Chapter Three
Dimitri
By some miracle, I manage to get Snow and her furry army back to the place where the trail ends. Constantine meets us there with Bear and Dizzy. They immediately rush to Snow, who falls to her knees, scooping them into her arms.
Bear rests his head on Snow's shoulder, grumbling as if he's chastising her.
"Bear!" she whispers to the little demon, chastising him right back even as she clings to him. "You wicked, brave little monster. You nearly gave me a heart attack when you ran off."
I grunt, my dick pressed painfully against my zipper as I watch her. I've never wanted to be a dog so fucking bad in my life. Never had one eye me with such distrust, either. Clearly, Bear thinks he leads the pack and I'm an untrustworthy SOB. I'm going to have to work to earn his forgiveness for practically tossing him at Constantine so I could go after Snow.
"You good?" I ask Constantine.
"That dog is the goddamn devil," he mutters with a shake of his head. "But yeah, I'm good. He settled down once he knew I didn't mean him any harm." He casts his flashlight beam across the army of strays gathered around Snow. "She's been living in the woods with a pack of dogs?"
"Yes, and they're all protective as hell so watch out," I warn him. "The little ones are just as likely to bite you if they think you're threatening her as the big ones are. They're going with us."
"Fine, but you get to explain this shit to Dante."
Fuck. He's not going to be thrilled when I bring home Snow and seven strays but screw it. He'd do the same thing if our roles were reversed. I'm certainly not leaving her in the damn woods with the cartel and her stepmother looking for her. She's barely even old enough to be out here on her own. Actually, scratch that. I don't care how old she is, it's not old enough to be out here on her own. Not when she's as goddamn perfect as she is.
Even dressed in rags with scratches up and down her arms and dirt streaked across her face, she's ravishing. There's an innocence, a goodness to her that just pours out of her. She's pure light.
If the Carmonas get their hands on her, they're as likely to try to claim her as they are to follow through on their agreement with Delilah. A red haze falls over my vision at the mere thought. No. Abso-fucking-lutely not. I'll kill every single one of them before I let them lay a hand on her. I'll protect her with my life if that's what it takes to keep them from putting their filthy hands on her. And so will every single man we employ.
"Snow, it's time to go," I say, holding my hand out toward her.
"Snow?" Constantine arches a brow and then looks at the dogs around her, before turning to smirk at me. "Does that make you the huntsman or Prince Charming?"
I casually flip him off behind my back, not dignifying him with a response. He knows better than anyone that one thing I'm not is charming. And a prince? The only kingdom I stand to inherit is one built through deeds better left unspoken, especially to a girl like Snow. My soul is stained black. Hers shines bright as the sun. But that isn't going to stop me from claiming her and dragging her down into the dark with me.
No, I'm no Prince Charming. But she's going to be my princess anyway.
And when she's in my bed, with those thick thighs wrapped around me while I drive her out of her mind, she won't care that the only heaven I can offer is one scented with the flames of hell. She'll love every fucking minute of it.
"Come on, Magic," I growl quietly. "It's time to move."
She lifts her head from the dogs, her big, guileless blue eyes meeting mine. I get sucked into her orbit, pulled deeper into whatever magic she weaves. My heart and cock throb at the same time, creating a harmony that vibrates through my system. Goddamn. She's beautiful.
She slowly lifts her hand toward me. It hovers over mine for a second before dropping neatly into my palm. I close my fingers around hers. The vibrations running through me grow exponentially.
She feels it too. The tiniest shiver runs through her, so faint I wouldn't even have noticed in the scant light if it weren't for the fact that I'm so focused on every little thing about her.
"What—?"
Bear and Shaman both growl, cutting her off. The rest of the dogs sit upright, suddenly tense and wary. It's the only warning we get before a loud crack of sound splits apart the night.
A gunshot.
It slams into a tree a few feet away, sending bark raining to the ground.