Hair of the Dogs (The Hounds of Hades #3)

Chapter Forty-Three

“What do you mean?” I growled—I think our bond was turning me a little primal.

It was hours later and Declan had not only hacked the hospital's security system, but he'd also hacked the state's traffic cameras. Jake had gotten into the driver's seat of Indigo's Honda Civic at the hospital and drove across the state border with Indigo. Yup, out of state. There was absolutely no reason for either of them to leave Washington. Indigo didn't have any family, but that made Jake's family even more important to her. And Jake adored his family. He and Jackie were as close as siblings could be. There was no way he'd leave like that.

And the couple wasn't stopping. Each sighting took them further away from us, across the thin strip of Idaho and toward Montana.

“They're out of our territory,” Darius said again. “Another Cerberus will handle them now.”

“Who are you—the state police?” I huffed. “Are you seriously saying he's out of your jurisdiction?”

“That's how things work with the teams. We guard our territories. Hades will make sure that the next team is up to speed.”

“But you're certain that's Michael in Jake?”

“Yes,” Declan said. “Hades confirmed it.”

Yeah, it got worse. Dare's theory had been correct. Except it wasn't Indigo who was hosting Michael. It was Jake. Michael must have jumped into Jake and then called Jake's girlfriend to help him. Poor Indigo was either a hostage or had no idea that her boyfriend wasn't in control of his body.

“And Hades is all right with you letting Michael go?”

“Michael has done this before,” Dom said. “We aren't the first team to deal with him. More like the third. This is how it works. Teams stick to their territories unless Hades specifically commands us to leave and help another team.”

“As we did with the Seattle Cerberus,” Darius said. “But Hades told us to stand down. So, we stand down.”

“It's because of me, isn't it?” I put my fists on my hips. “This is some kind of macho bullshit.”

“No, it's not, angel,” Dom said. “Hades is all about women's power, and he was thrilled to learn that you handled his god problem.”

“But that means that the law is back in place,” Declan said. “The Olympians have reinstated their decree that we can't kill humans.”

“So?” I grumbled.

“So, this is back to being a normal mission,” Darius said. “Michael is difficult, especially with the Host backing him, but he's not a god. Wherever he settles, the nearest team will handle him. If they need help, Hades will send them backup. But Michael is out of our reach.”

I cracked my neck. “Michael has Jake. And Indigo. I can't let this go.”

“Jake is alive,” Darius said. “That's a better future than he had before. And you can tell Jackie where he's headed.”

“And where he ends up,” Dom added. “She can go after her brother if she wants to. We can even alert the Cerberus in the area to watch out for Jake and assist Jackie if she goes.”

“What about Indigo? She could be in trouble. She's probably confused or terrified.”

“Michael has no reason to hurt her,” Darius said gently. “She'll be okay.”

“We'll tell the next team about Indigo too,” Declan said. “Every Cerberus is strong, angel. They'll get her away from Michael. Don't worry.”

I sighed and sat down. We were in their office, and Binx was with us, out of the bedroom now that he'd adjusted to his new digs. He looked from me to the men and curled up on the couch to go to sleep.

Binx was right. I was making more out of it than I should. Jake was possessed but alive. Indigo had been tricked, but she'd survive too. They'd be fine. I had to let this go and trust in Hades to handle things. My mates trusted him, and so far, the god had done well by me too.

“All right.” I sat down beside Binx and stroked him. It was more to soothe me than the cat.

“You gonna call Jackie?” Dom asked as he sat down beside me.

“Later,” I said. “I’m done dealing with this shit for now.”

“Good.” Darius sat down beside Binx. “We need some R and R.”

Declan just grinned.

“No,” I said. “I'm hungry.”

“You're hungry?” Declan got up and looked at the other two. “She's hungry.”

“What do you want to eat, angel?” Dominic asked.

“Pizza,” I said. “Ham and pineapple.”

“Ugh!” Darius groaned. “You can't be one of those. You're too perfect to be a pineapple pizza eater!”

“I am, and you're an uncouth baboon if you don't like it.”

“No!” Darius whined.

Dominic laughed his ass off. “Uncouth baboon!”

“You don't mind pineapple?” I asked Dom.

“I love pineapple. I love it fresh, as a Dole whip, in ambrosia, in pastries, in smoothies, and on pizza. I even like it in Chinese food.”

“Sweet and sour chicken!” I high-fived him. “Pineapple is the best fruit ever!”

“Yup. Only mango comes close.”

“Oh, I love you so much!” I kissed Dom.

“Yeah, can I get three pizzas, please?” Declan said.

I looked up to see him on his cell. I called over to him, “As thick a crust as you can get.”

Deck nodded at me, then said, “First one is a large pan Hawaiian. Uh-huh. Second a medium thin crust pepperoni and olive.”

“That's for me,” Darius said with a pinched expression.

“Ugh!” I made a face at him. “You like thin crust? You heathen! Bread is what makes us civilized. You're basically eating a pizza cracker.”

Dominic started laughing again.

“Last one, a large pan meat lovers,” Declan said. “Yeah, I want breadsticks too. And what have you got for dessert?” A pause. “Eight of those. And a Caesar salad. Oh, and one of your chicken pasta bakes. Thank you.” He hung up and grinned at me. “Twenty minutes. I got us lava cakes too.”

“I love you,” I said to Declan. “So very much.”

Declan came over, picked up Binx, sat down, and settled the cat on his lap. “I love you too. That means I will feed you when you're hungry.”

“And buy you pretty things,” Darius added.

“And give you lots of orgasms,” Dominic finished.

“Well, since the food is on the way, and I don't need any pretty things . . .” I let my sentence hang.

“Sorry, Binx,” Declan said as he put the cat on the floor.

As Binx strutted away in irritation, the hounds descended. I laughed joyously and opened my arms, letting them take care of everything, especially me. And I looked forward to an eternity of that. Fuck Michael. He wasn't my problem anymore. Another Cerberus would free Jake and Indigo. I had important things to focus on. Like multiple orgasms.

In a tangle of limbs, my mates and I tumbled to the floor together. We laughed even as we writhed, and I loved that. I loved them. Naked at last, we paused to stare at each other. They smiled at me. I smiled back. It was a perfect moment. And I knew my life would be full of them. A series of perfect moments, one leading into another. Forever.

“You're going to have to change the name of your bar now,” Darius said.

“Excuse me?” I scowled at him. Why was he ruining my perfect moment?

“Well, you've got three of us. Shouldn't it be Hair of the Dogs?”

I chuckled, the moment saved, and said, “I'll think about it.”