N. Walters - Howl of the Wolf

Keeping her eyes open grew much too difficult and Sabrina closed her eyes and released a long breath. The world faded away until there was nothing at all.

Arand threw back his head and howled. How had it come to this? He was supposed to protect Sabrina, not the other way around. “I love you,” he whispered. “Come back to me.”

She lay there, still and unmoving, his words unheard. He’d been a coward, not telling her he loved her when he’d had the chance. Now it was too late.

But it wasn’t too late to avenge her.

Arand dropped his sword and let the change overtake him. His wolf burst forward, ready to fight. His chest ached, but it would take more than one powerful bolt from Hades to kill him. With the return of the Lady and his fellow warriors, his power had increased tenfold.

He hated to leave Sabrina lying in the dirt surrounded by dead and dying demons. The bushes beside him rustled and he stood over Sabrina’s still form and growled, daring anyone to try to take her body from him. He sniffed, instantly recognizing the scent even over the stench of death and demons.

Tilly crept forward, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Go. I’ll take care of her.” She moved to kneel beside Sabrina’s side and placed her hands on her chest. “Go.”

Arand threw back his head and howled again, the sorrowful sound rising above the grunts of the demons and the battle cries of the warriors. Letting the animal inside him have full rein, he sought out his greatest enemy, the one who’d killed his mate.

Hades saw him coming and snickered. “It’s too late. You can’t stop me now.”

Arand threw himself at the god, not caring that the action would probably result in his death. Without Sabrina to bring him hope and fill his heart, he no longer cared. All he wanted was Hades’ death. And if he couldn’t kill him, he wanted the god to at least hurt.

Hades flung his hands outward and discharged two more bolts. They hit him like lightning and flung him back. They should have killed him, but for some unknown reason, he was still alive. He shook them off and charged again. He knew he couldn’t keep this up for long. One or two more strikes would probably incapacitate him enough for the god to finish him off.

Around him, his friends were still fighting. Would they win this time or would it be like last time? Arand couldn’t bear the thought of his comrades, even the traitorous Mordecai, being imprisoned or worse, tortured by Hades.

The god walked toward him, confidence in his every step. Several members of his elite guard, headed by Agmar, followed him. “When will you warriors learn you can’t beat me? Better if you’d joined me.”

Arand growled. He’d never join Hades.

“Hades.” The Lady’s voice carried easily, the purity of it causing even the Dark Lord to pause. “You can walk away now and still save yourself.”

Hades threw back his head, his sinister laughter spilling around them all. Arand shivered with dread and wondered if he had enough strength left to protect the Lady. He struggled to his feet and loped slowly toward her.

“You are nothing.” Hades faced the Lady, scorn in every word. “Weak.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Am I? Your demons are dying while my warriors all live.” Her entire body was glowing as bright as the sun, making it difficult to look at her. “The world has changed, Hades. Yes, there is greed and dark deeds in the world, but it is also filled with groups of people who want to save the planet and the animals. They have made me strong once again.”

Hades scoffed. “You were never as strong as you thought you were.” He ambled toward Arand. “You imprisoned your own warriors.”

“I protected them,” she countered.

Around them, the fighting continued unabated and some of the demons were getting much too close to Sabrina and Tilly. Arand wanted to run back to Sabrina, was torn between being with her and protecting his goddess. The longer the Lady distracted Hades, the more of Arand’s strength was returning to him as he healed.

“Weak,” Hades mocked. “You should destroy your enemy rather than trying to reason with them.”

The Lady inclined her head. “As you wish.”

Thunder shook the ground with the power of an earthquake. It was quickly followed by a flash as bright and powerful as an atomic bomb. Arand closed his eyes and was still blinded by the light. The fighting stopped as everyone paused to assess the latest threat. What had the Lady done?

When Arand opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Zeus, the King of the gods. He seemed larger than life, standing about six and a half feet tall, as he stepped into the clearing like he owned it.

Zeus was followed by his brother Poseidon and about a dozen more of the Greek gods. Arand shifted back to his human form and stood in front of the Lady. He felt more than saw the other warriors surrounding her. He glanced toward Sabrina and frowned when he saw Tilly pumping Sabrina’s chest with her hands. Did that mean she was still alive?

The urge to run to her was great, but if there was a chance Sabrina was alive, Hades had to be dealt with. Otherwise, he would only attack her again. Arand felt as though he was being torn asunder, pulled apart by his love for Sabrina and his love and duty for his Lady.

“What are you doing here?” Hades blustered, obviously shocked by the appearance of his brothers and the other gods.

Zeus ambled forward, radiating sheer power with each step he took. His fingertips brushed against Hades’ demons as he went, and every creature he touched disintegrated, crumbling to dust. “You’ve been busy.” The King of the gods of Olympus inclined his head toward the Lady and the warriors.

Hades shrugged. “Just a little project to keep myself amused.”

“Hmm.” Zeus continued toward his brother. “Is that what this is?” The god’s tone was conversational, but Arand wasn’t fooled by it. “What is this I hear about a plan to take over the world and steal our power?”

The god might seem like he was calm and in control, but Arand could sense the pulsing anger below the surface. Zeus wasn’t exactly known for his compassion and understanding. The god was brutal and swift when meting out justice.

“Imagine my surprise when the Lady of the Beasts, a goddess I thought to be imprisoned in your realm, came to me with an interesting story.” Zeus touched another demon and it crumbled. All the demons took a step back. Some of them even jumped back through the portal to Hell.

“Lies. All lies.” Hades appeared totally relaxed even though many of his demons were dust at his feet. The black portal suddenly snapped shut, cutting off the supply of his demons and the escape route. Hades frowned. “She’s just a little put out with me because I kept her captive for so many years.”

“Truthfully, I’d forgotten all about her until she showed up on my doorstep.” Zeus stood before his brother now, both of them tall and handsome and strong. “But her words disturbed me. I was further disturbed when I visited you.” He shook his head, causing his mane of white hair to shimmer around his shoulders. “You cannot hide your intentions from me. From us.” Zeus raised his arms to encompass all those who had come with him. “You would destroy all of us and strengthen yourself.”

“Not all of you.” Hades smirked at his brother. “You don’t have enough strength to defeat me. You’ve all withdrawn from the world for several thousand years, letting the humans do as they will. Now they worship me.”

“No.” Poseidon stepped forward. “Alone we cannot defeat you, but together…” He let his threat trail off.

Hades frowned. “I am your brother.”

Zeus nodded. “Yes, you are. For that reason alone we won’t kill you, but we will be taking some of your power.”