Page 116 of Hell’s Weapon

“I thought I’d shoved them out. I haven’t felt them for weeks. Then Cameron happened.” He means how we watched him being tortured and sentenced. Milo’s fear that day was over him receiving the same fate. We’d assumed it was from being in the same vicinity again as that prick.

“We need to go to Garrick,” Tacita says. Milo shrinks back again, fresh fear in his eyes.

“No, he’ll hand him over to Hades,” I say sternly, feeling scared as my mind plays out how this could go down.

“I work for Hades too, in case you’ve forgotten,” Tacita snaps.

“Are you going to hand him over?” I say, my heart stopping as it takes her an eternity to answer.

“No.” I exhale in relief. “Not yet.”

My dragon roars beneath my skin. In a second, my world explodes and I can’t stop it, can’t halt the level of betrayal I feel towards the woman I thought was my everything. I’d kept myself between them, not choosing sides, but now I’m flying back to the bed, and tucking Milo against my side. “You can’t take him.” I give her a warning growl.

She’s not looking at my reaction though. No. Her gaze is locked with Milo and he’s staring straight back into her liquid amber eyes.

“Do you trust me?” she asks.

To my horror, he nods.

Tacita moves back to the bed, folding her legs up, she kneels in front of us both. “Do you trust me, Wyatt?”

Up until about five seconds ago, I thought I did. I thought I loved her. I’d dealt with the secrets she’d kept and the lies by omission. I understood those. I didn’t understand how this was anything other than her picking the side that isn’t us. Maybe this is what demons are truly like. “Not if you’re going to get his soul landed in Tartarus.”

“I’m not going to do that!” she replies.

“But you just said you’d hand him over to Hades.”

“And you quickly jumped to assuming I was doing so to get him punished?”

“Cameron–”

“Cameron was a fucking bastard. He was murdering others for his own entertainment. Spy or not, he disobeyed the rules. Hades puts the no killing command in place to see which of you can control the urge to take a life. It ensures none of the contestants are out of control with that urge.”

“But Milo is–”

“Milo is a pawn in the Angels games. We don’t understand the telepathy they’re using but if Milo says it’s something he is not willingly partaking in, then I believe him. And so will Hades. I will need to handle it carefully, but I can handle it. As long as you trust me.”

Staring at her, I feel Milo’s heat against my side, his naked chest against mine. I don’t want to lose either of them. But despite the fear vibrating in my veins, my heart thumps harder, reminding me that I love this woman in front of me.

I never thought I’d have this, want this. Partners that I am willing to fight for with every atom of my being. I guess we’ve been living in some sort of bubble of bliss–as much as you can in a recruitment process that tries to kill you–and now we are being tested to see if our new love can survive. It’s time to put my words into action, and fight for them, fight for us.

“I trust you.” Voicing the words already feels like winning against my own internal fear. My dragon purrs in agreement. “I love you,” I add on with conviction

“Good.” Tacita rolls her eyes, but lays a quick kiss to my lips, Milo’s as well. “Now, we’ve wasted enough time, we need to get to Garrick because if the Angels arrive, we need his Officers to be ready.”

Chapter 37

Garrick

The creek, followed by the scent of fresh night air jolts me from sleep. Before I think it through, my hand reaches for the knife slotted between my mattress and the bed frame and throw it at whoever is breaking in.

“Wow. First the roof and now you try to decapitate me. I’m beginning to think you like being punished, Officer Zephyr.” That voice renders me conscious.

“Tacita? Gods fucking dammit.” Launching from the bed, sheet twisting around my body, I spring upright to see my female perched half way through the window frame, spinning my dagger in her hand. Thank fuck for her quick reflexes as that throw would’ve aimed true, right through her eye socket. “I’m so fucking sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to pay me a visit tonight.”

Just as I think this might be some sort of booty call for us to have some fun, Wyatt pops into view, swinging himself through Tacita’s curled frame and landing on my bedroom floor.

“Why have you brought the dragon?” I ask.