Rage is breathing hard. He looks disgusted. His eyes are dark and narrowed. In spite of the grim memories my words revive, my heart beats faster at the thought of Rage touching me. I feel a tightening in my belly. I feel the need to squeeze my thighs together. I get this ache. I never felt this way with Gaire. I didn’t mind the intimacy, but I preferred the cuddling and kissing after way more.
“We’ll figure this out,” he says. “You shouldn’t have to sleep with anyone.”
“There is no other way, and we’re running out of time.” I sound panicked. Blood rushes through my veins. I’m putting good men in harm’s way. There’s a part of me that knows I should leave, but where would I go? What would I do? “He’s hunting me now…as we speak.”
Rage’s phone starts to ring, startling me. I’m on edge. He silences the device. “We should get Death involved. He would know what to do. I’m sure he can give us information you—”
“No!” A punch of adrenaline goes through me. “He’s Gaire’s half-brother, and I told you, he’s not to be trusted.”
“Can we set a trap for Gaire?”
“What kind of trap?” I don’t think Rage gets it. “There’s only one other way. That’s if you release all of your powers when you go up against Gaire. Give him everything you’ve got.”
I watch the blood drain from his face. Then his eyes harden. “Innocent people die when I lose control…because that’s what you’re asking me to do. Lose control. I can’t! I won’t! Not to save you or anyone…not for anything.”
“I understand.” I sigh softly. “I think I should go now.”
“Go?” He frowns. “Where to?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I’m being silly. There’s nowhere to run to. Thing is, if I stay, Rage and Tri will get hurt. More than just hurt. Gaire will kill them when he finds us. I don’t want their blood on my hands. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
“It does matter! You asked me to help you. I agreed. Let me help you,” he says to me.
“There are two ways you can help me. Have sex with me or let your powers loose on Gaire when he arrives here.”
Rage’s phone rings again. He makes a noise of frustration and declines the call.
“If you aren’t willing to do either, then I should leave.”
“Where will you go? What will happen to you?”
“I don’t know where I’ll go. I’ll just have to keep running in the hopes that Gaire doesn’t find me, because if he does…” My heart is pounding. My hands feel clammy.
“What will happen if he captures you?”
I swallow thickly. “I would have to eventually give in and follow Gaire’s terrible orders, or…I would have to kill myself.”
“That’s drastic.”
“I don’t want to die, but I also don’t want to hunt and kill innocent people. Finding souls who are destined for the Underworld is one thing. I was fine with that. We’re not exactly talking about model citizens here. Gaire enjoys the torturing and killing a little too much. He has a particular appetite for human women. I don’t want to be a part of any of that. I won’t!” I say, feeling my eyes prickle, so I blink a couple of times. Crying won’t help. “I also can’t stand by and watch you get yourself killed.”
His phone rings a third time. He looks down. “No one ever phones me. This is the same number trying me for a third time.” He picks up. “Yes!”
“Hi, is this Mr. Rage?”
“Yes,” he says.
I recognize the voice. “It’s Gretchen from the Newfolk Animal Shelter. Someone just arrived claiming that the Doberman belongs to him. He had pictures to prove it. I have to say, the dog looked very much like your Mochyn.”
“I ran into him,” Rage says. “He’s mistaken. The dog doesn’t belong to him.”
Gretchen breathes out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear it. I didn’t like him much. He gave me a bad feeling.”
“Thanks for letting me know, Gretchen. I appreciate it.”
“I gave him your number,” she says. “I take it he called.”
“Yes,” Rage is frowning heavily, “it’s all sorted out.”
“Oh, good.” They say their goodbyes.
My heart is going nuts. He’s on our trail. “It won’t be long before he finds me.” I jump to my feet.
12
Rage
I watch all the blood drain from Nia’s face. She jumps up and starts walking.
“Where are you going?” I ask, following.
“I need to leave.”
“Don’t you mean ‘we’?” There was a time not so long ago I would have been thrilled to see the back of her. I would have pushed her away. I’m not feeling any kind of relief or happiness now.
She shakes her head. “No, I mean just me. You stay here. You can tell Gaire that you got rid of me. Make something up. You can possibly delay him for me?” She glances back over her shoulder. I see fear in her eyes. I can scent it on her.
It makes my blood fucking boil just thinking about what that asshole did to this beautiful woman. She’s petrified.
“Gaire is a demigod. Tri and I can take him. I’ll take him on my own.”
“Not if you hold back. You’re going to get hurt. He’ll kill you, Rage.”
“What’s going on?” Tri asks as we walk into the living room. “That was quick…too quick.” I see him sniff the air. Asshole’s brain automatically goes to sex.
“I’m leaving.” Nia pulls in a breath. “Rage is staying here with you.”
“What happened to having sex with one of us? I thought you— Holy shit!” Tri’s eyes widen, and he gets this look. My shirt lands at my feet.
My shirt.
Wait. What?
It’s the shirt I gave Nia to wear. Which means… I turn to her as she starts to pull down the sweatpants. I punch Trident in the face. The pervert is ogling her.
“Stop.” I grab the shirt. “Wait…don’t.” But she’s already shifting into her dog form. The back door leading to the patio is open. Taking long, graceful strides, she bounds outside past the huge-ass pool onto the lawn.
Trident is groaning. I hear him clamber to his feet. His nose trickles the tiniest bit of blood. I should have punched the fucker harder.
Nia – in her dog form – stops in her tracks. I see her hackles go up at the same time as I see him. Gaire. He appears seemingly out of thin air. “Shit!” I mutter.
“Is that him?” Tri asks, wiping blood off his top lip.
“Yes.”
Tri shrugs. “He doesn’t look like much.”
“Don’t be fooled. He’s the son of Hades and can make himself invisible.” I quickly fill Trident in on the most important areas of concern.
“Oh…shit!” Tri mutters.
Gaire says something to Nia. He is commanding her to go to him. I see her body stiffen. He commands her again, this time pointing at the ground in front of him. She lifts her head in clear defiance. The hairs on her back are standing straight up. She snarls at him. Then she falls onto the grass; her body is convulsing. Her eyes have rolled back. Her tongue is lolling from her mouth. She’s whimpering. The sound grates on my every nerve.