His bottomless black gaze fixed on where we touched.
Then I turned back to Aspen.
“I would’ve never found home without you,” I whispered, feeling the truth of my words.
A certain understanding smoothed Aspen’s desperate lines.
But I wasn’t sure it was the right understanding.
He gave my hands a squeeze and looked about ready to pull me into his arms when a large skeletal head pushed between us.
Startled, I jumped back, memories of the Hellhound attack resurfacing.
“It’s—”
“A Soulhound,” Ronen assured, his body turned in the doorway as if he’d let it through.
“My… potential Soulhound,” Aspen explained.
“He’s been wandering the castle grounds, scaring the Bowel patrols. I came to deliver him to his owner before he decided to devour them.”
The skeletal, wolf-like head nudged my clammy hand.
I awkwardly petted the smooth bone, smiling when it began to vibrate, as if he were purring.
“Does he have a name?” I asked.
The Soulhound wedged between Aspen and me, placing himself at my feet and tilting his head for more pets.
Subconsciously, I started scratching near his earhole and cringed as my fingernails scraped against the hard surface.
He seemed to absolutely love it, though.
“Hadrian.”
Ronen scrutinized Aspen. “You already know his name?”
“He gave it to me… yes.”
I frowned at Aspen’s clumsy sentence.
He gave it to him when? Now?
And why did Ronen seem so shocked?
Before I could ask, a rumbling growl sounded behind Hadrian.
Rune lay on her stomach, nipping at Hadrian’s ankles, trying to shove past him and the rest of the barricading males to get to me.
Hadrian, quite literally, paid her no mind, happily seeking more of my attention.
I laughed.
Rune snarled, shot to her feet, and bounded on top of his bony spine.
Before their massive bodies could careen into me, Aspen jerked me out of the way.
Then, quicker than I thought possible, Hadrian pinned Rune, his teeth wrapping around her throat, a guttural growl rolling out of him. He didn’t hurt her, but he sure put her in her place. By her vicious snarls, she didn’t think so.
