Page 13 of Dewitched

In that moment, he had known he would follow Fenix anywhere. Even if that meant returning to the crowded hotel lobby and facing his most deep-seated fears.

Fenix had asked for his trust, and while he didn’t have much else to give, he could offer that much. If his mate said he would protect him and keep him from hurting anyone, he believed him.

Still, he entered the castle with a healthy dose of trepidation. Not only did he have to contend with hundreds of Otherlings, but he would also be meeting royalty for the first time. He didn’t know the protocol, but if the princess wanted to shake his hand, he didn’t know how to refuse. Of course, obliging her would be even worse.

“Are you okay?” Fenix asked as they rounded the corner from the hallway to the lobby.

“Just nervous.” An understatement, but no reason to be dramatic about it.

“Don’t be.”

Owen snorted. “It doesn’t really work like that.”

“I suppose it doesn’t,” Fenix allowed with a chuckle. “Still, try to relax. Nothing is going to happen.”

He wished he had the same confidence, but he knew quite the opposite to be true.Anythingcould happen. Fenix was right about one thing, though. Worrying about the possibilities wouldn’t change the outcome. In fact, anxiety only increased the likelihood of him making a mistake.

So, he took a deep breath, pulled his shoulders back, and slapped on a smile. He also stuck as close to his mate as he could without crawling on top of him. Just in case.

They found the princess with her entourage at the café, surrounded by half a dozen or so hotel staff. At first, Owenfeared something bad had happened during their absence, but as they approached, he finally caught snippets of the conversation.

“Wow, I can’t believe he never told me he had a sister. That’s so rude.”

“Hell, I wasn’t even aware that he had parents. He never talks about his family.”

Owen relaxed a little when he recognized Arlo. The guy had flipped a chair around to straddle it, and he had his arms crossed over the back.

“Obviously he has parents,” he argued.

The other employee—a man who appeared to be in his late twenties with mousy brown hair huffed. “Yes. Obviously. You know what I meant.”

The café’s barista leaned against one of the booths with his arms crossed over his lean chest. “I’ve only met his mate.” He shuddered. “That dude is scary.”

Owen didn’t know the pixie’s name, but he did remember that the guy was mated to the head of security at Blackhaven Manor. Although grateful the male hadn’t arrested him during his last visit, that didn’t negate the fact that the guy had a brutal countenance and dark eyes that seemed to pierce the soul.

He didn’t know who the barista was talking about, but he figured whoever it was had to be pretty terrifying to intimidate someone with a hellhound for a mate.

“Erus?” the princess asked with a musical laugh. “Oh, he’s a big softie!” Pinching the teardrop-shaped stone that hung from the end of a gold chain around her neck, she held it up for everyone to see. “He gave me this for my birthday.”

“Who are they talking about?” Owen finally asked.

“Her brother, Orrin,” Fenix answered in a low voice. “And his mate, Erus.”

Orrin Nightstar, he’d heard of. “Erus? Is that another Guardian?”

“In a matter of speaking. He’s the Guardian of the Underworld.”

The blood drained from his face, and he swayed a little. Catching the back of Fenix’s shirt to steady himself, he coughed twice to clear his throat.

“I’m sorry. What? The Underworld?”

Fenix nodded as if it should be common knowledge that the Underworld actually freaking existed instead of being just some scary story made up to trick kids into behaving.

Thinking back to what he knew about mythology, he tried to work out who would be the Guardian of the Underworld. Hades came to mind, but he was more of a king than a knight. He also clearly wasn’t named Erus.

He remembered the three-headed monstrous hellhound that guarded the gates. That sounded like a good contender. Well, except for him being a dog. A shifter maybe? What was his name?

Owen’s breath caught in his throat, and blood roared in his ears. “Cerberus?”

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