led him to the bed, determination giving her enough strength to hold him up when his knees buckled—the same strength Destruction had considered killing her for having.
She eased Baden onto the mattress and sat beside him, unwilling to stray from his side.
“Ambush,” he said with a grimace.
“And Alek?”
“Captured by Lucifer’s minions. I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive.”
“What does Lucifer want with him?”
“The coin, I’m sure.”
“But why? He already has a kingdom in the underworld.”
“What’s better than one kingdom? Two.” Baden scrubbed a hand down his face. “He must be stopped, whatever the cost.”
No. Not “whatever the cost.” Baden’s soul was more important than victory.
—You need help?—
“Yes,” she replied without thought. “Go get Galen. Do you remember him? The blond man with mini-wings.” A simple wash wasn’t going to help Baden. Not this time. She’d tended wounds of her own and wounds on her animals, but had no experience tending to an immortal. “Please.”
The dogs bounded off, and she knew they’d understood her.
“They can follow such a specific order?” Baden asked with a frown.
“Yeah, I’m that good.” And, uh, they might be hellhounds, with powers beyond my understanding.
He frowned, staring at the door. Trying to unravel the puzzle? “Call them back,” he finally said. “I don’t want Galen—”
“Let me stop you right there. I don’t actually care what you want. Your well-being is more important than your reason for avoiding the man.” Whatever that reason happened to be. “He can help you. I can’t.”
“He’s an asshole,” Baden muttered.
“You should adore him. You are an asshole.”
As he glared at her, his pupils expanded, black with pinpricks of red. Destruction was making his presence known, and she couldn’t have been happier, her relief palpable. If he had the strength to argue with her, to properly display his emotions, he had the strength to recover from his wounds.
And he had to recover.
To lighten the mood, she reached out to caress his cheek, just under the worst of the gashes. “Poor Baduction. You hurt your moneymaker.”
His glare softened at the edges. “Are you saying you like the look of me?”
She chuckled as if he’d just told a joke. “I’m saying I have an Outlander fantasy you have yet to fulfill.”
The glare returned full force, and he actually snarled at her. “I learned the reference. I will only ever pretend to be me, and you’ll thank me for it.”
Yes. She probably would. “I don’t think you have to pretend to be you, pekný.”
“You know what I meant,” he grumbled.
So adorable. She liked this man. Liked liked. A lot. He was stubborn and grumpy and he had those murderous tendencies thanks to Destruction, but he could make her laugh when no one else was able.
Wow. He makes me laugh? Way to reach for the stars.
Well...he could turn her on with a single look. He challenged her and delighted her. And maybe she had a wild side she’d never before acknowledged or maybe she was just getting used to his world, because she liked that he would go to any means necessary to protect what he loved.
He doesn’t love me.
But...I might be falling for him.
Tristo hrmenych! That wasn’t a good thing. He would never age, but she would—yes? Despite the possible hellhound thing. Also, all the women his friends had picked were hardcore warriors, no matter how delicate they appeared. Katarina had sensed Ashlyn would morph into a snarling ogre if ever her children were threatened.
Baduction still considered Katarina weak.
I’m someone, damn it. I’m plucky!
“Are you hurt?” Baden asked, drawing her from her musings.
“No.” She hooked a lock of hair behind his ear, connecting with him through touch. “Why?”
“You grimaced.”
Galen saved her from having to think up a reply by stumbling into the room. Biscuit shoved his muzzle into one leg and Gravy shoved his muzzle into the other to nudge Galen closer. Both canines stopped and panted, tongues hanging out of their mouths, only when Galen stood within reach of Katarina.
“Such good babies,” she praised.
Scowling, Galen said, “If your dogs ever come after me again, I’ll—”
Katarina leaped to her feet, the dogs jumping in front of her. His jaw dropped as she growled at him. Literally growled. Her gums burned. So did the ends of her fingers and even the ends of her toes, but she ignored the painful sensations, keeping her gaze locked on Galen.
“You don’t want to finish that sentence,” she told him.
The pups echoed her sentiment with a snarl. A sound unlike any they’d released before, deep and hungry, absolutely menacing, as