Hot Blooded

“You won’t be regenerating, Selene,” I called. “You’re going to wake up in hell once I’m finished with you. Isn’t that where leather-clad goddesses who sell their souls are thrown? The Underworld is itching for you to begin your work-study program and I’m here to make sure you to fulfill your duties.

I’m sure the demons are rubbing their greedy little hands together as we speak.”

“I am not going anywhere near the Underworld,” she sneered as she came to a standstill below the dais. “I owe the demons nothing. The winged devils failed to do their job, so the deal is void. The demons have gone back on their agreement, so I am free of my debt.”

“I think you’ve overlooked a loophole in your contract, Selene. Tsk-tsk. ” I lifted my head above the mattress. “You should’ve hired a good lawyer and paid attention to the fine print.”

“There was no loophole!” she raged as another spell raced from her fingers. The mattress exploded as I leapt down the steps, rounding the back of the dais.

“I incinerated your pets with my blood as they fed on me,” I taunted. “They turned to ash.” It was more like thick resin, but ash sounded more dramatic. “They didn’t pop back home to regenerate, they just… died.”

“Impossible.” Her fury shook things. Equipment lining the walls and chairs rocked in place. Selene was finally showing her true age. “What you say is impossible. Even I could not kill a beast from the Underworld on this plane.”

“Do you see any around here?” I mocked, glancing around as I lifted my head above the dais.

“You’d think, with the steep payment of your soul, they’d be here.”

“Bitch! ” she screamed, lunging for me, the rest of the bed exploding, sending cotton and splinters from the demolished headboard in every direction. I dodged the mess and ran, still heading away from

Rourke. She turned, snarling, fingers waving again. “I will boil your body from the inside out.” Her voice held more madness than I’d heard before. She was becoming unhinged. That could only help me.

“I will deliver pain and agony unlike any you ever thought to imagine. You will beg me for mercy.”

Her porcelain features were harsh, making her look like the scary doll in the attic come to life.

My wolf snarled, readying for a fight. “You’re the one who’s going to beg, Selene,” I replied,

scanning the cave above me, searching for my next move.

I spotted what I was looking for and smiled.

I love you; you know that, I told my brother. You get the hero award tonight.

Feeding a vamp actually wasn’t that bad, he said. Once you get used to it. I felt his emotions roil in my blood. He wasn’t lying, but it had taken everything he had to do it and I loved him for it.

I’ll get Selene to come this way. She’s losing her mind. This hasn’t gone according to her plan. You guys do the rest.

He nodded. Next to him Naomi’s stood, her face a mask of hate, all of it focused on Selene.

“After you die a painful, agonizing death, I’m going to take your mate to bed,” Selene announced,

all her energy focused on me, just where I wanted it. “I’ll start by running my tongue over his chest

—”

“That sounds lovely, but the party’s over, Selene,” I replied. “And the only one who will be licking

Rourke’s chest will be me.”

I turned toward my brother and sprang, hitting the wall and bouncing off a large boulder. Selene turned toward me, coming forward just as I knew she would, her face contorted in a blind rage right as something whizzed through the air.

And pierced her right between the eyes.

25

One of Aunt Tally’s darts, the orange one specifically, stuck straight out of Selene’s forehead.

She had collapsed on impact. It was a sleeper. And it had worked.

Then Naomi was before me. “We need to work quickly. That spell won’t hold her for long.” Dried blood matted her face and hairline. Cuts and contusions covered her skin, mending quickly, along with a weird mark peeking out on her shoulder where her shirt had torn. “Come,” Naomi urged. “We need to kill her once and for all. Let’s disassemble her body to begin. It might not be enough, but we must try.”

Tyler jumped, landing easily next to us. “I need to check on Danny,” he said. “He was turning back to human last I saw.”

“I’m right here, mate.” Danny strode toward us. He had a remnant piece of one of Selene’s sheets tied around his waist. He looked awful, pale and exhausted, but I was happy to see him alive. “Let’s get on with taking her apart, then. I’m ready to be done with this. Not quite the adventure I had hoped for, but I’ll take it as a win.”

“Are you completely healed from her spell?” I asked, scanning his body to make sure.

“Only thanks to your power and my wolf,” he said grimly. “Without it I would’ve been a goner.

That Goddess packs a serious punch. It made the goat spell seem like a bloody tummy ache.”

I nodded. I could feel his relief in my blood. I was relieved too. “Before we do this, I need to check on Rourke,” I said. “He’s healing, but he’s too vulnerable. Then I will kill her personally. If for some reason we fail, I can’t leave him”— I won’t leave him—“at her mercy again.”

Naomi’s hand found my arm. “Go to him. I will start on Selene. I have waited years for my revenge and it starts now.” Her face hardened as she turned to the boys. “We will take her head first.” She glanced at me. “In the end we will need your power to kill her, no matter what we do here first.”

My eyes met hers, flashing violet. “It won’t take me long.”

She nodded.

I ran to Rourke. He was still unconscious, but his chest had knit together more, which was a welcome sight. Why isn’t he awake? My wolf growled and snapped her jaws. We broke the spell and he was moving. He should be awake by now.

Something was wrong.

“Wait!” I called over my shoulder. “He should’ve woken up by now. Something isn’t right.” Naomi met my stare across the room. She looked feral, her eyes a gleaming mercury in the pale candlelight.

Whatever pain she endured once Eamon brought her here must have been immense. “I already crushed

Selene’s spell out of his body. Why isn’t he awake?”

“I do not know,” Naomi replied. “Search for another reason. I will wait, but we have only a few minutes at most.” Killing Selene before we knew what she’d done to Rourke could be dangerous. Most spells vanished once the maker was dead, but someone as powerful as Selene could find a way do damage after her death. There was no question. She could have feasibly inserted something into his system only she could reverse and I wasn’t willing to take that chance.

I crouched down, placing my fingers on his forearm. Electricity jumped between us and his arm twitched in response. I ran my hands up to his hair as I gathered power to me, pulling hard on my resources. Then I placed both my hands on his shoulders and threw my senses into his body, testing for another reason why he wasn’t waking.

There it is! My wolf snapped her jaws.

It was barely detectable and it felt rough, like a prickly beard running along my mind. My head shot up quickly when I felt its ugly intent. “There’s something vile here! But it’s masked very well. It doesn’t even feel like her signature. Whatever it is, I think it’s preventing him from fully waking. I’m going to try and break it.” Naomi stood up and reached for something in Tyler’s outstretched hand.

“Be careful, Jess,” Tyler said. “Her spells are tricky.”