Bonds of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #2)(52)

“Alexis.” Kharon’s voice echoed through the door, vibrating with menace.

I shrieked.

How did he move so fast?

I backed away into the room. A string of pearls on top of a bejeweled purple gun wrapped around my ankle and I fell to the ground.

“You could have gotten hurt leaping,” Augustus said in the hall.

“What did I say would happen if you injured yourself?” Kharon asked coldly. “I believe I was very … explicit.”

Something about tormenting me for all of eternity?

Too late.

There was a dull popping sound like Kharon was cracking his knuckles.

“Wait, are you threatening me?” I asked, half outraged, half disturbed (mentally).

“No,” Augustus said too quickly.

Kharon chuckled, cadence severe and mocking. “Obviously—Alexis.”

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

“Go away,” I said as I crawled on hands and knees across the floor, desperate to put more space between us.

“We’re trying to apologize.” Augustus sounded remorseful and sincere.

“I’m fucking sorry,” Kharon said belligerently. “I demand you forgive me, Alexis.” He paused. “Right now!”

I choked.

Does he really think that’s going to work?

How I’d managed to find a man more socially inept than myself should be studied.

“Tell them that you’ll accept their regret,” Nyx hissed. “But only if they give you a sexual favor. Woman’s choice.”

I looked longingly at the gun.

Kharon swore viciously in the hall, like he’d just realized verbally attacking his wife was not yielding a positive result.

I crawled into the attached bathroom.

Fluffy Jr. whined (neighed?) in the bedroom, too large to fit, but the skinnier hellhounds followed me inside, the blue flames in their eye sockets flashing red—I blinked—they once again flickered an innocuous teal.

Did I imagine it?

I blew a kiss to Fluffy Jr. and shut the door.

Kharon yelled something, but it was blessedly muffled.

Dozens of flickering pink candles, wrapped with white bows, sat along the rim of the bathtub, dripping wax.

Nyx slithered off my shoulders as I climbed into the tub, reached up, and yanked on the spray.

Fully clothed, I looked down.

“C+A” was stark across my forearm—I traced the letters of the messy tattoo.

Sparta was a tangled web of politics and power.

Kharon shouted something louder.

Do it for Charlie.

I dug my right fingernail into the palm of my hand.

Blood trickled out of the shallow cut as a prickling sensation tingled my fingers.

Water fell around me in slow motion.

I raised my arm higher and imagined the bloody streaks forming a protective shield or hovering in the air like fog.

Claim your power, daughter. Hades’s voice echoed in my head.

Nothing happened.

Everyone else in the Assembly of Death controlled their abilities—mine was inert—it was wielding me.

Even Drex could tap into his stamina at will.

“Don’t panic,” Nyx hissed as I did just that. “Let’s play the alliteration game.”

Nostalgia hit me. Nyx came up with it when I was a young child, and we’d continued the tradition through high school. We used to play late at night when the hunger pangs were so sharp that I couldn’t sleep, and there was nothing to do but wait for the sun to rise.

“Audacious anguines annoy Alexis,” I whispered.

Nyx cackled. She’d always loved the game. “Adders almost ate Alexis.”

“Alexis anticipates agita,” I said, already feeling calmer. “After another archaic agonizing anticlimactic athletic action.”

“Now it’s the hellhounds’ turn,” Nyx hissed.

I sighed. Lately she’d become unhealthily obsessed (murderous) when it came to the dangerous creatures.

Pulling aside the shower curtain, I looked at the skeletal hounds. “Nyx wants to know if you want to play the alliteration game with us.” I found that it helped my subconscious to speak hellhound if I was looking at them. Talking to Nyx was way easier, probably because I’d known her most of my life.

They nodded aggressively.

A long minute passed as they came up with their answer.

“Alexis … big … girl,” Hell garbled, bony jaw flapping.

Hound chortled. “Good one.”

Over the past few days, it had become abundantly clear that they weren’t the brightest.

I wasn’t in any place to judge.

“What did they say?” Nyx asked excitedly. “Tell me.”

Being a translator was surprisingly exhausting. “They said—Alexis is an awesome animal.”

Nyx scoffed. “Tell them that’s not how the alliteration game works and they’re pathetic stupid idiots … Also, I will kill them to put them out of their misery.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Tell them right now—do it,” Nyx demanded impatiently. “I want to see their faces.”

I looked at Hell again. “Nyx says you’re very smart and she’s impressed by your alliteration.”

Hell sat up straighter and preened. “She big right.”