Page 84 of Painless
“President.” The sergeant at arms climbed to his feet, panting slightly. “How good of you to visit. Did you bring cookies?”
I gestured an arm behind me, indicating the open door. “You’re free to move about our compound as you see fit. The central clubhouse has a kitchen, the medic’s office, gym, and conference rooms. There’s an empty house on the corner two blocks down that you’re all welcome to share.” I reached a hand down to scratch Hades’ head. “It probably goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway—don’t trash the place and don’t take more than you need from our stores. You’re fucking guests here. We can rescind our hospitality at any time.”
“And what a gracious host you are,” T-Bone smirked. “You have my word that we won’t be a nuisance.”
“Sounds like we’re still prisoners, with a slightly bigger cage,” Dyno huffed, climbing down from Grudge’s shoulders.
“Oh, believe me. You are free to go any time you wish,” I snarled. “I’ll even have my boys roll out a carpet for you. A proper fucking send-off.”
“Easy.” T-Bone halted Dyno from coming at me with a gentle tap on the man’s chest. The touch lingered there, affectionate in a way I didn’t miss, before returning his attention to me.
“Times are difficult now, even more than before,” he continued. “I understand why you’re all still hesitant to trust us. So I’d like to put an offer on the table.”
“Not interested,” I snapped.
“Hear me out, Reaper.” He took two cautious steps toward me before Hades released a low, warning growl.
“We don’t know each other nearly enough to be making offers,” I retorted. “I’m being generous enough, just opening my home to you.”
“And we appreciate the hospitality, don’t get me wrong.” He paused, eyes flicking down to Hades before returning to me. “But word floating on the wind says y’all ain’t staying here for much longer.”
My blood turned to ice in my veins. My fingers clenched into fists at my sides. I just might get my goddamn fight in after all.
“How do you know that?” I took a step forward, seething that he had private intel from my church meeting not an hour earlier. “Who the fuck do you have spying on us? Church is sacred. You should fucking know that,Sergeant.”
“A little birdie told me,” T-Bone sneered.
The next thing I saw was my fists curled into the worn leather of his cut next to his neck. Dyno shouted something and tried to come at me from the side, but Hades blocked his path. T-Bone’s bald head slammed against the window on the wall behind him. I slammed him clear across the room and the rage in my blood still simmered, barely satiated.
“Now that was awfully quick,” I hissed, inches away from his face. “Your welcome has been withdrawn. The three of you can kindly get the fuck out.”
“Before you do that,” T-Bone said in a rushed breath. “My offer was for the Steel Demons to stay in Four Corners. I guarantee you’ll have the hospitality of the governor himself, for giving us refuge. It’ll be safe for your women, kids, everyone.”
“I don’t want shit from you—”
“I listened to your meeting through my raven, Munin.”
My grip on his cut loosened slightly from pure shock. “…What?”
“I can see and listen through my bird like I’m in his head. That’s how I saw you all pay your respects for my people at our clubhouse.” He sucked in a breath, shoving my hands away as I just stared at him dumbly. “You can’t be that surprised, Reaper. I know your captain has the same ability with his falcon.” He nodded down at Hades, who still had his teeth bared at Dyno. “And I’d bet both my nuts that dog is something otherworldly too.”
“Why?” I fought to keep my focus on that anger, but it started to dissipate. “Why use your animal to fucking eavesdrop?”
“It’s a standard cover-your-ass move when you’ve been locked up here for three days already,” he retorted. “If y’all were planning on killing us, we would’ve liked a heads up.”
As pissed as I was, I couldn’t blame him for listening. After sweeping the area, we found the bodies dressed in General Tash’s insignia and broken drone controllers. The Sons’ story had checked out, and we hadn’t exactly treated them with the best hospitality.
“Your raven,” I repeated in a dumbfounded whisper, having never considered that gods could come to anyone other than me, Mari, or Gunner. “He told you his name?”
“Yes.” T-Bone’s voice was now low with reverence. “Munin was one of Odin’s two ravens. The other was Hugin, who had chosen our president. We believe Hugin returned to the afterlife with him.”
“My old lady,” I breathed. “She has a cat called Freyja.”
The thirst for violence was completely gone from my system now, replaced by sheer awe. I stepped back to give T-Bone some space.
“Freyja and Odin share the responsibility of taking slain warriors home,” T-Bone said, the tension draining out of his body. “We believe our men are with Odin now. Maybe the man you’ve lost is with Freyja.”
“But I also have Hades,” I nodded to my dog. “Lord of the underworld of a different pantheon. And Gunner has Horus.”
