Heroes and a Hellhound: Book One

by Eleanor Rousseau

  * * *

  Terra -

  Nevaeh was acting weirder than normal, and that was saying something. Usually, she would have kicked the fanboy out on his ass and given him a light mauling for his trouble. She wouldn’t stare at him in adoration and softly purr at him. I didn’t even know hounds could purr. “This is abnormal… right?”

  “Yes,” Juliette hissed. “I think she’s been put under some kind of spell.”

  I blinked. “How?”

  “She ate a cake that someone had left on her desk earlier, although I have no idea how it got there. She was fine until she left, saw this guy outside and just let him in. Since then she’s been pandering to him for no apparent reason.”

  “Has she been smoking pot again? That stuff has a weird effect on hellhounds,” I commented.

  “I really have no idea what could cause this.”

  I glanced up thoughtfully. “There may be someone I can call.” I pulled out my phone and dialled Tim’s number. “Hey, we’re having a little issue with our hellhound. It looks like she’s been enthralled by some fanboy. She’s doting all over him like a tween meeting a boy band.”

  There was a long pregnant pause before he responded. “What?”

  “I think you heard me. He may have spelled her.”

  He chuckled. “What was his plan, to commit suicide by hellhound?”

  “She seems enamoured, I don’t think she’s going to hurt him.”

  “He’s human.”

  I glanced at the boy, curling my lip in distaste at his smell and his acne-ridden face. I did not miss those teenage years. “Yes.”

  “Then trust me, he won’t survive a night of her affection.”

  I rolled my eyes and frowned. “Aren’t you going to do anything? She might cheat on you.”

  A deep dark chuckle rumbled through the phone, a sound which would have terrified most mortals. Luckily, I was a demon. “Tell her that if she does I will punish her, liberally.” He seemed to get way too much enjoyment from the thought. “Actually, let me tell her. Give her the phone.”

  I walked over to her and pressed the phone to her ear, her hand automatically came up to hold it and I walked back to the others before I could overhear the salacious details of what he had planned.

  “He says she’ll probably break the mortal,” I told the others.

  Rosa frowned. “How?”

  I shrugged. “I can only imagine that she’s very violent in the sack.”

  “Okay, so we should do something, right? Otherwise, he’ll be dead after having taken advantage of her. Both bad things.”

  I glanced over at Neva. She was listening to whatever Tim was saying and her fangs had extended. She licked her lips hungrily and the boy frowned at her lack of attention. Clearly, she still had a hard-on for Tim, but he was a bit of a dick, so, whatever weird perverse thing was between them probably wouldn’t override a spell.

  “I say we knock him out and lock him in the basement,” I suggested.

  “What if she lets him out?” Rosa asked.

  “We lock her up, too.” It seemed like a pretty solid plan.

  * * *

  Rosa -

  Nevaeh was moping like a lost puppy, which meant that Pete was also moping like a lost puppy. The dog lay on the other side of the cage, looking completely miserable. “Hey boy.” I crouched down beside him.

  He was usually such a high-spirited creature, even Nevaeh’s sour countenance didn’t seem to ever dampen his mood. Nevaeh had once called him her familiar, I had no idea what that meant for a half-demon but they must have had some kind of connection.

  Otherwise, I couldn’t imagine Nevaeh choosing a pet who was so energetic and happy. The girl was an enigma. I scratched Pete behind his ear and he pressed into my hand. “What are we going to do with her, hey?” I murmured.

  He turned his head and growled to the other side of the hall, where the human was caged. Hmm. “We can’t just kill the human. We don’t even know for certain that this was his doing. He doesn’t appear capable of witchcraft.” He was actually quite pathetic, which is what had convinced me that Nevaeh was under a spell of some kind.

  Pete whined softly and rested his muzzle between the bars as he gazed at Nevaeh with open longing. “Nevaeh, Pete’s here.”

  The hellhound turned her head to look at us but otherwise didn’t move from her spot on the floor. Wide, pleading blue eyes glanced at me and her bottom lip trembled slightly.

  I frowned. “This isn’t you. A love spell shouldn’t change the fundamentals of who you are,” I declared.

  She blinked, her expression changing completely in an instant. “Please just let me see him. I can take him and keep him with me forever.” Her look was still imploring but less miserable.

  “Is that a reference to some weird sex thing?”

  “No, I think she wants to take his soul,” Terra said as she climbed down the stairs.

  I grimaced. “She can do that?”

  “Yup. So can I. For me, the process is pretty easy but hellhounds need to… sink in their teeth to get a good grip on the soul. There’s a process where they kind of ingest the soul. It’s all pretty gross and most of them hate doing it.”

  “But she’s been driven crazy by the spell,” I finished. Then I couldn’t help but ask, “What happens after they… ingest the soul?”

  Terra shrugged. “Stick it in a jar, release it in whatever dimension, maybe gift it to a friend.”

  “You hellions are weird,” I told her.

  “Hey, don’t lump me in with this freak.” She pointed at Nevaeh but her slight smile softened the words. Or it seemed to, from my perspective. I wasn’t sure Nevaeh noticed or cared.

  “We need to think, how do we snap her out of this?”

  She shrugged. “A spell like that won’t last forever, not on a hellhound. Especially not on that hellhound. Being enamoured goes against her nature. The only thing she’s ever shown any affection towards is her mattress.”

  She had a point. “I think we should at least try to help her. If nothing else, it’ll soothe her ego.”

  “I think we should try and slap some sense into her.”

  I gave her a flat look. “Do you honestly believe that could work?”

  “I honestly believe that I would like to give it a try.”

  I rolled my eyes but really, what else could you expect from a demon?

  * * *

  Nevaeh -

  “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Back with us, Nevaeh?” Rosa asked.

  “I’m going to kill the bastard,” I snarled.

  Rosa and Terra shared a look. “Good call, sending him elsewhere.”

  “He messed with my head!” I snarled. It was a violation on the deepest level. “He made me pant after him like a dog in heat! No man controls me unless I wish it!” I kicked at the bars.

  “You’d wish for a man to control you?” Terra asked curiously.

  “Maybe, if I’m feeling frisky. And, of course, it couldn’t be just any man.” I thought of Tim and smirked. Then I frowned. “Wait, you called Tim!” Oh no, I would be in big trouble when I got home. A shiver ran down my spine, though it wasn’t necessarily one of fear.

  I shook my head, I was so easily distracted. “No, wait, I was pissed.” I was still trying to be pissed but the feeling was elusive now. Damn, Tim, and his talented bedroom antics.

  “You can’t kill him,” Rosa said.

  “No, he’ll probably kill me,” I murmured.

  She blinked. “No, I meant the human. You smiled so I figured you were imagining killing him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but he must be punished.”

  “He will be, though probably not in the way you imagine.”

  “If I’m being honest, I don’t think I could bear the sight of him long enough to torture him. Now, I’m going to go take a bath in battery acid, then I’m going to find a way to get back at all of you for failing to break the spell. I mean, you couldn’t come up with
a single solution in the time it took for the damn spell to wear off?” I shook my head in dismay. “Amateurs.”

  14

  14 - Best Behaviour

  Nevaeh -

  “Remember, you are just here because for some insane reason there are people who still think you’re one of the good guys-” Jason began.

  I glanced back at the parking lot. “Hey, do you think he’ll be okay? I cracked the window open and left him a bowl of water.”

  Jason quirked an eyebrow. “You brought your dog?”

  I frowned at him. “No, why?”

  He glanced towards the car park, then back at me. He seemed slightly alarmed. “Well, who…” He shook his head. “No, nevermind, I don’t want to know. As I was saying, I really need you to behave in there. Seriously, no swearing, no obscure comments, don’t talk about Hell.”

  I rolled my eyes as we stepped into a large hallway. “I hardly ever talk about Hell.”

  “Well, then keep it up. In fact, don’t talk at all. If someone talks to you just smile and nod. Can you do that?” He glanced at me.

  I turned my lips up into a sweet smile while my eyes conveyed condescension, then I nodded.

  He sighed. “Close enough.”

  Frankly, I was pretty sure I’d nailed it. He really didn’t respect how much effort it had taken to perfect a look that said ‘I know you’re trying and that’s great, you dumb sack of crap’. It was a very specific sentiment. However, I didn’t comment because he clearly didn’t respect my talents.

  He paused. “Wait, what does your shirt say?”

  I glanced down, and read aloud, “I may be straight, but I don’t hate.” There was also a rainbow banner behind the word ‘straight’. “In my defence, I burnt through my own shirt and there were a box of these at HQ.”

  “There were? Where did they come from?”

  “I think they’re left over from the last LGTB society event. I wasn’t invited.”

  “Because you’re straight?”

  I shook my head. “Because I caused a ‘scene’ at the last one,” I said, using air quotes.

  He shook his head. “I regret asking.”

  “It’s a very breathable fabric.”

  We paused outside a door, then he took a deep breath and walked inside. I looked at the two guards standing at the door. They were just doing their job so I gave them polite smiles. I could totally behave.

  We walked into the room and to a table. Jason nodded to a few of the people already seated before taking the last remaining chair. Wait, was I just supposed to stand? That seemed awfully inconsiderate, but then it did give me freedom of movement so I could kill, should the need arise. But I wasn’t sure Jason would have seen that as a positive thing, so he was probably just being inconsiderate.

  “You all know why we are here,” said the scary-looking lady at the head of the table. She wore a pantsuit but the cut was slightly off, and it wasn’t at all flattering on her figure. I’m not big on fashion but I could generally point out a flaw from a mile away, in regards to fashion and other things.

  I knew why we were here. Weather witches were screwing with the city. I knew this because it had been snowing on Monday, but Tuesday through Friday had been hot as the Sahara. Even I picked up on that kind of extreme weather, and I knew the only answer could be witches. I wasn’t aware that everyone else was so clued-in though. Good for them.

  A handsome man in a suit that was probably more expensive than Tim’s car leaned forward in his chair. “Yes, we all know of the witches’ demands. Since you called this meeting to order, I presume you have some kind of plan in mind.” He seemed pissed, although he was clearly trying to stay calm.

  The witches had made demands? Sweet. I wondered what they wanted. I glanced back at the male and realised that he wasn’t human, and neither was his companion. Huh, curious. By the set of her jaw, she was pissed too. Oh! Maybe they were avid botanists and this weather was totally screwing with their rutabagas.

  Just a thought.

  The scary lady started talking again. I couldn’t be certain, but she may have been the mayor. I thought to ask, but Jason probably wouldn’t think it was good behaviour and I really didn’t care enough to get myself in trouble.

  The inhuman male pushed to his feet and it occurred to me that I probably should have been paying attention to what was being said. “You will not use my wife as bait! I don’t care if these Goddamned witches bury us in snow! We will not give in to their demands.”

  Wait, the witches wanted his lady? And the scary lady wanted the witches to have his lady? And here I’d thought this meeting would be dull.

  “We will take precautions. We have a plan in place to provide safety to those involved and to capture the witches with no harm to the public,” said the man to Scary Lady’s right. He was dressed in a uniform and was probably some kind of Captain.

  “With all due respect, you are not equipped to deal with these kinds of people,” said the woman who the others wanted to use as bait.

  I had to think she was probably right. Scary Lady and Captain Tight Ass didn’t seem like they had two brain cells to rub together. I glanced at Jason to see if he was going to give any input, but he said nothing. Then again, he tended to have more faith in mortals than I did.

  I stretched my shoulders and wondered if this meeting was really worth my time. Sure, it was fun to watch humans do stupid things, but the arguing got a little boring after awhile. “Mr Lewis, I respect that this is a lot to ask, but it’s for the greater good of the town,” said Scary Lady. Her tone was calm but her eyes looked pissed.

  Humans were weird. Why have a shouting match when you can beat each other senseless and give everyone else a good show?

  “A lot to ask? What happened to not negotiating with terrorists! You’d never do this if they were asking for a human!” the male said.

  “Well, fortunately, they aren’t. As you’ve said she’s not human which means she has certain powers to protect herself,” retorted the Captain.

  Oh, my God, this was so tiresome. I cleared my throat. Scary Lady and the Cap both shot me annoyed looks. That was fine, I wasn’t inclined to side with dumb humans anyway.

  “I have carefully evaluated the plan that you’ve proposed and the potential consequences.” Lies. “And I’ve considered the position that you have all been put in.” Total bullshit. “And after careful examination, I’ve decided that your proposal is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.”

  “Neva-” Jason began, a warning in his voice.

  “No, there is a reason you don’t negotiate with terrorists. Because the moment you give into them, the moment you even think about it, you become their bitch.”

  “Watch your tone!” snapped Scary Lady, her face bright red with fury. She looked ridiculous; it was pretty funny.

  “My tone doesn’t matter, what I’m saying matters, and it matters because you know I’m right. This is a group of witches, and what they want is another magic user. What do you think they’re going to do with her, have tea parties? You think because you do what they say you’ll get a big thank you, a fruit basket and they’ll never bother us again?

  “Were you born yesterday? If they get their hands on another magic user they are going to use her magic, and they’re probably going to use it in the town. Hell, why wouldn’t they when they know that if they mess with the climate a little they can have you handing over whatever they want?”

  “The city and its people are in danger now!” growled the scary lady. Luckily, while she might look a little scary, she had nothing on a hellhound.

  “Oh, trust me, I believe you. If you people are the best it’s got, this town is most definitely in trouble.” The room went quiet. I waited for them to break out in spontaneous applause but, sadly, that didn’t occur, although the inhuman male did smirk, as did his wife. Score.

  “Get out!” snapped the woman who I was now almost certain was the mayor.

  I grinned. “Gladly. Hey, maybe while I’m gone
I’ll find some powerful magical artefact that gives unlimited power and we can offer that to the witches instead,” I said, on my way out of the room.

  I had a strong suspicion that if I’d waited a moment longer I would have been dragged out by guards. As fun as that would have been, I was pretty sure getting physically thrown out wouldn’t have been considered good behaviour by Jason.

  Ah, never mind. I’d probably screwed that pooch anyway, but really he was the only one to blame for that. What else had he expected?

  “You said you’d only be a minute,” commented Tim as I slid back into the car.

  “I lied. I’m sorry, does that shock and horrify you?” I asked curiously.

  He quirked an eyebrow at me. “No, you’re a hellhound. I’d expect nothing less.”

  I grinned as he started up the car. “I like how you get me.”

  A small smile curved his lips and he shook his head slightly. “One thing I don’t get about you is why you brought a bowl of water into my car,” he said, glancing down at the metal bowl by his feet.

  I shot him a look to show that the answer should have been obvious. “I thought you might get thirsty.” Really, why else would it be there? I guess even immortals can sometimes be dumb, too.

  15

  15 - Steak Out

  Nevaeh -

  It was late when there was a knock on the car window. I glanced over and narrowed my eyes at the familiar face. “Pete, in the back,” the demon ordered.

  The dog, who had been resting in the passenger’s seat, leapt into the back, his tail wagging in excitement at this new development.

  Tim opened the door and climbed inside.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

  “I got bored, what are you doing here?” he asked, glancing around.

  “Steak out. The guy who lives there has gotten some anonymous death threats. Nothing major but he’s a bit of a pansy and Dean of the university, so we were obliged to help. Even though it won’t guarantee us good grades,” I explained, pointing to a house on the opposite side of the road a few doors down. I’d figured that potentially saving the guy’s life would save me from the tedium of essay writing but apparently not. I knew; I’d asked.