Baden tracked him, punching a fist through his breastbone and ripping out his heart. That. Easily.

Pandora appeared behind the creature. She swung her sword, hacking off his head. The head flew like a football. The body flopped to the ground like a wet noodle, blood spurting out, quickly creating a pool.

One down, many more to go. His enemies were weakened from the battle. Strike now!

Shhh. You don’t need to kill anyone. I’ll keep you safe.

Katarina’s voice drifted through his head, soothing Destruction, and Baden frowned. She wasn’t here, and she’d never said those words to him. She also wasn’t strong enough to guard him.

“You okay, man?” Sabin asked, patting his shoulder.

Calm. Steady. Baden dropped the rotted organ, saying, “How’s Gwen? The others?”

Agony darkened the warrior’s eyes. “Lucien flashed her to a safe house, and as soon as Cameo woke Keeley, she used the last of her strength to relocate the others. Everyone but Galen is accounted for. If he’s here, he’s buried in the rubble.”

“He’s not here. He’s been gone for hours.” Torin scrubbed a hand down his face, leaving streaks of crimson behind. “Our piece of shit attacker knew to take Keeley out first so that she would be unable to aid us. He purposely bombed our bedroom before hitting the rest of the fortress.”

“Everyone is...”

Sabin gave a stiff nod. “Alive, yes. Stable? No.”

Baden locked on Pandora, who watched his friends with murder in her eyes. “You,” he spat. “Had you not attacked my dogs, we wouldn’t have been distracted.”

They were in each other’s faces a moment later.

“You want a go at me?” she snarled. “Huh?”

“You mean another go. How’s your vision. Twenty-shitty?”

She screeched and drew back her fist. Maddox got between them and pushed them apart. “Leave,” he told her. “Now. Or Baden won’t be the only one beating on you.”

She opened her mouth to protest.

Maddox said, “I’m giving you this chance because we did you wrong when we stole the box—because I did you wrong after my possession—but I won’t give you another one.”

“You’re not going to win this fight,” Sabin told her. “We’re too keyed up, and you’re too injured.”

They didn’t know about the extra juice Hades had given her. She might be able to take them. But weaving doubt was Sabin’s business and business was good. She paled and vanished.

Baden scanned the devastation around him—there would be no salvaging the place. Guilt rose. “I’m responsible for this. I never should have returned, never should have moved in.”

“Don’t talk crazy.” Torin kicked a piece of wood out of his way. “Let’s retrieve what we can while we await Lucien’s return. We’re better together, and that’s final.”

* * *

“It’s good to see you...wife.”

Katarina hissed at the man who’d brought her so much pain and misery. “You aren’t my husband. You were my blackmailer and my brother’s supplier. Now you’re my dogs’ murderer.”

“You can buy more dogs. Many more. In fact, it looks like you’ve already begun.”

Panchart! The hate she’d managed to bury welled up, nearly drowning her as surely as her grief. He deserved to suffer, and yet he looked perfectly content. The chain wrapped around his waist was the only indication he wasn’t there of his own free will.

“Did the redhead buy you those mutts?” The corner of his eye twitched. “You should return to sender. You deserve dogs with a pedigree a mile long.”

The dogs sat beside her, the fur on their backs raised, their gazes glued to Alek. As well behaved as dogs she’d worked with for months.

“Baden is none of your concern. Nor am I. Nor are the dogs.” She ripped the hem from her dress and wrapped the material around her thigh to stanch the flow of blood. “And pedigree says nothing about worth.”

Alek glared at her. “Have you fucked him?”

Was the blunt question meant to intimidate her? “I could work my way through an army and still it wouldn’t be a concern of yours.”

“Don’t kid yourself. You are my concern, because you are mine. My wife...and my property.”

The dogs took offense to his tone, jumping up and emitting a low warning growl.

Knowing better than to startle an angry animal with an unsolicited touch, she began to hum. They relaxed and settled on their haunches.