Fear The Fall: Fallen Hunters Series

by Melissa Winters

  He licks his lips, showcasing a row of razor-sharp teeth. I inhale deeply, trying to remain focused as he stalks toward me. He doesn’t make it far before a massive dog appears through the trees, baring his teeth.

  Hellhound.

  My eyes go wide at the sight of the beast. Lucifer’s personal pet. If that thing is here, Lucifer’s close by. An alarming shiver runs down my spine. They don’t leave Hell without him.

  In a strange turn of events, the beast rips through the pack, tearing them limb from limb. Sinew and entrails spray everywhere, the forest floor painted in blood, and I’m rooted in place, unable to move. This is my chance to escape, yet I can’t get my feet and my head on the same page. You can’t outrun a hound.

  Hellhounds have one master. They don’t care if you’re on Lucifer’s side or not. They’ll rip through you to get to their target, as witnessed here.

  When every last one of the demons is torn apart, the hound turns toward me. It moves slowly in my direction, crouching low and revealing its yellowed teeth, pieces of flesh stuck between the blades.

  My stomach rolls and I’m close to spilling its contents on the forest floor. The only way to kill a hellhound is with my divine blade, which is currently MIA. The beast takes off in a sprint, coming right toward me. It prepares to pounce and my eyes close as I fall to my knees.

  The expected impact never comes. Body shaking and breath heavy, I open my eyes and twist to see the hound chewing what’s left of the wolf, Magrid, that had been missing from the pack. The hellhound leapt over me to take out a demon?

  Hellhounds are the most vicious creatures of Hell. They don’t discriminate when it comes to their victims. Evil, angelic, human—they’re all fair game when the beasts are hungry, and they’re always ravenous. But why had it passed me by to get to the demon?

  I stand slowly to my feet, the hound’s eyes never leaving me as it continues to feast on the fallen demon. Carefully, trying to draw little attention to myself, I back up, trying to retreat while the thing’s preoccupied with feeding.

  I haven’t gotten far before it’s done, swiping its massive tongue out to wipe the gore from its jowls. I freeze, not wanting to force the creature to attack prematurely. The hound freezes, ears perking up. I strain to attempt to hear whatever has its attention, but I hear nothing. Whatever calls to the beast is for its ears only. It turns away and runs off into the forest without giving me a second glance.

  Something Just Like This

  I stare in shock. Hellhounds don’t leave behind survivors. Their bloodlust is unquenchable, never satiated.

  “Tori,” Zeke yells out minutes later, sounding frantic.

  “I’m over here,” I call back, still in disbelief and unable to move from the spot I’m currently rooted to.

  He comes barreling through the overgrowth, pulling me into his hard chest, squeezing a bit tighter than is comfortable. My entire body shakes in his embrace, the aftereffects of the adrenaline still attempting to find an exit.

  “Are you okay?” he asks into my hair, placing a kiss on top.

  I nod, wondering how he’s in one piece. There was a herd of demons chasing after him.

  “How did you escape?”

  “I got far enough ahead and scaled a tree. They were bottom feeders,” he explains. “Too stupid to track me correctly.”

  I let out the breath I’ve been holding, glad that we’re both okay. That was an ambush, and neither of us were armed or powered up.

  After several minutes of standing here, me still in Zeke’s arms, he steps back, putting space between us, looking me over head to toe.

  “Was that a hellhound?”

  I nod again.

  “How are you still alive?” he asks, with a hint of awe.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” I reply, walking back toward the path, wanting desperately to get out of these woods.

  “What do you think’s happening?” he asks from behind, and I don’t bother turning around.

  “I don’t know. I’m clueless.”

  “Are you okay?” he asks, but I don’t answer. The need to get back to my loft and to some sense of safety is my only goal at the moment. “Stop, Tori.” Zeke’s demanding tone leaves no room for argument.

  I slowly pivot to face him. His eyes are weary as they rush over me.

  “What do you expect me to say? No, I’m not all right,” I admit, throwing my hands in the air. “Demons in the daytime, werewolves, hellhounds—nothing is all right with any of that,” I screech, pressing the palms of my hands into my head and kneading roughly, trying to stave off a headache. When my arms drop to my sides, the world starts to tilt until it’s in a full spin. My vision goes blurry and the last thing I see, before everything goes black, is Zeke’s concerned face.

  When I come to, I’m lying in my bed back at the loft. I stretch my arms over my head, relishing the pull of my muscles. How I got back here is answered quickly, as a half-dressed Zeke leans over the bed, handing me a glass of water.

  “Did you lose your shirt?” I prod, smirking, hoping to divert attention from my blackout.

  He grins back. “It was dirty. I thought it was more important to make sure you were okay.” He looks at me, appearing contemplative. “Wanna tell me what happened back there?”

  I groan. “This again? I told you I have no clue.”

  His brow rises. “I mean why you fainted.”

  “Oh. That,” I say pensively.

  “Yeah. That.” He frowns. “Not what I’ve come to expect from the ever brave and tough-as-hell Victoria English.”

  “Ha. That was a damn ambush.”

  “I’ve never encountered anything like that. What do you make of those demons?”

  I sit up, taking a long drink of the offered water and placing it on the nightstand when I’m finished.

  “My best guess is a coup, and witches are at the helm.”

  “You think they’re after us?”

  “Who else? There’s nobody else here.” I throw my hands out, motioning around.

  “But why witches?”

  “I don’t think they have anything to do with the attack, but they’re clearly responsible for the demons’ ability to walk in the daylight. The wolves were wearing talismans.”

  He nods, inhaling deeply. “What’s their angle?”

  I shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they want my sword in exchange for helping the wolves get rid of us?”

  “That makes sense, but Michael won’t allow that. Angels will be all over the place soon,” he says, looking at me a little too intently.

  “Why the hell would Michael care? We’re fallen. They have no reason to save us.”

  “They might not care about us, Tori, but they won’t want an ethereal object in the hands of black witches. They also won’t stand around and allow demons to walk in the daylight. That would be the beginning of the end.”

  I huff, “I don’t want to see any of those jackasses.”

  Zeke chokes out a laugh. “Those asses were once your brothers.”

  “They had no problem watching me fall. They’re no brothers of mine.”

  His mouth forms a tight line. “I’ll be right by your side. I won’t let them touch you, Tori.”

  “Who? The angels or the demons? Since apparently they’re all coming for me.”

  “Both,” he stresses. “But the angels aren’t coming here for you.”

  “No shit. We both know they’ve slammed their gate on me.”

  “That’s in the past. It’s you and me now.”

  I let Zeke’s words fall over me, cocooning me with his promise of protection. I’ll never understand why he’s so hell-bent on defending me, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  “Tori . . . I want to talk to you about something, but you’re not gonna like it.” My arms cross over my chest, already geared up for another fight. Zeke groans. “Just hear me out before you go getting moody.”

  My hand flutters in the air, signaling for hi
m to proceed.

  “With the arrival of the new demons and their working with the witches, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  “What are you proposing?”

  “Blaine and his group.”

  “No.”

  “Tori, see reason.” Zeke grunts. “They are good hunters.”

  “They’re weak and slow. Things have progressed beyond their capabilities. It’ll only get them killed.”

  “Can’t you feel it, Tori? Something has shifted. They can join the fight, and die helping the cause, or they can be sitting ducks with the rest of the human population and die anyway. At least in my scenario, they leave this earth as heroes in their own right.”

  His hand darts out, moving a piece of my long blond hair behind my ears. I nuzzle into his palm, needing the comfort that Zeke offers in that simple touch.

  “What will Michael and his minions think about that?” I purse my lips.

  “I don’t give two fucks, T. They abandoned us here to make do in our new circumstances. If we join forces with a group of mortals to rid the world of demons, what are they going to do about it?”

  “End us and your human friends?”

  “Then I guess you get to leave Earth sooner than you thought.”

  I scoot to the end of the bed, coming to sit up on my knees. Running my hand down Zeke’s arm, I lean in and say, “I was just starting to like my circumstances.”

  His lip quirks into a sexy-as-sin smirk. “Is that so?”

  I nod my head, smiling flirtatiously up into Zeke’s big blue eyes that match the color of my own. “In fact, I think we could find something to do to tip the scales even more in Earth’s favor.”

  His brow quirks. “Do tell.”

  I place a kiss on his lips, lean into his right ear, and whisper some salacious ideas. Zeke doesn’t waste another second, lowering me to the bed and trailing his kisses south. Right where I want him.

  An hour later, we’re dressing and heading downstairs to set up a makeshift training facility. If we’re going to get Blaine’s crew involved, we need to determine just what they’re capable of. They know about demons and it’s time they learn that there are other supernatural beings roaming Earth. Only then can they have any hope of being useful in the coming fight. That’s a conversation for another day. Getting prepared is the current goal.

  “I’m starving,” Zeke says, after what’s likely been four hours of back-breaking labor, trying to get this place in shape. “Wanna go grab dinner?”

  “Not exactly. Why don’t we do a night in?” I waggle my brows suggestively.

  “What, pray tell, do you have in mind?”

  I saunter toward him, swaying my hips suggestively, hoping to send the signal that all I want is him. All of him. My hands go to his shoulder and I lean up on my tiptoes, pressing my mouth against his. He moans into my lips, grabbing me by the hips and pulling me flush against him.

  “You’re playing a dangerous game. We may never eat.”

  I chuckle. “I’d be okay with that.”

  “Me too.” He places a chaste kiss on my lips and looks down at me. “I wanted to take you somewhere nice. On a date.”

  “Zeke,” I warn. “Physical only. I told you no relationships, and dates equal more. I just want this.”

  “It’s just food, Tori. It doesn’t have to be anything more.”

  He says the words, but the tone of his voice and the way his jaw is working give him away. He’s angling for more, no matter what our agreement was. I should’ve known he’d never truly settle.

  “You don’t mean that. You never intended to stop pushing, did you?”

  “Friends eat together, Tori. Stop making it more than it is.”

  I sigh. “Food? Yes. Dinner date? No. Okay?”

  He hugs me before stepping back. “Pizza work?”

  “Pizza would be perfect.” I smile. “You go to town and grab that, while I shower and pick out a movie.”

  “Who said anything about a movie?” He guffaws, trying and failing to muster the appearance of being alarmed by the thought.

  “It’s just a movie, Zeke. Friends watch movies.”

  He smirks. “Whatever you say, English.”

  I want to push my assurance that watching a movie is innocent, but instead, I drop the conversation for now.

  “Nothing too girly, please.”

  “Don’t worry, big guy. I won’t pick some sappy romance.” I roll my eyes.

  “No dramas either. Comedy or Marvel. We could use a chill night for a change.”

  “Noted.”

  “Don’t plan on hunting either.”

  My face falls. I thought for sure after dinner and the movie, he’d be up for the hunt.

  He steps back into me, holding me close and placing a kiss on my forehead. “Until we know what’s going on, we need to be careful. We need to train.”

  I nod, knowing it’s the best strategy.

  “Go shower. When I get back, it’s just you and me. All night.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  He grins, jogging backward to the truck.

  I push away the thought of what havoc demons can wreak tonight and head to shower. I’ve given my whole life to the cause. Tonight, I’m going to experience a night of human normalcy, in the arms of Zeke—my own alpha hero. Only as friends. Just friends.

  Keep telling yourself that, Tori.

  Stay

  Demons soak into the earth, being dragged back to Hell, where they belong. A few tombstones are overturned, the aftermath of yet another run-in with evil.

  Except this time, it wasn’t a sanctioned fight, and that truth alone could put me in front of the Divine Council for crimes against God. I managed to escape that fate once, but I’m pushing my luck.

  “You came,” a masculine voice speaks from between two mausoleums. As he steps out under the moonlight, his face is illuminated, and my breath catches at the sight. He’s more handsome than I remembered, standing here in a simple pair of gym shorts and a black T-shirt. He’s tall and lean, a work of art.

  “What are you doing in a cemetery at night?”

  “I am visiting an old friend,” he explains, stepping closer to me. “It’s peaceful at night. Nobody around to distract me.”

  I sit, trying to regain my strength. Battling six demons took a lot out of me. I typically have my brothers at my back, but tonight, I came alone. Because he called out for me.

  “Why did you call for me?” I ask, looking out the corner of my eye at him.

  He takes a seat next to me, spreading his muscular legs out in front of him and leaning back on his elbows.

  “I found myself in need of help,” he said, sucking in his cheek, giving away the lie.

  I raise my eyebrows in challenge, and he grins.

  “Okay, so it’s a little more than that,” he admits, and I can’t keep the smile off my face.

  “Well?” I press, wanting him to say what’s on his mind, hoping there’s more to it than him simply needing help but knowing how wrong it is that I hope for such things.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you, Victoria,” he says, turning toward me. “I’m going crazy.”

  My eyes close, savoring the way I feel at his admission. Too good. Too happy.

  Foolish.

  I let out a breath and open my eyes. “This is crazy. I don’t even know your name. Yet I come running when you call out mine. This is dangerous. You know that, right?”

  He grabs my hand, placing it in his lap, and the strangest sensation washes over me. My stomach is in a freefall, chills racing across my skin.

  “Luke,” he says, so softly I almost miss it.

  “What?” My head snaps to him.

  “Call me Luke.” He smiles coyly, as though it’s not something he shares with a lot of people.

  I know that’s not the case. Humans throw their names around like it’s no big deal, because on Earth, it isn’t. Perhaps Luke’s current manner is a result of remorse, because he
recognizes the position he’s put me in. My name is sacred, and anyone other than celestial beings having possession of it is forbidden.

  That ship’s sailed. He does know my name and he did use it. Even if that’s wrong, I don’t want to think about it while I’m here with him. He’s shared something with me, and I’m going to cherish that for the rest of my existence, because nobody has ever shared anything with me.

  “Luke,” I say, testing the name out and loving the way it rolls off my tongue.

  The quiet of the cemetery washes over us, but it’s not unnerving in the least. Crickets chirp and the leaves on the trees rustle, creating a soothing melody that calms me for the first time in centuries. I could stay here forever with Luke at my side, and that reality is what finally has me snapping out of the fantasy I’ve allowed to play out for far too long.

  “I have to go,” I say, attempting to stand, but Luke pulls me down.

  I trip and land on top of him. He rolls me so that I’m under him, breathing heavily and looking up into his deep green eyes, wanting things I shouldn’t for the first time in my entire existence, with a human I’ve met only twice.

  His eyes roam my face, and I squirm under his intense scrutiny.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispers, cupping my cheek in his hand. I lean into his touch, basking in his compliment, never wanting this moment to end. “You’ve bewitched me, Victoria. I don’t know how to move on from this feeling.”

  I turn away from his passionate gaze, cheeks heating. I’m probably caked in demon blood, and that thought makes me self-conscious, a sentiment entirely foreign to me. My hand runs back through my hair, trying desperately to tame the errant wisps that escape my braid, wishing I’d spent a little extra time putting myself together today. Never have I worried about such trivial things.

  He rolls off, lying beside me on the ground, looking up at the stars overhead.

  I refuse to think about who could be looking down to see this. I’m going to enjoy what little time I have left here with Luke, because it’ll be the last time I see him. I know this can’t happen again, no matter how badly I wish otherwise. I don’t want to leave, and that’s a very big problem.