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“I’m faster than a horse,” Kurgan said, puffing up his chest.

“We have to move fast,” I said, feeling bad for her, but there was no other choice.

Sutton took her hand.“I know it’s a lot to ask.All of this has been a lot, but Jagger won’t let anything happen to you.None of the males will…especially not Kurgan.”

She lifted her chin and nodded.She was a strong female, stronger than I thought she was, and brave.

Kurgan shifted, exploding into his huge beast, and it was easier than I’d seen him shift in a long time.With shaky hands, Lenny gathered his clothes, and when Kurgan lowered for her to climb up, she did without much hesitation.Thank fuck.

We strode from the building, and the rest of us shifted.Sutton grabbed everyone’s clothes and climbed on my back.

“Grip on to Kurgan’s fur.It won’t hurt him,” she said to Lenny, then we took off, exploding through the forest.

Sutton

I clung to Jagger as he tore through Hell.Kurgan ran beside him, Lenny pressed low, gripping on to his fur with white knuckles.

We’d ridden hard for a long time and had left the forest a while ago.We were now high on a cliff above a river that glowed red.

Jagger slowed, and Lothar made a low chuffing sound ahead.Jagger returned it with one of his own.They’d seen something.

Beelzebub must be close.

Jagger dropped to his belly and reached back with his snout, touching my leg, telling me to climb off.He made a series of throaty sounds to Brick and Kurgan and used his snout to give me a shove toward them.

I did as I was told, standing beside Brick as Lenny scrambled off Kurgan’s back, but she stayed close to him.

That’s when I heard the snarls.

We all turned, looking across the wide chasm to the other side of the river.Beelzebub had a chain fisted around his massive hand, wielding a whip with the other.A hound with pale gold fur was attached to it.He growled and shook his head wildly, fighting with everything he had.He was smaller than the other hounds I’d seen and finer boned.A pup?It had to be, but he was strong, and Beelzebub was struggling to control him.

Jagger leaped ahead of his brothers and sped off.There was a bridge ahead, and Jagger tore onto it, his brothers following, running at full speed, toward the demon lord on the other side.

Beelzebub saw them and a gateway flashed opened behind him.

“Holy shit,” I choked as he tried to drag the hound toward it.

The smaller hound dug in his paws, his claws scratching the stone.With a roar, Beelzebub flung the hound against the wall, then yanked him toward him, gaining some ground.

Jagger and his brothers were closing in, snarling and growling with bared teeth, determined to save the hound and drag the lord back to Lucifer.Beelzebub roared again and, biceps bulging, dragged the hound closer, then he threw out a hand, aiming for the bridge.The hounds leaped as the black ropes at one end gave away.Jagger, Rome, and Loth made it, but the massive demon lashed his whip at Fender, knocking him back.He fell, barely catching the edge of the cliff.

Lenny grabbed my hand.“Oh no.”

Rome shifted and dove for his brother, but it was too late.Fender fell, plummeting into the burning river.I screamed and rushed to the edge, watching as Fender was washed away—as something huge and scaled thrashed in the water and went after him.

There was nothing they could do.Rome bounded off the ground and raced to help Jagger and Lothar.The small hound was still fighting for his life.Jagger leaped for Beelzebub, and the demon had no choice but to let go of the chain attached to the small hound and dive through the gateway, escaping.It instantly snapped closed after him.

Lothar tore off along the cliff, I assume going after Fender, while Jag and Rome approached the small hound.

“There’s another bridge a couple miles that way,” Jagger called across.“We’ll meet you there.”

Brick gave me a nudge and lowered to the ground.I climbed on his back, and we took off again.I looked back as Rome approached the hound, hands raised, then we rounded a corner and I lost sight of them.

Brick and Kurgan sprinted along the cliff, and I searched the river below for any sign of Fender and Lothar.When we rounded a corner and the next bridge came into view, I sat a little higher, frantically looking for any sign of life.

I saw Lothar first, then I saw Fender.He was lying on his back, panting hard.Loth stood as we approached.I jumped off Brick’s back and rushed to Fender, calling on my magic so I could treat him, and dropped down at his side.“Oh gods.I thought you were dead.”I searched his body, hovering my hand over him, down past his hips, to his legs, and flinched.The right one stopped just below the knee and was perfectly cauterized.My gaze shot up to his.“Your leg.”

He gave me a pained grin, gritting his teeth and shaking.“There’s more than a few bitey things in that river, babe.”