Griff and I backed toward the farthest corner of our room, away from the flaming windows, away from the fiery doors, and away from the golden elevator rising from the floor. My heart spasmed painfully as it threw itself against my ribcage, trying to crack through my bones and escape.Beki ran around in panicked circles. I couldn’t blame the poor wolf. Any minute now, a horde of demons would burst out of the elevator and drag us back to the dungeons.“Stand behind me,” Griff stepped forward, his broad body a barrier between whatever would emerge from that infernal contraption and me.“No.” I stood at his side. “We face this together. It’s our only chance.”The elevator rose at a torturously slow pace, considering how fast it could move. It was almost as though the person riding it wanted to draw out our panic.Griff reached into the pocket of his tuxedo and extracted a gun. “Take this.” He pressed it into my hand. “I don’t know what iron bullets will do to a demon, but it will bloody w

By the time I awoke, my head was pounding, and the backs of my eyes ached from all the stress from our encounter with Hades. The morning sun streamed in through my closed eyelids, filling my vision with a bright haze. I shifted on the mattress, eliciting a moan from Griff.I was lying on my side again with my head resting on his shoulder. Griff’s arm around my back twitched, and he pulled me into his chest.“Are you awake?” I whispered.“Tell me that was a nightmare,” he replied with a groan.“I wish it was.” Cracking open an eye, I squinted out of the window to find the sun had fully risen and was halfway to its zenith. “Shit.”“What?”“Remember our plan to see the Fae King first thing in the morning?”He grunted once for yes.“It feels like eight or nine o’clock.”“For fuck’s sake,” he snarled.Any other morning, I would slide a hand down that delectable body and wrap my fingers around his erection, but Hades’ warning rang through my ears. We had five days to break this curse, or it

“We might have only one chance to capture the bastard who bargained with me. If we don’t make the summoning as powerful as possible, he might escape and find a way to protect himself.”I nodded. “Then let’s go to the palace.”“Do you think the Fae King will recognize us from the hospital?” Griff asked.“An arrogant faerie who thinks he’s above everyone?” I asked with a snort. “Doubtful.”Griff barked a laugh. Instead of continuing down the side of the hotel, he turned on his heel and walked back toward the outdoor car park.I strolled at his side, my heart swelling with hope. “Where are we going?”“We’ll need something to capture the royal breath.” He flicked his head toward where Wulfie had parked. “Maybe our driver has a container.”“How do you know so much about languages and ancient symbols?”He gazed down at me and smiled. “My mother used to be a teacher at the island’s only academy. When my father lost the pack, she stayed behind for her students. And when our life went to shit,

I returned to the Faerie Palace Hotel with Griff, my insides thrumming at the prospect of confronting the faerie who had ruined his life—both of our lives. Nobody should ever have to bargain something as precious as their own child to save their father. Especially not a sixteen-year-old who was too young to enter into contracts.If Griff hadn’t made that bargain, then he would never have stolen my alpha magic. He would also never have been cursed with an insatiable lust or been coerced into saying those terrible words and banishing my family and me.We practically sprinted through the hotel’s white marble lobby and bounded up its black-and-white marble staircase. After last night, neither of us particularly wanted to take the elevator.“How long do you think it will take?” I asked Griff as we reached our floor.“Twenty minutes to set up,” he said in a low voice. “The most difficult part will be arranging the metal around the ritual circle.”I glanced over my shoulder and down the stai

The faerie’s gaze sharpened. “What’s in it for me?”“Freedom,” I blurted. “Freedom from this circle. Freedom from being burned with the iron salt I’ve stuffed in my pocket. Freedom from this gun filling you with iron bullets. Need any more incentives to take off that bargain? I’d be happy to demonstrate.”“Keep your hair on,” he said, his nostrils flaring. “There’s no need to rant like a raging bull.”“What were you saying before?” Griff asked.I turned to my mate, my eyes pleading. “Let’s get rid of this curse, while the faerie’s still in an agreeable mood.”Griff’s features tightened, and he stared down at me so long that my heart spasmed. Eventually he gave me a soft nod. “You’re right.”“Go on, then,” I said to Rumpel Kracknuts. “Take away your bargain.”“It’s done.” He patted down his ruffles and sniffed.“What does that mean?” I asked.“See for yourself.” He waved his fingers in the direction of Griff’s middle.Griff glanced at his chest, then at me, and frowned. I frowned back.