Page 246 of Bonds of Hercules
There was no time left.
Fluffy Jr. was nothing but a flash as he leapt, yowls and screeches erupting as he rolled through the sand. Jaws snapping as he fought a lion.
But I couldn’t look over because two lions were crouched low approaching me. They were heading for the kill.
The sky darkened as storm clouds multiplied.
My fingers sizzled. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were on fire.
They weren’t.
It was just in my head.
It wasalwaysjust in my brain. I was so tired of the endless mental struggles and thoughts of death.
I was tired of being weak.
Tired of failing.
Tired of being defenseless.
Tired of being attacked.
Tired of fighting.
I widened my legs and pulled my arm back—a lion leapt with a gruesome roar—I threw my spear at it, and it let out a strangled yelp as it crashed down to the earth, skidding past me.
There was no time to dive and grab my weapon—the other lion was already jumping, headed straight for my throat.
God save my soul.
I bowed my head.
The lion slammed against me—stars exploded—pain was everywhere. Yet again, I plunged face-first into darkness. Back to where I belonged.
A gagging, choking noise echoed far away and everything went still.
Time warped strangely.
There was a bright light.
I tried to blink, but my right eye only opened the smallest crack.
I was lying on my side, staring into golden fur, gagging on sand.
Coughing, I spit out the dirty granules as I rolled onto my back.
The lion lay still beside me. It wasn’t breathing, which meant it was … dead, and I was somehow still alive.
Someone had killed the lion—they’d saved me—they’d slain the beast.
A pleasant tingling sensation tickled my palms, streaming down my hands to my fingers.
The light brightened.
My left hand searched my pocket, and I gasped with relief as my metal calculator seemed to be in one piece. Kharon hadn’t been joking about it being bulletproof.
Chuckling, feeling half dead, half alive, I tipped my chin back and looked around for my savior.Augustus, Kharon, Hades, Persephone?
