I glanced at Griff, who shrugged. After getting the runaround, I was in no mood to miss the opportunity to meet this administrator. Taking his hand, I walked with him to the widening gap in the shelves and stepped into a thirty-by-thirty-foot clearing with a wooden desk in the middle with three matching stools.Shadows emerged from the tall shelves, forming the shape of dogs twice the size of elephants. They glared down at us through red eyes and bared sharp, white teeth.My lips formed a tight line. If we got out of here alive, it would be a miracle.“Please take a seat.” A five-foot-tall man poked his head out from behind one of the dog’s front legs. He was dressed in the kind of pale tunic, breeches, and homemade shoes people wore in the twelve century. “My name is Edmund Harefoot, and I am the Administrator of Bad Debts.”Griff and I walked to the two stools in front of his desk and sat.He shuffled out from behind the dog, his features tight. My gaze dropped to the chain attached
The muscles in my stomach tightened. If the administrator elaborated and triggered Griff’s memories, then all the scrolls in this room might catch fire. One of the dogs lowered its head and glowered down at us through eyes that glinted like rubies.If I didn’t say something right now to get this conversation back on track, we’d have more things to worry about than Hades and his curse.I clapped my hands together, bringing Edmund’s attention back to me. “As far as the casino is concerned, the debt was fulfilled.”“That’s right,” he said, his voice halting.“But my mate still has the bargain on his soul.”“It should have been removed by the agent at the point of write-off.” Edmund walked toward his stool.Dread tumbled through my innards at the prospect of watching him succumb to his friction. I shot out of my seat and gave Griff a shove on the shoulder. “Why don’t we all stand for the rest of this meeting?”“All right,” Edmund said, his voice trailing off.“You were saying that the cas
Throughout the stroll through the hallways, the ride up the invisible elevator, and the walk across the casino’s darkened entrance hall, the fine hairs on the back of my neck continued to stand on end. Whoever or whatever had followed us past the bookshelves was now shadowing us as we stepped out of the casino.Admiralty Arch stood a few hundred feet away beyond a courtyard, where a black limousine pulled out and disappeared through its middle arch. It was still dark outside, with the only illumination coming from the stars.As we continued toward the steps that led to street level, the smaller ogre we had met earlier broke away from where he had been standing with his colleagues and fixed us with a hard glower.“Watch yourselves,” he snarled.I turned to meet his black eyes. “Are you really the Administrator of Bad Debts’ supervisor?”His heavy features split into a grin of crooked teeth. “Is that what he told you?”I rolled my eyes. “Of course it was a lie.”He reached into the pock
My eyes narrowed. This was sounding too convenient, and it was exactly how we had gotten Azriel to take us into the Fifth Faction of Hell. “Oh yes? And you’ll provide us this name out of the goodness of your heart?”“It’s true what you said about the casino. I used to be a coyote shifter. When I got into debt and couldn’t pay, they twisted my soul into this. Now, I’ve spent the past two centuries watching Edmund stroking himself.” The smoke around her body shuddered.“Damn.” Twenty minutes in that man’s presence had been enough, let alone two-hundred years. Even though I sympathized with her plight, I couldn’t see why she would risk herself to help us.Before I could voice my concerns, Griff asked, “What do you want in return?”“A kiss,” she said.I ground my teeth. “Is this a Gullible Fisherwoman and the Frog situation?”“No,” she said with a yelp. “I swear I’m not trying to pass on my curse to someone else.”“Bullshit,” Griff snarled.“It sounds like a crock of faerie gold to me,” W
Griff’s soft lips grazed the shell of my ear. “Dancing with you was agony when all I wanted to do was fuck you on that dance floor.”“Really?” I whispered.He slid his hand down my back, cupped my ass, and groaned. “Don’t tell me you couldn’t feel it, because I could smell your arousal.”“Shouldn’t we wait until we’ve broken the curse?” I asked.“No,” he growled. “I want you, Cathwulf Aibek. Right here, right now, right under me.”I swallowed hard. “What if I gave you another blowjob?”He shook his head. “I want all of you, including our bond.” He threaded his fingers into my hair, holding me in place as he gazed into my eyes with a hunger that made my chest tighten. “Whatever you did to me no longer matters. I’ll forgive you.”My breath quickened. “Griff—”“No more refusals,” he growled. “You’re a noble she-wolf, but you have to know you’re not taking advantage of me.”I jerked my head to the side. This was so wrong. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”He took my hand and brought it
Griff and I backed toward the farthest corner of our room, away from the flaming windows, away from the fiery doors, and away from the golden elevator rising from the floor. My heart spasmed painfully as it threw itself against my ribcage, trying to crack through my bones and escape.Beki ran around in panicked circles. I couldn’t blame the poor wolf. Any minute now, a horde of demons would burst out of the elevator and drag us back to the dungeons.“Stand behind me,” Griff stepped forward, his broad body a barrier between whatever would emerge from that infernal contraption and me.“No.” I stood at his side. “We face this together. It’s our only chance.”The elevator rose at a torturously slow pace, considering how fast it could move. It was almost as though the person riding it wanted to draw out our panic.Griff reached into the pocket of his tuxedo and extracted a gun. “Take this.” He pressed it into my hand. “I don’t know what iron bullets will do to a demon, but it will bloody w
“That’s when you plan on attacking Shifter City,” I said.“Refuse, and you will lose your mate.” Hades pointed at Griff’s chest. “The curse I planted in his soul won’t just kill him. When it picks up enough power, the enchantment will compel him to enter Shifter City. When it explodes, the wards will fall, and if my demons don’t drag you all to Hell, every human prowling Richmond Park will attack.”“That’s in breach of the Supernatural Secrecy Act,” I snarled.Hades narrowed his eyes. “Who’s going to report my actions when you’re both reduced to atoms?”I gulped. Even if I did report him, who would be powerful enough to restrain the Demon King?Hades disappeared with a pop. I turned around to find him standing at the elevator.“You have five days before the curse reaches its full power.” Hades stepped into the device and leaned against its wall. “Five days until it takes control of your carcass and walks you into Shifter City as a Trojan horse.”Nausea roiled in my gut, but I couldn’t
By the time I awoke, my head was pounding, and the backs of my eyes ached from all the stress from our encounter with Hades. The morning sun streamed in through my closed eyelids, filling my vision with a bright haze. I shifted on the mattress, eliciting a moan from Griff.I was lying on my side again with my head resting on his shoulder. Griff’s arm around my back twitched, and he pulled me into his chest.“Are you awake?” I whispered.“Tell me that was a nightmare,” he replied with a groan.“I wish it was.” Cracking open an eye, I squinted out of the window to find the sun had fully risen and was halfway to its zenith. “Shit.”“What?”“Remember our plan to see the Fae King first thing in the morning?”He grunted once for yes.“It feels like eight or nine o’clock.”“For fuck’s sake,” he snarled.Any other morning, I would slide a hand down that delectable body and wrap my fingers around his erection, but Hades’ warning rang through my ears. We had five days to break this curse, or it