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“Oh, fuck me.” Lex's hands clenched into fists.

“What happened next?” Cyrus asked.

I finally focused on them and the memory's claws withdrew a little from my mind.

“I was fast.” I grinned, but it felt shaky.

“I danced across that bridge, those heads coming down around me, smacking the crystal.” I twitched.

“I can still hear the sound of it. Like a gong. Ringing hollowly.” I cleared my throat.

“I distracted the monster while Wren ran. She was almost there.” Again, the emotions hit, but this time it wasn't about Wren.

It was about me. Fear but also love. I loved Wren enough to give up everything for her.

And I felt the full force of that love again as I spoke.

“Then my luck ran out. The hydra got me. It bit my leg and pulled me off the bridge. I remember dangling above blue water. It was so clear that when my blood hit the water, it made these pretty swirls,” I trailed off, lost for a second, and then felt Lex's hand on mine. I blinked. Refocused. Looked up at him.

His steady gaze helped me continue.

I wet my lips. “She called my name.”

Aggie! Wren's scream tore through my mind. She turned back for me. The dumbass was going to waste my sacrifice.

Lex squeezed my hand.

“I told her to live well for me. Wren told me she loved me. She was crying.” I swiped at my face, realizing that I was crying in the present.

Shit. I hate crying for real. Tears should be hidden or faked.

After dashing away the damn things, I said, “She would have come back for me.

She started to. But another head bit my arm, and I screamed at her to run.

It's the last thing I remember before I woke up in the Blessed Isles.”

“Aw, cher.” Cyrus handed me a handkerchief. “That really is an awesome thing. You won a place in the Blessed Isles because you sacrificed yourself for someone you loved. There's no greater act than that.”

“I thought you were being, well, arrogant when you said you and Wren were friends.” Lex rubbed my upper arm. “I couldn't see how a soul could be friends with the person they possessed. But you really did love each other.”

“Still do,” I whispered and dabbed at my face. “I told you. We're tight. She's my girl.”

With a growl, Jake pulled me into an embrace. “You did well. I'm proud of you.”

What a thing to say. That was arrogant, wasn't it? Who was he to be proud of me? And yet, they lodged deep inside my heart, those gruff words. They didn't feel arrogant. They felt nice. It was very nice to know that someone was proud of something I'd done.

So, I nuzzled in against Jake, both of us sighing, and dried my tears with Cyrus's handkerchief.

Those last few moments of my previous soul-life had been harrowing.

With my physical body, I could truly feel the emotions tied to those moments, and I didn't like it one bit.

The fear and the pain. The feeling of wasted lives.

So much time down the toilet. Yeah, that's right.

In those last moments, when I watched Wren make it across the bridge, I envied her.

She had something worth being brave for.

Someone worth dying for. Even better—worth living for.

Did Ace and I have that in my past? If we had, I couldn't remember the feeling of it anymore, and I certainly hadn't remembered it in the Underworld, when I was being torn apart.

You'd think that would have been the time to remember it.

Getting torn apart by a hydra should have been the end of me.

If your soul dies, you don't get another shot.

There's nothing to give a second chance to.

But self-sacrifice is its own type of magic.

The power of my act brought me back. Hades probably assumed it was his magic, but I'm not so sure.

I think some things are beyond even the Gods' control.

Great love and great sacrifice are among them.

Singly, they're impressive, but together, they're enough to bring a sundered soul back to life.

“Salina?”

I flinched upright, shoving off Jake's chest with a ridiculous feeling of guilt.

After all, Ace was playing me. I shouldn't have felt guilty to be caught canoodling with another man.

And I wasn't even doing anything. But there was something between Ace and me.

My soul felt a debt to his. Did I love him?

I must have back then, but it wasn't love now.

Not yet. It needed more time, possibly to remember.

Refresh. And we wouldn't have that time unless I killed Silas.

“Ace?” I looked up to find him on the sidewalk, as close to our table as the waist-high divider allowed him to get.

Ace looked amazing, of course. It was as if the sunlight followed him, creating a halo.

Ugh. How perfect since he was now a part of the Host. Had Silas told Ace he was a god?

Had he lured him over to the dark side by convincing him the Hounds were evil?

Maybe Ace thought he was fighting a holy war—a soldier on the side of good.

It's all about perspective.

All three hounds started to growl, snapping Ace and me out of our staring contest. With wide eyes, I looked at the hounds, amazed that they were doing something so abnormal in front of Ace.

But then Cyrus spoke. “Well, if it isn't Silas's lapdog.”

Ace blinked.

I thought it was kind of amusing that a hound was calling another man a dog, but I was too shocked to say anything. I mean, sure, we knew that Ace knew they weren't human, but he thought they were monsters. Acting this way would only confirm that for him.

Ace scowled at Cyrus. “Excuse me? Do I know you?”

“Can the act, Romeo,” Lex said. “We know he got to you. What did he tell you? That we're demons from hell?”

Ace looked from the men to me.

I stared back at him. “They can tell when someone's been brought back by Silas.”

Ace blinked. Then, suddenly, his whole demeanor changed. “Do you know what these men are, Salina?” he hissed.

“Yes. They're the Hounds of Hades. They're here to protect humans. They hunt down escaped souls and pull them out of possessed people. They clear haunted houses and they even guide confused souls to the Underworld when necessary. They keep the balance. They're the good guys.”

“Is that what they've told you?”

“No, that's what I know. I've met Hades, and I've been to the Underworld, Ace. So, I know exactly who they are. I've seen them in action. Hell, I've been their target.”

“What?” Ace gaped at me.

“I'm unique, baby.” I smirked. “I remember my past lives. I even remember the time I escaped the Underworld and possessed someone. It was a Cerberus who took me out of Wren and sent me back to where I belonged.”

“You're insane.”

“Really? You're going that route? Well, listen to this—in one of my past lives, we were lovers. That's why you feel such a strong connection to me.”

“You remember that?” Ace whispered.

I blinked. My jaw went slack. Then I shot to my feet. “ You remember that?”

Ace cleared his throat and glanced at the hounds. “I have dreams. Salina, you—”

“What happened to me?” I interrupted. “Was I murdered?”

Ace drew back, his expression horrified.

“Ace, in your dreams, was I murdered? ”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“There.” I waved my hands at him. “Now, do you believe me?”

Ace looked at the hounds again. Back at me. “Silas says you're their mate. That you're evil too.”

I snorted a laugh. “I can be a real piece of work, I'll give you that. But I think calling me evil is a bit extreme.”

Jake grunted.

I lifted a brow at him.

He stood up and took my hand. “You're good.”

My lips acted all on their own, curving up into a goofy grin.

“Dear God, they've seduced you,” Ace said.

I looked over at him. “I'm going to get you free of Silas. I promise, Ace. Just hold on a little longer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Silas is the one who—”

Jake jerked on my hand, then shook his head.

“Who what?” Ace demanded.

“He's a bad guy, Ace. A god, yes, but not the God. He's tricking you.”

“I need to go,” Ace muttered.

“Ace!” I called after him. “Ace!”

“Let him go,” Lex said, watching Ace leave. “He needs some time to process what you've said. Telling him about your past was a good call.” He looked at me. “Well done, Salina. Maybe you can sway him.”

“You're okay with that?” I looked from Lex to the others.

“Ace is a human, and that puts him under our protection.”

“Unless he does something to threaten you or us,” Cyrus added. “But we don't want him hurt just because he had a thing with you in the past. He seems like a nice enough guy.”

Jake grunted, but it didn't sound like he was agreeing. More like conceding.

And was I seriously interpreting Jake's grunting? What the fuck?

I let go of Jake's hand and sat down. “So, Ace thinks he's fighting for God.”

“Maybe.” Jake sat down.

I looked at him.

He shrugged.

“What? Did you sense something? Smell something? What is it?”

Jake shrugged again.

“Yeah, you're right,” Lex murmured.

“Right about what?” I nearly shrieked. “He didn't say anything.”

“There's something off about Ace,” Cyrus said.

“You mean beyond the whole getting murdered and brought back to life by a god thing?” I rolled my eyes.

“Yes.” Cyrus exchanged a scowl with the others. “I can't figure it out. He doesn't feel like the others. He's different.”

“Maybe you're sensing the bond between us.” I know that was kind of mean. It just popped out.

All three of them started growling again.

The server chose that moment to check on us.

“Oh, uh, I'll come back!” She backed away, then turned and bolted.

“Good job.” I shook my head.

They instantly stopped growling and looked contrite.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered. Then I grabbed another beignet.