Page 181 of Hades

She shook her head, a small movement, barely there.

“Because you’re mine.” I tightened my grip on her throat and felt her pulse jump beneath my fingers. “Every dark piece. Every kill. Every secret. All of it belongs to me now.”

“I’m not⁠—”

“You are.” I kissed her hard, brutal. Claiming. “You’re my queen, Lettie. Not my old lady. Not my woman. My fucking equal. You stand beside me. Not behind me. You make your own choices. Fight your own battles. Kill whoever the fuck needs killing.”

Her breath hitched, and I knew she understood. This wasn’t possession disguised as love. This was acceptance. Complete and absolute.

The sound of motorcycles grew louder outside, and moments later, the warehouse filled with my brothers. Zeus entered first, followed by Atlas, Kraken, Iapetus, Ares, and Hermes. But it was Ares who held the massive black Cane Corso by a reinforced leather lead, the dog’s muscles coiled tight as he took in the scene.

Cerberus.

The dog’s eyes locked on Lettie immediately. His entire body went rigid, nostrils flaring as he caught her scent mixed with blood and concrete and death. A low, rumbling growl started deep in his chest. Not aggressive. Protective. Primal recognition of his person in danger.

“Easy, boy,” Ares said, but he was already releasing the lead.

Cerberus moved like a missile. A hundred and fifteen pounds of pure muscle and loyalty, crossing the warehouse in three strides to press his massive head against Lettie’s legs. His body became a barrier between her and everything else. His eyes stayed fixed on the corpse on the floor, then swept back to me, assessing. Calculating. Making sure I wasn’t a threat to what was his.

Because Cerberus understood what I’d just claimed. She was ours. Both of us.

Lettie’s hands came down into his fur, her fingers threading through the black coat. I watched her shoulders drop slightly, watched the tension ease from her spine just a fraction. The dog was her anchor. Her proof that something in this world still recognized her as worth protecting.

“How’d you do it?” Kraken asked quietly, his massive frame filling the doorway as he studied Lettie with something like respect.

She reached up to her necklace. Her fingers found the chain and lifted it. The vial was gone.

“I made it after meeting you,” she said, meeting Kraken’s eyes. “Figured if I ever needed to take down someone your size, I’d need something concentrated enough to work fast.”

I laughed. Couldn’t help it. The sound came out rough and dark and absolutely fucking genuine. My queen had been planning for war the whole goddamn time.

“You made poison specifically calibrated for giants?” Hermes grinned. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Fuck off,” Kraken muttered, but his mouth twitched.

“What?” Hermes spread his hands, all innocence. “She took one look at our boy and thought, ‘I could drop him if I had to.’ That’s love, brother.”

Atlas snorted. “That’s paranoia.”

“That’s preparation,” Lettie corrected quietly. Cerberus leaned against her leg, his weight solid and grounding.

Zeus had been silent through the exchange, but I watched his expression shift. Saw the exact moment the pieces clicked into place. His eyes moved from Lettie to the body on the floor, then back to her. His jaw tightened.

“Poison,” Zeus said slowly. His voice was too controlled. Too measured. “You make your own poison.”

Lettie met his gaze without flinching. “Yes.”

“Concentrated enough to drop a man Kraken’s size.” Zeus took a step forward. “Concentrated enough to make deaths look like heart attacks. Natural causes.”

The warehouse went quiet. Every brother present understood what was happening. Cerberus growled low in his throat.

“The suspicious deaths,” Zeus continued, his voice getting harder. “Harlen Troy. Leanne Turner. Agnes Mayfair. All those men and women across Texas who died of apparent cardiac events.”

Lettie didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. The answer was written all over her face.

“That was you.” Zeus’ hands curled into fists. “You’ve been killing them. For years.”

“Yes,” Lettie said quietly.