Page 95 of Bride of Death

“Trust me,” I add, causing Sera to look between us.

Her lips curl a little when Pip nods.

I almost stop to stare. Because fuck, she’s beautiful.

I’ve known this since I first laid eyes on her. Yet the attraction feels more potent now. Morereal.

I should not have pinned her against that wall.

It’s fucking with my head.

Giving myself a mental shake, I continue until we reach a specific set of columns. There’s nothing noteworthy about them; the entire corridor is decorated in these skull-adorned pillars. But this is where the enchantment lives. I recognize it, as I’ve lived here for a very long time.

However, I impart some wisdom to Sera so she can find it more easily until she memorizes the path, too. “This is exactlynine pillars in from the stairwell,” I tell her. “That number doesn’t really mean anything except that I used to count every time I went back to my room. Because this is where the divide occurs.”

Her nose scrunches. “Do I need to do something special to go the right way?”

I shake my head. “No, you’re already precoded with access based on your aura.” That’s not exactly how it works, but it’s the best way for me to explain it. “So the second you pass these pillars, you’ll automatically be in Hades’s wing.”

She frowns. “Then the pillars being set number nine doesn’t really matter, right?”

I cock my head, considering. “No, it… still matters.”

“Why?”

“Because the first thing that’s going to greet you when you pass through these pillars is probably going to be growling and have three heads.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“It’s fine. They won’t hurt you. Just try not to run, though, okay? Howl, in particular, is really fond of chasing.”

“Howl?” she repeats, sounding incredulous.

I just nod, then step through the enchantment and sigh when Ossa growls at me. “Hello to you, too, princess,” I drawl.

She bares her teeth.

Meanwhile, Howl and Mort yip excitedly and force their big body to move right for me.

Only, they freeze when Sera tentatively moves through the threshold.

Her eyes round upon seeing the three-headed beast, and she promptly backs up and out of view.

I follow her and see Pip waiting nervously on the other side.

It’s a strange sensation, slipping between the barrier, which I guess is more of aveil, but I do it anyway so I can see and hearSera. “They won’t hurt you,” I repeat gently. “They’re basically Hades’s familiar. And he can’t harm you, so they won’t either.”

The look she gives me is filled with disbelief. “What in the thorns is that thing?”

My lips twitch at her use ofthornsin that sentence. She’s fucking adorable.

“It’s a dog,” I tell her.

“That thing isnota dog. It’s a wolf beast!”

I shrug. “Okay, I can agree with that description. But at least you know where the Cerberus legends come from now.”

She blinks at me. “Cerberus?”