Page 148 of Bonds of Hercules
Realization dawned.
Dear God, please don’t do this to me.
Kharon and Augustus inhaled sharply as they came to the same conclusion I had.
The object of my certain demise was innocuous, yet it was much more insidious than any weapon or monster I’d ever faced.Muchworse than staring down the barrel of a gun.
“Unum cubile,” Augustus muttered under his breath as he dragged his hand over his sharp jaw.
One bed.
The three of us were trapped in a room with no other furniture and barely enough floor space for our animals. A wave of relief hit me that I hadn’t accepted Patro’s offer. Sharing one bed with the two lovers would have beenparticularlyawkward.
The relief died a swift death as I remembered who I was trapped with—in my mind’s eye, the singular bed expanded until it was all I could see.
My husbands shared a long-suffering look. Kharon nodded at Augustus and their shoulders pulled back like they’d come to a silent decision.
They weren’t the only ones.
Clearing my throat, I gathered my courage. “I think we should—”
Fluffy Jr. let out a loud whine of distress, then collapsed to the floor at the foot of the bed. His eyes rolled back as his body twitched.
I fell to my knees beside him, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Fluffy Jr. stopped convulsing, but he panted, and his neck hung limply, like he couldn’t find the strength to lift it.
The hellhounds sniffed at Fluffy Jr., then backed away warily, while Poco patted his head gently.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked as I ran my hands over my protector, searching for injuries. Kharon and Augustus knelt beside me. “It must be all the excitement …”
The lump on the middle of Fluffy Jr.’s spine quivered beneath my touch like something was moving under his skin.
I pointed at it.
Augustus grimaced. “It’s probably … a tumor.”
My heart twisted, shattering inside my chest. “No—there has to be another explanation. What else could cause this?”
Augustus shook his head, pity written on his face. “Alexis, that’s probably what it is.”
“What else is there?” I snarled.
Augustus stayed silent.
I shook his shoulder. “Tell me—I know you’ve read a lot. What else is there? What other options?”
“I don’t want to give you hope.” Augustus closed his eyes, features harsh in the crimson lighting. “There is another option, but it’s a long shot and most likely doesn’t apply to this—”
“Tell me.”
“Molting,” Augustus said, like it was self-explanatory, and Kharon visibly startled at the word.
Augustus rubbed at his stubble. “It only happens in certain rare beasts … It doesn’t make any sense.”
I hit his arm, desperate for something. “Explain.”
“Certain types of beasts—usually larger, more powerful breeds—have extra appendages.”
