Chapter 14

14

M ikhail was in the midst of an existential crisis when the knock on his door shattered his gloomy thoughts. The unwelcome interruption brought forth a string of profanities from his lips, and he glared at the heavy wooden door as if it were the cause of all his troubles.

And not my vicious brother bent on exterminating half the population of the universe.

“Fuck off!” he shouted, hoping whoever was on the other side would take the hint and leave him alone. He was not in the mood for visitors. But the knocking persisted, more insistent this time, and Mikhail let out an exasperated sigh as he pushed himself up from his recliner and made his way to the door.

“What?” he bellowed, flinging the door open with force. He was met with the most stunning creature in all of Purgatory. “Jinx, uh, hi,” he stammered.

Jinx smiled, tongue in cheek. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“I’m not disturbed,” Mikhail was quick to say.

A familiar snort sounded from his left and he turned his head to find Sabre sitting on the window frame next to the doorway. About an hour ago, she had proclaimed that she couldn’t stand his pathetic sighs of melancholy and saw herself out. He should have known she wouldn’t go far. He shot her a filthy look, communicating silently to shut up.

Clearing his throat, he asked Jinx graciously, “What can I do for you?”

Before she could respond, Styx appeared behind her, pushing past into Mikhail’s suite. His eyes widened when an unfamiliar hellhound followed cautiously behind. Mikhail watched, too stunned to speak, as Styx proceeded to claw at the unicorn sectional, not stopping until it was in shreds. Then he nudged the smaller, black hellhound until it settled comfortably in the ruins of Mikhail’s much-loved lounge.

Sabre was the one to break the resounding silence. “Oops.”

“Oops?!” Mikhail repeated. “Styx just made a nest in my living room!”

“Yep,” Jinx confirmed. She walked over, rubbing Styx’s head with aggressive affection. “You’re such a considerate boy, making a nest for your baby mama.”

Sabre’s mouth fell open. “Say what now?”

Jinx shifted her attention to the smaller hellhound, smiling brightly. “Styx knocked up this lovely hellbitch here. She looks like she’s about to pop.”

“Styx,” Sabre scolded, but she was laughing. “How could you?”

“He probably watched you and Brax go at it and learned from there,” Mikhail commented dryly. His day was going from bad to worse. Other than the presence of Jinx, that is. She always made things better, even when she made things harder .

Sabre held out a closed fist for the female hellhound to sniff. “Firstly, eww. I will be locking my bedroom door from now on. Secondly, I take no responsibility for unplanned whelps.”

Jinx clapped her hands excitedly, jumping on the spot. Mikhail’s throat went dry when the movement made her breasts bounce. He coughed into his forearm, turning his body to hide the growing bulge in his pants. “Puppies,” he managed to comment.

“Correction: hounds,” Jinx said with a dazzling grin. “Hellhounds, to be exact.”

“What are we going to do with a litter of hellhounds?” Sabre asked, smiling when the pregnant mutt licked the back of her hand.

“Love them, of course,” Jinx answered simply.

Mikhail was awestruck. Jinx was just too beautiful for words, and for the first time since he was a mortified teenager, he remembered that he was destined to make triplets. He had no doubt Jinx would make an incredible mother: protective, nurturing, and fun.

“What are you thinking about?” Sabre questioned. Her head was tilted to the side inquisitively. “You have the strangest look on your face. I can replace the lounge. I know where there’s a herd of unicorns.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mikhail responded, pushing all thoughts of blue and green-eyed babies out of his head. “And it’s Brax who should fix it. Styx is his hound.”

“That will have to wait,” Jinx stated, giving Styx one last stroke. “I have a message for you.”

Mikhail frowned. “A message?”

“Apparently, your death isn’t the best-kept secret we thought it was,” she revealed.

“What do you mean?” Sabre demanded in a rush.

“Dendey.” Jinx dropped the name like a bomb. “He’s in the Forbidden Forest. He wants a word with the King. Not Brax. The King that’s supposed to be dead but isn’t.”

“The fuck?!” Sabre snarled, palming a blade. The leather grip of the handle squeaked as she practically crushed it. “I’m going to rip out his entrails.”

“Hold up,” Mikhail commanded, grabbing her shoulder. “Before we agree on evisceration, we need more information.” He looked at Jinx. “Jinx, can you start at the beginning?”

“Dendey flew in. We insulted one another. He told me he knows you’re alive and has information for you. He’s waiting for another …” she looked at the time on her phone, “… thirty-five minutes. Then he’s gone.”

Sabre looked at him worriedly. “How does he know you’re here, Mikhail?”

“I don’t know. But he came to one of the camps over a year ago and spoke with me as Hound,” Mikhail revealed, his mind whirling. “And then again a few months ago, just before I went to Sydney. He gave no indication of knowing my true identity.”

“He placed emphasis on the fact that he’s a dragon,” Jinx offered.

And just like that, a lightbulb went on inside his skull. He groaned, palming his face and wondering how he could have been so stupid.

“What is it?” Sabre asked. “You’ve thought of something.”

“Dendey is a dragon,” Mikhail uttered, peeking through his fingers.

Sabre harumphed. “We’ve established that.”

Mikhail poked at his own eyes. “He must have the gift of the dragon’s eye. He can see through glamours!” he exclaimed loudly.

Sabre’s mouth closed with a snap. She looked more pissed off than before. “That’s not a thing. The Dragon Eye isn’t real.”

“It is,” Mikhail insisted. “Father told me about it. It’s rare, but some powerful dragons develop it as they age.”

“It’s a myth,” Sabre maintained stubbornly.

“Like my ability to open portals is a myth? Or Brax’s exoskeleton?” He dared her to dispute those little facts.

She grumbled for a second before relenting. “Fine. Dendey, the dragon merc, has mystical eyes that can see through all magicks. He must have seen right through your Hound facade.”

“But if that’s true, it means he knew who you were all that time,” Jinx chimed in. “Why didn’t he say anything? The guy is a jerk, right? Why would he keep your secret?”

“Good question. Let’s go ask him,” Mikhail said darkly.