Hellhounds

by Esther E. Schmidt

  “Witch?” Alistair chuckles. “Stop putting labels on people, folks. But I do think Velma has a solid point. It’s worth a shot. You mentioned you wanted to help, right? Sounds to me like this is harmless and worth a try.”

  “Can we go to her house, look around? Knowing she has some magic in her, she might look at items her mother owned differently now,” Velma asks Alistair.

  Alistair and Os share a look before Alistair answers. “Okay, but we’re going in a group, because we’re not going anywhere without backup. Besides...it also gives Eliana the chance to grab some of her stuff.” His eyes find mine before he adds, “Because you’re going to move in with me anyway.”

  A relationship in speed train mode…check. Crazy, and way too fast, but I guess we also skipped the whole dating thing. And with the stuff hanging over our heads, with my father and all…it actually sounds like a good, and the best, idea. Besides, “I take it it’s the same for Velma?”

  The corner of his mouth twitches. “That’s up to Os, but I assume he’s not letting your sister out of his sight anytime soon.”

  “We’ll be roomies then.” I smile at Velma, who gives me a brighter one in return.

  “About that…” Alistair quips. “Not so much roomies because when this is all over, we’ll be staying at my house. That’s a few miles down the road from here.”

  “Don’t make it sound like you’re ripping the sisters apart, my house is three doors down from yours, so we’ll still be at a minute walking distance.” Os chuckles.

  Velma gives a fist pump while I do the same internally. It seems as if everything is going as if we’re headed for a world record, and yet all of it feels the way it should be.

  “Well, let’s go to my house so I can grab some things and we can look around to see if there’s anything like Velma was talking about. Then, when everything is settled, we can come back and see about me moving in with you, okay?” There, that seems reasonable, right?

  The look on his face is a bit angry, as if he was hoping I would clear out my house right this instant.

  I trail a finger down his cheek. “There’s a lot of things to go through, a few hours won’t cut it. So we will get into it when everything is handled with the trouble we’re surrounded by.”

  Alistair releases a deep sigh. “Okay. Let’s get things started. Os, make sure we have a few brothers tagging along. We leave in ten. I need a few words with my Old Lady.”

  Os nods and laces his fingers with Velma before they stroll out and close the door behind them.

  “You never knew one of your grandparents was a witch, or a warlock, for that matter? Never noticed anything about your mother, like spells, or weird chants? When you think back now, does something come to mind?” Alistair tries but my mind is reeling.

  “What? Extreme superstitions? Like throwing salt over one shoulder when she spilled some? All kinds of different herbs in the house? There were lots of books, old ones, because she was always reading.” I sigh in defeat. “I. Don’t. Know. You must understand that I was brought up solely by my mom. I went to public school. Yes…I had some struggles with bullying and I had to study hard. We didn’t have much money, but we managed to make ends meet. My mother gave me the world, or she tried anyway. Everything was normal in my eyes. Well, except for my dad looking me up, that could have gone better. She contacted him because I was going through a phase as a teenager where I was feeling sorry for myself for not having a father…he showed up, angry as hell, telling us he wanted nothing to do with me or my mother. He made sure my mother never tried again. Then last year, after my mom died, Velma came into my life.”

  “When you were a teenager…how many years ago was that?” Alistair asks.

  Thinking back…I would have been… “Sixteen.” I gasp. “That’s seven years ago. So that’s why he was all angry and wanted nothing to do with us.”

  Alistair nods before he pulls me into his arms. “Yeah. That’s a no brainer. Fucking asshole.”

  “Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I mean, I know Velma told me about her mother dying seven years ago. It crossed my mind it was around the same time my mother contacted him…at first I thought it was maybe due to the shitty timing, that he was acting that way because he thought my mom saw an opportunity and wanted to hook up or something. Except we didn’t know about Velma’s mother, how could we have known? But there was so much disgust when he looked at me…”

  “Doesn’t matter anymore, this is where we stand and how we will go from here. He’s paved his own road, one that will have a dead end,” Alistair growls.

  I wrap my hands in his shirt to pull him close, standing on my toes before I place a soft kiss on his lips as I murmur. “We need to be there for Velma. I know she might seem strong, but it will be different when she’s confronted with her father and the people she’s known all her life. I just know it.”

  “Os will be there for her, we all will.” His hand slides into my hair and he tilts my head to the left before he covers his mouth with mine.

  He pulls away all too soon and guides me to the door but stops in front of it. “Remember, gorgeous. No damn pressure. Even if there’s a hint of magic in your blood, that doesn’t mean you have to use it. I fucking love the fact that my fire can’t hurt you, and from what I’ve been told, you’re an immortal like us.”

  Immortal? “Wait, what? Who told you I’m an immortal? How? But I’m…”

  He chuckles like I’m not confused, pissed, scared, and hell…I don’t even know what I am and yet he’s chuckling.

  “I asked The Orderly after we were mated. If you weren’t an immortal I would have to think of a way to keep you here with me forever because I can’t imagine a life where you would leave me, for any fucking reason, but death would be something you, nor I, would have any control over. So I needed to know,” the man croaks and I go all weepy inside.

  Swallowing back the sea of emotions he just caused inside me, I poke him in the chest. “Good to know, because that right there allows me the fact that you’re never getting rid of me.”

  “Wouldn’t want it any other way.” Alistair smiles and smacks my ass before he opens the door.

  “Keep that in mind,” I mutter. “We’re about to go to my house and I also possess the magic of a slob.”

  His bark of laughter makes my chest all warm and fuzzy. Gosh, I already adore this guy in many ways.

  Chapter Eleven

  ***Alastair***

  Woah. She wasn’t kidding when Eliana said she possesses the magic of a slob. Not that anything is dirty or anything, but shit. She might clean around all the stuff she has lying around.

  “You never use the cupboards?” I question.

  Either she doesn’t, or she owns more stuff than she can handle. Stalking over to the kitchen cabinets, one look inside gives me the answer I was looking for.

  “You know that when you wash them, you can shove them in here, right?” I wonder out loud because all the cups and plates are just on the kitchen counter, perfectly clean, cabinets all empty above them.

  Eliana shrugs. “I know, but this way I can just grab one right away.”

  Yeah. Makes no sense at all. “Good thing I excel in these things. You clean, I’ll put everything away.”

  A beaming smile is my answer.

  “Got it. Grimoire jackpot!” Velma screams in excitement and comes running into the kitchen, a pile of books in her arms. “Look, all kind of magic books, but this one…” She holds up an old book that seems more like a gathering of old newspapers or something. “This one belongs to your family, one that your mom added to also, look.”

  She hands Eliana the grimoire. Taking it, she stalks toward the couch and sits down. Well, right before she shoves some clothes out of the way that is.

  “It’s her handwriting, that’s for sure,” Eliana murmurs and looks up at her sister. “Where did you find it?”

  “At the back of your mom’s closet. There was a secret hatch behind a large pile of shoeboxes.” Velma beams
but Eliana doesn’t notice because she’s petting every page in the grimoire she’s holding, turning one page after the other.

  I’ve got six guys standing outside on the porch, three at the back of the house, and Os is inside here with us, along with Velma. The three of us watch as Eliana’s hand hovers above the grimoire and she just waves her fingers, making the pages turn by themselves.

  Velma gasps, but I hold my hand up to prevent her from speaking. Eliana doesn’t know she’s doing it. She’s just enthralled by what she’s seeing. From the little I know about witches, their strength comes from within. It’s natural, like breathing. No need to think, just act. Kind of what she did back in the clubhouse when she was discussing the purple fire.

  “Gorgeous,” I keep my voice soft and yet sharp enough for her head to come up, she connects her gaze with mine. “It’s in you, look.” I nod down at her lap.

  She’s still turning the pages mindlessly and stops immediately when she realizes what her hand is doing. Standing up, she throws the book on the couch like she was just holding a bomb and looks at it with horror painting her face.

  “This can’t be happening. I was just fine hours ago, and now this,” she says to herself with her eyes closed shut.

  “True,” Velma says, “but you’ve been wrapped up in the paranormal world for a day now and this only shows you belong there. When you never use it, or are exposed to it, it simmers inside you. So you don’t notice it’s there, but it is rooted deep inside you. It seeps out in the little things, like the gut feeling you have when you know I’m near or know where I am.”

  Eliana swallows and slowly nods in understanding. She releases a deep sigh. “Well shit.”

  “Not shit…magic.” Os chuckles.

  Velma smacks a flat hand on his chest. “This isn’t funny.”

  Eliana snorts. “It kinda is. Hey, you said it was always there…in the background. So I would be able to, like…use it now in full force? Or would I have to learn bit by bit, or recharge or something?”

  Velma shakes her head. “From what I know about witches, they are born with it. So yes, it’s always there, but you need to practice it. Not as in learning…but more like growing up with it, your parents teaching you. Training, developing, knowing your abilities and reveling in them. Seeing you skipped that part, it might be good to do some reading and try little things before you zap someone across state lines.”

  “I can do that?” Eliana asks horrified.

  Velma shakes her head again and smiles at her sister. “I don’t think so, but to be honest…I have no clue. You have a dash of human and the rest is a mixture of strong paranormals: half Heaven Charter, a little witch, and now mated to a Hellhound…I don’t think there is anywhere in the books about what you are capable of. That’s something you have to find out as you go.”

  “Great, now I feel like a recipe on Pinterest I need to try. You know some of those are bad, and I screw up lots of times, right?” Eliana groans.

  Velma chuckles. “Nah, life is full of surprises, good or bad it shakes up dull moments and keeps you on your toes. You’ll do just fine, sis. I think the human touch will keep you grounded, make you look at things in a whole different way than we would.”

  “Why don’t you try something?” I question. “You might surprise yourself. Because a moment ago you were doing it without thinking.”

  “Yes, but she was holding a grimoire, one that’s from her family bloodline. That’s like having a key to open a locked door,” Velma explains.

  I nod while Eliana is all wide eyes, frantically ping ponging her gaze between me and her sister. “Relax, gorgeous. Just try something harmless, like holding out your hand and commanding the book to come to you.”

  “That would work,” Velma states.

  Eliana massages her temples while she lets her thoughts flow inside her head, but I’m picking them up loud and clear. “Whyyyyy do I have to be the freak in this party?”

  “Os, take Velma outside. Now. I have to deal with something personal here,” I growl.

  Velma releases a sound of frustration. “See why I mentioned you having to learn how to shield things, Eliana? Now you’ve done it.”

  The door closes behind them and I flip the lock to make sure we’re left alone. When my gaze hits Eliana, I can see how she’s trying to order the book to her. Arm stretched out, eyes squinting. Dammit, she’s trying too hard while it should be something that’s natural.

  “Stop. Before you pop a fucking vein,” I bark, making her glare at me.

  Stepping closer, I wrap my fingers around her neck and give it a little squeeze. “You do realize where you fucked up, right?”

  Her breathing picks up and in a timid voice she asks, “I’m trying too hard?”

  “Wrong,” I state and guide her toward the wall in slow steps until her back hits concrete and she has nowhere else to go.

  Leaning in close, I let my lips feather over her jaw until I’m next to her ear. “You’re not a freak, and I resent the fact that you refer to yourself as one. So I need to make sure that it won’t happen again.”

  She fucking moans on me. Damn. That right there gives me the go ahead to hold nothing back. I let go of her neck, grab her by the shoulders, and spin her around before my fingers snatch her wrists and place her palms on the wall in front of her. Pulling her yoga pants and underwear down in one go, she helps by toeing off her sneakers. Shit. Somehow this isn’t much punishment when she’s just as eager as me.

  I kick her legs further apart while I knead one fine ass cheek in my hand. “You might crave what I’m about to give you, but beware, love…you might get a bit more than you’ve bargained for.”

  I don’t give her time to respond because my palm slaps that lush ass before she can drag air into her lungs. I repeat the action five more times before I switch, giving the other cheek the same treatment. Eliana’s not giving me the silent treatment. Fuck no. Her screams are filling the living room, and I’m sure a lot of people can hear her because there’s knocking on the door.

  “Might wanna gag her.” Os’ thoughts flow into my head. “I just had to drag Velma away from the door, she was ready to come to her sister’s rescue.”

  “Thanks, VP, I’ll take it under advisement. But first I need to fuck my mate so there might be some more screaming.” I reply in my head, getting some noises of dismay and something muttered about too much information in return.

  I close off the connection because I need to be in this moment with my mate. Knowing my VP has everything handled outside, I can do just that.

  Reaching between her legs, I let my fingers trail to her sweet pussy, finding the wetness as proof of her arousal.

  “Remind me to punish you more often,” I murmur and sink one finger into her hot and welcoming tight sex. “Apparently this is a shortcut to get you ready for my dick. Now…should I think of another way to get my statement across, or would that end up with you moaning some more while wetness trickles down your legs?” My thumb grazes her asshole, making her hips shoot forward. “Ah, there it is. I’m gonna remember that, gorgeous. But I think I made my point for today, yes?”

  “Yes,” Eliana replies on another moan while her ass pushes back, thinking the threat is gone. Wrong move, love.

  With her legs in a wide stance, I don’t think twice and smack her bare pussy. Hard.

  A scream merges into curses before she relaxes again in my hands. Good. But I’m not done yet. I take a step back and look at my hands. Flames dance over them. My Hellhound is right there with me.

  “Get on your knees, Eliana.” I manage to squeeze out words through my teeth.

  She doesn’t hesitate, turns around, and drops in front of me, her eyes finding mine in full submission.

  Chapter Twelve

  ***Eliana***

  I don’t even know my own body, let alone know how to handle it. Yet Alistair seems to be able to handle anything and can get my body to sing to his tunes any time of day. I have to swallow against the intensity of
the way he’s looking at me. Raw, hungry, and all consuming.

  There are flames dancing around his skin. His shirt drops to the floor, leaving his skin exposed. Different kinds of tattoos wrap around his muscled torso, just like the red fire, showing a hint of the Hellhound within him.

  He grabs his buckle, opening it, and lets the belt slide out of the loops before Alistair throws it down, freeing up his hands because he needs to unzip and release his…oh, wow. I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing his hard length. Thick with veins wrapped around it, he palms his dick and slowly tugs it.

  “God, that’s sexy,” I breathe, making him chuckle.

  “That longing look, your lips slightly parted, you’re the one that’s beyond fucking sexy, Eliana. I’m barely hanging on here. I want to shove my dick inside your mouth, pump your pussy, and fuck your ass. My cum needs to trickle out of every hole your body has.”

  Holy shit, I just think I had a brain orgasm the instant my mind processed his words.

  I lick my lips but freeze when I hear his voice again. “Stop. Open up.”

  My jaw drops slightly as he steps closer. He slides his dick along my bottom lip, spreading wetness.

  “Now lick those lips again.” His voice is a growl, close to barking.

  I close my mouth and slip my tongue through them, tasting him for the first time.

  “Enough.” Another growl before he buries his fist in my hair, pulling it back roughly.

  I gasp and have no other choice but to welcome his dick inside my mouth as he starts to throw his hips forward, guiding my head in a rhythm that has him groaning and rocking his body in sync. Everything inside me is filling with heat and it’s not because he radiates fire, it’s from the way he makes me feel desired. Like I’m the only thing he needs in life to keep grounded, functional, centered in a world that involves only the two of us.

  His grunts become louder, his breathing ragged as his hips start to falter between thrusts. Then he stills and I feel his dick pulse while hot streams flow down my throat. Swallowing, I take every drop he gives me, feeling even more aroused than when he was smacking my ass and pussy.