Page 16 of King’s Kismet

I wasn’t greedy.

One plant caught my eye, its dead leaves drooping in the corner near the window. I walked over, trailing my fingers over the stems, watching in forgotten awe at how beautiful the regrowth was. I dared to hope that I would thrive like that after everything I’d been through.

It was a dream worth fighting for.

I’d been feeling Sloane’s anxiety and frustration since I entered the greenhouse, but I didn’t want to know if that was about me or something else. I leaned my shoulder against the window facing the backyard, trying to reassure myself that it wasn’t me but her work. I could see her sitting on the edge of the pool with Novak.

It was hard to miss all his colorful tattoos and her wet, shimmering, silver hair even from this height. She held a ball of fire in her hand, reminding me she could communicate with Samuel through hellfire. I’d always found it fascinating, but she often preferred to call him over the phone.

After a few moments, the fire dispersed from her hand, forming a heart in front of her face. I smiled to myself, knowing exactly how much the Second Devil loved his daughter. She didn’t remember her mother, but the male parents she had did an amazing job of raising her to be strong and resilient.

Novak stood and disappeared for all of ten seconds before returning to hand her something. Movement in the woods made my attention stray from them. I thought it was one of the boys patrolling, but the way whatever it was moved through the trees didn’t strike me as a four-legged creature of any sort.

I couldn’t quite make out what it was exactly. Knowing it wasn’t the hellhounds was enough to put me on high alert, though. I sped out of the greenhouse, taking the stairs two and three at a time, using the banister to give me more forward momentum.

This was the first time in years that I’d been able to tap into the speed that I’d gained from Sloane after we sealed our bond.

When I made it into the basement, where the indoor half of the pool was, I slowed myself down. I had a brief thought that it wasn’t a what that was out there, but a who. Whoever it was had been moving closer to the backside of the gigantic house.

I didn’t know who they were looking for, but I had an educated guess. The only person in this entire house who’d had too many assassination attempts on her life to keep counting.

Oh, she probably did.

I’d lost count, though.

I opened the door that led outside, scanning the tree line immediately. Sloane’s eyes snapped to me and she took a deep, calming breath, trying to smother her emotions. She didn’t realize that wasn’t why I was down here.

“Sorry,” she stated with a weak smile. “I didn’t mean to wake you with my rollercoaster of bullshit.”

“It’s okay,” I assured her, covering my mouth with my hand, when I yawned.

I wouldn’t let myself be tired right now. We needed to be on our toes.

“I was having trouble sleeping before your emotions hit me,” I told her honestly. “So I went back to the greenhouse.”

I didn’t even look at her as I spoke. I didn’t dare remove my eyes from the trees beyond the clearing of her yard.

“I saw some movement in the woods, but it didn’t look like the boys,” I informed them, lowering my voice.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Novak said. “But I wasn’t specifically listening either.”

Sloane closed her eyes, and I knew she was reaching for the hounds through her mental connection with them. I waited patiently, glancing quickly at her to see her eyes bouncing behind her eyelids.

“Cronus is patrolling around the gate right now. I can’t reach Atlas or Helios.” Her eyes flew open as she scrambled to her feet.

Her towel fell in the process, but neither of us paid any mind to it. The situation had just gotten a little too real. I couldn’t admire the view when there could be some stranger out there watching us.

“What’s wrong, Trouble?” Novak questioned her in confusion.

He didn’t understand how her connection with the hellhounds worked, or how much she cared about the fiery beasts.

Her eyes met mine, then Novak’s, and I felt her panic surface. She wasn’t scared for herself, though.

She never was.

Frantically, she repeated herself. “I can’t reach Atlas or Helios.”

“I don’t understand,” he said apologetically, gazing into her worried eyes. “Are they sleeping?”