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“He's there!” Lex's shout was followed by the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs. He appeared in the living room doorway seconds later. “Come on! Silas just showed up at Ace's house. We gotta go now!”

I got up to go with them, but Jake pushed me back down onto the couch with a “stay there” stare.

“What the fuck?” I smacked his hand away and stood up. “I'm going.”

“Please,” was all Jake said.

It was enough.

“Fuck!” I flounced back onto the couch and crossed my arms over my chest.

Jake's expression softened. “Thank you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

“You'll be safe here behind the ward,” Cyrus said. “Don't leave for any reason, Salina.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Salina!” Jake growled.

“I know!”

The hounds ran out of the room. Moments later, I heard them drive away.

I let out a frustrated breath. I knew they were right.

It was better for me to stay there. I'd be a distraction at best. I didn't have any magic that could help them.

Maybe I'd already done my part to unmask Silas. Maybe this was it.

But something shook in my chest, telling me it was far from over.

I got up and went to the kitchen. Looked in the fridge.

Couldn't even eat. The shaky feeling traveled down to my belly and wasn't conducive to keeping food down.

I went back to the living room and stared out the window.

Was I really going to be that woman—standing at the window, waiting for her man to return? Or, in my case, men.

Then I saw him. Ace. Well, I saw his car pull up to the gate.

It was a long way off, but I could recognize a Rolls from a greater distance than that.

And although I couldn't see his face, when the driver got out, his height, build, and hair color gave him away.

It was definitely Ace. He was shouting and waving his arms about.

“Why the fuck are you here?” I muttered as I went to the front door.

I felt safe enough to go to the gate. The entire property was warded, so it wasn't as if Ace could climb over the gate and grab me. I snatched a set of keys from the holder near the door and went out to the garage. I wasn't about to walk all the way to the gate in heels. Screw that.

Hitting an unlock button on the key fob helped me find the car it went to—Lex's Lexus. Yes, I think he bought a Lexus just because of the name. Still, it was a nice car. I got in, started her up, and drove down to the gate. Ace stopped shouting when he saw me coming.

I parked and got out. “What are you doing here, Ace?”

“Where are your friends? I need their help.”

“They're . . . not here. What happened?”

“Fuck!” Ace tried to grab the gate but was repelled, his hand bouncing back. “What the hell?”

“It's a ward.”

“A what?”

“Like an invisible barrier. It's magic.”

“Right. Magic.” He grimaced. “I'm so fucking sick of this.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“Silas just took my house.”

“What?”

A yip came from the car. Bruno. Seeing him softened my heart. Ace obviously had to make a quick escape, but he still didn't leave Bruno behind. He was a good man, no matter what Silas had done to him.

“He took my house, Salina. He's got all these people coming to live there. They're soldiers. Silas said he needed more room. His house was getting crowded.”

“The Host.”

“Yeah, them.” Ace ran a hand over his face. “I don't know what to do. It's not as if I can call the police. I thought your friends might be able to help me.”

“So, you don't want to fight for God?”

“He's not God.” Ace sighed and sat on the hood of his car. “You were right. The things he says. Does. He can't be God. Not the god I was taught about.”

“He's a god. One of many. Not even the most powerful.”

“Salina, he brought me back from the dead.”

“I know. That's how he binds people to him. I'm so sorry, Ace. We're trying to help you.”

“ Can they help me?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“They're going to kill Silas.”

“He says they can't.”

“I'm sure he says a lot of things that aren't true.”

Ace snorted. “Yeah.” He straightened off the hood. “I guess I have to go back then.” He looked at Bruno, then at me. “Salina, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you take Bruno? I'm worried that Silas might use him against me.”

“Oh, Ace,” I whispered. “Yes, of course.” Then I paused. Would the ward fall when I opened the gate? Surely not. It was magic that guarded the property, not the gate.

Ace didn't notice my hesitation. He was too busy calling Bruno out of the car. The puppy came bounding out, then sat there, looking up at him. Ace crouched to pet him. I went to the gate controls and opened the double iron gate.

“Okay, boy. You're going to stay with Salina for a while. She'll take good care of you.” He picked the puppy up, hugged him, and turned to face me. “I'm sorry. I wasn't able to bring any food with me.”

“What does he eat?”

“Any puppy chow will do. Maybe some wet food, if you could.” Ace swallowed roughly and hugged the dog. “I love you, Bruno. You're gonna be safe now.” He held Bruno out to me.

I reached for him.

Ace let go too soon.

“Bruno!” I dove for the puppy.

Ace dove for both of us.

I felt something tingle over my skin and then I was in Ace's arms, with Bruno held tightly against my chest. I looked up to thank Ace for catching me. Then I saw his eyes. They were glowing.

“I'm so sorry I had to deceive you, Saliha.”

His eyes and words registered too late for me to react. We were already moving.

And not in the way humans move.

I gasped, but it was interrupted—put on pause as Ace took me down a path mortals couldn't travel. I finished the inhale in a completely different location, Bruno still held in my arms. And Ace was still holding me. Except that he wasn't Ace, was he?

I jerked away from Ace and set Bruno down.

The puppy stared back and forth between us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that we were in a beautiful room, twice as large as the bedroom the hounds had given me.

There was a fucking fountain in the center of it.

Bruno wandered over to it, climbed onto the rim, and lapped up the water.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“I'm sorry for the theatrics, Saliha. I had to get you past the ward so I could bring you here, where we can talk without being disturbed.”

“Who. Are. You?”

“I'm Ace. The same man you met in this life and in your past life.”

That made me pause. “You can't be. Ace is human, and a human couldn't have done what you just did.”

“I'm not human. I have never been human, Saliha.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Don't you find it amusing that the name you chose for yourself in this life is so close to the one you bore in your first life? You are and always will be Saliha. My love.”

I backed away. This was some crazy stalker shit. I didn't find it romantic anymore.

Ace held up his hands. As he did, he got better looking. His hair and skin shone with something more than health, his eyes turned metallic gold, and his body grew a little, muscles thickening as he gained a few inches in height. This was the real Ace.

“I would never hurt you, Saliha. I love you.

I have loved you for centuries and searched for you in every life you've lived, always finding you too late.

I've gotten close a few times, but every time that happened, you were snatched away from me.

The last life you lived, as Agnes, I was just a day away from joining you at Louis' court in France. Then you disappeared. I tracked you to New Orleans. But again, by the time I got there, you were gone. I had just located you in Virginia when you were murdered.” He stepped closer.

“Someone takes you from me every time ,” he growled the last two words.

“Who?” I whispered.

“Hades.”

Shock rolled through me. Hades? Fuck. It made sense.

It all made sense. For some reason, Hades didn't want me to be with Ace.

So, he murdered me whenever Ace got too close.

But when I wound up in the Blessed Isles, Hades must have realized that I'd have an edge in my next life.

The souls in the Blessed Isle got to choose a gift if they decided to go back for another round of living.

Usually, it was magic. And if I had been born with magic, I could have protected myself.

So, Hades made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Reborn in a mature body with all of my memories intact so I could remember Wren. But in exchange, I had to give up magic and bind myself to his boys. I have to admit it was brilliant. It kept me weak and away from Ace without the mess of murder.

But why?

“Who are you?” I asked again. “Why would Hades want to keep us apart?”

“I don't know why he does it. I only know that the first time you were taken from me, back when you were Saliha, I came home to find you dead, in my father's arms. He had tried to protect you from Hades, but Hades was too powerful.”

“Your father?”

“Apollo. He's my father.”

I swayed on my feet. Apollo. The very man Hades said was backing Silas.

Well, maybe Apollo had a good reason to hate Hades.

And the crow? The flowers? Hades must have sent them to implicate Apollo.

One god framing another. But again, why?

It's a lot of effort just to keep two people apart.

It could be anything. Gods live forever, and that gives them a mighty long time to develop grudges.

“You're Apollo's son?” I asked.

“My name is Asclepius. I'm the God of Medicine.”

“Medicine,” I whispered. “Asclepius.” Things bumped around in my brain. “Wait. Are you . . . ?”

“I am also the god the Hounds of Hades pursue. I wear a mask that I call Silas.”

“Silas. Ace. Asclepius. Right. They're all pieces of you. Okay.”