sure—that I’d placed my bloody palm and muttered a few words in another language. The stone wall then went transparent, showing that dark, deserted landscape of the prison world.
“Umm … we’re not going in there, right?” I backed up a little. I’d forgotten how freaking scary it had looked, probably because I’d been just short of wasted that night. #NeedAnotherDrink
This guy was crazy if he thought I was going into his thousand-year-old prison.
He shook his head and held his fingers to his lips, giving a loud and shrill whistle. He looked into the empty space for what seemed like forever, the slightest tinge of worry marring his features. “I didn’t know if I could trust you when I first met you, or if this world would be safe for him, so I left him there…” His voice sounded hollow and I had no idea what the fuck he was talking about, until that expression faded from his face, and I stared into the abyss again to find … a beast ... off in the distance. A gigantic black bear-dog was running at us, a twelve-inch string of drool dripping from his face.
“What. Is. That?” I backed up as much as our bond would allow.
Cronus’ lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but didn’t know how. “That’s Hound. He will scent my siblings’ remains and help us resurrect them,”
Hound was the size of a small bear and, if not for his massive wagging tail, looked like he’d eat me for a light snack. The bear dog burst through the portal and into the cave, throwing himself at Cronus’ feet and flipping upside down for a belly rub.
“Good boy,” Cronus told him, rubbing his chest.
“You have a pet?”
How was it possible this god cared for anyone but himself?
Cronus stood, towering over me and the beast.
“A hellhound is hardly a pet, but we have an understanding.”
Hellhound.
My eyes went wide as I scrutinized the beast’s features, looking for red eyes or two heads. Instead I just saw black fur, drool, and sharp teeth.
“Was … he … locked away too?” My voice shook as Hound pinned me with a glare.
“Yes,” was all Cronus said before grabbing me, then reaching out to grab the scruff of Hound’s neck.
Blackness.
When the room materialized itself, I realized we were in my apartment. Nausea churned in my belly from all the zipping and zapping. But I was lucid enough to notice that the blue wards he’d left up before were broken down, as was my front door.
“Shit!” I shrieked and turned in a full circle, expecting my TV and laptop to be gone. They weren’t.
Cronus waved his hand at the damage. “Zeus’s lackeys. Looking for us.”
Bastards. I stomped over and slammed the door, but it just bounced against the broken lock and swung wide again.
Fuck, my landlord was NOT going to be happy with that…
“Okay, what’s the game plan?” I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Shauna telling her I’d met the love of my life and needed her to cover for me at the Crab Shack for a few more days. Then I added that my apartment had been broken into and asked her to see if Matt could fix the door. Hopefully she bought the story, I didn’t have time for friend drama, but if I didn’t keep in touch she’d call the police and report me missing.
Tucking away my phone, I met the god face to face. Cronus sighed. “We need to get some cash, food, and I need a shower. Then we will go looking for the Titans’ remnants.”
My stomach heated a little at his mention of showering. “Weird coincidence. I need a shower too.”
Maybe I could convince him to be environmentally friendly and save water…
Because if the world was ending, I was not going out on a dry spell, and who better to break the drought than a fucking god.
Ignoring me, he started to undress while walking to the bathroom. His shirt was tossed to the ground, giving me an ample view of his muscular back.
Yum.
I swallowed hard.
“Order three pizzas. Extra meat for Hound and me.”
His pants dropped next.
Meat. He’d said meat.
Focus.
I shook myself, ready to slap my own face if that’s what it took to get out of this trance.
“Are you sure you don’t want a nice vegetarian pizza?” I tried to keep him talking in the hopes he would drop his boxers and give me a glimpse of that tight ass.
He glanced over his shoulder, glaring at me with