Page 51 of Twisted By Darkness

I reach out for Oreo, but Apollo’s arm folds around my waist and he pulls me back. He glares at me as if I was about to touch something dangerous, something contagious.

So I glare back at him. “It’s Oreo.”

“We don’t know that,” he points out. “Did Oreo have three eyes? Because I don’t remember that part.”

“No, he didn’t,” Tristan offers. “That’s very unusual. I never saw three-eyed dogs.”

“That’s because they don’t exist,” Apollo hisses. “This is obviously not a dog.”

Oreo jumps off the bench and approaches us, tail wagging. I try to reach for him again, but Apollo pulls me back, almost lifting me off the ground. I slap his arm and wiggle free of his hold.

“Stop that,” I complain, bending on the waist to pick Oreo up. “He’s still Oreo.” And he laps at my face. “See?” But I will not deny the third eye is weird as shit. It’s like I don’t know where to look anymore.

“I apologize,” Giulia says, cocking her head. Her dark hair is loose today, all bouncy and curly. She changed the style of her clothes, and the white blouse and colorful pants are straight out of the seventies. “Though I noticed you mentioning a dog, I didn’t quite connect it with the hellhound from some timelines.”

Everything stops. I turn to face her. “Excuse me?”

“Yes.” She nods slowly. “It was an oversight, and I hope you forgive me.”

“What did you call him?” Apollo asks, saying word by word so deliberately it’s scary.

“A hellhound,” Giulia supplies. “Black hounds, fire in their paws, a third eye. Protectors of the Gates. Devourer of Souls.”

My jaw drops again. Oreo sticks his nose between my lips, making me wince and pull back. “Oreo!” I cry out. He can’t be a hellhound. This can’t be serious.

Apollo reaches out and plucks the dog straight out of my arms. “I knew there was something wrong with him. He fucking smells like sulfur.”

“Give him to me,” I roar to Apollo because he’s holding Oreo by the scruff and I hate it when people do that to dogs.

“No way in hell. He’s a fucking hellhound!”

“So what?” I squeal and take Oreo back, cradling him to my chest. “I’m not judging.”

“You’re not judging an animal that can eat your soul?” Apollo bares his teeth, glaring so hard at Oreo I half-expect him to catch fire.

“Honestly, I’m just glad he’s alright.” And I turn back to Giulia. “He’s alright, right? Or is he going to be pulled to hell or something?”

“There is no hell,” she offers.

“Yeah, I get that, but is he?”

Giulia chuckles then shakes her head. “No, no one will pull him. He could travel to the Underworld if he so wished. He likes your company best.”

I peek down at Oreo. “You could leave us, but you didn’t?” My heart grows two sizes. It’s so weird to have people — and a dog — around that care about me. I’m still not quite used to it. Tightening my hold around his body, I press my cheek to the top of his head. “See, Apollo? He likes us.”

Apollo makes a face that tells me he doesn’t care at all.

“So, a hellhound,” I go on, reaching for a paw of Oreo’s. “Is that why his paws go red?”

Giulia nods. “He has yet to come to his powers. I guess he’s still a puppy.”

“He is.”

“It is unheard of,” she says, crossing her legs. “For a hellhound to stick to someone like this. You should feel honored.”

“I am.” And I grin, squeezing Oreo to my chest. He sniffs my left ear then laps at it. “Now everything makes sense. He eats souls. That’s why he never liked the food I gave him.”

“Hellhounds can eat souls, but they don’t need to do so to live,” says Giulia. “What he needs is sins.”

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