“My father looked like that.”
“Yes,” the General said tersely.
Bambi said nothing, but I was sure they exchanged some kind of mental telepathy that they chose to leave me out of. There was a fuzzy noise and I knew they were communicating. I could care less if they were insulting my father. Hell, I’d had my Baby Demons eat him . . .
“It’s okay, you guys. I know my dad was bad. Don’t hide your thoughts.”
“You heard us?” Bambi stuttered and stopped moving.
“Not what you said,” I answered, alarmed. Was that bad? “It was more like a blurry signal. I knew you were talking, but you blocked me.”
General George’s head bobbed and his body shuddered. Bambi gaped at me as I sat astride her boyfriend’s back.
“What? Is that a big deal?” They were making me a little nervous. Why do I always talk before I think?
“It is,” George said reverently. “It is.”
“You gonna expand on that, big guy?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nope.”
“Fine,” I snapped. “Where are we and where are Ethan and my babies?’
“They’re still a ways away. This is the processing center. When a soul enters Hell they come here and get assigned a level.”
“Are the souls those obnoxious little lights flying everywhere?”
The General gasped and Bambi’s snout paled. That was freakin’ weird. I was so obsessed that her nose went from pink to white I forgot I had yet again apparently said something wrong.
“You see the souls?” Bambi asked blankly.
“Um . . . maybe,” I said, not wanting to commit to the wrong answer. They could still eat me if they wanted to.
“What colors do you see?” General George demanded.
“Why? Is this some kind of problem?” I shot back. I had places to go and shit to do. What in the hell was the big deal?
“No,” he answered carefully. “It would just confirm our suspicions. What colors do you see?” His voice was gruff and quite honestly scary. Was there an incorrect answer? Fuck. The truth will set you free . . . or get you eaten by Hell Hounds.
“Fine. And by the way, if you look over your shoulder you’ll see me rolling my eyes . . . I see purple, red and black.”
They were silent. Did they hear me? General George started to chuckle and Bambi’s beady little eyes swam with tears. WTF?
“Amazing,” he murmured.
“Let me guess,” I said dryly, “you have no intention of explaining why I’m so fucking amazing.”
“Correct, but know that you are not exactly what we expected,” he said.
“Story of my life. Can we get moving?” Time was wasting and I needed my mate and my monsters.
“Do you trust us?” Bambi asked.
What’s with that question? Last time I answered that little ditty I got a massive brain freeze from Hell Hound teeth . . .
“Will it hurt if I say yes?” I asked, bracing myself for something horrific.
“Possibly,” she said, smiling.
At least she was honest . . .
“Sure. I, um—trust you to . . . ”
The searing crack of pain at the back of my skull came from her paw that felt like a ton of bricks as it connected with my head. The room went blurry and the Demons appeared to have grown extra heads and lips. The soul lights looked like a Christmas tree in a cyclone. This was the last fucking time I trusted dogs . . . Slumping forward on the General’s furry back, everything went dark.
Chapter 13
“She’s dead, you know. It was so deliciously violent and bloody. She screamed and begged . . . such a coward. They had to decapitate her just to shut her mouth,” the woman said in a tone laced with sex. “She’s not coming back.”
“Interesting,” a familiar male voice answered. “You do realize I would know if that was true.”
“Fine,” she hissed. “But she will be dead soon if you don’t comply with my wishes.”
The man said nothing. Was he considering going along with the woman’s plan?
“I can make it so good for you,” she purred. “I can make you forget her. I promise.”
“No,” he replied. “You can’t. No one can. And if you kill her, I will know. I will come after you every day of my life and destroy you until there’s nothing left to reanimate.”
“Are you flirting with me? That makes me wet,” she giggled maliciously. “You do realize with you chained up like an animal I could simply straddle you and fuck you.”
“You’re forgetting my species, darling. I direct the blood flow and you do nothing for me.”
Was that Ethan . . . and Lust? I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate. I was on some kind of fur rug with a heartbeat. Where was I and why were Ethan and Lust talking? And why in the hell was she trying to have sex with my mate? Again, I tried to sit up and speak. Again, nothing happened.
“Have it your way,” she shrieked and a wave of dark magic engulfed wherever the hell I was, “but you will be mine. No one denies me, you bastard. No one.”
“Good luck with that,” he replied in a bored monotone.
A crackle of lightening burst and my eyes shot open. My body was still useless, but I could see. Ethan was chained to a wall with iridescent chains binding his body. I assumed they were enchanted. He was gaunt and pale. There were open gashes on his beautiful arms and torso. Why hadn’t he healed? The lightning hit him in the chest and his body jerked. He grunted, but refused to make any other sound. My need to go to him was overwhelming, but my body refused to agree.