by V Domino
Rolling his eyes at Drac's sarcasm Draven says, "They’re scent is lost to us in our human forms. Shift so we can track their magic.” Draven’s eyes glow red just before his hellhound comes forth.
Draven has been our alpha since we were new pups in the supernatural world but before we were hellhounds, we were a family of hunters with latent magic in our veins.
We lived in a different era. A time where the stars were our GPS and the sun was our clock. A time where hunting food and growing crops was how we survived and not a lifestyle choice or a passing fad.
We lived a good life, even through the plagues and diseases of old. We never spent time trying to fit a fashion or threw away our coins on the newest devices, not that I can really blame humans for that now. It’s what they know. But for me and my brothers, simple is what we know and what we’re used to. The world today is filled with so many distractions, it's a wonder the humans get anything done.
Although, I wouldn't mind taking a selfie with my black bird. Pulling my hellhound to the surface I think about what I’m not used to; this Crow. Why did my soul claim her? Is it set in stone or can I cut the binding? Do I even want to?
Stuck in a realm where space and time doesn’t exist, I didn’t have anyone but my brothers. Sure, there’s other hellhounds in Hell’s Vincula, but there’s no one there we have ever connected with on anything deeper than sex.
But my black bird... she saw me, all of me. Though I look like I'm still in my twenties, the same age range I was when I became a Hellhound, this Crow saw things deeper than my physical being. In the short amount of time we stood before one another, she looked into my pits of fire. She saw things no one has ever bothered seeing or was capable of seeing.
Feeling dead inside has been something I’ve grown used to but when her wide eyes touched my soul, I felt everything fall open like a book that had fallen from its place on the shelf. I felt when she sifted through all my pages, touching on each painful word of my past, reading each tear that’s fallen in private.
Yet that’s not the most shocking of it all. What truly had my embers burning brighter is when she liked what she saw, when she didn’t snicker at my moments of weakness or show me pity. My hound laid claim without hesitation. I can't quite place the blame on my beast though, my black bird has me in her talons and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it.
I growl at that. I feel weakened by this feathered beauty and these damnable feelings she's caused me.
I shake my head when Drac head butts me as he passes. I can't begin to explain what happened to me, did the same happen to them?
With Draven, who can tell, but Drac looks like he found a bone to hoard.
Pushing thoughts aside as best I can, I fall in step with my brothers, following the scent of old magic.
Jasmine and peppermint.
The smell would make anyone think of bath salts or aromatherapy but the witches of the past used them for brews. Non-lethal defensive potions contain these two herbs which makes me wonder why these powerful Crows are using brews that can be used by anyone without magic in their veins. The Crow sisters are rumored to be the most powerful Vocem Sanguinis, Blood Crows, because their kind was created with a witch's blood. Therefore, they're the only known immortal witches. That's the rumor anyway.
You see, our great grandmother was the only one in our family who cared for the craft. My brothers and I lost our witchiness, as Drac calls it, when we became the beasts of Hell. Though we still have superior abilities such as immortality and Hellfire.
My mother and father never wanted to learn how to use the magic lying latent in their bodies because at the time, witch hunts were rampant. Risking their family's lives for power wasn't worth it to them. They denied themselves but it was all for naught.
My brothers and I were out hunting when our grandmother, Merelda, found us and said that William Crow, the leader of the witch hunt, saw our baby sister using magic. All of his kills were done because of hearsay but with our sister, Elsie, he actually saw her using levitation. Her magic was just coming in but she wasn't in control of her own limb movements yet, much less her magic. The monster killed her along with other innocents. A baby, killed by a power seeking devil because she was giggling at a floating rock.
My mouth fills with venom at the thought of that vicious crime.
At the time, mankind would have seen William's deed as righteous. An act only allowed when the "criminal" is of the devil. But let me tell you something, I've seen the soul within William and the rest of those vile witch hunters and they are the very essence of evil.
Enough, brother. Draven speaks into my mind.
I guess I let my thoughts slip past the mental barrier in my anger. One of the abilities we gained when we became Hellhounds. In our human life, we were a family who actually had magic but we chose to be law abiding citizens in our humble village and yet, William still took our most precious. In rage and despair, our mother and father chose to show William what true magic could do by casting our first and last spell as humans.
I'll never regret the curse put on those bastards even though our mother and father were lost to us. The spell took them and their souls; curses come with a price after all, and dark magic? That's the heaviest of them all. The spell came with everlasting consequences but losing Elsie was the most painful thing to ever happen to us, the decision to use the craft was an easy one. For many years after becoming Hellhounds, I often wondered how my mother and father were able to create a curse when they never practiced the craft, I guess a mother’s scorn has no limit to her vengeance.
After our parents died, our grandmother saved my brothers and I by binding our souls to the bodies of our hunting dogs. I don’t remember my human name but my Doberman's name was Drug so I took his name. Same with my brothers and their dogs.
During the transition from human to hellhound, we lost our witch abilities but we gained new magic. Hellhound magic and we became the hunters of the original Crows. We captured William and his followers but we let their children go free because they were innocent. It was the matriarchs of the Crows and the other families, who needed to suffer in Hell. Using Hellfire, we sent their souls to Vincula and we were to be their eternal guards, but somehow my brothers and I were released from our eternal guard post.
We're not entirely sure how we got topside but we do know it took old magic to do so. Being that these Crow sisters are the most powerful immortals, they're our prime suspects.
Why would these Crows release us from our post and how? They obviously don't know how to use their magic... I don't smell anything on them but rookie potions and a very faint scent of craft in their veins. I tell my brothers as we cross through the city.
The scent is leading us to the outskirts of Nola. I want to ask him about connecting with my black bird and feeling my hound's claim over her but I'm not sure I want to acknowledge it to them yet. Plus, I can't reach her mentally so I'm not sure if we're truly bound to each other or not.
I smelled old magic on my—on the female who flipped us off. Draven sounds confused and his internal voice sounds like a snappy asshole. Oh shit. His words just registered.
Did it happen to you too?
Did your hound claim her?
Drac and I spout off our questions at the same time. Looks like we've all claimed a Crow for ourselves. What does this mean?
Answering my thoughts, Draven stops and spins around, facing us.
It means nothing brothers. They are still the descendants of our enemy, or did their pretty faces cause you to forget the suffering Elsie must have felt at the hands of William Crow? Stop thinking with your dicks so we can find these vampires. Perhaps they’ve released us so that they can tie us to them and be used in some nefarious plan.
The plumes of smoke coming from Draven's nose and chest distort his face slightly but nothing can distort the anger in my words.
Fuck off Dray, you know damn well we'd never forget Elsie's pain. Fuck you for
even suggesting that. Elsie was our baby sister, I’ll never forget her.
Drac paces back and forth between us. He hates it when we fight but it's our way. All three of us are alphas, the only reason we let Draven lead us is because he is the oldest but don't let that fool you into thinking Drac and I are omega and beta. Hell no. We respect Draven and love him but no one is true alpha over me.
Brothers, now is not the time for dick measuring. Draven, your words are foolish and said without thought or care. Drug is right, forgetting Elsie is an impossibility. Two, William and his followers are the cause of her pain not these very fucking distant relatives. Pull your head out of your ass and don't lay the sins of one on another. We don’t know how we were released so until we have actual proof I suggest you stop thinking with your fucking anger.
Draven and I stare at one another... in utter shock.
Drac never has a sensible thought nor does he have an ounce of sound reasoning. He's a chaotic being filled with manic cruelty. Cruelty that he finds soothing and joyous to his soul. He has never once offered placating words and he has never played the level-headed man he's being at this moment.
What? He asks with sincere confusion as he looks between Dray and I.
What has possessed you, a fucking monk? Draven's laughter rumbles through our heads.
Ah, no. Not a monk but a pink haired devil has made me see the light and I have an itch to see if her insides are just as colorful. Now stop fighting and lead me to my meal.
There's our lunatic brother.
Draven shakes his wide head before turning and following the trail once again. I understand Dray's hesitance but if our hounds claimed them, I want to find out why.
You're right, Drac. If there's one thing history has taught us, it's that one man's bigotry is not another's. I won't judge them based on William but I will try them and if I find them guilty—Dray stops as the trail ends at a large black plantation house. He turns around to face us as he shifts into his human form before speaking—"I will kill them."
The weeks have gone by quickly or slowly, depending on your perspective.
We’ve had no contact with the three Hellhounds nor have there been any police calls from the humans. It’s as if they fell down the hole they crawled out of and I’m not completely sure how I feel about it.
On one hand, I’m relieved that I don’t have to worry about the safety of my sisters. I don’t have to worry that some hellfire wielding beast is after them. But on the other hand, I’m slightly, marginally, just a teeny tiny bit disappointed.
Okay, I’m completely disappointed. I think a good dog fight would have been amazing. I’ve never had the blood of a dog before but I wouldn’t mind getting a taste of Green’s fiery blood.
“You’re going to blow yourself up if you keep mixing potions like that. Where’s your head at, Roxy?”
Rory’s voice pulls me out of my musings.
“You’re one to talk, Ror. You broke the vials yesterday but you didn’t see me complaining.”
Rory opens her mouth for a comeback but I toss my blade between them, nailing the post behind them. Truth is, we’ve all been a little off our rockers since the Hound brothers disappeared and I for one am done being a simping bitch.
“Let’s go out!” I clap my hands and try to put a little Roxy flavor into the suggestion. Rox always gets her way when she’s all bubbly about something.
“No way, Ron. Those hellfire dogs could be anywhere just waiting for a chance to strike.”
“Don’t be a chicken shit, Rory. You’ve never run from a fight before, why now?”
I know I sound like a tantrum throwing brat but seriously? What is she so scared of? Three dogs are nothing for us. We once fought a rogue group of Blood Crows who were part of a rebellious faction. They believed they’d find salvation in starvation.
The five male Blood Crows were gone in the head, madness having taken over, and they began slaughtering humans without care. After my sister and I contained them, the elders took over.
That’s the thing with the elders, they let us do their dirty work yet they still see all Blood Crows as the lowest kind of all supernaturals. Sentencing the Blood Crows to eternal damnation in Hell was a bit of an over kill if you ask me.
Seems that justice is always corrupt, no matter the race.
“She’s not running from a fight, she’s using it as an excuse to hide from that sexy man she’s been panting over.” Roxy tosses a vial stopper at Rory’s head in her frustration and the little cork splatters goo across her brow.
Roxy and I howl in laughter, holding our stomachs at the homicidal gleam in Rory’s eye.
“Fine, you two little rodents want to go out, let’s go out but we’re going to Club Libidine.” Rory wipes her brow, gathering the gunk and rushes over to Roxy, rubbing her hand against Roxy’s lips.
Whatever the substance was made of it makes Roxy’s lips puff up bigger, making her natural bee stung lips look like Botox gone wrong.
I want to puke and laugh.
Laughing wins over especially when Roxy starts screaming and cursing in a rage. Even her screams are muffled behind those burger buns. The effects will wear off in a few minutes so she’s freaking out over nothing.
I run out of the kitchen just as Roxy pulls out her daggers, looking to kill Rory.
Once I’m in my room I pick my outfit for the club.
Libidine is the hottest supernatural club in Nola. Latin for lust, Libidine is a sex club slash rave club. The owner, Mayfly, is a Nymph who has a wicked taste for Blood Crow, male or female. He has often tried to seduce my sisters and I but being bounty hunters for the Elders has allotted us certain potions that block hypnosis of any sort.
It’s helpful against Mayfly and his seductions which is damn good too because if he likes how you taste, he’ll tie you to him. Similarly to a mate binding but not quite.
Mates.
The word makes me think of Green eyes. I wonder where he went and if Rory is right and they’re lying in wait for us to slip up.
I let out a growl and shove thoughts of Hellhounds to the back of my mind. Tonight I’m going to get fucked up, take some mushrooms and drink some spiked blood.
I grab my black slingshot bodysuit, blood red bondage leggings and black nightshade lace skirt then pair the outfit with my Scream Queen platform boots. The strappy outfit is very fucking revealing but at a blood rave, the less clothing, the better.
Two hours later, I’m snorting lines of Insania. A pink powder drug created with herbs and a special plant that only grows for witches. It’s a mild hallucinogen and a major upper but ingest too much and you’ll go insane, hence the Latin name. You’ll begin to see hallucinations of your worst fears but these feel so real that you can’t talk yourself down from the high.
“Oh! I want some, Ronny!” Roxy says as she appears next to me. I rub my nose and give her a skeptical look.
Last time I gave her some she ended up horribly injuring two Lycans by swinging her spiked ball and chain around doing her ‘dance moves.’
Rolling her eyes she says, “It won’t be like last time, I promise. I’ll be a good girl.” She throws in a big pout and whines like a puppy. Roxy always gets what she wants.
“Okay but I swear I will tell Darren what really happened to his Maserati if you get out of hand tonight.”
Rory walks in and tosses us both our entry passes. They’re bracelets that have been charmed to cloak the wearer. We don’t exactly need one but it keeps up cloaked from humans while visible to Supes.
Snapping on the bracelets, we hold hands and teleport to Club Lust.
Walking into the club is sort of like walking through a veil. The building is hidden within the cloaking spell but once our bracelets touch the boundary line, the whole place is in view.
The entry is framed by the bright neon lips of a sexy Fae and walking through is like being swallowed into the otherworld of lust, ecstasy and euphoria.
&n
bsp; Directly in front of us is the huge dance which is filled with the dancing bodies of almost every kind of species known to the Supernaturals, some of which are naked, all of which await the shower of blood soon to come.
The libidinous dancers dance erotically to the dubstep playing while my sisters and I make our way to the bar in the far right corner.
In the human clubs, hitting the dance floor to work up a thirst is often what happens but here in my world… you need to build up your sexual appetite with some drinks spiked with an aphrodisiac.
“Three Depraves and three Impures!” I shout to the bartender as Roxy bounces on the balls of her feet while Rory starts to move with the beat.
This is what we needed sisters. I tell them.
Yes! Now, let’s get fucked up and find us some sexy men to taste. Roxy says enthusiastically.
I have to ignore the slight distaste I have for anyone who doesn’t have tattoos and green eyes and judging by the way both of my sisters falter a split second… I think they feel the same way too.
“Fuck that. Let’s have a well-deserved time and find some good dick!” Rory shouts as she hands us our shot glasses.
Completely unlike her but I won’t complain tonight.
“Bottoms up Crows!” We shout in unison before shooting back the fiery liquor.
Quickly chasing the Impure shot with the Depraved drink, the fire in my throat soothes and soon the room begins to pulsate with the music. I toss the straw, chug the rest down, and grab Rory and Roxy’s hands. They must’ve had the same idea because we all reach for each other.
Giggling like loonies, we make our way to the dance floor and shove others out of the way to get to the middle. Most people know us here and know our wicked reputation as the underworld bounty hunters so most move willingly.
Now, my sisters and I are close but we don’t fuck around with each other sexually but when it comes to dancing? Let’s just say we know how to seduce the men around us.
The music slows to a sensual beat, perfect for the carnal desire running through the veins of everyone around us. ‘HDMI’ by BONES begins to speed up with the rapid lyrics and as the beat drops everyone begins to jump and swing their glow sticks.