“Lineage tracker spell?” I shoved the final items into my Gucci backpack and slung it around my shoulders.
“You have Hyperion's bloodline within you. Even if it’s diluted, it should be enough for Hound to find where they’ve hidden his remains.”
I hugged my arms across my chest. “What happened to me getting to take a nap?”
Cronus shook his head. “No time, you took too long of a shower.”
Rolling my eyes, I handed him my finger. “It better just be a tiny pinprick this time.”
Cronus nodded. “Something like that.” He pulled out his giant magical sword and brought it to my finger and I had a flashback to the volcano.
“Everything will happen quickly once he gets the scent, so hang on,” he told me, handing me a white hotel towel, seemingly to staunch the blood after he cut me.
I held my breath and looked away. The slice was quick and sharp. I sucked in a breath and waited for whatever came next. When nothing happened, I popped my eyes open and gasped.
“What. The. Fuck. Hound?”
Arcs of deep red magic were casting off of Hound’s body and hitting the ceiling and walls.
“Just a little underworld magic. Nothing to worry about,” Cronus assured me.
Hound was … in a trance or something. He was panting, mouth half open and eyes wide.
“Ready?” Cronus asked me.
I was scared to answer, and I definitely wasn’t prepared when Hound lunged forward andlickedmy blood.
“Ewww!” I yelped, just as Hound howled in pain.
“Let’s go!” Cronus yanked me into his lap and then placed a hand on Hound’s head, and everything started to spin. If my life hadn’t been such a mess lately, I’d have been afraid at this point. But it was so normal now that I barely even flinched when my entire body blasted away into space, slamming down in a new location.
Cold slammed into me and I popped open my eyes to see Cronus looking down at me, head covered in snow.
“What were you saying about warm clothes?” he asked with a small smirk.
Fuck. Why did he always have to have the last word?
“I’m tougher than I look,” I lied, because I was so not tough at all. “I can handle anything.”
He regarded me for a long moment, and then his eyes darkened. “I believe that,” he murmured, breaking the eye contact to turn back to Hound, checking him over.
Meanwhile I was standing there wondering if maybe I’d be the one to beg, because Cronus was killing me. Slowly. Piece by piece, he was taking my soul, and soon he’d own all of me.
#Fuck.
