It had happened. Apollyon had forced Gage to shift, and the bastard had waited two weeks to do so, lulling us into a false sense of security that Gage was in control of his body, when in reality Apollyon could pull the strings whenever he wanted. And he’d done it on our first date. I couldn’t think of a word filthy enough to call him.
I put one hand in the air in front of me in a pathetic attempt to calm Gage down.
“Okay, Gage, it’s just you and me now,” I said in the most soothing tone I could. “Let’s just take it down a notch, all right?”
Gage took a step forward, the claws on his giant paw clicking against the linoleum floor and sending another bolt of terror through my heart. He started to take another step, but then stopped and shook his head. If I didn’t know better I’d say he was confused.
Is he fighting Apollyon’s control?
“That’s right. It’s me, Tate,” I said, and took a step toward him, but the instant I moved forward his black head jerked up and he snapped at me, his sharp teeth clicking together loudly enough to hear.
I backed up. “All right, message received. I’m not coming any closer.”
Whether he understood me or not, that seemed to calm him down—or at least keep him from attacking—and gave me some hope. I slowly lowered the crossbow to the floor, knowing that no matter what I wouldn’t use the weapon against Gage. Maybe that was stupid of me, but hellhound or not, this was Gage and he was my weakness as much as I was his.
Worst case, I would open a portal to the Netherworld and push him through. I was getting better at making portals, so I could probably create a stable one to the Netherworld now, but even as I thought it I hoped that wasn’t something I was forced to do. Sending Gage back to the Netherworld could be a death sentence for him—he’d come back covered in blood the last time—but it would be a better alternative than killing him or letting him kill me. Right?
A low growl rolled from Gage’s chest and his midnight black fur stood on end. He still wasn’t attacking, but he wasn’t backing down either.
There had to be a way to reach him. Just the fact that he wasn’t trying to rip me to shreds was proof enough for me that some part of Gage was still aware inside his hellhound form.
I tried to reach a hand out to him so that he could smell me, but he snarled and flames erupted in a streak along his spine, lighting his fur so he now had a fire mohawk running down his back.
Holy hellfire.
I retreated a step without meaning to and Gage took back the space. The fire that licked the tips of his fur burned red and orange at the base, and blue at the tips. I could feel the heat coming off him from ten feet away.
Okay. Deep breaths. So your boyfriend is on fire. No big deal, Tatum.
A sudden loud clatter that sounded like pots and pans crashing to the ground jolted me. I looked over to see someone run through the open kitchen, probably one of the chefs who hadn’t made it out of the restaurant yet. Gage spotted him too, and with a low snarl he bolted for the dude.
My stomach sank as I envisioned Gage mauling an innocent man to death and not remembering it.
I jumped, throwing myself in Gage’s path, and slammed into what felt like a million pounds of hellhound flesh. The impact took us both down. Pain ignited along my forearm as I brushed against the fire licking Gage’s fur. Thankfully, the blaze died as we rolled on the floor, leaving me with only a minor burn.
We slammed into a table and chairs as I attempted to wrestle him down. When we hit the floor Gage skidded past me, so I jumped to my feet, listening to his claws scraping against the sleek surface as he scrambled for purchase.
Grabbing the edge of a tablecloth, I threw it over him as I took off, hoping the fabric would somehow slow him down. I didn’t look behind me, but I heard Gage’s angry growl and his body thump to the floor, so the tablecloth must have wrapped in his legs or something and brought him down again.
I took the opportunity to sprint toward the hallway that led to the rear exit, but then I realized I didn’t have anywhere to go. I was trying to keep Gage away from humans, so I couldn’t lead him out into the New York streets and serve unsuspecting bystanders up as a meal for him.
What am I going to do? Play tag with Gage around this restaurant until backup hopefully arrives?
No, that wasn’t a solution. I needed to get us out of here. Somewhere remote where he couldn’t hurt anyone.
I held my arms out in front of me, preparing to make a portal, but my mind drew a blank. As if trying to create a portal while dodging a hellhound wasn’t hard enough, I couldn’t think of anyplace secluded. I’d spent most of my life in one of the most populated areas in the world. I’d never been anywhere truly remote.
Just as I was about to make a portal to the Trinity Cemetery, figuring that was at least better than here, Gage plowed into my back, shoving me to the floor.
I landed on my stomach and immediately flipped to my back, looking up at him. Gage walked right over me and pressed his giant paws against my shoulders, pinning me, the tips of his claws poking into my flesh. I whimpered as he bared his razor-sharp teeth, snarling in my face.
I’d failed to make a portal fast enough and now my boyfriend was going to eat me.
Since Gage hadn’t ripped my face off yet, I tried to tell myself that it was going to be all right, but as hellhound drool dripped on my face I grew increasingly convinced I was going to die.
I was an idiot for not portaling him away when I had the chance. Even if he didn’t kill me, one nip from him and Gage’s hellhound venom would doom me to be Apollyon’s puppet as much as he was right now. And that was what my father had wanted all along, blind obedience from me. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let him win, and Gage would never forgive himself if he turned me into a hellhound like him.
I took a shaky breath, trying to slow my pounding heart. I read somewhere that animals could sense your emotional state and were affected by it, so maybe if I chilled out a little, Gage’s hellhound would too.
