Page 24

I thought Hades had done well with my place.

Ha! The Hounds didn't have a house. They had a fucking palace.

One of those old plantation homes with a tree-lined driveway and parkland around it that would have been sugarcane fields if the owners hadn't been hounds.

And it was in New Orleans. In the city! That was beyond rare.

Most of the homes like that in New Orleans were the type that offered tours to the public. The Hounds did not offer tours.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Those boys had been there before me. They established themselves early, buying property and marking their territory as only three alpha shapeshifters could.

And you didn't have to worry about ghosts in this plantation house.

The room they moved me into was on the other side of the house from the first one.

It had a view of the back gardens. No balcony.

There was a balcony right beside my room, centrally located outside the house, but it was off the living room.

It wasn't your average second-floor perch either.

That balcony had Greek columns soaring up two floors to support the roof and enough space for two sitting areas and an outdoor kitchen.

As I said, this wasn't a mere house but a palace. We're talking stone construction, a grand staircase between wings, enormous windows, tall ceilings, and a fucking fountain in the center of the back garden, near the gazebo. I could hardly believe we were still in the city.

The furnishings were an eclectic mix, obviously gathered over many centuries and scattered throughout the place without care for keeping those centuries segregated.

I hate to admit it, but I loved it. I loved seeing the mix of time periods that created its own style.

I even felt a kinship with the house. All those years jumbled together inside it.

Hard to keep them straight. Why even try?

There was beauty in the carefree nature of it all.

The kitchen was a chef's dream but with one of those antique stoves that people pay thousands for new versions of. This was an original that had been altered over the years. I was shocked to see electric and induction burners instead of gas.

“Why not gas?” I waved at the stove.

“We don't want flammable materials running through the house,” Lex said.

“Bad idea.” Cyrus shook his head.

Instead of grunting, Jake went to the fridge, grabbed a can of Coke, and offered it to me. I saw this as an improvement and decided to reward him.

“Thanks.” I popped the can and swigged. Yes, my thanks was the reward. “Damn, I needed that. What did you dose me with?”

“Chloroform mixed with a little magic.” Lex shrugged. “Had to make sure it worked on you.”

“Unbelievable.” I went to the butler's pantry—a massive thing full of dry goods set in orderly rows—and searched the shelves.

They had a lot of junk food, which I approved of now that I didn't have to worry about my weight.

But they also had the staples. It was enough for me to conclude that they could cook.

At least one of them could. I grabbed a bag of Nutter Butters—the wafer kind (my opinion of them improved when I saw that)—and opened it as I left the pantry.

Since all three hounds were huddled in the doorway watching me, I had to shove them aside to get out.

They didn't seem to mind.

I took my soda and cookies outside to the back porch and stared at the gardens that seemed to go on forever in all directions.

The hounds came up on either side of me.

Tucking the open bag under an arm, I broke off a piece of wafer cookie and went down the steps to wander through the garden.

My prison guards came with me, but they stayed behind me, letting me lead the way.

I crunched on my snack and inspected the flowerbeds.

Palace of Versailles, it was not, but I liked it.

And no, I've never been to Versailles, but I've seen pictures.

This was not a palace garden. It was an explosion of nature barely contained.

Several heights of plants crowded flowerbeds defined by low walls.

Those walls were necessary. Without them, the plants would have taken over.

As it was, only the beds ran wild. The rest of the garden was neat as a pin, with slate walkways leading to sitting areas like the gazebo and the bench under the magnolia tree where I sat down.

I pulled up the hem of my skirt, stuck my Coke between my knees, and began eating in earnest. The men joined me, looking at each other before taking up posts on either side and before me.

“Move!” I motioned at Jake, who had stood in front of me. “I'm trying to enjoy the garden.”

He growled but shifted to the side.

“Do you like it?” Lex asked and sat down next to me.

“It's very nice.”

“Very nice!” Cyrus huffed. “It took years to establish.”

“It's very nice,” I repeated in a duh tone. “I like it. I like my garden better.”

“You don't have as much of a garden.”

“No, but it's full to overflowing. I love that. I love feeling as if I'm in a jungle. This is spaced out. That's nice too, but I like my place better.”

“You are not keeping that house,” Jake growled.

“I change my mind. I like you better as a grunter. Go back to being Geralt.”

Cyrus chuckled.

“This is your home now,” Jake went on, shocking his packmates. He came to stand in front of me. “You don't need that house.”

“Oh, yes, I do. Where else will I go when I get mad at you?”

“You will not go anywhere! If we argue, you stay and we fix things.”

“Cause you do such a bang-up job of fixing things between us?”

Jake growled/roared and stalked away, further into the garden.

“Was it something I said?” I munched happily on my cookie.

“I don't see a problem with her keeping that property.” Lex watched Jake go, then looked at Cyrus. “It might be helpful to have two locations to work out of.”

“You are not working out of my house.” I pointed a cookie at him.

“Fine.” Cyrus held up his hands and walked away. “Whatever you want, Salina. I need a fucking break from you.”

Two men down. One to go. I looked at Lex.

Lex shrugged. “I'm good with the attitude. I like sassy women. Bring it on, baby.” He reached over and pulled an entire sheet of wafer cookies out of the bag. “You wanna see my room next? I have a stash of snacks.”

I snorted a laugh. “No, thanks.”

“Come on.” Lex stood up and nodded toward the house. “I'll show you our office. It's kinda awesome.”

Oh, yeah?” I got up and wandered back to the house with him. “You got a bat cave or something?”

“Nah, but we have a secret room hidden behind a wall where we talk to Hades.”

“A Hades safe room? That is intriguing.”

“Did you want to talk to him?”

“Not really.” I rolled my eyes. “If I do, I'm going to be very disrespectful, and he might have to murder me.”

Lex chuckled. “He won't hurt you. Hurting you means hurting us.”

“I just heard you say that I can mouth off to Hades with impunity. Is that right?”

“I mean, I wouldn't go testing it, but if you do lose control—like you do with us—you don't have to be afraid or anything.” He winked at me.

We got to the back of the house, but Lex went in through a different door than the one we had come out through. It led us into a gym. And this gym had some unusual equipment. I went to inspect a weight bench that looked sturdier than others I'd seen. Instead of rods for legs, it had columns.

“Normal weights don't work for us.” Lex tapped a stack of massive metal discs to the left of the bench. “We had to get these specially made, then a bar that would hold them, and a bench that would hold all of that.”

“Why do you have to work out? Don't your bodies stay the same no matter what you do?”

“Sure, but we want to be as strong as possible. Working out improves what Hades gave us.” Lex tapped the bar set across the bench. “You wanna give it a try?”

“No, thanks. Hades didn't make me as strong as . . .” I trailed off.

“What is it?”

“Hold on.” I went to the bench, put down my soda and cookies, stood behind the head, and grabbed the bar with both hands.

I knew that the bar alone had to weigh at least a hundred pounds.

If I could lift it, it would mean that the immortality Hades gave me came with some bonus super-strength.

I pulled on the bar. It didn't budge. “Son of a bitch!”

“It's all right. You don't have to be strong. You've got us.”

“That's exactly what occurred to me just now.” I pointed at him.

“Hades could have given me strength. He should have.

But he didn't. He's just like every other man—he wants to keep me weak.

Make sure I can't run. Take away my options.” I pushed his chest. “Make me reliant on you three.” I spun away cursing, “Motherfucker! I'm so sick of alphaholes!”

“Whoa now. Ease up, Wonder Woman.” Lex came around the bench.

“I don't know why Hades didn't make you as strong as us, but maybe it had nothing to do with keeping you weak.

It might not have even occurred to him. He only made us strong because we need that strength.

And, please, for the sake of the gods, stop judging us by what other men do.

Just because a few of them mistreated you, it doesn't make us all bad.”

“No, it doesn't.” I went calm, very calm.

“Okay. Uh, good.”

“I learned that from Ace. He's a good man. He proved that to me. So, yes, I know not all men are dogs, but you three definitely are. You've proven yourselves to me too. Just not in a good way.”

“We may be dogs, Salina, but we're not bad.”

“Well, you know what they say. All good dogs go to Hades. So go on then.” I grabbed my drink and cookies, then walked out of the gym.

Chuckling, Lex followed me. “I don't think that's the line, but if you're trying to tell me to go to hell, I applaud your creativity.”

“Why are you so unshakable today?” I stopped and faced him.