Beki gave me an admonishing bark.“All right,” I snapped. “On occasion, one or two people have referred to me as pig-headed.”“Hmm.” Her lips tightened.“What’s happened?” I shoved my palms onto the cot and raised myself onto my elbows. The moment my gaze dropped down to boobs the size of watermelons, I got my answer. “Shit.”“Indeed.” She folded her arms across her chest. “It would seem that the body has bent to your will and created an almost replica of your soul.”“Can I see?” I asked with a gulp.She reached into her cloak and pulled out a mirror. “We can’t have you leaving Hell looking like the person who murdered Franklin Griffiths. However, I can make a few amendments to your physical form so you resemble something else.”I took the proffered mirror, my stomach sinking to the marble floor, and watched her sweep out of the room. As the door clicked behind her, Beki placed her front paws on our bond, urging me to take a look.“Didn’t you hear her?” I asked, my eyes squeezing shut.
“Did the humans put a man on the moon? I died before the rocket launched.”“So they say,” I muttered as I remembered the footage on television. “But the footage looked like the work of a light mage.”Larissa barked a laugh. “Stupid humans.”I chose a selection of outfits, from work clothes—because who knew what the mission would entail—to tight-fitting dresses that resembled what the twins had worn during their date with Griff. I paused, waiting for the surge of hot rage to burn through my insides the way it usually did whenever I thought about the flea-ridden wolf. Instead, my heart filled with the warmth of my connection with Beki.As we loaded the last of our choices and zipped our cases shut, a curvaceous woman about my body’s height sauntered into the room, looking like a 1950s secretary with her red hair swept up in a chignon. Everyone had been talking about a movie called Grease around the time of my execution, and I wondered if she was dressed like that because she’d gotten swept
The driver took us through the tunnels that ran beneath London, which thankfully hadn’t changed much since I’d been alive. The parts we had gotten to see of the Human World were like watching The Twilight Zone. Every street was filled with bright lights, and the crazy- looking vehicles and areas had a frantic pace that reminded me of Hell. I’d even seen a giant Ferris wheel that lit up the London skyline in neon blue.The tunnels were dark and quiet and illuminated only by the cab’s headlight. It was almost like being back in my cell but without the chronic discomfort. As we exited the underground and drove through the leafy roads of Richmond Park, my heart beat so fast and hard that my rib cage rattled like it was being pounded with heavy fists.Humans milled through the open fields. Some had erected tents, others held binoculars, and a few of them burned small fires that lit up the darkened park.“It’s pretty crowded for a public space that was supposed to be clo
“It’s the truth.” I continued down the road.“What happened between you and Franklin?” she asked. “None of your bloody business,” I snapped.“Come on,” she said with a whine. “A few more details might be helpful.”“I already told you how to stay in the Living World for longer,” I said with a snarl.“What do you mean?”My jaw clenched, and I picked up my pace, leaving Larissa trailing behind. If she hadn’t been so quick to mock my appearance, or laugh along with Ruby and Marianna, I might have broken things down for her, but I wasn’t feeling so generous. Griff was the ultimate user and a world-class actor capable of shifting his personality to get what he wanted. The moment he took it, the mask dropped, leaving you staring into the face of the devil.Blood roared between my ears as I strode toward the Georgian-style buildings in the distance that bordered what used to be called Logris. I had known what Griff was the moment he had strutted up to me, wearing that three-piece suit with th
That was Boris Moongazer, Griff’s beta and another escapee from Hell.Before I could tell him that Larissa had made a mistake, he sped down the road and toward the marquee’s entrance, leaving me gaping at his taillights. We’d just missed a perfect opportunity to enter the wards because I’d dismissed the guy as a pimp.I turned to Larissa and snarled. “Do you know who that was?”She gave me a silent nod, her features grim.“Why didn’t you give me a nudge, so I could do the talking?” I hissed.Her eyes narrowed into little slits, and the corner of her lip curled. “You treat me like I’m stupid.”My lips tightened. How else could one describe a person who verbally attacked another just because she could? She had seen me choke Marianna to submission yet had tried to assert her dominance, knowing she couldn’t match me in strength. Of course I thought she was daft.With great beauty came great benefits. Even when you were young. Teachers were kinder. Shopkeepers were more generous. Paren
Don’s BMW was even more luxurious than the Überwald driver’s car, but none of that mattered.Not the changed landscape of Logris whizzing past as he sped down the highway. Not the she-wolf squeezing my hand and panting like a lap dog. We were one step closer to Griff, and that made my heart thrum with excitement.“Of course, you two gals will be working for tips,” Don said. “There’s no basic pay for a job like this.”“You can’t do that,” Larissa squawked.I rolled my eyes. Microdon? He’d named himself after a species of Coyote—Canis latrans microdon, otherwise known as the Lower Rio Grande coyote. He should have called himself Microdick for two reasons: one, because he smelled like a weasel shifter, and two, the name pretty much summed up his shitty personality.Don chuckled. “The moment you stepped into this vehicle and accepted my offer of employment, you also bound yourself to its terms.”“But you didn’t tell us anything,” she snarled.He tipped his head t
“We start work in the evening,” I told him through clenched teeth. “Now, we’re getting settled in our new digs, and you won’t disturb us until sunset.”His nostrils flared, and his mouth formed a tight line.Maybe I’d dashed his hopes of a utopia where all shifters could live in harmony, but if he was going to weasel us out of pay and decent work hours, I would establish my dominance to protect our interests. There was no way we could sneak around looking for information to pass on to Hades if Don had us working in his bar during the day and night.“Very well,” he said with a sigh. “But you’re out at the first sign of trouble.”“Fine.”Larissa had already left us to explore the caravans. I followed after her, leaving Microdick Don staring at our backs. Seriously, shifter society was much like the wild. Little creatures that ate chickens and rodents didn’t turn predator over wolves. He was lucky we hadn’t paired up and kicked his ass.It was a Volkswagen campervan, which had been groov
“Just be grateful our camper van is magically soundproofed,” I muttered.It was dark outside, with the only source of illumination coming from a pair of spotlights that had turned on a second after we’d stepped out of our temporary home. Coyote Willy’s back door opened, and Don strolled out, dressed in a burgundy velvet jacket with black cuffs.“You two stand at the door.” He pointed from Larissa to me as though trying to make it clear that he was talking to us. “Your job is to make people think twice about going to Coyote Wicked.”I scowled. “Steal their customers, you mean?”“It’s not like you’re going through their doors and dragging people into mine,” Don muttered. “Are you going to work, or will you give up the best accommodation in Shifter City?”“We’ll go.” Larissa grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the oversized weasel.Some might think it was strange to care about petty business tactics when I’d murdered someone, but Gerrison and Dad had brought me up to be hon