Page 266 of Blood of Hercules
Curled up under a stolen blanket, we fell asleep shivering in each other’s arms. Pain throbbed through my limbs, but I easily ignored it.
There was nowhere else I’d rather be.
I woke to the angry sound of dogs barking off in the distance.
Charliemoaned in his sleep and twitched.
“Wake up,” I whispered as I elbowed his shoulder.
He sat up with a gasp. “What is it?” he signed, blond hair disheveled, yellow eyes sleepy.
“Listen.” I pointed outside the box.
The barks increased.
“Who are they?” he signed. “What do they?—”
Our structure was ripped away.
Bright morning rays reflected off the snow with blinding intensity.
Four towering men stood in the forest. They wore togas and long furs.
A gun was drawn.
Patro knelt at their feet, and Nero was standing still, sniffing the air like something was there.
Before I could react, Charlie threw himself in front of me, shielding me with his much larger form.
“Why thefuckare you in a cardboard box—and who the fuck is this?” Kharon rasped. “Actually, don’t tell me. I’d rather shoot first and then find out.”
A safety was clicked off.
“Don’t you d-dare,” I shouted and tried to push Charlie away from me, but he flexed and didn’t budge. “It’s my little brother—Charlie!”
There was a long moment of silence.
“That is your little brother?” Patro asked, voice full of disbelief. “Isthiswhere you live?”
Someone swore violently.
“Charlie, get off me,” I said as I pushed at his back. “I need to talk to them.”
He shook his head and didn’t budge.
I stretched up and peeked over his shoulder—Kharon had a gun extended, inches away from Charlie’s forehead.
Glacial eyes burned with fury.
Beside him, Augustus wore a similar expression of rage. His long two-toned hair was messy, like he’d been continually running his fingers through it. Poco sat on his shoulder, pointy teeth bared with aggression.
A few feet away, a smoking cigarette hung between the grates of Achilles’s muzzle, and his red eyes were molten. His fists were clenched tightly, chest heaving.
Patro stood next to him glaring. Any trace of the congenial man I’d gotten to know over the last few weeks was gone.
He was furious.
“Move aside,” Augustus said with deceptive softness. It was the tone he always used before he absolutely lost it. “We need to get Alexis medical help—she spent the night bleeding in this absolutedisgraceof a fucking shelter.”
