“They say the devil is in the details for a reason, darling. However, I think you’re missing the point. I can take us there with a simple snap of my fingers. So I will be in charge of this hunting party.”
“Fine, but if anything happens to our girl, it’s your ass.”
I fought the urge to blow him a kiss. “Promises, promises.”
Sin scowled. “Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Why ever would I do that? A filthy mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
“Uh, guys, we have a new problem. How are we supposed to shlep this thing?” Kiki asked, jerking her spectral thumb at the two-foot, eighty-pound slab of metal.
“Can’t we just steal some blood and bring it back here?” Hades asked.
Dahlia frowned. “What if there’s not enough blood to get the job done? It would be best to do it all in one go so we know for sure it’s attuned.”
“Fair point,” Hades said.
“I have an idea,” Chaos said, striding forward.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand over the large blade. Brow furrowing, he took a few deep breaths before light began toglow from underneath his palm, engulfing the weapon in a blaze so bright I had to look away.
Oh goody. A horseman using his powers was always a thrilling sight.
Not.
It was far better when I did it.
Chaos removed his hand from the blade, instantly extinguishing the light and revealing an axe where the guillotine’s blade had been. “There. More manageable. Easier to carry. Still capable of beheading.”
Merri beamed, looking far too pleased with him. He made a fucking weapon, for crying out loud. Try an entire realm and then come talk to me. I made her a lake house. I conjured puppies for her. I baked hercookies.
“I’ll take that,” I said, turning to hide a very over-the-top roll of my eyes. Then I turned once more to address the room. “Any other pressing issues, or are we cleared for takeoff?”
Grim locked gazes with me. “I don’t like that she’s going again. Just as Sin said, keep her safe.”
“We’re trusting you with the only thing of value to us,” Malice said, a second before his eyes flickered to his son. “Well, one of the only things.”
Pan visibly stood up straighter at his father’s declaration, though he didn’t do anything else to outwardly acknowledge it.
“If anything goes wrong, don’t hesitate to call for backup, boss,” Asshole said. “Keeks can pop back to the underworld and let us know quicker than anything else.”
“Will do,” Hades said as the rest of Dahlia’s mates each took a moment with her. It was clear none of them were overly pleased with her choice, but with everything on the line, it wasn’t the time for a long, drawn-out fight. We only had a small window to finish what we’d started.
“Lovely,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “Gather ’round. We’re off to see some cowboys.”
We arrived without any fanfare,materializing on the lake side of the sprawling mansion the Ransom family’s blood money paid for. We were under a pergola placed just to the right of the dock, affording what used to be picturesque views of the large body of water. Behind us, the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows glowed with light, the pocket glass doors open wide to allow the crisp night air into the space.
From our vantage, we could easily make out the small group sat around a table, but we were cast in enough shadow that they could not see us.
“Fuck it, I fold. Again. I shoulda known better than to play poker with you, man,” one of the cowboys said as he threw his cards on the table.
“You’ve said that before, Walker, but you still keep showing up and giving me your money.”
“Shit, it seems pretty obvious McCreedy’d be a card shark. He’s a retired rodeo clown turned lawyer. Gotta be quick on his feet.” This cowboy was dressed all in black, facing away from us, with a dark hat on his head.
“Jackson McCreedy, you were a rodeo clown?” a woman shouted from the kitchen. She cackled as he frowned down at his cards.
“Uh-oh, busted. I can’t believe you’re trying to keep that from her. You should be proud of your past.” Walker’s tone did nothing to hide his amusement.