“She is,” Gideon said. “And as such, she is under the protection of every Cerberus on the planet and the Lord of the Underworld. You have just made a grave mistake, ghost. When we take you back—and we will catch you, even if it takes gathering all the Cereberuses on the planet—Hades is going to personally oversee your torture.”
Fear. It shot through me, but wasn't mine. Michael was afraid of them, even when he was using me as his shield. But he wouldn't let them see it.
“Bring them all here,” Michael said. “All you'll gain is a larger audience for the murder of your mate.”
“And then you'll have nowhere to flee, you piece of spirit shit,” Gage said. “We won't stop until you're back in the Underworld, chained to a fucking rock.”
“I always have somewhere to go, and you fucking dogs are always hunting me,” Michael said. “Nothing new, boys. So, are you going to leave, or do I have to give this bitch a lobotomy?”
“Indigo Darling, we love you,” Garret said. “We will get you back. Don't be afraid. You'll be home soon.”
“Aw, how sweet,” Michael drawled.
But as Michael scorned them, I rejoiced. Those words freed me of my past, of the weight of repetition that I thought I couldn't escape. They proved to me that I was worth loving, and that I could give love without it turning to shit. Life could change for the better and stay that way.
“You won't have her for long,” Gage vowed.
Gideon only stared at me. Hard. A vow passed from him to me, and I caught it with my heart.
Then the Hounds of Hades calmly got in their truck and left.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As soon as the hounds left, Michael took me inside and handed the gun back to the Host minion. He kept walking, past a smirking Silas and down to where Jake was still sprawled against a wall. Finally, he left me, and Jake sat up with a gasp.
Jake stood up and faced me with Michael staring out of his eyes.
I didn't back away this time. Instead, I demanded, “What spell?”
Michael laughed. “You're so easy to fool, Indigo. Truly, that's all it took? You didn't suspect that something wasn't right when the men who adored you suddenly ignored you for some bimbo?”
“I thought she was their mate. I thought that magic was controlling them!”
“Oh, it was. Just not mating magic,” Silas drawled as he joined us. “Well done, Michael. Now, they'll be busy plotting to attack us. They'll lower their defenses and never suspect that we can use Indigo to get through their ward.”
“What?” I whispered.
“Oh, welcome back, Indigo,” Silas said. “Yes, you're the key. You'll hold the ward open for us while we drive through. Then we'll destroy the Helena Cerberus.”
“No, you won't,” I said. “They don't have any weaknesses. I looked, you know. I found nothing.”
“Oh, but they do, Indigo Darling,” Michael said. “You. You're their weakness. And we're going to exploit you.” He pulled me in against Jake's chest and covered my lips with Jake's. His tongue slid against my lips, but I kept them shut and my teeth clenched together. Michael finally pulled back and laughed. “You'll break again. Just as soon as we kill the hounds. And then I'll celebrate with a good old-fashioned rape.”
“Enough,” Silas said with a look at his minions. “Appearances, Michael.”
Michael rolled Jake's eyes. “As if I care about what they think of you. This was my army until you barged in.”
“We have a common enemy. I'll help you destroy Hades, and then you'll have nothing to fear.”
That's when I realized that Silas and Michael had dropped the act with me. They had both called the hounds the Helena Cerberus and now they were talking about Hades. It was nice to have confirmation that the hounds had told me the truth, but it was also unnecessary at that point. It was obvious that they were guardians, not villains. I felt like a fool for ever thinking otherwise.
“I didn't want to fight!” Michael hissed. “I could have been safely hiding in a wealthy host if you hadn't made such a huge deal of this.”
“Don't fool yourself. They never would have stopped hunting you. They're the fucking Hounds of Hades. They don't let their prey escape.”
Jake's face twitched. “Not anymore, they don't.” He spun around and stalked away.
“Michael!” Silas called.
