Page 103 of Hybrid Heroics

“Because I’ve been studying her for the last decade.”

Miller elbowed me. “That sounds creepy, Palmer.”

I shrugged. “The man she’s about to kill forced me to do it after that pile of ash”—I hooked my thumb over my shoulder—“sold me to pay his debts. It is creepy... But ask her how she feels about it.”

“Don’t do it,” Murphy stage-whispered. “It’s a trap. It probably turns her o—”

“Unmute your brother,” Ma warned.

“If he promises not to finish that sentence, then I will.”

Murphy glared at me but nodded.

“I’ve missed your bickering,” Ma confessed, grinning. “Now, I want to start meeting your mates. Which ones are they?”

Three groans rang out as she chortled, but still... I patted her hand and steered her toward my blood-soaked mate.

Thursday, June 25th

Late Evening

Alric circled me, but I made no move to track him with my eyes or turn my body. When he was in front of me again, his smug smirk was gone, replaced with confusion and a dash of doubt.

He was full to the brim with stolen magic from the fae crystals. It spilled out of his pores, creating a hazy cloud around him that rolled over my skin, seeping in.

That was a perk of having Cronus around in this fight. One couldn’t be a battery without the main components to store energy. Mimicking my hellhound’s power was new… As new as many of the powers on the board tonight.

My lip twitched as realization sank in.

Once Alric tapped out all his power, he would be useless. The image of him swinging his arms at me while I held my hand to his forehead popped into my mind.

“How would you like to die?” he asked, his tone equal parts curiosity and humor.

It was a nice thought. I told him as much.

“That’s sweet of you to offer.” I tapped my chin. “But it’s not something you can give me. There’s a certain level of… Playing with my food that I like to achieve when fighting. If I die, it will happen at the hands of my mates, after I’ve won the game a few more times.”

“What?”

“I’d rather not explain myself. You are my uncle. And there are some lines I’d just rather not cross.”

He gave me a disgusted look, and I shrugged, catching sight of my free-range hellhounds wreaking havoc on the masses. They romped and ran, knocking attackers down.

I snorted as Helios pranced around with a dismembered leg hanging out of mouth, the foot flopping. His tail was curled high over his back to show how proud he was of whatever he’d done. I’d bet money that he was taking that treat to the hounds’ room, stashing it for later. I would have to fight him to get it out of the house.

But that was tomorrow’s problem.

“Why are you smiling?”

I glanced at Alric. “My hounds are eating your army.”

“If you would have read all the signs I left you, you would know they’ll all die tonight.”

“They don’t die.” I shrugged, sensing his need to explain. “What signs are you talking about?”

“Those dreams and visions that you kept having were just demands from me,” he declared. “The situations you put yourself in—the ones I set up—caused massacres and unfortunate farewells that could have been avoided if only Amelia would have given you over to me. You act like a hero, Little King, but your heroics kill you in the end.”

I chuckled. “Your villain’s speech is cute. But I’ve never claimed to be a hero. You must have confused me with someone else from another prophecy you tried to force yourself into.”