I stopped walking, and the sound of snow crunching continued for a good half-beat after before falling eerily quiet. I slowly swept my gaze around. Evergreens lined this part of the pass, the branches weighted and bowed from thick snow, making it impossible to see past them into the darker section of woods. Overtaxed tree limbs creaked and groaned. More snow crunched.
I exhaled, my breath mingling with the mist. The haunted atmosphere was caused by the sound of broken branches falling. I turned back around and froze.
A giant, three-headed doglike creature gazed at me, heads tilted, and three sets of ears perked. Its fur was as white as the falling snow and its eyes were glacier blue. Those strange eyes stared into mine, its pupils dilating then contracting.
I didn’t so much as breathe too deeply for fear of inciting an attack. Its fangs were twice the size of dinner knives, and they appeared just as sharp. The creature snuffed the air, its wet nose nearly touching my throat as it brought its middle head near.
I swallowed a scream as it took a step closer, those icy eyes lighting with…
Before I could cry out for help, each set of its jaws snapped open and shut as if it wanted to bite me, but changed its mind, much to its shock and mine. It shook its heads, eyes glazed, and stepped away. A predator acknowledging a larger threat. I fell into the embankment and stared, dumbstruck as it slunk backward into the woods, its gaze never leaving mine as it softly snarled.
I didn’t breathe again until it disappeared from sight. So much for making a fearless impression on the underworld. “Blood and bones. What was that?”
“If you’re finished playing with the puppy, I’d like to continue our journey.”
“Puppy?”
I swiveled my head in the demon’s direction. Wrath stood a few paces away, his powerful arms crossed and an annoying smirk on his face. No assistance, no offer of help. Only mockery at a situation that could have turned ugly very rapidly. Typical demon.
“That was the size of a small horse!”
“Refrain from saddling it up like one. Unlike my brothers, they don’t enjoy being ridden.”
“Hilarious.” I pushed myself to my feet and swiped at the snow on my cloak. As if I wasn’t cold and wet enough before. “I could have been mauled to death.”
“There are a number of solitary lesser demons who call the woods and outlying lands home. Hellhounds are the least of your concern. If you’re finished with the dramatics, let’s move. We’ve wasted enough time.”
Of course the demon would call a three-headed hellhound a puppy and say I was being dramatic over the encounter. I trudged past him, muttering every obscenity I could recall. His dark chuckle set my feet moving faster, lest the Sin Corridor get any more wicked ideas.
We traveled on, thankfully with no more wildlife encounters. Our biggest challenge was the relentless storm. I silently vowed I’d never fantasize about snow being romantic again.
When I thought our blustery misery was coming to an end, another towering mountain appeared from the mist. I had to lean all the way back and still couldn’t see over the top of it.
I bit back a small whimper. There was no chance I could drag my frozen body up and over that behemoth. My head felt strange, a combination of dizziness and exhaustion. Or vertigo. I considered plopping down right there. Maybe a few minutes of rest would help.
Wrath strode ahead, leaving me where I stood contemplating my near-certain demise. Just like when he’d held a hand to the gates of Hell, he placed his palm against the rock face. Gold light shimmered as he quietly commanded the mountain to do his bidding.
Or maybe he was whispering a threat to a Hell god that owed him a favor.
I was too far away to hear him and I snickered at the thought of his potential demands. I full-out laughed when a section of mountain slid back like his own personal door. Of course. A mountain obeyed his every wish. Why wouldn’t it?
Too bad he didn’t order the storm to heel like he should have done with the hellhound earlier. It probably would have tucked its tail between its legs and raced in the opposite direction.
For some reason, the imagery had me doubling over, laughing so hard tears streamed down my face. A second later, I forgot what was so funny. Snow fell in heavier flakes. My pulse slowed, my heart clenched. It felt like I was dying. Or traveling to an isle of—
Wrath was before me in an instant, his strong hands wrapping around my upper arms. I didn’t realize I’d been swaying on my feet until he’d steadied me. Even with his assistance, everything kept spinning wildly and I squeezed my eyes shut, which only made it worse.