The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld 12)

The ward, as it turned out, was nothing more than a tattoo on the back of Katarina’s neck; the swirling black symbol would be hidden under her hair whenever she left the wavy mass down. She wasn’t sure how it would prevent pregnancy—or if it wouldn’t prevent pregnancy—but what else was new? At least the pain of the etching helped distract her from her troubles.

“Whenever you’re ready to pop a few buns out of your oven,” Keeley said, “we’ll fill in the ward. Oh! I can give you a protection ward. And a locator ward, and oh! Oh!” She jumped up and down. “I know. A ward to prevent anyone from using their powers against you.”

“Nah.” She didn’t want another ward until she’d learned more about them. “I’m good.”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Kaia piped up, “but I invited my older sis Taliyah to join us. I think I hear her in the courtyard. She should pass through the door any—”

The front door swung open and a tall, slender blonde strode into the club, two huge men flanking her sides. Both males had large white wings with striations of gold, the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. Must touch!

The dogs had other ideas. Awake and alert, they raced over to take a post in front of her.

“Boo hiss,” Kaia called. “You told me you’d be alone.”

Taliyah hiked her thumbs at the guys. “These jerk-offs were on the way to bust up the festivities. I had a choice. Kill them or invite them to tag along.” Her pale blue gaze landed on Katarina. “Excellent. The woman I’ve been hunting. I owe Baden a little payback, and you’re going to help me.”

“Hey.” Kaia stomped her foot. “You can’t murder my new friend.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I soooo can. But where’s the fun in that? She’s a puny human.”

The dogs snarled.

Katarina snarled, rage bubbling up from a cauldron of hurt. That—was—it! She wasn’t puny, weak or feeble, and she was sick and tired of being labeled as such.

Taliyah stopped. Kaia and Keeley regarded her warily.

“I. Am. Not. Puny!” She threw the words as if they were daggers, her gums and the tips of her fingers and toes burning. She looked and discovered her nails had lengthened, thickened and sharpened. They were claws. Claws! With a flick of her tongue, she learned her teeth had undergone the same metamorphosis. She had fangs.

Shock was a cool cascade inside her, but it wasn’t enough to calm her.

“Someone get Baden,” Kaia said. “Pronto.”

“No!” Katarina snarled. “The first person to leave is the first person to die.” Issuing threats now? What the hell was happening to her? Was she finally morphing into a hellhound?

Keeley’s eyes went wide. “Uh, I’d go out on a limb and say our Katarina isn’t exactly human. The hellhounds did something to her. But how? Hellhounds are extinct. Hades killed them.”

Hades. Everything always came down to Hades. “You knew the pups were hellhounds?” she demanded.

“Keys, you’re not really helping,” Kaia said.

“Oh! I remember! I knew they were hellhounds from moment one,” Keeley replied with a shrug. “I wasn’t with Hades when he first began his war with the packs, but I was with him before it ended. I hid as many as I could find. Pets are adorable. And I knew Hades would one day thank me.”

Katarina growled. Baden thought she would thank him for his domineering attitude. He was wrong!

In a blink, both Harpy sisters were hanging from the ceiling in the far corner of the room. The winged “jerk-offs” pulled swords of fire out of the air.

“We’re best friends, remember, Katarina?” Kaia called. “You love me.”

“Katrina,” Keeley corrected. “I remember how much she hates being called by the wrong name. And maybe I should flash in Baden, despite her protests?” She chugged from the bottle of ambrosia, as if she hadn’t a care. “Wait. If she were to kill him, Torin would be upset. All right, that’s a no-go.”

Katarina pointed a claw at her. “Do not go against my wishes.”

“We have to do something,” one of the winged men said. “Without hurting her. Hellhounds weren’t always evil. Once, they retrieved and saved souls from the underworld.”

The two looked to be in their midthirties. One was white and scarred from head to toe, his only spot of color his crimson eyes. The other was bronzed with rainbow eyes. Both were as beautiful as their wings in an eerie nonhuman way.