Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
And I wasn’t going to until I could test it, but I wasn’t about to point that out to Tix. “What kind of effects can demon flesh have?”
“Oh, any number of side effects could occur. Though not in common beasts. Like other planes, Hell depends on a food chain. It’s really only the higher levels who have defense mechanisms. Most Hell beasts are consumable.” Tix frowned and looked down at the hounds. “Lady Sloane, please tell me you’re not considering eating my mother’s pets.”
“Eww. I would never eat a dog. You know I have the spirit of a wolf inside me. They’re like my people.” I certainly hadn’t been talking about feasting on the sweet hellhounds who were now madly in love with my son. But I was thinking about something. I needed some time before I really asked the question that truly mattered.
If consuming demon flesh could have odd effects, what would mainlining demon blood for years do to a chick?
“Mom, I’m not being controlled by a Hell beast because I ate a few of them,” Fenrir said with a sigh. “That only happened once and it was a freaking worm on what can only be described as a psychedelic plane.”
“Good times.” Trent had a wistful grin on his face. “And the worm made Fenrir not want to eat. We quickly figured out something was wrong. He went an hour without a snack and I knew. Neither Fen nor I have eaten anything that could harm us here in Gray’s kingdom. We had a whole lecture while we were in Frelsi.”
“Complete with a scent survey that I provided,” Tix added. “They know what to stay away from by using their strongest sense. I would never allow anyone in this family to eat something they shouldn’t. Especially our wolves. However, none of this solves the problem at hand. How did my mother’s pets get into our kingdom? They wouldn’t have come on their own. They would never leave her willingly.”
I looked to my son because I had to cover all the bases, even when they seemed weird. “Could you ask one of our new friends what happened?”
Fen snorted. “No, Mom. I can’t ask them. They’re not wolves. Even if they were, I would have to order them to change so they have vocal cords. I can’t read minds.”
“But you can control them,” I pointed out.
My son seemed to get serious. “In some cases, but I don’t for the most part. I was a child when I took control of those wolves. I was scared. I have a far better hold of my power now. I know that’s what everyone fears from me, but I don’t have to use the power. As for the hounds, they can follow rudimentary orders, but I can’t speak to them the way I can wolves. I can tell you they were confused and scared until they realized I was in control. They’re pack animals. They want an alpha. And they want their mom. I would actually say the feelings I’m getting off them are definitely for a mom. I make the distinction because while Lilith would be their master, their feelings seem to be more familial than respect for an authority figure. They love her.”
“Of course they do,” Tix replied with a huff as though that should have been evident. “They would never leave her, and they would certainly never hurt an ally of hers.”
“Ally?” I thought Gray hadn’t met the woman.
Gray’s hands came up. “He’s not talking about me. The connection runs through Tix. Technically those hounds are not from the kingdom, so they aren’t oathed to me. But they are related to Tix.”
“Mother would never harm me in this way,” Tix assured me. “She would never join someone who would mean harm to the House of Sloane because she’s well aware what would happen to me.”
“The law is clear. If the lord or lady of the house dies, the keeper of the house is sent along with them,” Gray said, holding his hands up. “Don’t blame me. I didn’t make the rule.”
Tix’s fate was tied to ours. That was clear. If his mother did care for him, she wouldn’t have done this, but I happened to know that there were moms out there who would sell their children out. Especially if the payout was power. And Tix had a couple thousand years under his belt, so she might think he’d had a full life. But why would she spell her own dogs? “There’s no way the collars were a mistake? Is it a training thing?”
“Oh, no. They were confused.” Fenrir ran a hand over Hercules’s back. “Still are. I don’t think they liked the collars. It’s not normal for them. And I get the sense they don’t leave their home plane often. This one doesn’t understand why it’s dark outside. It worries him. He’s the smartest of the three, the leader. He can get some imagery into my head. Perseus is a beta, and that one over there wants someone petting her all the time. Oh, and I think they might be hungry. And no, that’s not me reading minds. His belly’s gurgling.”