Page 2 of Tricky Princess

Did he say anything about our powers? Garm growled.

“No, he only laughed and said, ‘Good luck getting to the princess.’ Then I stabbed him so he couldn’t utter another word.”

The princess? Garm questioned. Why would he call her that?

“He was probably trying to piss me off,” Ros growled. “Using my nickname for her.”

Billy gave Garm a look before walking closer to Ros.

We have an idea. She nudged him, forcing his hand away from his face.

“If it’s killing more demons”—he looked down into her amber eyes that glinted at his comment—“I’m in.”

She had hunted beside him a few times. Not only did her anger match his, but she was utterly bloodthirsty. He had come to realize that she could be ridiculous as much as she could be deadly.

No, she scolded. Well, we can always kill more demons. I’m talking about the road to Hel.

“The road to Hel is fucking blocked.” What did they think he’d been doing this whole time? “Garm and I cannot enter Hel.”

You can’t enter your usual way. I’m talking about a literal road to Hel, Billy said.

Ros stared down at the beautiful beast; she looked so serious. All he could do was laugh, a deep, hoarse laugh. “That’s a myth,” he choked out. “If there was a road to Hel, why wouldn’t people hop into their cars and try to visit those they lost?”

“Try” being the key word. You couldn’t disturb a soul who had found peace.

You ignorant idiot, Billy snarled.

She’s right. Garm stepped in before Billy could snap at him again. The road is as old as time and as old as the Gods. It’s a journey, one you can’t drive, and at the end there is a gate to Hel.

Ros stared at the two beasts. He had heard about the road but never thought it was real. Why would he? Until now, he hadn’t needed any other way to get into Hel.

“How hard could it be?” Ros asked.

Hard, Garm answered.

“Why?” Ros shook his head. “We were born in Hel. We should be able to get in easily.”

This road doesn’t follow the same rules.

I’ve taken it many times, Billy said with a distant look in her eyes. It won’t be fun, but we can do it.

“Let’s go!” Ros yelled, trying to stand. “What are we waiting for?”

Garm rushed to him, but it was too late. As Ros stood, his long legs tripped over themselves, and his large body crashed to the ground. He groaned into the wooden floors and burped unceremoniously.

“How about you sober up first?” came a gruff voice from the door frame. Sam slowly walked up to Ros with his nose pinched between two fingers. His sharp features and angular eyes softened as he took him in. “And shower.”

Devon leaned against the door frame; he and Sam had walked in with no one noticing. Devon looked as rough as Ros, cleaner, but he still had that hollowed look in his eyes. His usually bright blue eyes were cloudy, and his rich skin was pale. They were all looking and feeling rough since his father had walked out of the shadows and taken someone they cared about. Devon had been reading day and night, trying to find ways to get to Ellea. He’d even gone as far as contacting his family to see if they had any idea on what to do. They didn’t, and neither did the books he read. Ellea was in Hel, and it seemed the only way to get to her was this road Garm and Billy spoke of.

Devon cleared his throat and pushed off the wall. “Sam, take Ros up to shower.”

Sam looked up at his boyfriend, appearing slightly shocked by the sternness his voice carried. “And what are you going to do?”

“Billy, Garm, and I will talk about the plan to get to this road,” Devon said, walking toward the desk and crossing his arms. “And then to get to Ellea.”

“How much did you overhear?” Ros mumbled into the floor.

“Enough,” Sam and Devon said together.