by Chant, Zoe
She raised one hand and pointed at his face. “Your eyes,” she began, horror dawning in her own eyes. “There’s smoke coming out from your glasses. I thought I was imagining things before. But you’re—you’re—”
Fleance stilled. He’d been too careless, let his hellhound get too close to the surface. As Sheena pointed at him accusingly, he felt smoke coiling out from behind his sunglasses.
He swallowed. “You have to trust me—”
“Oh, sure, I trust you.” The sudden tightness around her eyes told him that was a lie, and his chest twisted. “Is this some kind of sick joke? That was you back in the house, wasn’t it?”
He grasped for the mate bond and Sheena took another horrified step backward. The shining light splintered in his grip and he let go as the world swooped around him.
“It’s not what you think,” he began. “Please. Trust me.” He pulled off his sunglasses and reached out to her mind again, trying to imbue his own telepathic voice with how important it was she believe him while keeping back how afraid he was.
*I’ll explain everything, but there isn’t time—*
He stopped. A wall had come down between his mind and Sheena’s, impenetrable as stone. Even the golden thread connecting his heart to hers pulled tight, as though a huge weight had slammed down on it.
Splintered. Crushed. Fear dug into his heart. How much more damage could it take?
That first touch of her mind to his had been like the lick of a cool breeze. He wanted to feel it again. To roll around in it, luxuriate in the sudden mind-to-mind intimacy. He’d been able to speak telepathically to shifters ever since Parker turned him, but this was different. This, for the first time since he’d become a shifter, had felt like it was what he was meant for.
And now it was going up in smoke.
“Your eyes are on fire.” Sheena stepped back, her jaw tightening. “That’s what I saw in my aunts’ house. What’s going on here? Who are you?” Her fists clenched. “Did you do this? Fiona told me to leave before he did something. And you’re—you’re—”
My mate, she mouthed, as though she couldn’t bear to say the words out loud. Before Fleance could say anything, she shook herself.
“No. The fear was a trick. This is a trick, too, isn’t it? You’re doing something to my mind. You’re not really… no.”
Her face had been full of fear and disgust but now, as she said that the connection between them might not be real, they melted away and were replaced by hope.
Hope that he wasn’t her mate.
Blackness swirled at the edges of Fleance’s vision. Not his hellhound: it was desperately silent, as though if it stayed still enough, it could take back the last thirty seconds and not ruin the one good thing in his life.
“Sheena, I—” he began, his voice ragged.
The hairs on the back of his neck rising was all the warning Fleance got that it was too late.
*Don’t let me ruin the moment.* The voice clawed into Fleance’s mind, bitter sharp and horribly familiar. *No more than you’ve already ruined it yourself, little Flea.*
The air behind Sheena shimmered and a hellhound stepped out of nothingness onto the empty road.
Sheena swore and reeled back towards Fleance. Protect her! his hellhound snarled. Fleance didn’t need telling. He moved in front of her automatically, adrenaline flooding his system.
And Sheena’s voice burst into his mind, jagged-edged and sharp as the light that flared between them once again.
*What the fuck is that?* she gasped. Emotions flooded through the mate bond: shock, confusion. Guilt. *His eyes—wait. And his smell. It wasn’t you at my aunts’ house, it was him.*
Fleance reached behind himself without looking and grabbed her hand. *Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.*
*What is that?*
Fleance gritted his jaw. *A hellhound. Like me.*
Angus Parker’s hellhound form was the size of a small pony. In the dark, from a distance, it might look like a real dog. If you made that mistake, as Fleance knew, you were already done for. If it got close enough for you to see the acrid smoke boiling out from under its black coat, or the pits of hellfire where its eyes could be, there was no escape.
The last time he had seen Angus Parker, Caine had just made him bare his throat in surrender. Caine had fought Parker in hellhound form: the two alphas were matched for size and strength, and since Caine was an alpha, he’d been able to break the other alpha’s power over him and take control of the pack.
Fleance had never seen Parker so angry. His hellhound form had melted away, but its rage had festered so close to the surface Fleance could feel it, even as he was led away in handcuffs. Now it was as though the rot had seeped through the hellhound’s skin. Parker’s coat was ragged and patchy, and the smoke that oozed through it was thick and greasy. Fleance felt nauseous.
It’s hellhound magic, he told himself as his heartbeat thundered in his ears and a million years of evolutionary instinct told him to run. That’s all. He’s just trying to frighten you.
His own hellhound was cowering low inside him, ears flat to its skull, teeth bared. Fleance’s breath locked in his throat.
Parker wasn’t just trying to frighten him. He was succeeding, sending terror rolling to the very depths of his soul. And not just because of his magic.
Because Fleance, and his hellhound, knew what he was capable of.
All the more reason not to let fear distract us, he thought, as much to himself as his hellhound and convincing neither of them.
Parker’s hellfire eyes trailed over him, down to his hand clenched tight around Sheena’s. A rough chuckle that made the hairs on the back of Fleance’s neck stand up grated out of its throat.
*Patched up your lovers’ quarrel already? Never say I never did anything for you, kiddo,* Parker rasped.
Fleance felt sick. The idea of his uncle having anything to do with his relationship with his mate made his stomach turn.
“Yeah, okay, that’s definitely what I saw,” Sheena whispered from behind him, her voice thin with fright. “I take it back. Your fiery eyes are much nicer than that thing’s.”
The monstrous hound peeled its lips back over its fangs. *And everyone keeps saying this is a first-world country,* it snarled pleasantly. *I’ll forgive you that ‘thing’ this once, sweetheart. In the future, you’ll call me ‘sir.’*
Sheena bristled. Fleance squeezed her hand. “She won’t say anything to you in the future, because we’re leaving. Now.” Fleance’s hellhound, even paralyzed with fear, lent its growl to his voice. He faced Parker down.
His car was two miles away, maybe more, beyond the small forest that surrounded the burning neighborhood. Behind Parker.
He had to get to it and get Sheena to safety. No matter what it took.
Parker lowered his head with a wolfish grin, as though he’d heard Fleance’s thoughts. Impossible, Fleance reminded himself.
*Leaving so soon?* He could imagine how this would go if Parker was in human form: the wide smile, the friendly clap on the shoulder that turned into a grip so solid there was no escaping it. The hellhound’s bare-fanged grin was a terrifying parody of Parker’s gleaming salesman smile. *I’m disappointed, Flea. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to turn tail the moment you saw me. Not after all this time.*
“You don’t know anything about why I’m here.” He knew that was the truth. If he couldn’t sense Parker’s presence when he was invisible—if the alpha bond was truly broken—then Parker couldn’t read his mind.
*Give a man a chance, Flea. Let’s see if I can guess what brought you all this way.* A strange shiver rippled through the hellhound’s filthy coat.
*You know this guy?* Sheena’s voice filtered into Fleance’s mind. A whisper, directed at him alone. A thin echo of the intimacy of that first kiss—but it was something. Fleance clung to it like a lifeline.
*He’s dangerous,* he sent back, and his hellhound shuddered with relief when he felt his voice slip throu
gh a crack in Sheena’s mental defenses.
*Yeah? No shit. Look at him.* She moved to his side, staring wide-eyed at the leering hellhound. *What do we do?*
Fleance’s stomach tightened. Look at him. She was right, anyone could see the creature in front of them was a monster. And that monster had made Fleance in his image.
Shouldn’t have come here, his hellhound whined. Not ready. Not strong enough.
Fleance gritted his jaw. We’re here now, he reminded it. We have to be ready. Sheena needs us. And… look around you. Past the smoke. Snowy mountains, frozen trees—it’s time for another Christmas miracle.
*My car’s at the end of a gravel road a few miles away,* he said to Sheena. *Keys in my back pocket. When I say go, take them and—*
Sheena was already saying *Okay, cool, how long’s a mile in real time though* when Parker growled impatiently. She froze, fingers just brushing Fleance’s back pocket.
*Oh, no, please, keep talking among yourselves. I can see I’m expected to hold up this whole conversation by myself.* His eyes blazed. *Now, where were we? Right, right, your reasons for being here.*
“Don’t matter, because we’re leaving.”
*Damn, Flea, did I teach you that badly?* The monster laughed. *No, no, you’re playing it all wrong. I know something brought you here. Excuse me. Someone. And it’s obvious you and the little lady didn’t know each other before today. There’s only one other person here.* His grin widened. *What were you thinking, Flea? You wanted to take me on?*
*Keys,* Fleance muttered urgently to Sheena. They didn’t make a noise as she snuck them from his pocket.
Smoke hissed from Parker’s nostrils. *But suddenly, whatever it was that brought you here is no longer your priority.* His huge head twisted to look at Sheena and Fleance shifted.
*Now!* he called as his hellhound rose up. It didn’t hesitate. Whatever fear had kept his hellhound paralyzed while Parker was talking dissolved as it took form. Its massive paws hit the ground running and he lunged at his former alpha.
Too late. Parker was already moving. He writhed like a snake, dodging Fleance’s attack and reaching for Sheena with one massive, claw-tipped foreclaw.
Pain ripped down the golden cord that bound Fleance to his mate. He tried to turn in mid-air and landed clumsily.
Sheena was face-down on the ground. Fleance’s hellhound snarled and ran to her, pressing its snout against her shoulder.
“’m fine,” she muttered. Her fingers tangled in his mane as she pulled herself up. “I—sss. Landed on my bad knee.” She hissed with pain and struggled upright. “Can’t even dodge without…” she began, then looked past him. The jolt of her shock in his chest was all the warning he got.
The other hellhound struck him in the flank. Fleance flew through the air. He hit the ground and sprang up against at once, leaping towards Parker before he could get to Sheena again.
*Run!* he yelled to his mate, and then there was no time to say or think anything. Fighting against Parker was like running along a knife’s edge. One slip, one mistake, and Parker wouldn’t hesitate to tear him to pieces.
Old scars pulled and twisted as he avoided Parker’s teeth. Muscles he hadn’t used in over a year burned. Running through Pine Valley’s forests was nothing like this.
He had to get Parker away from his mate. Fleance gave up ground, letting the other hellhound drive him into the nearest burning building. Hellhounds could phase through solid matter, but they couldn’t see through it. If he kept Parker occupied in the flames and collapsing timber, Sheena would have a chance to get away.
Parker’s teeth snapped together less than an inch from his shoulder. Before he could get his balance back, Fleance spun around.
He knew what he had to do. He’d seen Parker do it. Take advantage of his opponent being off-balance. Go in for the kill. Do whatever it took to make him submit.
The memory of blood flashed across his vision, and he stumbled.
Parker laughed soot-black smoke as he slunk into the cover of the roaring flames. *Long time no see, kiddo, but you ever think of calling ahead? I’m in the middle of a business deal. I don’t need you trying to muscle in.*
*I’m not here to steal your business,* Fleance snarled. Parker laughed again.
*No? What are you here for, then? Don’t tell me you’ve still got a bee in your bonnet over the work we did together.* His eyes flashed strangely. *Where is my old buddy Caine, anyway?*
*He’s not here,* Fleance snapped.
*That so? Interesting…*
Something tugged inside Fleance’s head, as though the shadows around his pack-sense were growing thicker. He forced the feeling away, focusing as hard as he could on the dim constellation of his pack. Alarms went off in his head. His pack-sense had been weaker ever since he left the States. He didn’t think distance could destroy it entirely, but if it could…
The golden mate bond responded to his fear. It flared bright and shining, a reminder that even if his pack was far away, his mate was close by.
Too close. Dread clamped down on Fleance’s heart. She hadn’t run away.
*Why are you still here?* he sent to her, his voice an arrow he hoped Parker couldn’t overhear.
She responded at once. *I’m not going to leave you here!*
*What made you come all this way, kiddo?* Parker’s voice twisted around his mind like an icy wind trying to find a way in. *Once was, you couldn’t wait to get away from me.*
*Then I’ll leave,* Fleance barked. With Sheena still here—he couldn’t risk her.
*I don’t think so.* Parker’s eyes burned dark from the flames. *I didn’t put on this show for nothing. My original audience might have missed the curtain, but I’m not going to let that gatecrasher out there get away.*
He disappeared. Fleance blinked, his senses on edge. Parker must have phased straight through the wall. He ran after him and burst out from the flames only a few yards behind Parker.
There was no time to plan an attack now. No time to know if his instincts were right. Sheena was standing on the landscaped slope up behind the houses, upwind from the fire. Her pants were ripped at the knee, blood spotting around the tears, and her nostrils flared as she saw the two hellhounds step out of the flames.
Parker took a step towards her and Fleance surged forward, teeth bared. *Don’t touch her!*
Fleance leaped. He was smaller than Parker, but this time his aim was true. When he hit the other hellhound, Parker went down like a tree falling. Fleance rolled with him, snapping, clawing, no room in his head for anything other than instant action and reaction.
Parker’s claws raked against his belly. Fleance yelped, twisting into a defensive posture. Wrong reaction. Parker moved like smoke. Pain shot through Fleance’s face, tearing, hot.
*Fleance!*
Sheena’s shriek cut through the pain. He ripped his head out of Parker’s jaws in time to see her swing a plank of wood towards the other shifter.
The plank hit Parker in the neck. He snarled, turning on Sheena, and lunged. Sheena dropped—No, Fleance realized, she shifted, becoming small enough to slip beneath Parker’s legs. Fleance glimpsed white wool, a black face and flailing ears as she ran. Then Parker snarled with frustration and Fleance took advantage of his lapse in attention to close his jaws around Parker’s neck.
He could feel Parker’s pulse beneath his teeth. The promise of blood. Bite down, his hellhound snarled, finish this!
Shock tore through him, as though he was watching himself from above. Finish him?
He was a monster, he knew that. Parker had made him a monster. But…
*What are you waiting for?* Parker snarled.
*I’m here to finish what Caine started.* He was playing for time. Ice sweat broke out on his back. *He made you leave. It wasn’t enough. You’re too dangerous—*
Especially now. Parker looked as though he was rotting from the inside. His outsides finally matched the corruption within. He was a monster.
But Fleance
didn’t have to kill him. There was another way this could end.
*—I have to stop you,* he finished.
Parker glared at him, his eyes rolling in his head. Then, to Fleance’s mixed horror and confusion, he started to laugh.
*Stop me? You? I already told you. You’re not man enough.*
*You have to submit!* Fleance growled.
He tightened his jaw, just a fraction. Still not enough to draw blood.
One bite. That was how it worked, wasn’t it? One bite had transformed him into a hellhound and made him Parker’s slave. When Caine had defeated Parker and taken control of the pack, he’d… he’d…
Fleance’s nerves jangled as he realized Caine had never mentioned biting Parker.
The other hellhound’s throat wobbled beneath his teeth as he laughed.
*Flea, Flea, Flea. Always biting off more than you can chew. What do you think is going to happen here?* He was grinning, now, his lips stretched back over sharp gray teeth. *Go on! Do it! Just like I taught you, huh? What do you think’s going to happen? You’ll be the big, bad alpha and have my voice in your head forever?*
*Fleance, what’s he talking about?* Compared to Parker’s voice, Sheena’s was a ray of sunshine. But she sounded worried. *His voice in your head?*
*Go on. Explain it to the poor girl. What you think is going to happen.* When Fleance didn’t immediately respond, Parker jerked up, almost impaling himself on Fleance’s teeth. *It won’t work! You’ll never control me. Caine was an alpha. Why do you think I didn’t bring him to heel after I turned him like I did the rest of you? The risk outweighed the reward. But you… you’re just a lackey.* His eyes narrowed. *The most you can hope for is to kill me. But you’re too weak to do that, aren’t you? Too weak to do what has to be done. Just as you always were.*
Fleance’s head was ringing. He released his bite as bitterness flooded his mouth. Angus slunk to his feet, a mocking snarl on his mouth.
*No surprises there. Same old Flea, huh? Pathetic.*
Fleance felt sick. He hesitated, and that was all Parker needed to act. He twisted and snapped at Sheena before either of them could react.
The smell of blood hit Fleance like a blow. He surged forward, man and hellhound united to protect his mate. A shout echoed in his mind, but all he could focus on was getting between Parker and Sheena. Hellfire dripped from his jaws. He stalked forward, driving the other hellhound back towards the burning buildings.