Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Jake returned a few minutes later, his hand had healed, and he had regained control, but he was different.
“I'm so sorry, Indie,” Jake said. “For all of this. I'd get you out of here if I could. But . . .” He looked away.
“You're a prisoner now too, aren't you?” I asked.
“Not exactly.” He grimaced, then cursed, “Fuck! I wish I had never brought you here.”
“I forgive you.” I took his hand. “I know you're a good man, Jake. You've been tricked and manipulated, and it's twisted you a little, but you're still in there. That's enough for me.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. Then he clasped my hand. “I'm with you now, Indie. We're in this together. Maybe.” He groaned and then, through clenched teeth, said, “All right! Fuck, let up.” He sighed in relief.
“Is he hurting you now?” I growled, some of my spirit finally coming back to life.
“It doesn't matter,” Jake said. “You're safe with me. I won't hurt you, Indie, and I won't let him hurt you either. I promise. Michael has agreed to back off as long as I don't set you free.”
Well, there went my hope for escape. But at least Jake was trying.
“Okay. Thank you.”
“We have to go down to lunch—”
A boom cut him off.
I flinched, then ran to the window, Jake beside me. A huge, black truck was roaring up the long driveway, the metal grill in front dented all to hell. I gaped when I saw Gage standing in the truck bed, braced behind an enormous gun. Maybe a missile launcher? I don't know. It was big. Then he fired it.
Nope, not a missile launcher. Gage shot off rounds of bullets, sweeping the gun from side to side. Meanwhile, Gideon leaned out of the passenger window and fired another large gun. People screamed and shouts echoed up to us through the floorboard. The house thundered with footsteps. Then more gunfire came. Returning fire.
“Holy shit,” I whispered as I gaped at the Hounds of Hades, hardly believing they were there. Why the fuck are they here?
The truck pulled to a stop sideways before the house and the hounds got out, not even trying to hide behind the vehicle. They roared wordlessly as they fired on the Host, who shot at them through windows. Gage remained on the truck, but Gideon and Garret approached the house with their big guns and even bigger attitudes. Gage swung his gun around on a metal stand, and I glimpsed white writing on its side—Erect-Gun.
I made a surprised little laugh. “Fucking Gage.”
“Those bastards!” Jake growled.
I looked over and saw that it wasn't Jake. He turned and looked at me, then he grinned.
I ran, but it didn't matter. Michael wasn't chasing me in Jake. He abandoned that body and slammed into me as a ghost. I stumbled into the hallway, then Michael steadied me. He chuckled and straightened my dress.
“So, they came for you—their bitch,” Michael said in a deep voice that shouldn't have come from my body. “That means they'll leave for you too.”
He took me downstairs, then navigated the chaos casually, moving around people who ran from room to room. The sound of gunfire grew louder and louder.
Then Jake grabbed my arm. “Stop! I don't know what you're planning, but—”
Michael slammed a hand into Jake's chest and sent him flying down the hallway. Jake hit a wall, slid down it, and didn't get up.
Jake! I screamed inside my head.
“He's fine,” Michael muttered as he turned back toward the front of the house. “Calm yourselves!” he shouted at the Host. “I will handle this.”
People noticed us then. They drew back. All but Silas, who stepped forward.
He looked me over, then snorted a laugh. “It's about time you did something intelligent.”
“Fuck you, you piece of shit,” Michael growled. “I'm doing this to protect myself, not you.”
Silas laughed. “Sure. Whatever you say, Michael.”
Then Silas handed Michael a megaphone. I watched my hand wrap around the handle and then we went to a window.
Silas shouted, “Ceasefire!”
The Host stopped shooting. The hounds did not.
Flicking the megaphone on, Michael lifted it to my mouth and called out in my voice, “Stand down. I'm coming out.”
The gunfire instantly stopped.
Michael tossed the megaphone aside, then held his hand out to one of the Host. “Your gun. Now!”
The man passed us a handgun.
Gun in hand, Michael opened the front door and strode onto the porch.
“Indigo!” Gage cried and jumped out of the truck.
The Hounds of Hades ran for me, but as they did, Michael lifted the gun to my forehead. They jerked to a halt.
“Oh, fuck,” Garret said.
“No,” Gideon growled. “You fucking bastard!”
“Hello, Helena Cerberus,” Michael said. “It's nice to finally meet you, face-to-face, as it were.” Michael chuckled. “Now, I'm assuming you didn't bond with this bitch because if you had, you wouldn't have succumbed to Silas's little spell.”
“Fuck!” Garret shouted.
What spell? I demanded.
Michael didn't answer me. He was too busy taunting the Hounds of Hades with, “You should have seen Indigo's face! Oh, the poor little orphan girl, abandoned yet again. She's got some serious issues. It's fucking hilarious. Silas couldn't have picked a more perfect plan to get her back.” Michael laughed. “It fucked her up so badly that she couldn't decide whether to sink into despair or let the pain consume her. Oh, and the pain! When I'm in her, I can feel it. It's excruciating. Mmmm, so delicious!” He shuddered dramatically. “It's like I'm feeling your pain. Is that what your bond is like?”
“I am going to tear you out of her and take you straight to Hades himself!” Gage roared as he leapt forward.
But the other two grabbed Gage as Michael laughed scornfully.
“That's right. Listen to your packmates. They know I'll blow this bitch's brains out before you get close enough to grab me. And then I'll just jump back into Jake.” Michael grinned. “Now, as I was saying; I assume you didn't bond with her since you succumbed to that love spell. And if you're not bonded, then Indigo here isn't immortal. She won't survive a gunshot to the head.”
“I'm going to take you to the Underworld just so I can fucking tear you to pieces over and over again, you fucking coward!” Gage shouted as Gideon and Garret continued to hold him back.
All three of them were wearing tactical clothing and draped in ammunition. They looked like something out of an action film. They also looked amazing—muscles bulging beneath their black shirts, expressions fierce, and so fucking masculine that it made my ovaries whimper.
Yes, I was checking them out while a ghost held a gun to my head, and my men went wild with fury. Because they were mine again and the sheer joy and shock of that was enough to make me a little crazy, but in a good way. I don't know exactly what had happened, but it sounded as if they'd been tricked. I'd been tricked too. That blonde waitress wasn't their mate! They hadn't forgotten about me in seconds. It was a spell. And that spell must have worn off because here they were, ready to tear the place down to get me back. They probably wouldn't, but that didn't matter to my heart. It surged with joy and hope.
It was the most romantic moment of my life.
“It looks as if I've finally got the hang of this,” Michael said. “I need to capture a Cerberus mate before she's mated to her hounds, and then I can hold you fuckers off indefinitely!”
“If you hurt her in any way, I will—” Gideon started to say.
“What?” Michael cut him off. “You'll what?” He laughed scornfully as Gideon scowled. “You'll do nothing! You can't fucking touch me now. Even when I'm in Jake, I’ll be standing right beside Indigo. One move and I'll take her. And I don't need a weapon to fuck this bitch up. I can destroy her mind in a heartbeat. Then I'll give her back to you as a mindless toy. Or maybe I'll keep her and let Jake play with her. He's already had a go with her earlier. You should have seen them together. So hot!”
All three hounds roared in fury and pain. I screamed along with them, trying to break through Michael's hold to tell them it wasn't true.
“Now, get the fuck off this property or I will shoot your mate in the head,” Michael said. He leaned forward and drawled, “Indigo is your mate, isn't she? Come on, you can tell me. It's kinda obvious.”
“She is,” Gideon said. “And as such, she is under the protection of every Cerberus on the planet and the Lord of the Underworld. You have just made a grave mistake, ghost. When we take you back—and we will catch you, even if it takes gathering all the Cereberuses on the planet—Hades is going to personally oversee your torture.”
Fear. It shot through me, but wasn't mine. Michael was afraid of them, even when he was using me as his shield. But he wouldn't let them see it.
“Bring them all here,” Michael said. “All you'll gain is a larger audience for the murder of your mate.”
“And then you'll have nowhere to flee, you piece of spirit shit,” Gage said. “We won't stop until you're back in the Underworld, chained to a fucking rock.”
“I always have somewhere to go, and you fucking dogs are always hunting me,” Michael said. “Nothing new, boys. So, are you going to leave, or do I have to give this bitch a lobotomy?”
“Indigo Darling, we love you,” Garret said. “We will get you back. Don't be afraid. You'll be home soon.”
“Aw, how sweet,” Michael drawled.
But as Michael scorned them, I rejoiced. Those words freed me of my past, of the weight of repetition that I thought I couldn't escape. They proved to me that I was worth loving, and that I could give love without it turning to shit. Life could change for the better and stay that way.
“You won't have her for long,” Gage vowed.
Gideon only stared at me. Hard. A vow passed from him to me, and I caught it with my heart.
Then the Hounds of Hades calmly got in their truck and left.