Page 83 of Hateful Prince
“So what did you do with him?” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for my response.
“They dropped him off at the train station, baby doll. Isn’t that right, Viking?” Hades leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed behind his head.
“I’m not sure where Caspian took him, truth be told. But he and Kai made it clear that the creep wasn’t welcome back here. Ever.”
“Is he dead?”
I shook my head. “We made you a promise. And despite his crimes, he didn’t deserve death.”
Her eyes went unfocused, and she blew out a heavy breath. “So we’re no closer to finding the Ripper than we were before I accidentally created a zombie mermaid. Cool.”
“We really should talk about that too,” Hades offered.
“No, we shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “I don’t have any way to answer the questions you’re going to ask. I was trying to talk to a spirit. Instead I turned her into a zombie and then a ghoul. I am categorically bad at being whatever I am.”
The defeated slump of her shoulders had me tugging her into my arms. Resting my chin on the top of her head, I cuddled her close. “You are perfect exactly as you are, Kærasta.”
She laughed, but it was hollow. “You’re biased. And wrong. But thank you.”
Hades surprised me by joining us and positioning himself at her back as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “He’s not wrong. You’re incredibly powerful, and that’s something anyone would struggle with if it was just foisted upon them without warning.”
“Not to mention that your power is evolving nearly daily. You haven’t had a chance to get used to it before the rules change on you again.”
She let out a bitter scoff. “So what you’re saying is I’m a ticking time bomb with no actual timer. I’m actually a land mine. Unpredictable and dangerous.”
“You could just as easily be describing me,” I murmured.
“Or me,” Hades added. “Or Kai, and Cas is...”
“A wild card,” Dahlia finished. “He’s getting worse,” she added in a softer voice. “Did you notice?”
“We noticed, baby doll.”
“I can’t be with all of you twenty-four seven.” Her words were so quiet I almost didn’t hear them. “I’m going to let one or all of you down.”
“Don’t worry about managing us. We’re grown-ass men. We can take care of our damn selves,” Hades said.
“What about Cas?” she whispered. “He’s really struggling.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Hades promised. “Right now the only thing you need to worry about is trying to get a handle on your powers. The last thing you want is to be in a position where it surprises you. Knowing what you’re capable of, and your limits, is the most responsible thing you can do.”
“Even if I raise an accidental zombie army in the process?”
“Even so. At least then we’ll know what we’re working with. And I’ll be there to help you put them back where they belong.”
I backed away from her and forced her gaze up to meet mine with a finger under her chin. “Our bonds aren’t one-sided, Kærasta. You need us as much as we need you. We’re all in your corner. The first thing you should do is discuss what happened with Masterson. She can likely tell you where you went wrong.”
“And the Ripper? We’re back to square one. What do we do now?”
“Technically, we don’t have to do anything. The Ripper is not actually our problem,” Hades pointed out.
“He’s murdering people left and right.”
“I’m just sayin’, you can be selfish. Understanding your power comes first. Once you’ve got that figured out, you can worry about what comes next.”