around the hospital room and fixed on the door. I balled my fists. If he thought I would allow him to escape, he was about to get body slammed to the floor.“Could you
The two monarchs disappeared, leaving me alone in the hospital room with Griff.Moments later, a man in a white suit bustled in with a pair of large orderlies. “Healer Sakhet has stabilized the curse, so it won’t flare up as long as the memory remains suppressed. Would you like an escort to the Atlantis Central Station?”“Wait a minute.” I walked around the bed, closing the distance between myself and the administrator. “You haven’t finished breaking his curse.”He glanced to the side and sighed. “If two monarch-level supernaturals and a former goddess can’t resolve your issue, I’m afraid there’s nothing more the Atlantis Hospital can do.”I shook my head. “Can’t you call around to the other hospitals?”“We have already sent the invoice for your treatment to Fenrisúlr, care of Shifter City,” he said, sounding firm. “We need to free up the beds for new patients.”“No,” I snapped.“Cathwulf, it’s all right,” Griff said from the other side of the room.I turned around, my eyes flashing.
“Do you have your phone?” I asked.He stepped back and frowned. “Pardon?”I glanced down at the bulge in his pocket, pulled out his mobile, and activated its home screen.“What is that?” he asked.“It’s how supernaturals communicate with each other in the twenty-first century.”“An advanced form of a mirror?” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, tucked me into his side, and sniffed at my hair.Shivers ran across my skin, making me squirm. Trying my best to ignore the affectionate wolf, I continued down the hallway while tapping commands into the phone. According to the Phileas Fogg website, Atlantis had a train station and a direct route to London Central.Beki barked a question.I shook my head. “What’s the point of calling Ophois when Griff can’t return to Shifter City? Even if he’s not at risk of bursting into flames, that thing inside him still wants to erode the walls.”My wolf deflated.“We’ll work something out.” I booked us a ticket to London.Griff and I followed the signs t
Hades was a persistent bastard who continued to attack Shifter City. He sent assassins, spies, and other Trojan horses, but Fenrir was always prepared. With the help of Loki, Ophois, and a few other lupine gods we had encountered during the past fifteen years, Midgard remained the afterlife of choice for all wolves.Our system was simple: the berserkers in the Hellfire Pack would collect the souls of those who died within Shifter City or within the Norse pack’s protected wards. Griff and I would venture out to reap any wolves who died within the Supernatural World.We didn’t even need to hide in the trunk of an Überwald to exit Shifter City. The Hellhounds we rode moved us faster than any speeding vehicle, and the magic protecting our physical forms was powerful enough to shield us from Hades and his enforcers.Griff and I stood within a white room in the Shifter Ward of Atlantis Hospital, waiting for an old she-wolf to take her last breath. We could barely see her through the crowd o
Guests filled white seats in a large reception hall decorated to resemble a Greek temple. At its very end, Hades stood beneath an archway of mauve calla lilies and pomegranate flowers. He wore an ostentatious oxblood red frock coat with plum-colored embroidery.To his right stood a dark-haired male in a morning suit of the same color, wearing a five o’clock stubble that he probably thought made him look cool.Griff gave me a nudge. “His best man is Lucifer, King of the Seventh Faction.”My brows rose, and I scanned the groom’s side of the room. The entire Supernatural Council sat in the front seats with Captain Caria, who wore a dress for a change and sat beside a dark-haired woman whose features were equally as stern. Azriel perched on his seat behind them, looking like he’d been blackmailed into attending.Among the powerful VIPs, I recognized a dark-skinned couple in Egyptian attire who had to be Isis and Osiris, the aunt and uncle of Ophois and the rulers of the First Faction. Lok
Several days ago, Fenrir had suggested we raid the Fifth Faction on the night of the Strawberry Moon. Now we had retrieved the wolf souls, we no longer needed to perform the heist, but my idea would be the perfect revenge.Fenrir sat behind his desk and folded his arms across his chest. He glanced from me to Griff and said, “This is completely unnecessary. After everything you’ve endured, there’s no need for you to face Hades.”Griff spoke first. “This is the least that bastard deserves. He has to learn that striking at Midgard has consequences.”“Agreed,” Fenrir said. “But I don’t want to put either of you at risk.”“It’ll be worth it to teach him not to embed curses in people’s souls,” I said. “And I also can’t wait to melt the smirk off his face when I interrupt him with his mate.”Griff snarled, remembering how Hades had infiltrated our hotel room just as we had planned to become intimate. It was time to return his gesture with one of our own.Fenrir snickered. “Fine, but doing th
My breath turned quick and shallow, and my gaze remained fixed on what was looking to be a terrible earthquake. “Were the others too late to save the wards?”“It’s Fenrir.” Griff slung an arm around my shoulder and tucked me into his side.The distant hill split into several pieces, and the ground that comprised it tumbled away in an avalanche, revealing a mass of white that took up the landscape. My pulse quickened, but Beki made excited barks as though she was meeting an old friend.“Don’t tell me Fenrir’s the size of a blue whale,” I whispered.Griff rubbed his chin. “He once told me he couldn’t shift without destroying the village, but I didn’t completely understand what he meant until now.”Chunks of land rolled off the massive wolf as it rose onto four legs and raised his head toward the pale sky. Despite having remained underground for goodness knows how long, his fur was as pristine as Beki’s. The only difference between them apart from size was that Fenrir’s wolf had turquois
Flying scorpions hovered above us, breathing plumes of fire over our heads whilst trying to re-form. The other wolf shifters tossed wet stones at the swarm, making them break into further pieces. Roars of triumph mingled with the skin-tightening clicks of armored wings, but none of that mattered. Not while Griff was standing before me and declaring he’d made a mistake.The cacophony of sounds faded into the background, and I gazed into his amber eyes. Amber eyes that shone with love and sorrow and regret. Amber eyes that I could have lost myself in for an eternity. Beki pushed herself against our bond and swooned with joy.I wasn’t quite so hopeful.How many times had I gone through this before? I needed to know that the bond wouldn’t bring up something else that would turn Griff away.“Why?” I asked. “Why did you return if it wasn’t for Fenrir?”The muscles in his handsome face tightened, and his gaze jerked to the side. “I didn’t want you to leave the island,” he said, his voice tig
Mum rushed to our side with a bucket of water and set it on the floor. “I’ll get more.”Some of the other wolves had gathered a pile of rocks around the clearing, only to disappear and fetch more, while a few of them remained to hurl them at Snorri. Each stone that landed dented his huge scorpion body, but it did nothing to break him apart.An idea hit me upside the head. “Dad.” I gave him a nudge in the side. “Let’s try getting these stones wet.”Without another word, he walked to the pile of rocks, gathered up a pair, and dipped them in the water. I left the attackers to join him and took one from his hand.I was no expert on arthropods or any other type of shelled creature, but Dad had once told me on a hunting trip that the protective coverings around their bellies were softer than the ones at their backs.“This way.” I flicked my head toward the obelisk.The other wolf shifters continued their attacks on Snorri, making him lash out at them with his tail, but more importantly, the
By now, the air was thick with smoke, but it was nothing compared to the brimstone of Hell. I’d lost track of the flying scorpions and continued through the trees toward the clearing.The swarm had formed the shape of a centaur-like creature, but with a scorpion body replacing that of an equine. Ten feet tall, it stood on six clawed legs with a tail as long as its spine. Hellfire glowed from its bulbous stinger, forming a line of crimson flames down its back.Its back was turned to me, but the same black carapace covered its human side, ending with a round head peppered with bristles. The creature placed a hand on the surface of the obelisk and drummed its fingers.“Urus, teimas, mannaz, othala,” said the voice of an old man. “What a clever combination. Especially when crossed with wunjo and era. Yes... yes… Fine work.”My lips tightened, and I stormed around to look the scorpion man full in the face. It was the only part of his body not covered in the black shell, and he had the sall
Cold shock barreled through my system, even as my chest exploded with streams of burning scorpions. The last week flashed across my mind, filling me with a painful realization. Hades had attached the curse to the bargain Griff had made with the faeries. He’d given us days five before it took control of Griff’s body and destroyed Shifter City.We’d spent the last five days scrambling around trying to break the curse and transfer it to someone else. We had spent all that time worrying about what was inside Griff and hadn’t given a thought to what Hades might have placed in me.Fuck. Griff and I were mates. Rumpel Kracknuts had even hinted that curses could go deeper than the soul of the afflicted. I’d been too concerned with his murder of the healer to even think that he was hinting that I carried the curse.Bloody Hades had turned me into his Trojan horse, and if I couldn’t find a way to stop the swarm, it wouldn’t just mean the destruction of Midgard. It could mean the end of Shifter
The chief enforcer snorted. “I was a few years younger, but I remember you from the academy. Even back then, I knew you were destined for greatness.”My lips formed a tight line. I didn’t need to read his mind to catch his meaning. Randel couldn’t believe that a man like Griff was capable of achieving all those things without my intervention. As a member of Fenrir’s inner circle, he would have heard about our progress, but I couldn’t let him walk away believing I had done all the work.“Franklin Griffiths is more capable than any wolf. It was his knowledge and strength that got us through our trials, not just mine.”Randel nodded and continued toward the driveway.With a sigh, I pushed open the door and walked through the empty hallway. At this time of the night everyone had gone to bed, and my footsteps echoed in the silence. Damp air filled my nostrils as I descended the darkened stairwell that led to the basement, and I pushed the door open to find Fenrir standing beside the fighti