Chapter 13 – Soren
SOREN
Iwant to punch something, to break something, to shatter these walls into a million pieces. As Kage leans casually back on the couch, watching me pace, I have the unexplainable desire to direct every ounce of my anger at him.
“You made this deal with the god,” I accuse.
He shrugs his massive shoulders. “So?”
“And now you’re fucking our neighbor?”
The thought has everything inside of me boiling. He did this to us. He put us in this position, where if we fail to catch the hellhound, we’ll have the punishment of a god. And all for a mate.
And then the first time he sees a pretty woman, he fucks her.
But not just any woman. No, that would be too easy. He fucks the mouthy, arrogant neighbor. The woman with long legs, a firm ass, and the face of a goddess.
Doesn’t he realize that we don’t have time for this? That we don’t have time for a distraction?
“There’s more to it than that,” he begins.
I cut him off. “Do I look like I fucking care? We have a task from a god to complete!”
The fact that Kage looks so damn pleased and relaxed ticks me off even more. Didn’t he see the woman hit me? She even accused me of needing to get laid.
Horse shit!
I’ll show her just how much I don’t need to get laid.
An imagine forms in my mind of taking that woman to my bed. I’d pin those wrists of hers above her head and press my big cock so deep inside her that she’d see the heavens. I’d give her pleasure unlike anything she’d felt before, and leave her aching for my cock.
Gone would be her arrogance and her fucking attitude. She’d become a simpering woman on her knees, sucking me like she’d never touched another man before. I’d grab that long hair of hers and keep her sealed around me, the head of my dick firm in the back of her throat.
Fuck. I realize I’m hard. Panting. Not just from anger but from arousal.
I do not need to get laid. I just need to finish this task, get out of this place, and get the mate we’ve been promised. But someone needs to tell my treacherous dick that!
“I was attacked last night.”
My gaze jerks to Kage. For the first time, I see all his bandages. I was so infuriated, finding him with our neighbor, I hadn’t even noticed.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my chest feeling tight.
He nods sharply. “They’re dog bites.”
“You faced the hellhound?” I ask, my legs feeling unsteady.
Suddenly, all I can imagine is Kage alone, being attacked, and us not there to help him. I never imagined this mission of ours was dangerous in any way other than that we could tick of Hades.
He shakes his head. “I was attacked by something else. Beasts not of this world. Creatures capable of hurting me, even in my stone form.”
“What?” I go to the couch and sit down beside him. “That’s impossible.”
He looks away from me, and his bravo fades. “I think I would have died, if not for—“
“Died?”
He nods.
It’s impossible. “But someone helped you?”
He glances up slowly. “My memories are a blur. I’m not sure if it was the blood loss, or something else, but they’re… scrambled. Flashes of moments. Of pain.”
“But you remember someone?” I press.
He holds my gaze. “The hellhound. I think… I think it killed the dogs that were attacking me and brought me into town. Close enough that our neighbor found me.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “How is that possible? What we know of the hellhound is that it has three heads, that it’s covered in fire, and that it’s dangerous as hell. Why would it help you?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if my memories are right.”
I fall back against the couch. If Kage’s memories are right, there’s more than just a hellhound out in those woods. And the beasts are capable of hurting us.
The part about the hellhound helping him… well, that seems more like some screwed up memory from his injuries. But he was hurt, one way or another, and I doubt he’d be alive today if those injuries came from the massive beast we were hunting.
“So, what do we do now?” I ask.
Kage is quiet for a long minute. “We change our plan. Speaking of which, where’s Draven?”
I shake my head, sighing. “He’s in the worst mood I’ve ever seen him in. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him.”
Silence stretches between us.
I clear my throat. “So… how was she?”
“How was she?” he repeats, sounding confused.
I feel my irritation grow. “The neighbor. How was she?”
Suddenly, he looks frustrated. “We didn’t fuck.”
I’m shocked by the relief I feel. “Why not?”
His gaze locks with mine. “She thought I’d need time to heal after my attack.”
I laugh at the frustration in his gaze. “I guess you couldn’t exactly tell her you were a gargoyle who heals quickly.”
He sighs. “Unfortunately.”
I’m feeling a little happier as I stand. “Well, why don’t you shower and get dressed. I can check out your wounds and make sure they’re healing well, and then we can go look for Draven and figure out a new plan.”
Kage rises but hesitates in the living room. “You know… Hades doesn’t need to give us our mate right away.”
I raise a brow, surprised by his foolishness. “We don’t want to give a god any reason to renege on our deal.”
“But I don’t mind this human town. I actually think we could stay here for a while. Maybe even get to know the people better.”
“Kage… if you wanted to date humans and live a normal life, you should’ve thought of that before you made this deal. Now we have to focus on it. We can’t get distracted. The gods are capable of some awful things. Things we don’t want to experience.”
Kage’s shoulders sag, and he rubs the back of his neck. “I guess you’re right.”
Suddenly, we hear the key in the lock. A second later, Draven storms in.
When he sees us, he slams the door. “So, you finally found the wandering asshole!”
“He got attacked last night.”
Some of Draven’s anger fades, and his gaze goes to the bandages on Kage. “You okay?”
Kage nods. “A beautiful woman nursed me back to health.”
Draven glares. “You’re lucky she stuck around. Some women just have amazing moments with men and take off.”
Kage and I exchange a look. I glance back at Draven, surprised. “Want to talk about it?”
He shakes his head, back to glaring. “Definitely not.”
I’m about to ask more questions when the air in the apartment changes, and every instinct within me screams to life.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” The cold, slimy voice comes from our couch.
I turn and stare at the man in the black robe. Instantly, I know who he is: Hades. He has the air of a god. A power that seems to swell around him. Even with his dark hair messy, and anger radiating in his red pupils, he could only be a god.
And him being here? It terrifies me.
Because gods are cruel, selfish creatures. And we were foolish enough to make a deal with the worst of them.
“Hades,” Kage greets. “Meet my Brotherhood, Draven and Soren.”
“Where is my hellhound?” He asks the question, drawing each word out.
We exchange a look, but it’s Kage that answers. “We’re still searching for it.”
“Disappointing,” he says, tapping his fingers on his knees. “Very disappointing.”
“We just need more time,” Kage tells him, and there’s a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
The tension in the air grows, and at last Hades glances at us once more. “I blame myself for this. I had thought the reward would be enough to keep you focused, but a god of the Underworld knows better how to… motivate people.”
He stands and moves across the room, before stopping in front of Kage. Every muscle in our bodies tense, ready to battle. Even if we have no chance against a god.
Hades smiles, a hideous little smile. Then his hand shoots out and plunges into Kage’s chest.
Kage’s scream tears through the room.
I try to launch toward the god, but I’m frozen in place. Held by magic. Magic that keeps me from saving my brother.
This can’t be happening!
A second later, Hades pulls a beating heart from Kage’s chest. Only, it isn’t quite his heart. It’s a glowing, thumping echo of it. And it stinks of dark magic.
Hades holds it in his hand, turning it slightly to make sure we can see it.
“This is one of the many powers of Hades, God of the Underworld. This is your soul, Kage. Or at least, a link to your soul. Each day I am without my hellhound, I will siphon more and more of your soul away. By the night of the celebration, I will have all of it, and you will enjoy a kind of death you never imagined. An immortal one, as my servant in the Underworld. Tick tock, my sexy gargoyles.”
Instantly, he disappears, and Kage crumbles to his knees, grabbing his chest. His mouth hangs open, his expression frozen in a look of pain I’ve never seen before.
I rush to him and kneel down. “Kage…”
He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head.
Draven is on his other side in an instant, and our gazes connect.
I knew this would end badly, but I never imagined this.
Now, whether Kage’s memories of the hellhound were real or not, we must catch it. And return it to Hades. It’s the only way.
My thoughts start to spin. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
“How can you say that?” Draven asks, his tone desperate. Frightened.
I clench Kage’s arm. “Because we’re done waiting to track down the beast. We’re going to set a trap, and we’re going to save Kage’s life and get our mate.”
But when I speak, I’m not just trying to convince them, I’m trying to convince myself. Because I’d do anything to save Kage’s life.
Even something completely stupid.