“Damn it, Garret! Will you just shut the fuck up for five minutes?” Gage snapped.
“Sorry,” Garret muttered and shut up.
“We'll tell you about it after,” Gideon said to me. “Finish what you were saying, Indie.”
“You collect souls,” I murmured. Garret didn't have to finish what he'd been about to say. I remembered now. He said that Michael was an escaped soul and there were guardians who went after people like that. Or souls like that. Dead people. Whatever. It was starting to make sense, pieces falling into place. Eager to hear more, I went on, “Okay so, I've been here for a couple of weeks now. I'm sure Garret told you about what I've witnessed, so I won't go into that. Let's get back to today, after I met Garret. When Jake and I got back, Silas pulled us into his room for a talk, and that's when he said I'd make a perfect spy. He correctly assumed you'd take me in.” I motioned to Gage for his patience. “Silas asked me to find out about you. Learn your secrets. He especially wanted to know your weaknesses. And he even implied that I should try to kill you if I could.”
Gage started growling. Like a dog.
I stared at him.
“Gage!” Garret smacked his shoulder.
Gage's face twitched, but he stopped growling. “It sounds as if we can't trust you, Indigo.”
“All right,” I said. “I was trying to be honest, so you would trust me, but I understand. Don't tell me your weaknesses, if you even have any. Frankly, I don't want to know. I only asked if you could die because I was hoping you couldn't. That would have reassured me. And just to be clear, this wasn't a setup. Jake . . .” I took a shaky breath and ran my hand over the front of my shirt—which was now knotted and pulled tight enough to cover everything. “It wasn't Jake. Well, he started it. But, uh. Oh, fuck.” My hand rose from my chest to my face.
Someone took my free hand. I opened my eyes to see Gideon leaning across the table, looking like the angel Michael was supposed to be.
“I trust you, Indigo,” Gideon said. “I can feel your truth. You don't have to tell us what happened tonight. It's all right.”
Oddly enough, that gave me the strength to speak. I squeezed Gideon's hand and said, “Thank you. But I have to say this. It feels strange now. Distant. As if it happened to someone else. I can't allow that. I need to accept it so that I can move past it.”
“Just tell me who tore your shirt,” Gage growled.
“You still want to avenge me?” I asked in surprise. “Even though you don't trust me?”
“Trust can be earned. The lack of it doesn't change the fact that we feel something for you. And that feeling could mean that you're our mate. Regardless, you're a woman, and I've already told you I don't tolerate people who assault women.”
“You feel something for me?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“It's not something we can explain,” Garret said. “We . . .” He paused to look at the other two. After they nodded, he went on, “We feel what each other is feeling. Gid and Gage felt my powerful attraction to you. It's more than physical, Indie. There's something between us. Do you feel it at all? Maybe just a little?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Being around you calms me. I feel safe. Is that what you mean?”
“It's promising.” Garret beamed at me.
But then I went on, “What if I'm not your girl?”
Garret's grin vanished.
“Either way, you needed to get out of there,” Gage said. “We promised the Spokane Cerberus that we'd look after you and Jake. So, we would have offered you—”
“Hold on,” I interrupted. “You promised who, what?”
“The Spokane Cerberus was dealing with Michael before he came here,” Garret said. “There are Cerberuses all over the world, several in each American state.” He held up his hands. “You've told us about Silas's plans. Now, we'll tell you who we are.”
“We're guardians,” Gage said. “The original Cerberus was one pack of three men. Three shapeshifters created and joined by Hades to protect the Underworld from invasion and escape.”
“So, have souls always tried to escape the Underworld?” I asked.
“Yes,” Gideon said. “There are even Greek myths about it. Despite the original Cerberus guarding the Underworld, more and more souls escaped. Hades made more Cerberuses to not only serve as guards but to also collect the escaped souls. Souls are not meant to roam the world. They must be strengthened and reborn. It's a cycle, you understand?”
“Strengthened and reborn? Reincarnated, you mean?” I asked.
“Yes and no. The purpose of the Underworld isn't just to punish or reward. It's also to strengthen weakened souls. When a soul sinks into evil acts, it's weakened by them, loses a little ofits light. Punishment strengthens the soul enough to be reborn and try again.”
“Punishment strengthens souls? What would happen if a weak soul was reborn?”
