Page 41 of Hell’s Weapon

“Try me.”

“You promise won’t fly off the handle?”

I simply narrow my eyes and wait for whatever story she’s concocted to make herself look like a victim. I’m sure she’s about to blame whichever Angels she’s working with. As long as I get names, however, I’m not sure I really care.

“You know the Death Bringer?”

“This should be good. What does Hades’s Assassin have to do with your betrayal?” I have no idea how she knows of the killing machine in Hades’s inner circle but I roll with it.

“I am her.”

I can’t stop the laugh that splutters from my chest. “Sure, Ninety-Eight. And I’m really the Lord of the Underworld.”

She runs her tongue across her upper lip. It’s a move made of anger, of her holding back whatever verbal garbage she wants to spit back at me. “I’m not joking. I came into the games, undercover, to help Hades figure out the Angels’ plot to destroy them again.”

This woman is delusional. It boils my blood that she’d lie to this extent.

Flying at her, I grab her by the throat and slam her back into the wall. “Stop bullshitting, you’ve been discovered, your ruse is up. Why not come clean and maybe I’ll not subject you to the worst Tartarus has to offer.”

“You’re such an asshole,” she spits, trying to use her shoulder to shove me backwards.

I’m a few inches taller, and probably at least a hundred pounds heavier so her attempt to move me doesn’t falter me one bit. I step further into her space, tightening my fingers around her throat, my claws begging to come out and slice into her beautifully untarnished skin.

We stare each other down, her rich chocolate eyes are liquid fire as she squirms in my grip. It would be so easy to overpower her properly, knock her out or strike her. I hate her for what she’s trying to do, for trying to take down this whole process, when all it’s doing is giving those that can prove themselves, the opportunity of a lifetime.

I hate how each brush of her body leaves a hot streak across my skin, even with the fabric of my uniform protecting me.

“Give up. You failed, may as well tell me who you’re working for,” I growl at her.

“Hades. I work for fucking Hades,” she snarls back.

I’m about to pull her forward by her neck, to take her to the interrogation room, when she manages to twist her bound hands, clamping one around my junk. Even through the tough fabric of the combat trousers, her grip is iron-like around my balls. I try to step back, even shove her using her neck, but she doesn’t let go. The wince from me is too strong to hide, and I have to put conscious effort into extinguishing the shot of electricity, and the afterwave of pleasure, before it manifests into a physical reaction.

She steps into my space this time, a feral grin spreading over her lips and her eyes lighting up in mirth. “That seems to have shut you up. You males are too easy when you have such a weakness hanging right between your legs.”

“It’s a cheap shot,” I heave out, fighting the blood in my veins harder as it rushes south. I can’t help that her bratty behaviour is turning me on. It’s pure biology for me. Plus, her hand isn’t really harming my balls. For whatever reason she’s got them in a vice-like grip but she’s not squeezing the testicles, simply pinning me in place with curling her fingers around the sac.

I can’t pull back so I lean into her once more. Putting my hands on her waist before slamming her body to me, trapping her hands between us. Letting my feline canines descend, I dip my head and nuzzle into her neck to place them to the skin, right near her jugular. That has her springing back, releasing my jewels and gasping in horror.

“Tell me you fucking didn’t.” She brings her hands to the skin I just had between my teeth and visibly relaxes as her fingers come away clean.

“Don’t want me tasting your blood?” I overenunciate, the long teeth almost like fangs in my human jaw.

“No. I don’t need you tracking me down after this is done.”

“You’ve been doing your homework.” I have to admit, her knowing the more intricate details of my species, like how if we taste the blood of something we can track it across the entire realm, falters my confidence a tad. We’ve not taught the contestants the basics only at this stage, and as far as I’m aware the Angels wouldn’t know about my species' particular power.

I adjust my dick as I shift my teeth back, and subtly feel how tender she’s left my nuts. The thought slams into me.

“Wait, how do you know what I am?” I’ve not shifted in front of the contestants yet. None of them should know that I’m a panther shifter. Whilst some of the guards have revealed their true nature, whether during the first task or during their teaching, I haven’t yet.

Before Ninety-Eight can answer, the door opens behind me. Spinning in place my confusion gets overwritten by shock as Hades walks in.

“Fucking finally!” Ninety-Eight exclaims.

I shoot daggers at my prisoner before lowering my eyes in a nod to my boss and leader. “Sir, I hadn’t called for you yet.”

“I told you I would come back this evening, I had something we needed to discuss.” Hades addresses me before fully taking in the scene and the woman cuffed behind me. “Tacita, what are you doing down here?”