Free bedeviled & beyond 07 - beset & bewildered by Sam Cheever

his orange-brown gaze. “Torre’s concubine?” He raised his hands and claws sprang from them, their ivory lengths glistening in the light from the hound shifters’ eyes.
    Energy spiked, spitting in silver arcs from my fingertips. “I’m nothing of the kind.” Lifting my blade, I prepared to fight. “I’m as much a prisoner here as you apparently were.” I frowned. “By the way, how’d you get out?” Then it registered that there were two hounds standing behind them. “I take it your hounds weren’t killed out there?”
    The smaller of the two beasts moved up next to Caninra, nuzzling her with its wide, black nose. She placed a hand on its head. “A distraction. Nothing more.” She bit her lip, glancing at the man who was evidently her mate. “We need to go.”
    I allowed my magic to recede but kept the blade at the ready in case Caninra’s mate decided to take his bad day out on me. “Where are you going?”
    They started to move past me. I stepped backward, keeping my sword between me and the hounds, who eyed me with a little too much interest for my taste. The larger one licked his black lips, fire flaring along his broad back. “Up,” Caninra said.
    I suddenly realized they were planning to fight their way to the dragon’s nest. “I wouldn’t if I were you. That’s where I sent Torre and his guards.”
    They stopped, turning slowly to scour me with pique. “You what?”
    I shrugged. “I had to send them somewhere so I could make it down to the dungeon.”
    The keeper’s mate frowned. “Why did you come down to the prisons? It doesn’t seem a very intelligent move.”
    “I don’t know how intelligent it is but I had two reasons for coming to this level. First, I need to release Gerch and his soldiers.”
    Caninra curled her lip. “The king’s men were sent back to him. Apparently the prince wants no part of declaring war on his brother.”
    While I was happy to hear Gerch and his men were safe, it was obvious Torre wasn’t thinking clearly. Dialle’s assessment of his mental state was obviously correct. “By trying to keep me here he’s still declaring war on the court.” I told the hounds. “My sister’s not going to take it well.”
    Caninra nodded. “You said you had two reasons?”
    I turned and started walking down the passage, heading for the sour smell of garbage. My spirits lifted as I realized my guess had been right. “The garbage scow.”
    “The what?”
    I reluctantly stopped. Though I was impatient to be on my way, my angel side wanted to help Caninra and her group. Even though she’d handed me to Torre on a golden platter. I could forgive her...sort of...since she’d been trying to save the man she loved. “Look, you’re welcome to come with me if you want. I have a plan to get out of Hades. But we need to get moving before Torre figures out where I’ve gone.” My greatest fear was that he’d somehow tap into the weak mark he’d given me and read my plans from my mind. “I’m going. If you’re coming with you’d better get moving.”
    Then I turned away and took off running toward the putrid stench riding the air at the far end of the passage. If I was really lucky, the garbage scow would be empty and still docked. Even as I had the thought, static flared in my mind and I braced for the agony to come.
    It didn’t disappoint.
    The knife-like tones razored through my head, reverberating within my skull and vibrating my teeth. Since I’d been ready for it, I managed not to scream as it hit, but the torment made my legs weak and I slammed up against the wall, my hands covering my ears. Warm blood ran from my nose and dripped in a vibrant puddle on the floor beneath me as I hunched over, helpless against the excruciating pain.
    A voice called my name from far away, muffled and indistinct. Hands grasped my shoulders and I jerked away, sliding toward the ground where I folded into myself as the shrill tones tore the soft tissue of my brain into ribbons.
    Warm