Page 88 of A Bond in Flames

I spun around as he reached me, slamming the broken chair into him with all my strength. He fell, and I crashed down on top of him. The chair collapsed completely, what was left of it breaking apart. I quickly rolled away and jumped to my feet, shaking off the now-loose ropes and broken wood.

The big male rolled to his hands and knees to get up.

“Hemy!” I called, spun, and ran from the room. Hemy darted ahead, leading me through the house, where more skin dolls filled every available space, to the dining room and down a long hall.

The lumberjack pounded after me, the knife still in his hand. “Come back,” he yelled. “Come back.”

Like fuck.Hemy led me into a kitchen.

A door.

The lumberjack exploded into the room behind me, and I dove for the door, twisting the handle, and threw myself out—

And hit a stone floor.

I was dressed again, and Hemlock was back in his bag. I tugged up my sleeve. The patterns on my skin were gone. I turned slowly, taking in the room. A TV was going on the opposite side, big couches were scattered around, and there was a pool table.

I was in the hellhounds’ den, belowground in the common room. It looked a little different, but that’s exactly where I was.

Scrambling off the floor, I gripped my knife. This was supposed to throw me off, make me drop my guard, but that wasn’t happening.

“Who the fuck are you?” a deep, rough voice growled.

I spun around. A huge male with long hair and a scruffy beard stood there. Most definitely a hellhound.

His head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing. “Willow?”

I shook my head. “Her cousin. Zinnia.” I gripped my knife tighter. “And who the fuck are you?”

He grinned, flashing white teeth and fangs. “Axton, a good friend of your cousin, and the alpha’s right hand.”

CHAPTER29

Zinnia

The massive houndwas watching me closely.

I had no idea how long he’d been in Limbo, but I’d never heard anyone talk about him. The hounds spoke of the brothers they’d lost, but no one had ever mentioned a male named Axton. Because they were created by Lucifer; once their bodies were burned, their souls should automatically go back to Hell. At least, that was the way it was supposed to work.

“Why are you here?” I asked him.

Nox had sent me here, to this hound, for a reason. Most likely to disarm me, maybe get me to drop my guard. Hellhounds were protective of females; they always said themselves that they worshipped them, which was why I’d been so surprised by the way Relic had treated that demon. It was so far out of character for him, for any hellhound.

His jaw worked. “I lost my head, sweetheart,” he said, voice deep. “But none of my brothers were around to burn my body, so my soul was trapped here instead of going home.” His shoulders kind of slumped. “Now I’m stuck here, walking around this fucking replica of our den alone.”

Not only was that awful, it made logical sense as to why he was here. “I’m sorry,” I said and meant it. Maybe Nox thought I’d feel so sorry for the hellhound, it would stop me in my tracks, or the comfort of the familiar would slow me down. She was wrong. Nothing would stop me. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, and if you tell me where your body is, maybe I’ll be able to get a message back to War when I get out of here. They can find it, burn it. Free you from this place.”

A smile transformed his handsome face. “You’d do that for me?” Like all the hounds, there was something compelling about him. They were all handsome in their own way.

“Of course. War’s family, and that makes you family.”

A roar came from behind him, followed by cheers and howls.

I lifted my knife. “What the hell is that? I thought you were here alone?”

His fingers curled into fists. “I am. But I can still hear them. Death taunts me. He lets me hear my brothers, but I can never find them.”

That was torture. “I’ll talk to Death. I’ll ask him to make this more bearable for you until I can get my message to War.”

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