I stood up, wiping the sweat from my brow. “I should get going.”
Michael nodded, understanding in his eyes. “Well, if you ever need a break, or someone to talk to, I’m right next door.”
I thanked him, grabbed Bob from my secure locker, and left the gym, my mind a whirlwind of emotions. As I walked away, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Michael than met the eye.
But right now, it was time to focus on the hunt, on Xander, and on the next god I was going to kill.
Now if only we could keep our hands off each other.
Chapter 17
The Beast
The Vegas Strip, with its neon-lit allure, stretched out around us like a carnival of the bizarre and colorful. As we maneuvered through the crowd, I couldn't keep my eyes off my hunting partner.
Miranda was a stark contrast to the glitz. I’d become convinced there was nothing more real than her. She moved with lethal grace, her eyes sweeping through the darkness, missing nothing. It was like watching a panther stalk through a flock of peacocks. My chest tightened, watching her. Every instinct in me wanted to draw her closer, to bridge the gap that stretched between us, yet I knew better.
I fucked up. Somewhere between her slimy neighbor and my gift, I’d made a number of missteps. All these years, I’d thought living in mind melting pain day in and day out was the hardest existence. I’d forgotten just how hard living was.
The uncertainty, the complexity. After all these years it felt like trying to speak a language everyone else knew that I barely mastered simple commands in.
“I still can't believe you got me a dog,” Miranda said suddenly, her voice cutting through the noise of the Strip.
Something in her tone told me maybe I wasn't quite the massive screw up I’d been beating myself up for being.
“Yeah, well,” I started, rubbing the back of my neck, “I figured you could use something less stabby in your life.” I glanced at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
Miranda smirked, that dangerous little curve of her lips that always sent my thoughts into overdrive. “Less stabby, more fluffy. Got it.”
“I thought you would like a canine companion. You know, someone to play with, to cuddle with when I'm not around…” I was pushing my luck, but I couldn’t help it with her. I never could.
Her lips tightened as if she were trying to suppress a smile.
Maybe my gift wasn’t totally off the mark.
“I did want to thank you properly, Xander,” Miranda continued, her voice softer now, “But there's something I didn't tell you about my... dog. The real reason you couldn't find him in the underworld.”
Her confession hung between us, poised on the edge of a knife. I could feel the shift in the air, a moment teetering on the brink of something important. Every fiber of my being leaned in, craving her truth.
Just as she opened her mouth to go on, her damn phone rang, shattering the moment like glass. Miranda's expressionswitched instantly from vulnerable to all business as she checked the screen before answering. “It's Echo.”
I watched her, a mix of frustration and concern churning within me. The ringing phone was an intruder robbing me of the confession she meant to share.
As Miranda listened, her face hardened with urgency, and I knew her mind was back on the mission.
“What do you mean, scorpions?” she asked sharply, her body tensing like a coiled spring. “Which hotel?”
As she listened to Echo's response, I got the familiar itch of anticipation. Maybe I’d get to work out some of my extra frustration tonight, one way or another.
Miranda ended the call, her gaze meeting mine. “A goddess named Serqet has unleashed her scorpions in Fallon’s hotel. He can’t control her. We need to go. Now.”
We raced toward the hotel, the city's cacophony fading into the background. As we approached, the scale of the chaos became apparent. People streamed out of the building in a panicked exodus, their screams and shouts filling the air. We pushed through the crowd, making our way inside.
The opulent lobby was in disarray, with scorpions swarming across the marble floors, their venomous tails raised threateningly.
Miranda’s eyes flared wide and wild, her body recoiling. “I hate bugs,” Miranda confessed.
“Technically, they are arachnids, like spiders.”
