by Linsey Hall
Emile nodded. “They don’t get their power in the way other supernaturals do. They’re fueled by the powers of hell. As long as hell exists, so do the hellhounds and their powers.”
“Thank magic for that. And for Pond Flower.” I reached down and scratched her ears.
“Yes. Ralph and Rufus have quite taken to her.” The rats jumped off his shoulders and sat on Pond Flower, who didn’t seem to mind. “I think she named herself for a water lily. I saw the image in my head when she told me her name.”
“It suits her,” Aidan said.
Nix grinned, then held out her hands. Her magic flowed on the air, smelling like flowers and feeling like a fresh breeze. A moment later, a broad white flower sat in her palms.
A water lily.
Pond Flower made a huffing noise of approval, her dark gaze bright on the flower.
“This is you, huh?” Nix asked.
After the stress of the last few days, watching Nix hold the lily so that Pond Flower could sniff it was easily the highlight of my week.
“We’re going to need to find a home for them,” I said.
“I don’t think the pound takes hellhounds,” Connor said.
Del stared at him, aghast. “As if we’d turn them over to the pound!”
Connor raised his hands. “Sorry, sorry! A bad joke.”
“What about the League of FireSouls?” Nix asked. “We’re going to ask them to help us find the boys’ families. What about taking the dogs as well? That place they live in is huge and basically empty. Plenty of room to run around. And the whole Arcadian forest for them to enjoy.”
“Good idea,” I said. When we’d visited a few weeks ago, the place had been beautiful but far too big for the FireSouls who lived there. “We could even pay for their food, if necessary.”
“I think it might be,” Del said. “Look at the size of them.”
“It won’t be necessary,” Emile said. “They survive off of magic. Fire is an occasional treat for them.”
“It’s settled then. We ask the League of FireSouls for help with the boys and the dogs.” Our team was much bigger than I’d ever expected it to be.
“How did you make it out of the castle with the boys?” Aidan asked.
“The old-fashioned way,” Claire said. “Fighting.”
“Then we ran for it,” Connor said. “We just had to make it to the car. We were nearly there when the smoke dragonet came back for Del.”
“They’re always there when I need them,” I said. “Like they have a sixth sense where I’m concerned.”
“Did they get out okay?” Aidan asked.
“Yes. I’m sure.” I rubbed my chest, wincing at the pull and sting of my wounds. “I think I’d feel it if something happened to them. And in every other circumstance, they were fine.”
“But you didn’t get the artifacts?” Nix asked.
“No. We never stood a chance. That bastard installed modern alarms in the room where he stored his stuff.”
“In that old place?” Del asked.
“Yep. He was taking no chances.”
“Wow. I really wouldn’t have expected that,” Nix said.
“Neither did I,” I said. “But we’re going to need a new plan now.”
“We’ll think of something,” Del said.
I hoped she was right. Because we had to.
Roughly five hours later, I was squished into the backseat of Aidan’s Range Rover next to Phillip, one of the FireSoul boys, as we drove through the Highlands toward Aidan’s land.
He’d just woken from a long snooze pressed against the window, so I asked, “How’re you doing?”
He rubbed his eyes and looked at me. His dark hair was floppy and dirty, and his gaze looked older than it should have. “All right, I guess.”
“Yeah?” I could try to cheer him up by reminding him that he was free, but that would be pretty much the worst direction I could go with this.
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad we’re not in that place anymore, but I don’t know where my parents are.”
My heart twisted in my chest for him. I’d lived through everything he had, so I had a pretty good idea what he was going through.
“I know,” I said. “And I understand if you’re scared about that. But I promise that we’re going to help you find them.”
“What if they aren’t alive?”
“Then we’ll help you with that as well.”
For a second, his chin trembled and it looked like he was going to cry, but he stiffened his back and nodded. “Okay.”
This was one tough kid. I hated to think of the circumstances that had made him tough. Unfortunately, I knew all too well.
“You know,” I said, then hesitated, wondering how to phrase my thoughts. “I was, uh, once in your position. Locked up by Victor Orriodor, I mean.”
“Really?” He shot me a skeptical look.
“Yeah. When I was fourteen and fifteen. It’s how I met Del and Nix.” Memories pushed at my mind, miserable, horrible ones. I shoved them aside and tried to get my words out. “What I’m trying to say is, that everything worked out in the end. It’ll work out for you too.”
He gave me a doubtful look that broke my heart.
“If it helps any, I’m going to kill the guy who locked you up.”
His gaze brightened at my bloodthirsty statement. I’d had a feeling it might.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Oh yeah. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Good,” he said.
“Do you know anything about why he kept you locked up?”
He shook his head. “I think he wanted us because we are FireSouls, but I don’t know any more.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
Del and Nix were talking to the two other boys, so hopefully they figured something out.
We turned onto the road that led us to Aidan’s land and I said, “Almost there.”
“Good,” Phillip said.
Ten minutes later, we arrived, dirty and exhausted. It was nearly noon, though it felt far later, and the lot of us were ready for a meal and a nap. A twelve-hour nap.
Unfortunately, there were seven adults, three children, and thirteen hellhounds. Aidan’s house had only one tiny bathroom and two bedrooms. But still, it was the safest place for us until we could ask the League of FireSouls to take the boys and try to reunite them with their families.
We all piled out of the car and waited impatiently while he disarmed the protection charms. The hellhounds set off running, frolicking through the woods. He’d had to call and arrange a massive truck to bring them all here.
“The League of FireSouls should be here in a little while,” I told the boys while we walked inside. I’d called Corin, my contact with the League, and explained the situation to her. “They’re going to help you find your families.”
If they’re still alive. It was very possible their families weren’t still alive, but saying so would not help the situation.
“How about I get us some food, eh?” Connor asked the boys.
They’d eaten piles of peanuts and pretzels on the plane, but they all nodded eagerly anyway. I didn’t blame them. They hadn’t yet had a decent meal. And after I’d escaped the Monster as a kid, all I’d wanted to do was eat, too.
While Connor got the boys some food, I walked to the sagging couch and collapsed onto it. My whole body ached, cuts and bruises flaring to life now that my adrenaline had faded. The cuts on my back and arm were shallow, I thought, but they still stung like a bitch. I probably should ask Aidan to see to them, but he’d gone back to the border of his land to wait for the League of FireSoul emissaries to arrive. In order for them to pass through the protective barriers, he needed to be present.
Del and Nix joined me on the sofa. They looked as worn out as I felt, but we needed to talk about what we’d learned when we’d each talked to a different boy.
“So,” Nix said. “Did either of yours know anything about Victor’s plans for them?”
>
“Not Phillip,” I said.
“Martin said that they were being trained to be thieves,” Del said. “He’d been there almost a year.”
“A slave. Like Aaron,” I said, remembering the FireSoul I’d met earlier this summer. He’d been enslaved by Victor, set loose only to find artifacts that Victor desired. “At least they hadn’t been collared.”
“Thank magic,” Del said.
“And at least Victor didn’t have a more sinister plan for them,” Nix said.
“No, I think he’s saving that for us.” I scrubbed a hand over my face.
“There could be more FireSoul slaves out there,” I said. “Not locked up, but out on assignments for Victor.”
“Well, then we need to kill him, don’t we?” Del said. “When he dies, their collars will pop off and they’ll be free.”
I nodded, remembering the slave collar I’d worn and how it’d popped off when I’d killed the Shifter woman who’d owned it—and me, as long as I’d been wearing it.
Just one more good reason to kill Victor Orriodor.
When the door to the cabin creaked open and Aidan walked in, leading Corin and Alton, I almost collapsed with gratitude. We were that much closer to taking a nap.
I rose, every inch of me aching, to greet the two emissaries from the League of FireSouls. Alton, a handsome black man who wore a warrior’s leather armor, and Corin, a slender blonde woman in matching armor, smiled when they saw me.
“Aidan explained that you rescued three FireSouls from Victor Orriodor’s headquarters,” Corin said.
I nodded. “Yeah. We were hoping you’d take them and try to reunite them with their families. As long as Victor and the Council are after me and my deirfiúr, it’s not safe for them with us.”
Not to mention the fact that I had no idea what to do with three kids.
“And, ah, there’s a few hellhounds who need a home,” Del said. “We thought they might be happy at the League headquarters. It’s so large and empty. They’d be great company!”
Corin grinned. “Really trying to sell it, eh?”
Del shrugged. “We don’t really have room for thirteen hellhounds.”
Alton’s brows shot up. “Thirteen?”
“Yes, but they’re all lovely,” Del said. “I can vouch for them.”
“How?” Corin asked.
“I have a connection with them somehow, though I don’t entirely understand it. They’re good dogs. And good protectors. They’ll be an asset.”
Alton nodded. “Fine. We’ll take them. The place could use some livening up.”
I thought sadly of how abandoned the beautiful castle compound had been—like some fairytale that had been trapped in time. The League had once been much larger. Until the majority of them, my poor parents included, had been killed trying to rescue me and my deirfiúr from Victor.
“Thanks,” I said.
Del grinned broadly. She really liked the dogs, but she was right. Hellhounds wouldn’t be happy living in our apartments and going on walks on city sidewalks.
From outside, a happy howl echoed, as if Pond Flower knew she’d found a good home.
“So, we’ve got three boys and thirteen hellhounds,” Corin said. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” I nodded to the table near the kitchen. “Want a seat? Because I sure could use one.”
We found seats at the rough wooden table while Connor got the boys settled on the couch with plates of sandwiches. When he joined us, the whole gang was crowded around. Connor, Claire, Emile, Nix, Del, Aidan, Alton, Corin, and myself.
“We’re going to need help,” I said. Because it probably wasn’t coming from the Alpha Council.
“Possibly a lot of it,” Aidan added.
“What kind?” Corin asked.
I explained to them the situation with the Alpha Council and Victor—that he wanted vengeance and whatever method he chose would probably result is massive loss of life.
Alton nodded slowly. “You can count on us to help when you call. Do you have a plan?”
“No,” I said.
“Not even a little bit,” Del added.
Aidan leaned forward, his gaze serious. “But we will.”
“Let us know when you do,” Corin said. “In the meantime, we’ll take the boys and try to find their families.”
Relief flowed through me at the words. We had what we needed.
And it was finally time for a nap.
By the time I’d said goodbye to the boys, Pond Flower, and her dozen siblings, I was actually staggering. It wasn’t even dark yet, but everyone was so beat we were going to crash early, then get a jumpstart tomorrow.
Nix had conjured mattresses for Connor, Claire, and Emile out in the living room. She and Del would share the other bedroom. That left Aidan and me in this one.
“I could sleep for twelve hours,” Aidan said.
“Likewise.” I winced as I peeled off my leather jacket. My back burned with the movement.
“What the hell, Cass?” Aidan’s concerned voice broke through the hazy pain in my head.
I turned to see his concerned gaze glued to me. “Huh?”
“The back of your shirt is soaked with blood.”
“Yeah. Probably.” My jacket must have covered it.
Aidan stepped around me. I couldn’t feel or see him, but I knew he was inspecting the wound. His big hand reached down and pulled my dagger from the thigh holster. My shirt tugged and pulled as he cut the rest of it off me. I couldn’t help sagging in relief. Trying to get the shirt off the normal way would have hurt like hell.
“This is deep,” he said.
“Nah.” Though it did really hurt now.
“I’ll take care of it.”
His fingertips brushed my back gently, just above the wound. Warmth flowed from his hand into me, bringing with it a relief from the pain.
“You’re amazing,” I murmured.
“I know.” He stepped to my side and inspected the cut on my arm. “This one isn’t as bad, but let me get it.”
I stood there like a mannequin, letting him care for me. It was freaking great. I was used to taking care of myself, but this kind of thing was nice.
“Anything else I’m not seeing?” Aidan asked when he was done healing me.
I shook my head. The sound of the shower cut off. “I think it’s my turn.”
“Our turn,” Aidan said. “We’ll save water.”
“Save water, eh?” I tried to give him a goofy, sexy eyebrow wiggle.
He grinned. “Mostly I just think you need help standing up.”
A weak laugh escaped me. “Yeah, I probably do.”
He rubbed his hand gently over my hip, nudging me toward the door. “Let’s go, champ.”
I was only in my bra and jeans as I peeked out into the little hallway, but I didn’t care. I wanted to be in the shower about three hours ago.
Nix was just leaving, her hair wrapped in her ducky towel from home. “All yours.”
“Thanks.” I darted into the little bathroom, which was filled with steam. Aidan crowded in behind me.
We showered quickly, both of us stuffed into the tiny shower stall. I leaned against him and let him wash my hair, marveling again at my good fortune.
By the time we made it into the little bed, we were clean and dry. I curled up against Aidan, my head on his shoulder, and draped my arm over his chest. His big hand played idly with my damp hair.
“You know, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Aidan murmured.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And I love you.”
I glanced up at him, my eyes wide. I wasn’t so tired anymore.
“What?” I said dumbly.
The corner of his mouth tugged up as he looked down at me. “You heard me. I love you.”
My heart scrambled around in my chest, trying to figure out what to do. This was not a drill! Joy and panic surged through me. No one other than Nix or Del or my parents had ever told me the
y loved me. Love was a big deal. It was a life changer.
“I, uh—” My gaze darted around the room.
“Don’t worry, Cass.” His voice was warm and calm. “I didn’t say it expecting you to say it back.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to say it. So I gripped him harder around the chest, not wanting him to get up. But there was no tension in his body.
“It’s okay, Cass. Really. I’m not saying it to get anything out of it. Not even you saying it in return. But with everything going on, it was time to tell you. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and I wanted you to know. To know that I’m in your corner one hundred percent.”
Tears burned my eyes, and I looked up at him. “You know that thing you said about me being one of the best things to ever happen to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Likewise.”
He grinned, so handsome that it made my heart ache. “I know. And when this is all over, we’ve got a future together. A good one.”
That was the best news I’d heard all week. Hell, all year.
11
I woke to the smell of bacon and coffee. When I opened my eyes and saw that I was still in the little bedroom at Aidan’s place, I thought I had to be dreaming the scents. As far as I knew, all we had in the house were sandwich supplies and beer. Which, honestly, didn’t sound so bad.
But bacon and coffee in the morning sounded even better.
I rolled over to find Aidan, but he was already out of bed. Memories of what he’d told me last night flashed through my mind.
How the hell had I gotten so lucky? I’d even mucked it up after he’d told me, stuttering and not saying it back, and he’d still been cool with it.
A grin spread over my face as I climbed out of bed. A full night’s sleep had done me wonders. Combined with Aidan’s revelation, I felt like a million bucks. We could handle this. Whatever Victor tried to throw at us, we could handle.
Especially if we had bacon and coffee. And I’d figure out how to tell Aidan how I really felt. Without stuttering.
I dressed quickly and made my way out into the main living area. Everyone else was up, though just recently from the looks of them. Connor and Claire were in the kitchen, being the best friends in the world and whipping up an amazing breakfast of eggs and bacon.