“I did.” His eyes flashed as they met mine. “Do you have a fucking problem with that?”
I raised an eyebrow at his hostility. “Just an observation.”
He smirked with satisfaction.
“So,” I said. “Do you want to talk about why you—”
Kharon slumped over and fell onto the shower floor. Water splattered on his naked sprawled form as steam rose.
He was out cold.
I sighed.
Thirty minutes later, Alexis and Kharon were dry, warm, and asleep in the middle of the bed.
I’d given them each a shot of purified adrenaline mixed with an insanely expensive sleeping agent. It was the newest Olympian technology and there’d only been two vials in the medical kit. It would send them into a light healing coma, but they’d wake up almost fully healed.
Afterward, I’d sprayed a healing mist on all their wounds, the Rod of Asclepius golden on the sides of the container, signifying it was Olympian medicine. Finally, I’d wrapped them both in fresh bandages and placed them under the covers.
Taking my time, I tucked the covers under Alexis’s toes and legs, just like Helen always liked.
I tossed the other side haphazardly over Kharon.
He snored, wrestling a pillow from my hands in his sleep, and then he turned over, wrapping his arms around Alexis. He held her like he was afraid someone was going to take her away.
Poco clambered up onto the bed. His gray fur was still wet and plastered to his little form, and he was shivering.
“Come here,” I said, and he held up both his hands like he wanted to be picked up.
I obliged.
After another thirty minutes in the shower, this time scrubbing Poco’s fur with shampoo until he was clean, I wrapped him in a towel and sat him on my lap, then brushed him in long strokes until he was fluffy.
When I was satisfied he was clean and I dry, I carried him back to the bed. He looked up at me, black eyes wide and trusting, as I raised the corner of the blanket up for him.
He snuggled under the covers, chittering with contentment as he wrapped his little black hands around Alexis’s neck.
I tucked him in with only his little gray ears peeking out, just like he preferred.
Satisfied that everyone was taken care of, I quickly stripped off my clothes and scrubbed myself clean as fast as possible.
Rushing, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants stashed in the bedside table, then I dug through my discarded clothes, found the two loaded Spartan guns, and tucked a sheathed dagger into my waistband.
With guns in both of my hands, I leaned back against the front door. Eyes wide, mind alert. If anyone tried to mess with the lock, I’d feel it immediately.
No one was getting inside.
Not under my watch.
I stood guard as Alexis, Kharon, and Poco slept peacefully in the bed. Head fuzzy with exhaustion, I ignored the aches in my body.
On the floor, the hellhounds were curled together around Fluffy Jr., the lump on his back quivering.
Some beasts underwent molting transformations, but none looked remotely like he did.Another mystery.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
I counted the rise and fall of Alexis’s chest, watching every breath she took as the candles burned low.
