He was going to fight her?

Likelihood of Getting Bitten: 100%. Yes, she was scrappy and had fought kids in school, but she’d never been in an all-out brawl. How was she supposed to defeat a monster? “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Too bad. The challenge was made as soon as you presented me with the coin. You can stand there if you’d like. I’m happy to do all the work.”

Okay. There was no way out of this. She had to defeat him, despite the odds, and that was that. The pups—as well as Roar and Werga—now counted on her.

“No,” Baden shouted, struggling with all his might to stand. “Fight me instead. I’ll be her proxy.”

“Denied.” Hades removed his shirt, revealing row after row of muscles, his strength deadly, his tattoos strange. “You’ll stay right where you are, warrior.”

More and more hellhounds jumped past an invisible curtain and landed inside the room. They raced around her, each scraping her with sharp teeth before darting away from her.

No longer was dizziness a problem. She was too strong for it. So strong she wasn’t sure how her body contained it, wasn’t sure how she hadn’t morphed into the Hulk.

“I’m waiting,” Hades snapped.

Jealous of her connection to the hounds? “I choose hand-to-hand combat,” she said. With the claws, she wasn’t sure she could actually grip a weapon.

“No. No!” Still Baden struggled, straining so forcefully a vein burst in his forehead. “Don’t do this. Please.”

She tuned him out. She had to. Beating Hades would save her pups and Baden and Pandora. Two goals, one trial. No prob.

She was so juiced on power the battle began to sound like the best—idea—ever. When she stepped forward, Baden’s struggles increased so forcefully, she could hear his bones popping out of place.

Not tuned out, after all.

—Focus! Let our instincts guide you. You’ll never survive otherwise.—

Wonderful. She met Hades in the middle of the room. “I’m ready.”

“Whenever you decide you’ve had enough,” he said with a smile, “all you have to do is pledge your life to my service and the pain will end. Until then...” He struck.

* * *

Words Keeley had once spoken to Baden filled his head: If you have two wreaths and one immortal, how many problems will he face? Gold. Obviously. Because the heart bleeds secrets and doggies have claws.

The problem—one gold coin, trapped in a bleeding heart.

Then Pandora’s situation took center stage. In essence, she was a hellhound. Like Katarina. If Pandora was linked to a hound, hurting her could hurt Katarina. Maybe. Probably. He wasn’t sure how it worked, only knew he didn’t want to risk harming his woman. Ever.

Then... Hades punched Katarina.

His woman recoiled from the impact. Baden roared loud enough to puncture a lung.

Free myself, flash her to safety, kill Hades.

As he fought the king’s compulsion, he popped both shoulders out of joint and fractured several ribs.

A frenzied Destruction helped him.

Hades drew back his fist, intending to launch a second strike.

“No!” Baden shouted.

Too late. Hades struck Katarina in the face. Beautiful, delicate Katarina flew across the room. When she landed, she rolled with her momentum, shockingly graceful, and came up on all fours, like an animal.

As blood dripped down her cheek, another roar ruptured Baden’s lungs. He knew Hades wasn’t fully engaged; he wasn’t surrounded by shadows. But it wouldn’t take much to kill a human. Even one bolstered by hellhounds.

Have to stop this.

He unsheathed a dagger and stabbed into his shoulder, reworking his plan.

Remove my arms, remove the bands. Tackle Hades with what’s left of my body.

Hades operated in the human and spirit realm. Baden, even as a spirit—which he would be without the bands—would be tangible to him.

Shadows sprang from the marks on his other arm, eating at the dagger, protecting themselves. Without his body, they would have no host.

“More?” Hades asked Katarina.

Without a word, she launched forward and slammed into him. No, not just slammed. Ripped. She bit into his neck and tore out his trachea. As he fell, she spat the bloody cartilage and tissue on the floor.

Baden stilled. Destruction gaped.

Sweet Katarina could...win?

Hades’s body had repaired itself by the time he landed. He grabbed Katarina by the ankles and tripped her. The moment she landed, he was at her side, grabbing her by the hair and tossing her across the room. She crashed into the wall, cracking stone. Dust thickened the air. Miraculously, she didn’t pause to catch her breath; she simply dove at Hades, snarling as she bit him.