Page 66 of Muzzled

Rising, he ran his hands through his hair and unbuttoned his shirt. “We’re going home.” He shrugged his shirt off his shoulders and walked over to the closet, where he hung it alongside the others. “She’s going to be unguarded,” he said to his brothers, crossing his arms. “We need to get in, corner Seph, and get back here as quick as we can. One hour, max.”

Bo shoved his jeans down and she turned her head to inspect the bulk-bin painting on the wall. “I’ll be fine.”

Ryan stepped into her line of sight, his attention flicking between her and the window. “Call Logan and have him come over. My wallet’s over there, and there’s a stash of cash in each drawer. Grab what you need to cover taxi costs and go out for lunch. Text my phone every ten minutes.”

“There’s cell service in the underworld?” she scoffed.

With a quick smile, he undid the button of his jeans. “No, but I’ll have a record of your location and condition when we return. If anything happens, I won’t be hunting blind.” Bending down, he kissed her forehead. “Keep looking this way for a few moments unless you want to see my idiot brothers buck naked.”

“Everyone wants to see us idiots buck naked,” Bo called over and she smiled, tracking Ryan until he moved out of her peripheral.

The brothers murmured to each other for a minute before the room went silent. A peculiar rush of energy rippled through her, followed by the low chuffing of a dog. She turned, inhaling sharply as she saw the onyx fur of the Cerberus from her artwork standing in the corner of the room, three sets of eyes watching her.

She could pick out Ryan immediately, the proud tilt of his head giving him away against Alex’s slight slouch and the bowed head of Bo. The heads moved independently as the immense body attempted to maneuver across the floor, knocking over the cheap chairs. Ryan let out a quick growl of annoyance which was followed by Bo’s graveled snarl, a snarl that came to a halt when Ryan nipped at his brother and Alex barked.

“I thought the single-dog trick was cool,” she whispered as the beast wedged between the beds, Bo arching his head toward her hand until Ryan growled again and nudged him aside. “This is way cooler.”

Ryan bumped his muzzle against her hand, moving it toward her purse on the nightstand.

“Right,” she said, pulling her cell out and swiping it to life. “Activating the Logan now,” she announced, tapping on her assistant’s number and firing off a quick message as Cerberus sat back on his haunches, the claws on his immense paws shredding the worn carpet.

Waiting for a response, she leaned in to inspect him closer. The distinct eyes of each brother tracked her every movement, the long tail thumping off the floor in a steady beat. Her phone buzzed with the message that Logan would be more than happy to have a free meal and an air-conditioned cab ride.

“Alright,” she said, turning the phone to Ryan so he could read Logan’s response. “I’m all set. Now what?”

Rising up, Cerberus crept backward until he hit the dresser. Ryan let out a low howl, the twins joining in as a flame erupted beneath them, swallowing them whole within seconds and leaving nothing more than a few charred carpet fibers behind.

She crawled off the bed and touched the floor, a faint heat still radiating from the spot where the beast had stood. “So, so cool,” she whispered, glancing toward the window and steeling herself for the shade to realize she was alone.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ryan grunted asthey hit the marble floor of the reception room, their graceless fall not cushioned by the body of a Pirithous as it usually was. Cerberus rose, the brothers shaking their heads to orient themselves as the hall doors opened and Hades ran in, poised for a fight.

The brothers bowed their heads as their master slowed his advance, his dark eyes scanning the room. “Empty-handed?”

He looked up at Hades and let out a low growl before Cerberus dissolved and they stood separately as humans before their owner. “Where’s Persephone?”

Hades passed his long staff between his hands, spinning it. “Why do you ask?”

“She’s released a shade topside,” Bo snarled. “A shade with Eidolon powers.”

Their master’s brow lifted. “A strong accusation to bring to my feet,” he replied, stepping up to Bo and placing his hand on his head, forcing the twin to his knees. “Your freedom has made you lax on your manners.” Hades looked over at him. “What proof do you have of a rogue Eidolon?”

*

Still healing fromthe bruises of their previous encounter, and unwilling to pique the ire of his boss, he dropped to one knee. “It’s invading the mind of a human topside. Invading, overtaking, and pushing its thoughts through her.” His throat tightened as the images of Micah flooded his head, her clothes and skin coated in paint and glue while she slammed her hand against the horrific artwork on the wall. “We’ve seen it. And we”—he looked between his brothers—“believe Persephone may know something about it. And how to call it back.”

Hades chuckled and strode to his throne, then flopped back in it and sprawled out. “Has my wife ever shown an interest in the human realm?” he scoffed. “What purpose would an Eidolon serve for her?”

“Since the memories it transmits are ours, we think it was sent topside to watch us.”

“To watch Ryan,” Bo corrected, earning a harsh glare from him and Hades. “That thing has been following him since we brought it down. And you yourself saw Old Man Charon escort it into the realm. No fucking way it got back up there without help. Which means someone with power—more power than we have—pulled it out of the realm and sent it topside.”

“And yet you arrive with nothing more than positing,” Hades snarled, slamming his staff across the marble floor. “I should cha—”

The reception hall doors opened and Seph walked in, Dionysus at her side. The pair slowed as they noticed the brothers, their gazes moving to Hades. “What is all this?” she asked, smoothing her skirts while she approached Bo and cupped his chin in her hands. “How’s my handsome boy?” When Bo answered with a tight smile, she turned her attention to Alex, striding purposefully past Ryan. “And look at you,” she cooed, brushing his hair back from his face. “You’re spending far too much time in the sun.”

“Dear,” Hades called over and waved his hand toward Ryan. “Orion has something to ask you.”

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