Page 109 of Vipers and Vendettas

‘This is Fluffy,’ she announces. ‘I met him here last time, and he finds me whenever I’m close by. He kept me safe when I was commuting through the Veil over the last few months. He’s such a good boy!’

All I can do is stand there and shake my head, incredulity like an avalanche covering everything else in my mind. ‘Holy shit, Jules. Do you even know what that thing is?’

‘Sure, I do,’ she says brightly. ‘He’s the goodest boy who wants scratchies!’ she coos at the monster that starts wagging its tails again.

She looks back at me again while she pets the massive beast and proceeds to give it ‘scratchies’ behind the ears and under its chin while it stretches under her ministrations and makes groaning noises.

‘Can’t you just make friends with a regular dog or something?’ I mutter, running a hand through my hair while I watch her pet a creature that could kill her in a few seconds. ‘I mean, why does it always have to be deadly monsters, Jules?’

‘What can I say?’ She shrugs and then raises a brow. ‘The monsters like me.’

‘Touché,’ I mutter with a small smile.

‘Oh, no!’

The concern that vibrates through the threads that link us has me by her side instantly, my heart beating fast.

‘Is it the baby? What is it?’

‘There’s blood on his paw.’

I let out a long breath of relief. ‘Probably from his last kill,’ I mutter.

‘No, look.’ Jules hefts up one of the large paws. ‘He has a gash there. It looks deep.’

‘He’s a hellhound, Jules. He’ll be fine.’

The breast stands up and Jules lets go of his paw as he gives himself a shake and walks over to the other side of the alley to nuzzle through some garbage.

‘He’s limping!’ Jules exclaims. ‘We can’t just leave him here. What if it gets infected?’

‘I don’t think hellhounds get infections,’ I start, but Jules turns on me.

‘Do youknowthat for sure?’

‘Well, no, but?—’

‘Can I take him home?’ she asks, giving me what I can only describe are puppy dog eyes. ‘Just ’til he’s better?’

‘Jesus! No, Jules! This thing? In Maddox's house? Are you kidding?’

She sighs, looking back to her beast that’s now limping heavily down the alleyway as if it’s been listening to us.

‘But look at him.’ She sounds close to tears. ‘I don’t mean in the house, but maybe in the woods or the maze?’ She turns back to me, looking hopeful. ‘Maddox said the maze was the weak link in the security system. Maybe Fluffy could be a guard dog just until he heals, and then we could bring him back here.’

‘The maze will probably disappear or kill him, babe. They call it the Murder Maze for a reason.’

She makes a noise of dissension deep in her throat that’s akin to the sound Krase makes when he doesn’t agree with something I say, and I rub my eyes. I can’t believe I’m even entertaining this. But it’ll make her happy, and I know Siggy’s death hit her a lot harder than she let anyone see.

‘The maze is just another monster that likes me,’ she says confidently. ‘I’ll explain to it what’s going on.’

‘Okay,’ I say almost inaudibly, but she still hears me, and her face lights up.

‘Really?’ She throws herself at me, kissing me hard as I stagger back at the force of it.

‘Yes,’ I say when I am able to extricate myself from her enough to speak. ‘But it’s either the woods or the maze. If he comes in the house, Maddox will lose his shit, and best case scenario, he’ll make you bring him back.’

‘Deal,’ she says quickly. ‘How do we get him there without Maddox seeing him?’