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16

BAD TIMING

JARED

F uck but it was good to have my girl back.

I was so damn happy I could have easily forgotten where we were. But of course, there was always some fucked up way to remind us of the shit we faced, our argument being no different. Or should I say, the reasons for it. Because the second that fucker Tyr, God of arseholes, had the nerve to want to dance with my girl, I had lost my shit.

Shit Ella hadn’t appreciated me losing.

Of course, I could understand it. As like she pointed out, she had been through a lot, and having me acting like an animal, marking my territory, hadn’t helped. Not that this meant I could stop myself, fuck no, the guy was getting punched regardless. And like men, we had fought without using our powers to aid us. The big bastard had even got a few good hits in, making me spit out blood and grin like some crazy fucker at him.

In fact, the only thing that stopped the fight was Lerna, who had shouted to me that Koro had found an intruder in the camp. My panic at letting Ella storm off, quickly replaced my rage that had been centered on the Viking. Making my head snap up and call her name.

I felt like a fucking fool when finding that, once again, her protection had been left to others… and that fuck Orson, no less. Something she had every right to be pissed at. Oh, and didn’t my girl let me know about it, not putting up with my shit for a second.

But then this was one of the many things that I loved about her. That she wasn’t afraid to call me out on my shit and pull me up on it. She didn’t fear me when most did. Something that proved incredible when I had turned into my true self, allowing her to see the real beast… Cerberus.

Her bravery had been astonishing, as most would have run screaming at the very sight. But not her. No, she had trusted us both and tamed that side of me like no other.

The second I had heard the battle in the distance, I had lost that piece of myself that made me human. Not a shred of it left, apart from my mind locked behind the bars of my Beast as he took over completely. Which left me with no control and barely anything more than an outsider looking in.

His eyes, like a window to all that was happening around me, just left me feeling helpless to do anything but worry for the woman I loved. But as the HellHounds escaped our wrath, the fuck Garmr, with them, I was then left waiting for her to emerge from beneath us.

The sight of her would have brought tears to my eyes before I was allowed back into my mortal vessel. The magic that bound us, reversed so as he disappeared back to the soul of me. A simple touch was all it had taken, and I was there, finally able to pull her into my arms.

And now…

I just had to find a way to keep her there.

Starting with torturing information out of a prisoner. Which was why, after I did as my Fated had requested, enjoying every second I got to make a meal out of her, I left her sated and asleep. My brother was already with Marcus, waiting outside for me.

“Guard this tent, allow no one inside, I won’t be long,” I told them. My brother nodded and replied, “We got this, go.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder as I passed, headed to where the prisoner was being held. Asher, Tyr, Koro, his sorceress Sorina, and now fucking Orson were all there watching him.

“What have you discovered?” I asked, seeing now that the prisoner had been moved to a cell made from one of the buildings that remained intact. It was just minus a roof, but with the prisoner chained to a metal hoop on the floor, he was going nowhere. A glance through the bars showed me he had already been beaten, making me grit my teeth. I wanted to be the one to hurt the fucker!

But then, I also wasn’t going to complain at how I had spent my time. Not with Ella’s naked body writhing beneath me, with my lips locked to her sweet, delicious pussy.

“It’s not good,” Koro replied, making me tense.

“His intent was to use a snake bite to sedate Ella so as she wouldn’t be able to fight back in the oncoming battle.”

Once again, I gritted my teeth so hard, I could have bitten through metal.

“Garmr doesn’t know she lost her powers?” I asked, making him shake his head. “And what of this battle?” This question was aimed at all of them.

“It’s true, as on my way here I saw his army headed in our direction,” Orson added with a grim expression.

“Fuck! But this is not giving us enough time,” I bit out.

Koro’s face said it all. His light olive eyes darkened as his lips thinned in an expression of concern.

“What are their numbers?” I asked Orson, as clearly, the fucker was on our side now.

“Far greater than our own,” he replied, his own brown eyes narrowing when glancing back in the direction they would hit us from. It was the same road we had taken to get here, which had open fields on each side and would provide the ideal battle ground if we had the numbers. Something we didn’t have.

“Then I have no choice, I am going to have to try and get Ella away from here, as we can’t let him take her,” I stated, my hard expression showcasing my resolve.

“I agree, and if Garmr knows she is no longer here, he will retreat as he will want to conserve his numbers for the greater battle ahead,” Koro agreed, giving us insight to what type of leader Garmr was. Some would say strategic. I, however, would call it cowardly.

“Yes, but without first knowing where this great battle will take place, we can’t amass our own numbers, as we need to let the other Kings know so they can bring their own forces,” I pointed out, thinking of Dom and Lucius who would have their own legions to aid us. And we also needed Clay here, who might have a chance at reclaiming his own army back, and therefore leaving Garmr with nothing but his HellHounds.

“Then I suggest we take the fight to Garmr when the time is right… once we know where in the realm he is hiding,” Koro suggested, making me nod.

“Any ideas where that is likely to be?” Tyr asked, making the gypsy sigh in frustration.

“I have a few ideas, yes, but that doesn’t help our current situation,” Koro replied.

“Sorry if I am pointing out the obvious here, but why can’t we just get Ella back to the mortal realm, in the one place we know Garmr can’t cross over to?” Orson asked, as clearly, the bear shifter had some catching up to do.

“Ella has been bound to this realm and can’t leave,” I told him, clenching my jaw.

“But Garmr doesn’t know this,” Koro added.

“That might be so, but it still limits our options,” I gritted out, knowing that the one place we could have taken her to ensure her safety had been her sister’s temple. As much as I fucking hated the idea, it would have at least given me the chance to chase this fucker down and kill him whilst knowing Ella was safe.

“Asher and I will get her to safety,” Tyr said, making me snarl,

“No fucking way.”

Asher released a sigh whilst Tyr just shook his head.

“You saw what happened back at the village of Ananke in the Asphodel Meadows. We all saw how the HellHounds responded to you. You are an army all by yourself, Jared, but you can’t fight the whole time with her beneath you, for she could easily get hurt,” Koro pointed out, making me shake my head.

My voice coming out hard and even as I told them,

“I am not leaving her.”

“Then we are left to fight without any chance of winning, which in the end, will all be for naught if she is taken after our deaths,” he replied, making me want to punch him. But not because I knew he was wrong… because I knew he was right.

“And if we win, only to find we have failed if she is taken regardless of our victory, what then, Koro?” I threw back, the very idea near too painful to even think about.

“Then at least we all live so as we are in the fight to get her back. But she has no power, which means whatever plans he had to use her, will give us time to amass the army we need to aid us in retrieving her,” Koro replied, making me shake my head again, telling him once more,

“I can’t leave her.”

“But you must.” This came from a voice behind me, and I tensed, knowing what I would find when I turned around.

“You should be asleep,” I accused, glaring now at Orthrus and Marcus who had obviously had to chase her here, as there was no stopping the woman when she got something in her head.

“And you should be including me in my own future,” Ella threw back in return.

“I am not leaving you, so there is no discussion,” I stated firmly.

“Answer me this, do you have more chance at winning this thing if Jared stays and fights as his HellBeast?” she asked everyone, like I wasn’t even fucking here.

“Ella,” I warned, that admittedly did fuck all.

“Yes, we do,” Koro replied, making me shoot daggers at the gypsy fucker.

“I am telling you, it’s not fucking happening!” I snapped before storming off, no longer able to listen to this shit without losing it completely. Meaning this time, it was Ella who ended up chasing after me.

“Save it, Ella, I am not listening to it!” I warned, seething.

“So, I don’t get a choice, is that it?” she argued, making me whip around to face her and say,

“No, you don’t!”

“Ah, so it’s alright for you to save me but I can’t save you and everyone else… is that it?!” she argued, making me roll my eyes.

“Now she’s getting it,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Jared, wait!” she shouted when I continued to walk away. “We have to talk about this,” she tried, making me shake my head and keep walking.

“No, we don’t,” I told her, trying not to verbally lash out at her in anger. But she wasn’t making it easy.

“If this is because it’s Tyr, then…”

I slashed a hand down, cutting through the air and hitting her with the truth.

“No, this is because of being out of my fucking mind with worry this whole time being without you and now…”

“Now what?” she asked softly, but I stopped myself from admitting the reason…

That I wasn’t strong enough to cope.

“Tell me, baby,” she said, now taking my hand and talking to me so tenderly that I swear it was like being weaved in fucking magic.

“Now I can’t go back to that, okay? It nearly fucking broke me, Ella, and I am not doing it again. Too many fucking times have I nearly lost you, too many times I have had you taken from me!”

Her expression gentled, her beautiful big green eyes looking up at me in that way was nearly too much to bear.

“But this time I have not been taken from you. This time you will know where I am and that I am safe,” she argued, making me turn my face from hers, unable to withstand the power of her soft gaze anymore. Not without caving and giving her anything she wanted. Anything she asked me for. Because she was my one weakness, and I would do anything in my power to make her happy…

Anything but give her up.

“And how the fuck can I be assured of that, Ella?” I asked, walking away from her once more. But not before I saw her wince, because she knew as well as I did, that she couldn’t promise me that. Which was when she made the painful point,

“And how can you be assured I will be safe even if I do stay?”

I paused in my steps, wincing internally as I closed my eyes, thinking back to trying to fight against all those HellHounds in the cabin.

“It’s like they said, you can’t fight as Cerberus with me tucked in between your legs the whole time, and there are too many of them to fight without him. Your beast is needed in this battle, Jared, and I will just be a distraction. You will be too focused on me to fight the way you would with me not there.”

I had no response to this, as anything that came out of my mouth to argue against it would be a lie. Because she was right.

I would only be focused on her.

Which is why I turned and quickly grabbed her to me.

“I can’t let you go,” I told her, my emotions making my voice thick and hoarse. I felt her hands in my hair, holding me to her.

“But you’re not letting me go, baby,” she told me softly, making me sigh into her. Because I knew she was right, and I fucking hated it.

“I only just got you back,” I told her, squeezing her tighter because I couldn’t help myself. The idea of being separated again was too agonizing to bare.

“I know, I know,” she whispered, framing my face and kissing me as tears filled her eyes. Something that told me I wasn’t the only one struggling with this, as I knew this wasn’t easy for her. But she wanted to do the right thing and I couldn’t help but admire her for that.

I was so fucking proud, I just wished I had the time to show her. Yet I knew the army was on their way, and it was far bigger than the one I had faced as Cerberus. I knew this, or Garmr would have used his summoners to create portals to bring them here instantly.

But I also knew that this would have drained their powers significantly and wouldn’t have been sustainable for long enough to bring through all his HellHounds. Which was why we hadn’t found ourselves fighting their collected souls. They couldn’t do both, and the souls wouldn’t have been able to get to Ella. Not when he still believed she had her powers. Because the myth had been that the Summoner Queen could control all. Which meant fighting with them would have only added to Ella’s own army. And after seeing Ella in action, I could believe it to be true.

Because of course, Garmr didn’t know what we knew.

But surely after today’s fight, he would soon start questioning why she wasn’t using her powers. Which was when I made my decision, hoping… no, fucking praying … that it didn’t backfire on me.

“Alright, let’s get you somewhere safe,” I finally forced myself to say, making her pull back and look at me from where she had her head against my chest.

“I don’t like it, but you’re right, with you here I won’t be myself in a fight.”

She nodded as the first of her tears fell, making me wipe them away with my thumbs. Gods she was so beautiful, she made my heart ache just looking at her.

A heart that I knew would soon become…

Incomplete.