Page 17 of The Rebel Seer

And that’s when I hear it. A low growl, and then Danny is cursing, trying to get me behind his back as a big animal moves around the side of the bookstore and into the parking lot.

It’s a dog, though it’s as big as a horse, it’s fur a stark white and eyes blood red.

Cwn Annwn.

We’re in serious trouble because I left my treat bag at home.

Chapter Five

Shy

I was serious when I told the queen I never saw a real live Fae creature until I came to Frelsi. I definitely have never seen an adult hellhound, but that’s what this feels like. Except the magic pouring from the massive creature doesn’t feel demonic.

The eyes, though… They look a little like a portal to Hell.

If Rhys hears about this, he’s going to lose his shit and try to find a way to never let me leave Frelsi again. Even as this deadly creature growls my way, I’m thinking about how Rhys is going to explode. The plant thing does seem harmless, but you’ve never seen what a root can do to a home’s foundation. Even magical ones.

“Shy, I need you to get behind me,” the king says. He stands in front of the creature, his arms out like he’s trying to show he isn’t a threat.

Except he is, and it’s not like the big predator is buying it. The hound growls, and the hair on the back of his neck stands up. That is not a happy puppy. And yet I’m not entirely afraid. Which kind of makes me afraid.

I find myself with the queen, letting the king stand between us and the dog who does not look like he did well at obedience school.

“Neil, shouldn’t you change?” Danny asks. “Let’s see the werewolf that loves to take a bite out of strange creatures.”

I hear Neil’s long sigh. “My wolf is not going to scare that buddy there. We’re all safer if there’s not another canine to try to dominate. That is a Ci Annwn. It’s a Welsh hellhound. He’s not going to be impressed with a werewolf, so I’ll keep my favorite pair of jeans intact, thank you, very much. I no longer have access to Dev’s endless cash, so my wardrobe is important to me now.”

I manage to get a look at the creature Neil calls a Ci Annwn. It’s like an oversized dog with stark white fur, except there are streaks of red around its long ears and on its tail. And yet the magic coming off it still feels…right to me.

“Danny, we’ve got another one.” The queen moves from my side, pressing herself to my back so I’m surrounded by Rhys’s parents. Rhys isn’t the only one with a protective instinct.

I manage to turn just enough to see our friend is not alone. There’s another Ci Annwn coming around the opposite side. And yet another follows him. “Uhm, shouldn’t they be in Wales?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Drowning Woman has joined us. She’s closer than before, and I wonder if she wants to attack like the dogs seem to.

“Not if Myrddin sent them,” the king says, his voice tight.

“They don’t belong to Myrddin.” The queen sounds worried, too, but then I would be worried if she wasn’t. “They belong to Arawn. There are some bonds not even Myrddin can break. They’re not of this plane, nor of the Hell plane, so Myrddin shouldn’t be able to influence them.”

“The dude who used to be involved with Nim?” Neil joins our circle. “Good puppy. You don’t want to eat me. I’m gamey. Go for the vamp.”

“Thanks a lot,” the king says. “And yes, they belong to Arawn, the asshole Welsh King of the Dead. I say that because the fucker drained me once. He fed off my magic because it got him high. Only Bris was able to save me. Why would he send his hounds?”

“Maybe he’s looking for Nim,” the queen offers. “They were involved, and it wasn’t his idea to break up.”

“But that was over ten years ago,” Neil argues.

“He’s a god.” The king keeps shifting us around, shuffling in a circle like he’s waiting for one to pounce. “I assure you a couple of decades are like giving his girlfriend some time to cool off. But why not come himself if he’s worried?”

“We can take you to Nimue,” Neil offers, and then his voice goes low. “How do we get a bunch of crazy-looking hellhounds all the way across the country? I don’t think we should take them through the portal. Is there an Uber?”

“Also, how upset will they be since best-case scenario she’s starting to grow her legs back,” the queen points out. “I don’t know how much they understand. We didn’t do it. Could we sic them on Myrddin?”

“I don’t think they want an escort,” the king growls. “If he wants to find Nimue, he should simply send a representative who won’t try to kill us.”

“They are not looking for Nimue, Your Highness,” a deep, feminine voice says. She sounds like a pack-a-day smoker for maybe three hundred years. “Though I assure you my king feels her absence.”

Then I get a look at her and raise that estimate up. Like three thousand maybe.

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