“Yes, I'm fine. Go away. Don't come back. I'll call you. Don't call me.” I shooed him off.
Jake stared at me as he passed by. Words were not needed with a stare that sizzling. I was still trying to catch my breath when they jumped off my balcony.
I wasn't concerned. I knew they'd be fine. “Show-offs.” I climbed back into bed.
Oddly enough, I fell asleep without a problem and slept like a baby through the rest of the night.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Ace texted to ask if I was awake and ready to receive my suitor. How adorable is that?
I gleefully got dressed, pushing aside any lingering thoughts—especially guilty or concerned thoughts—about my Cerberus, and went downstairs to greet my suitor. He was knocking by the time I reached the bottom step. I opened my door and there he was. Those hell doggies were hot; I'd give them that. But Ace was stirring up feelings in me that they didn't. It had to be his manner. Charisma. Oh, I know, maybe it was because he didn't break into my house in the middle of the night or stalk me. In short, Ace knew how to treat a lady, and that held more weight than three handsome faces and bodies to match.
“Hi,” I said.
“Good morning.” Ace inclined his head. “I've already taken Bruno on his walk, so we're ready for breakfast. Are you hungry?”
“Oh, yes.”
He took my hand and it, like everything else I did with him, felt familiar. Comfortable. Easy. Safe. I locked the door one-handed, not wanting to let go of him, and we went down tohis car where it was parked in front of my house. Ace opened my door, of course, and I slid in to greet Bruno, who was in the back.
In seconds, Ace was in the driver's seat, smiling at me. “Ready?”
“Absolutely.”
We drove off. As he made a U-turn at the end of my street—where the park was—I noticed a man standing under a tree. No, not a man. A hound. I stuck my tongue out at Jake, then gave Ace a smile full of sugar and spice and everything nice.
I don't know why I thought I could give the Hounds the slip. They were dogs. Trackers. And I was their destined mate. They could find me anywhere. And they did. At breakfast, throughout our stroll along the Mississippi, when we took Bruno home, and even at the lunch William and Jane Goldring invited us to. Everywhere I went, I saw a hound. Somewhere on the sidelines. Watching.
And not only them.
At first, I thought I was being paranoid. But then I saw Cyrus chase one of the other watchers. I know that sounds ominous, but that's how it felt. There were non-hound people watching Ace and me. And occasionally, they'd attack a hound. Or a hound would attack them.
It happened so subtly that the first incident didn't register. Then it happened again. I realized after a while that these people weren't watching Ace and me at all. They were after the hounds. They had to be a part of that army Hades had told me about. The one his enemy was gathering. Silas—that was his name. He was the god I was supposed to unmask. Damn. How had I forgotten that? And I had a personal reason to find Silas. Ijust couldn't remember what it was. No, wait. It was a who, not a what. My reason for hunting Silas had something to do with a woman. But who was she? Why couldn't I remember?
Oh, there went another Silas-soldier. Every altercation I noticed was over in a matter of seconds, ending with the hound dragging the unconscious human off into the bushes or leaning them against an alley wall. This last one got propped against a lamppost before Jake glared at Ace, then at me, and then walked off as casual as you please.
Unbelievable.
How many of Silas's people were in New Orleans? The city seemed saturated with them. And why weren't they ganging up on the hounds? You'd think they'd learn after the first few times that hounds don't go down easily.
“I thought you weren't interested in romance?” Mrs. Goldring whispered to me, pulling me out of my dark musings and back to lunch.
“When you meet the right one, all plans fly out the window,” I said.
She smiled and looked at her husband. “That's how it was with us. I had several suitors when I met Billy, but they all vanished for me after our first date.”
“And how did you two meet?” Mr. Goldring asked Ace.
“Well, sir, she hit me with her car,” Ace drawled.
“What?” William asked, laughing.
“I sure did,” I admitted. Looking at Jane, I added, “I was backing out of my driveway and didn't see him. Thankfully, Iwasn't going too fast, but it was enough to knock him over. When I came out of the car, I found Ace on the ground, curled around his puppy, Bruno.”
“Oh, my gracious!” Jane pressed her hand to her heart. “Was the poor thing all right?”
“Bruno was fine, ma'am,” Ace said.
