Page 143 of Blood of Hercules
I looked up at him, the queasiness intensifying in my stomach. For a long moment, we stared at each other.
The whites of his eyes turned crimson.
Strange, intense emotions rolled through me. They felt...obsessive.
“Don’t touch me,” I whispered.
“Fine.” He dropped me.
I collapsed onto the floor, a tangle of spread limbs and wounded pride. Luckily, I’d turned at the last minute and had barely avoided rebreaking my nose.
Rolling over, I panted.
Nero stood up from where she was lying under the table and growled. Poppae delicately licked a paw and glared across the room.
I think they’re starting to like me.
Poppae hissed, then violently hacked up a hairball.
Maybe not.
Thick leather boots engraved in gold—which I probably couldn’t afford, even if I sold my virginityandall my organs (including my skin) on the black market—came to a stop beside my head.
“Get the fuck up,” Kharon snarled. “Right now.” His light eyes promised pain.
Strangely enough, I suddenly found the strength to do just that.
“Do you now see what we’re dealing with?” Patro said when I was sitting across from him at the table. “This is what I meant.”
“I do,” Kharon said. “I know more than you think. But doyouknow exactly who she is?”
“What?” Patro asked with confusion.
“My name is Alexis,” I said helpfully. “That’s who I am.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Kharon roared at me. “How dare you?” he asked with a snarl.
Immediately, I regretted speaking.Why do I keep interacting with them? I snapped my jaw closed and stared down at the table, praying for invisibility.
As far as I could tell, every Chthonic spoke in confusing riddles.
Also, they were all lunatics.
So, there was that.
A whack with a shovel wouldnotbe enough for them. They needed to be hit by a car.
No one else said anything, and we sat collectively in the uncomfortable environment Kharon had cultivated.
Carl Gauss would never act like this.
Moonlight filtered into the darkening kitchen, and my mentors glared at me from across the table. Kharon stayed standing, which was highly unsettling.
My heart twisted with fear.
Think positive thoughts, Alexis. He’s not going to kill you. He wants you alive for his friends. No need to be afraid of him.
Crack. A skeleton-covered fist slammed against the table next to me.
