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By Stephanie Kelley
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"LUCIFER'S FUR, YOU weren't kidding when you said the car was fast, Maddie." I threw my head back and howled, the street lights were the only thing I could see through the open sunroof. Even the moon had turned its back to let us play tonight.
"You doubted me? I should leash you and have my way with you when we get home for that."
"Promise?" I teased.
The Camaro's engine growled as he pushed the pedal to the floor. We tore down the highway, the white lines a blur.
The car was decked out the only way he'd drive it: matte black on black, the chrome powder coated. Even the interior was as dark as the starless night. Glancing over at him it was hard to tell where he started and the car began, Maddox melded so perfectly into place in his leather jacket and black jeans.
The car protested as he downshifted the engine enough to take the next exit off the highway. The tires chirped as we took cloverleaf exit ramp too fast. I had to brace a hand against the roof of the car to keep from being thrown against the door while I laughed at the adrenaline rush.
We blew through a few red lights and at least one stop sign, before I recognized where he had taken me.
"Bad hound, you told me we going to the harbor for dinner. This is the way to the Will-o-the-wisps fashion show. I thought recovery work was beneath you."
He shrugged, the pale glow from the street lamps slid over his skin as he brought the car to a stop at the gate. "It's kidnapping. Don't try to pretty it up."
"So, you'd rather piss my uncle off instead of getting the girl and bringing her back to the safe house?"
"Oh, I didn't say that, Felly."
"Liar, liar fur on fire," I teased as he leaned out the window to hand the security guard our pass.
"Not even on the Sun." He flashed me that crooked, fanged grin as he settled back in the driver's seat, sliding his hair out of his face in James Dean fashion.
"But that's what you implied."
"Bringing her to the safe house gives me a reason to go into your uncle's office."
"Maddie, that's not a good idea."
"I know what I'm doing." Maddox winked at me as the car continued to crawl slowly through the line of arriving guests. He probably was the only hellhound I knew that could walk on the surface of the sun and not burn.
I wouldn't deny it, I'd been jealous of his abilities since the day Uncle had brought him home. Maddox had been homeless and wandering the streets of St. Louis in his hound form when my uncle offered to take him in. Maddox said he got more sympathy and scraps looking like a scraggly, lanky jet black dog than as a teenage boy. But we weren't people, we just played them for public consumption. The fur coat was just a bonus.
I gazed out the window as the local church bells signaled it was midnight. It was one of the oldest churches in the city. Thank the gods, humans had given up burying us alive under churches as protection. I shuddered at the thought and his eyes narrowed.
"Felly?"
"Church grim," I breathed as those hollow cords raised the hair on my neck, goosebumps sliding down my arms.
His lip curled in a snarl. Those were dark days for all of us, it had almost destroyed the bloodlines. We feared a relapse even now. Humans were fickle, superstitious beings. Hounds had been forced to take humans as mates, corrupting our abilities.
I shook my head and forced a smile, not wanting to think about how different I was from Maddox, I couldn't shift or walk through fire, both things that came in handy with what we did. Well, maybe not the fire walking. There aren't too many villages being burned by monsters or raiders on a regular basis anymore.
"You ready for this?"
I shook my head, my canines catching on my lip as I blew out a sigh. "No. Are you?"
"No. And we are late as hell. Thank Lucifer's fur that your uncle is not doing this with us."
"He should have stuck around if he was sending us after the fairies."
"Please, Lazlo wouldn't floss his teeth with this rabble. He's doing something he doesn't want us to know about."
"Uncle Lazlo? Never." My uncle was always plotting.
"Now or never, Felly. I want to get back to the safe house as soon as we can. Harlow said there was a file I'd be interested in seeing about my time before St. Louis, stashed in your uncle's office."
"You believe Harlow? Since when?" I was a bit indignant, he was so fickle when it came to my cousin.
Maddox had told me very little of his past through the years. I wasn't sure if he remembered much before we'd taken him in. He'd spent so long in hound form that most of his memories regarding passing as a human were wiped out. The only thing he had willingly shared with me was about a family that had taken him in as a stray. He recalled living with them a few weeks before he woke up to the house engulfed in flames. The family had already gotten out but left him behind thinking he was already lost. Maddox walked untouched through the flames. He'd never been sure if he'd accidentally set the fire or if it was shitty circumstances, but either way, he knew he was too different to put more people at risk.
"Since Lazlo started on his crazy rant that there is another pack of hellhounds encroaching on his territory. He's been freaking out lately."
I couldn't argue with him. Uncle Lazlo had been extra precocious lately. I wasn't sure I believed my uncle, but I something or someone had come to town and was stalking us.
"I can't believe she's even supposed to be here," I said as I tried to focus on the task at hand. "What is so special about a half-faerie witch that would have Uncle Lazlo have half the pack after her and leave town?"
He raked his lime green bangs back into his pompadour. I hadn't used enough gel to keep his hair from falling into his eyes.
"I don't know, but she's supposed to be walking the runway with the models. Remember white hair, scar on her wrist."
"Okay, okay."
"Act like you belong here. I will see you backstage. And no taste testing her soul, Felly."
I only winked before throwing open the door to our car and onto the red carpet. I tried not to blink as the flashbulbs popped all around me like a blinding supernova.
There were cries of "miss, miss, over here" and "miss, what's your name." I smiled and waved as I heard the tires squeal as he pulled away.
It was play time.
The music pounded and the lights flashed as I made my way through the crowd. The sound of shoes stomping a staccato rhythm down the catwalk made me want to clap along, but I had to keep moving. Even if I paused too long to sing a lyric or two, I might miss my chance to find the girl.
I made my way through the throng of onlookers, the heavy stage curtains merely a step away. A black-cloaked arm darted out to drag me back behind the heavy stage curtains. His soft hand clamped over my mouth so I didn't yelp in surprise.
"How many times have I told you not to deviate from the script?" Maddox hissed. I'd taken longer to make my way backstage than I'd anticipated. I should have been waiting on him. "We can't afford to screw this up. We don't have enough backup here."
I rolled my eyes as I peeled his hand away from my mouth.
"Not enough apparently," I quipped as I wiggled away from him and into the backstage madness.
"Falene!" He barked as I danced away, blending into the swarm of the models.
I turned and blew him a quick kiss as I skipped away. We were deep in the heart of the Off-Broadway equivalent of New York Fashion Week, but you needed to know the secret password to get in.
Or just torture someone till they gave it up. In my case, cold iron on faerie flesh worked well to gain the secret password to get in the front gate.
All the big names of the underbelly of society were here. I'm not talking the criminals and the big businessmen, I'm talking the leaders of the vampire clans and the leaders of the fae burrows.
Those kinda big names.
Those big names that we needed to deliver a message too while stealing one of their own.
I made it past the stage managers who were the last line of defense for these things. They were too busy shoving models out curtains, buckling shoes, and taping boobs to notice a stray female dressed in a black leather catsuit with purple lace cutouts walking amongst them. My avant-garde clothing actually blended in here.
"Hey, hey!"
My black braid whipped over my shoulder at the snap of my head. One of the male models was leaning against the wall, a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.
His faded jeans and dark pressed shirt didn't match with the rest of the models. Neither did the gray in his goatee as I got a better look at him. He smirked at me, his steel eyes glittering like a mirage as he looked me over.
My lip started to curl in a warning snarl. Human eyes didn't shimmer. Neither did Fae.
"Wasn't me, darling," he drawled.
The sharp bite of razors trailed up the back of my neck as Death crawled across my grave. I was a hellhound. I feared nothing, but whatever he was, he was trying to intimidate me.
I took a step toward him, my nails digging into my palm as I tried to read his soul. The air around him started to fog as his form shifted.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, cookie!"
Someone grabbed my wrist and spun me away from that thing. I balked, and raised an eyebrow at the snowball of a man who had dared touch me. "Cookie?"
The white-haired, rather plump man huffed at me, arms failing with an exaggerated air as I ducked away from the clipboard. I ventured a glance back over my shoulder where the creature had been standing, but he was gone. He hadn't been Fae, there had been no explosion of color or light show when I'd started to read his soul, only gray fog like that of an oppressive late fall day.
The snowball shook me. "I don't have time for you. Wrong line!"
I jerked away as he put a hand on my hip and turned me the opposite direction, giving me a slap on the ass with the clipboard to shove me towards the line of girls dressed in black.
"And wrong shoes! My god," he shrieked. "Who dressed you! Bring me new shoes for her, now!"
My heart pounded as they shuffled me along in the line, the pounding music got louder with every step. The little snowball of a man threw his clipboard as an assistant in a headset handed him a crystal encrusted pair of heels. He dove for my feet as I scooted along in the procession. I tried to look for a model with a shock of white hair, but they were hampering my efforts.
This was not how things were supposed to be going, not at all. But I couldn't fight him without giving myself away. And I didn't see the girl. I glanced up and saw Maddox towering above the throng of people. He shot me an evil glare as I was shuffled toward the runway curtains. I saw him sigh and dive back through the curtain a moment before I was thrust out onto the catwalk.
I had a choice to make. She wasn't here, but how could I give up this opportunity to take out some of the competition?
I sashayed down the runway, exaggerating the swish of my hips to the beat of the music. Every step brought me closer to the emcee standing at the end of the black lacquered runway. Model by model, each girl leaned in and kissed his cheek as he announced their name.
He froze as I stepped up to kiss him on the cheek, flashing him my tiny fangs.
Now or never, Falene.
I grabbed the microphone from him and mouthed run, as the music cut out.
"Good evening, everyone." My voice reverberated through the venue. "I only have one thing to say. You're in Blackstarr hellhound territory. You're not welcome. We're cleaning up this city and we're starting tonight."
One of my crew cut the lights. That's when the screaming started.
***
"SO, I SCREWED THINGS up! Bite me. The witch wasn't backstage anyway. What was I supposed to do? Give up the opportunity to take out some vampires and fairies?"
I ignored Maddox's rant as I climbed out of the car. Uncle Lazlo was not going to be happy with how we'd - I'd - handled things. In particular, he didn't care for me announcing our presence in such a grandiose manner. On the other hand, I thought we'd made quite the impression.
"Did you even hear me?" he screamed when he caught up to me in the house.
"Yep. Ask me if I care."
His growl rattled the glass. I didn't stop to face him.
I climbed the spiral stairs from the living room, still in my crystal encrusted shoes. I was surprised I managed to not get blood on them. I typically wasn't that graceful.
His sharp curses drifted up the stairs and so did the sounds of crashing tables and breaking glass.
"I'm not cleaning that up!" I yelled down to him as I leaned over the railing.
"No? Why not?" Another vase crashed into the wall, the pieces sprayed like rain across the concrete floor. "Just like you're not cleaning up tonight's mess? Harlow should have been there, maybe she could have kept you on task."
I huffed out a sigh. I was tired and didn't want another fight.
"It's all Harlow's fault that we lost two hounds tonight. Two, Falene!" He bellowed at me as he made an appearance on the bottom of the staircase. His black pompadour hairstyle, streaked with neon green made me pause. I still wasn't accustomed to the look. He'd kvetched the whole time I was coloring it last night. He didn't want me to do it, but I'd insisted he needed it so we could fit in better with the audience.
That and I just really liked the look on him.
"It is not her fault." I reached down to unbuckle my shoe. "It's mine and you know it. Quit trying to protect me. I'm the one Uncle Lazlo will come after. Harlow had nothing to do with this."
"Fine!" He threw his hands in the air. "Then it's that damn angel of hers for keeping her away!"
I tossed my shoe down the stairs at him, hitting him on the shoulder. "Don't say that! You don't know if that's true."
"Bullshit! I've seen his wings in the shadows."
The other shoe went down the stairs at him, this one he caught.
"Get your head out of your ass, Maddox, he's not an angel. You really think an angel, of all creatures, would be hanging out with hellhounds?"
He stomped up the stairs, chucking the crystal encrusted shoe over the railing, back down into the basement to join its mate. His eyes flashed silver with anger as he towered over me on the landing of the staircase.
"Harlow is dhampir, not hellhound," he snapped. "She's one of those damn fangers. Harlow does what she wants and you know it. She should have been there to help you find the witch if she wanted to prove she's loyal to our bloodline. Leaving you on your own to handle this was her mistake."
I crossed my arms over my chest, the fabric crunching where the blood had dried. This was an old argument. Harlow was my cousin and nothing I could say would ever convince him that she was truly on our side, all he saw was her mixed blood, part human, part vampire, part hellhound. Not that we hounds were much better anymore, our blood was just as diluted.
But I still saw red. He was implying that I couldn't handle things on my own. That made me furious. Yes, we'd lost two of our own tonight, but we'd taken out dozens who would have messed with souls we were supposed to protect.
"Are you saying I can't be trusted as a leader?"
"You're a handler, not a hound. I should have been the one making the call tonight. I should have pulled you out of there. I should have pulled them all out of there."
I couldn't deal with this argument. He didn't believe in me. That put my entire position as his handler at risk. If my uncle found out, I'd be reassigned or expected to start producing offspring. I didn't want either.
The adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off and the flashes of anger were tiring. My skin started to itch. The lace patches of the catsuit stuck to me where the blood had dried. I turned away from him, I needed out of this clothing before I started scratching my skin off. I wanted a hot shower and my big feather bed.
Maddox grabbed my arm as I turned to walk away. He spun me back to face him. "I just wanted one day. One day where we didn't have to worry about hunting or being sent out on Lazlo's orders. She could have stepped up. Not like she's got a mate to keep happy. She can't be trusted."
"You're not earning yourself any puppy treats talking about my family like that, buddy." I yanked my arm away from him. "Someone had to hold down the fort for all of us while we were out on assignment."
"She killed the four other handlers before angel boy, you can't convince me otherwise. You don't expect me to believe she actually was looking out for us, do you?"
"Same could be said about me since I'm your handler and we're sleeping together. You know that's against my uncle's rules. Look where that's got us."
His eyes slipped to solid black, lip twitching. I'd pissed him off. Good.
"She's sleeping with the enemy. You're not the enemy in disguise. I know what I see when I look at him. He should not be her handler."
"She's not sleeping with Fabien."
"She's an opportunistic bitch, just like all of your family. You do and take whatever you want."
"Screw you!" I screeched at him. I slammed the bathroom door so hard the art on the wall rattled.
I turned on the shower, the hot water cranked to full blast.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The blood from the night's rampage had dried on me, leaving behind lace impressions where the cutouts had been in my outfit. I looked like some oddly spotted giraffe hybrid. My black and purple eye makeup had smeared, blending and running with the blood splatters. I looked like I'd woken up from a two-day bender. The only thing about me that looked anywhere near put together was my slick braid. I was afraid to touch it, I was sure it was damp with the vampire and faerie ichor as well.
I breathed in the heavy steam that rolled over the top of the glass shower door. The lavender aroma from the sachet I'd tossed in the bottom of the shower was just starting to drift to me in the steam when there was a knock on the bathroom door.
When I ignored the second knock, I heard his shoulders thud against the hollow door.
"Hey, Falene. My foot tasted great, what can I say," he called over the running water.
I pretended like I didn't hear him.
"I'm sorry."
I turned off the water, whipping the door open. He fell on his ass onto the fluffy bathroom rug. Maddox's head cracked off the tile floor. I almost felt guilty until he smiled up at me, the tiniest laugh bubbling from his lips.
"I deserved that."
I glared down at him as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, you did."
That crooked smile of his and those tiny fangs make my heart skip a beat. "Want to go terrorize some fangbangers, taste some souls?"
"This your equivalent of flowers for screwing up?"
"I know what my girl likes. But we have to swing by the safe house first. I want to see that file."
I chuckled at him sprawled on the floor. "Fine, but I don't think stopping is a good idea."
***
I LEANED AGAINST THE door frame to my uncle's office, staring at the piles of folders and stray papers stacked on the floor and the corners of the old wooden desk.
"You expect to find a particular file in that mess?" I pointed into the room as he peeked over me.
He groaned and rested his forehead on my shoulder. I reached up and rubbed the back of his neck before planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Come on, Maddie. You wanted to do this. I warned you."
I took the desk while he made his way to the filing cabinets. I flipped through page after page but found nothing on St. Louis. I wouldn't put it past Harlow to send him on a wild goose chase.
"Hey, Maddie, when we were backstage did you happen to see a man, about your height in jeans and a greying goatee?"
"I saw a lot of things backstage, but that one doesn't ring a bell."
"I tried to read his soul but his eyes shimmered and he was gone."
He stopped fanning his stack of papers and looked over at me. His lip twitched in a bit of a snarl. "Are you sure?"
"Sure?" I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the edge of my uncle's desk. "You're asking if I'm sure?"
He tossed his stack of files on the floor. I doubted that my uncle would even notice more folders. Those blue eyes flashed silver as he stood taller over me. His movements were jerky as heat radiated off him. The tiniest bit of flame licking across his bare skin. I raised an eyebrow at his actions, he'd never tried to intimidate me before.
"Yeah, I am. You sure it wasn't the witch?"
I rolled my neck, my eyes focusing on the tiled ceiling. "Abaddon, save me."
I hadn't even thought of that being a possibility. I pressed my body against him as he moved to stand beside me. I wanted to bury my face in his chest and be done with the day. But his jacket was too new, it still smelled like dye and chemicals. I didn't like that it covered his scent. I missed the earthy spiciness of him and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck.
Maddox tucked a finger in the belt loop of my jeans, then pulled me against his chest. "Abaddon won't save you, but maybe I can. Care for a ride to hell?"
I licked the side of his face. He sucked in a deep breath, his body tensing as I dragged my nails up his thigh. I didn't want to think about the mess the fashion show had been.
"Come on, puppy," I breathed in his ear. "Let's go, we've got better things to do."
"Sure, you don't want to do those better things here?" There was that damn wink and crooked smile again as he pulled my hips harder against him.
I snorted at him, the bulge in his skinny jeans said he meant business. I pushed his stiff leather jacket off his shoulders down to his elbows, restricting his movements. Maddox didn't resist as I pushed him onto the desk, sending my Uncle's already messy stacks of papers crashing to the floor. Those aqua eyes of his glittered as I climbed on the desk to straddle his waist.
I gave him a wink as I grabbed the collar of his black dress shirt, tearing it open midway down his chest, sending the tiny black buttons skipping across the fallen papers. A frustrated growl bubbled from his lips as he tried to reach for me. Maddox was only able to place his hands on my thighs as I leaned down to kiss him.
His happy sounds encouraged me as I kissed and nipped his bare skin, leaving a trail of angry, dotted lines down his chest. I'd at least been careful not to break skin. Each kiss rewarded me with little tufts of green flame as he started to lose control. The rather rude sound of a male clearing his throat pulled my focus toward the door.
Maddox hissed a curse at the sight of our new acquaintance. Harlow's newest handler, Fabien, the one Maddox assumed to be an angel, was staring at us with a raised eyebrow as he filled the door with his wide shoulders.
"I believe the dog toys and kennels are in the basement for this kinda thing," he drawled.
"Shut it, Feathers, no one asked you," Maddox growled at him from his position beneath me.
"Just saying you might have more fun if one of you is leashed. And clean up the mess. Housekeeper got eaten."
"Again?" Maddox and I questioned in unison.
Fabien shrugged before he walked out of the room. This was the third, maybe the fourth, housekeeper that has become someone's snack in the last year.
"You heard him in the hall, didn't you, Falene?" There was still an edge of a growl to Maddox's words.
I just smiled as I sat up, tracing his abs with a finger as I cocked my head to the side. Just because I couldn't shift forms didn't mean my hearing wasn't better than his. "Would I do that to you?"
"Yes."
I yipped in surprise as he flipped me over in one smooth move. I'd taken his place on the desk.
"Wonder who ate the housekeeper this time," I teased as his jacket gets tossed into an avalanche of papers.
"I swear your uncle uses them as bait for Harlow."
"Please. My cousin isn't that untamed."
He raised an eyebrow at me as a lock of green hair fell into his face. "You care to try that again, Felly?"
"What? She's not." Even I don't believe my words as I reach to untuck his shirt from his waistband. Maddox grabbed my wrist and pinned them above my head as he leaned down over me, his face barely an inch from mine. The freshness of earth and the bite of spice rolled off him. If I'd been a feline, I would have been purring. The canine in me wanted to rub and lick as much of him as I could.
"She bit Catalina at Ash & Ember last week."
I scrunched my nose at him. "Oh please, that pink haired trollop had it coming. I wanted to bite her myself for sniffing around after you."
He licked the tip of my nose and beamed down at me. "I like when you get your fur ruffled and get jealous over me."
"Funny, I don't fur out like you do."
The tiny growl said I had crossed a line. Raging emotions made it hard to control the shape-shifting on occasion.
"That's not nice. I don't need fur time right now. We're stressed, more so than normal. We need to get away from here for a bit and you know it."
"And where does my puppy have in mind?"
"Somewhere with very few humans. I want to feel cool stones and earth beneath my paws."
"You sure that's the only thing you want to feel beneath your paws?" I teased, wrapping my leg around his waist as he hovered over me.
"Hush." Maddox slipped a hand to the back of my neck as his lips met mine. We both froze as a wave of howls barreled down the hallway
"Sweet hounds of God," he mumbled with his forehead resting on mine. "This godforsaken house."
"Now, now, no need to bring the werewolves into this. You brought us here."
He groaned and buried his head against my neck. "I know," he whispered against my skin before catching my ear with his teeth.
A single howl reverberated off the walls, shaking me to my bones.
It was my uncle for sure this time.
"I thought he was gone, Maddie?" I whispered, hoping Uncle Lazlo wouldn't hear from downstairs.
"That's what I was told."
My name was bellowed up the stairs. This was not going to go well.
We scurried to right ourselves. I fluffed my hair as he retrieved his jacket to cover his ruined shirt. The marks I had left on his chest would not go over well with my uncle. Handlers and hounds were not supposed to mix. We were there to keep them safe. Uncle Lazlo knew about us, but he made it clear he was not happy about our living situation.
I shook myself to get my head straight, my hair falling in its messy ponytail down my back. Maddox rolled his neck and flexed his shoulders, I saw that mask of his slide into place. No more play time. Uncle meant business.
We stalked down the stairs to the parlor, Maddox a few steps behind me. The tension rolling off him made my skin prickle as it called to my blood, pulling on the part of me that should have been able to shift.
There were half a dozen of Uncle's top hounds and handlers when we stepped into the parlor. No one present had been with us at the botched fashion show. I stole a quick glance at my hound, his eyes said he didn't know what was happening either.
But there stood my uncle, dark eyes furious, the collar of his threadbare canvas duster a royal ruff around his neck that twitched with every measured breath. His dark hair was streaked with silver, stringy from the humidity. There were faint streaks of brown across his cheeks that disappeared into a streaky beard. He'd been hunting. The brown was dried blood. I couldn't remember the last time my uncle had been hunting.
"You failed tonight. Both of you," my uncle barked from the front of the room, snapping me from my thoughts.
Maddox moved a step in front of me, trying to be protective. Uncle Lazlo's eyes immediately shifted to him. My hound was trying to draw the blame away from me. Maddox would bring up Harlow. That would only throw gasoline on the fire. I stepped forward, arms crossed over my chest, the heels of my boots clicking loudly in the silence.
"I made the best of a bad situation, uncle. You can hardly fault me for that."
Uncle Lazlo's hazy blue eyes narrowed at me, the stubble along his cheeks rippling as his jaw flexed. "You think that was the best decision? I sent you there to recover one witch and you all but burn down the venue!"
"I would have burned it, but the place was smoke-free," I quipped. "No one had a lighter."
My uncle was in my face, his rough hand lifting me off my feet by my throat before I had a chance to laugh at my own bad joke. Maddox took a step toward me but froze as one of my uncle's minions stepped towards him. I wheezed for breath, his fingers biting into my neck.
"You're not funny, Falene," he grumbled in my face. "If I didn't need you to keep your scraggly hound in check, I'd make an example of you."
"What? Feed me to Harlow?" My words came in gasps and pants as I tried to pry his bony fingers from my neck. "Like the housekeeper? Or did you eat the housekeeper this time?"
A flash of heat washed over me before Uncle Lazlo pushed me away with a snarl. I nearly fell on my ass in my heels, but Maddox caught me.
"She got away. Another pack of hounds has invaded our city, they have her."
"How do you know?" I snapped. "You sent us after her then left."
"Clearly a mistake on my part, thinking I could trust my niece." Uncle Lazlo flourished his duster as he had a seat in the winged armchair. "Lucky for you, I've found her again."
I bit my tongue and dug my nails into my palm to keep from looking at Maddox. Another wave of heat rolled off him, I didn't need to see his face to know he was pissed.
"How do I know you're not sending us on a fool's errand?" I snapped as Maddox pressed his body against my back. Two outings in one night? Even I smelled something foul on this one.
Uncle Lazlo's slow grin didn't reach his eyes as a wiry-haired, long-legged hound curled up at his boots. I had no idea who was at his feet. I'd never seen that hound before.
"Why do you question me, Falene?" His words were slow and deliberate, trying to lure me in. I jumped as he slapped the arm of the chair. "WHY!"
I met him with a smile of my own but didn't answer him.
"You will go to Ash & Ember and bring her back," he snarled at us. The hound at his feet snarled and snapped. "I won't allow the other pack to have her. Her soul belongs to me. If you don't bring her back, I will use you as an example of what happens when you go against my orders. I will personally take your souls to be judged, and devoured, do you understand?"
***
THE CAR WAS SILENT except for Maddox's constant growl. I couldn't hear the engine over it. But the trees and painted lines whipped past.
"He's sending us out as bait," I whispered. The engine wound down as we took the next exit.
Maddox didn't even respond, he just gripped the wheel tighter, knuckles turning pale. He'd never been this quiet in all the time I'd known him. He didn't bother to slow down, we just took the next turn sideways, the squealing of tires closely followed our swaying vehicle. Ash & Ember rose out of the mess of decaying industrial buildings on the edge of town. The neon lights proclaiming the name of the place flickered and buzzed.
The gears ground as he threw the car in park, not even waiting for the car to quit rocking before he stepped out, slamming the door. My jacket was in the backseat, grabbing it, I followed him. I was a step or two behind as I pulled on the black leather. I didn't have a weapon with me, the studded metal spikes running down the seams of my coat sleeves would have to be enough.
"Hey, hound!"
Maddox spun to face me, his eyes swirling. "What Falene? We don't have time for this. Lazlo probably has his trackers after us. It's not like they don't know where he sent us!"
"He wouldn't do that."
"Yes, he would," his voice rumbled like thunder. "Let's go."
"You don't speak to me like that. I am your handler."
He stalked over to me, his blue eyes swirling as his anger rose. "We don't have time for this. Either come with me or get back in that damn car and go back to your uncle."
"Screw you." I stormed past him and into the bar. The bouncers didn't even attempt to stop me.
No one even noticed when I flung the door open. I smelled cotton candy. I smelled blood. More fairies and vampires. I hated this place. But I could see why Harlow had enjoyed raising hell here. This was her sort of place.
I scanned the room, taking it all in. The back of my neck tingled as Maddox stepped beside me, putting a hand on the small of my back. There was a familiar face with steel eyes and tinsel in his goatee leaning forward on his elbows engrossed in conversation. He’d changed into a well-tailored charcoal gray suit since I’d last seen him. I grabbed at Maddox's jacket to get his attention, he only looked past me to where that man sat with a white-haired girl.
"Maddie, that's him. The disappearing guy from backstage at the fashion show. Is that the girl?"
"How many people do you know that have stark white hair, Falene? Come on."
I stood there dumbfounded as Maddox moved effortlessly across the floor of Ash & Ember, barely making a sound. Catalina's fluffy pink hair caught my eye as she stood up from a table she'd been leaning over. She was in her signature black baby doll dress and fishnet stockings, her neon pink crinolines sticking out from the edge of the fluffy skirt. Her eyes, heavily rimmed in black eyeliner and bright shadow, met mine before following Maddox across the floor.
"Cat's out of the bag," Maddox whispered gruffly as he leaned over the man's table. "Back office, now."
"Catalina, watch her please."
Catalina nodded and took up residence across from the girl at the table, leaning against the wall with a smile. I still saw the mark on her neck where Harlow had bitten her.
"I don't need watched," the sprite of a girl spit as she tried to stand up. The man from the fashion show raised an eyebrow at her and she sat back down with a pout.
***
I SHOVED MADDOX AGAINST the wall in the back office, my forearm across his throat with the spikes on the sleeves of my leather jacket biting into his skin. “You know him? And lied to me?"
"Kaden Grey, meet Falene Blackstarr," was his only response.
Kaden smiled at me as he swirled his liquor in his glass. He'd taken a seat in the worn leather chair, not even bothering to sit at the desk. "She's spunky. Definitely got Lazlo's temper."
"Bite me, grandpa."
"I am not your grandfather. I see why you like her, my boy."
"Shove it, Kaden." Maddox tried to hold still as I leaned harder on his throat. He could push me off if he wanted, but I would leave him bleeding.
"What is he that you would lie to me?" I snarled in his face, not bothering to hide the fact that my own fangs had slid into place.
"I'm a hellhound, darling," Kaden answered. My eyes were still locked with Maddox's, waiting to see if they would betray a lie. Kaden sure hadn't smelled like brimstone earlier in the night. I didn't believe that he was a hellhound. "One of the first."
"He's not lying, Felly," Maddox wheezed.
"But you were." I pressed harder on his throat, then moved off of him. "Why?"
"Because those were the orders I gave him."
"For five years?" I spun to face Kaden as I snapped at him. Maddox grabbed the back of my jacket to keep me from pouncing on the smug dog.
"Reconnaissance takes time, darling. I had to know what Lazlo was up to. I couldn't risk him knowing I was back in town before I was ready to make my move."
"And what move is that?" I tried to take a step forward, but Maddox yanked me back.
"The girl is of age, it's time to help her learn her powers."
"She's a fairy witch, how much help could she need?" My words dripped with sarcasm, neither hound answered me. I growled and shook my head. "I'm taking the girl and leaving."
"That is exactly what you are not doing, Ms. Blackstarr."
"Are you going to stop me?" I pulled against Maddox's hold, dragging him forward as I snarled in Kaden's face before he let me go.
The biting smell of brimstone filled the air as Kaden raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
"He won't, but I will, Felly." My lover's words sounded final as I slowly turned to face him. His eyes had turned ebony, no white was showing. His ears had started to elongate as they canted skyward. He looked like a damn elf. "Choose where your loyalties lie. If it's your uncle, walk away now."
I sashayed the few steps back to him, exaggerating my steps. I knew Kaden's eyes were trained on my ass from the snarl that Maddox gave. I slipped my hand up the side of his neck and dragged my nails along his spine. He shivered beneath my touch, those eyes flipping back to blue.
"Don't ever question my loyalties. They are with you, always, puppy."
His lips crashed to mine, hands going to my hips as Kaden sighed behind us.
“While I hate to break up this display of mating rites, children, there are other things to discuss."
I hated to admit Kaden was right, but he was. Maddox turned me in his arms so I was facing Kaden. "First, tell me what Catalina is, Maddie. I want to know why my cousin felt the need to bite her."
Maddox rubbed his throat, he had a bit of a bruise from the spikes on my coat. "Half faerie, half demon."
"That explains the cotton candy scent. And Harlow loves her demon blood."
Kaden didn't acknowledge my comment and neither did Maddox.
"So, what are we doing about Lazlo?" Maddox asked bluntly. "He's bound to have sent trackers."
"Let him. He wouldn't risk anyone he values to come after the both of you just now. You should know that." Kaden put the glass to his lips and took a long sip of the green liquid. "He would, however, send cheap dime-a-dozen shifters."
"Uncle Lazlo cleared them out of town. There haven't been any in at least two generations."
"Quit chasing after midnight, Falene. Delusional does not look good on you, darling. Lazlo's been lying to his descendants for generations. He controls those he'd sooner see gone with money and fear. The werewolves are so far removed from their original roots they don't remember who we hellhounds actually are or how their kind even started. Hellhounds work for Death. Not God. And certainly not Lucifer like you children are so fond of. Death. We are neutral to a fault. Tell her, Maddie."
His words sent that spike of fear through me again, the razor claws dragging along my skin. I glanced at my hound as the events of the night sunk in. "What was in that file my uncle has on you?"
Maddox stood quiet.
"Harlow knew. That's what she was trying to tell you. You ass. That's why you were so hung up on Harlow. She knew and you needed to keep it quiet. That's why she bit Catalina, to get the information."
"Smart cookie." I could hear the smirk in Kaden's voice even though I refused to look at him. "Well, I don't want to kiss the hare's foot, so let's get on with this. We need to get the girl out of here before the shifters show up."
"What?" I squinted at him over my shoulder.
"He doesn't want to miss dinner, Felly."
"Glad to see you still remember where you came from, Maddox. No sense in dragging this out until after we get back to the house. You can't go back to my brother."
My mouth went dry, my tongue catching on my teeth as I tried to speak. "Lazlo is your brother?"
"Aren't the best wars always started by family squabbles?"
I didn't know what to say, I just looked between the two of them.
"Maddox, are you staying or going to go back to France, my boy?"
"He's staying," I snapped, not giving Maddox a chance to answer.
Kaden raised a suspicious eyebrow as he looked over my shoulder to Maddox. The nod of consent I caught in my peripheral vision was barely noticeable.
The door to the office flew open, Catalina's cotton candy pink hair floating into the room almost before she did. "Hate to break up your little reunion, loves, but we've got issues out front. Shifters trying to get in. I need all of you, like two shakes of a demon's tail, need-you-yesterday type need you."
"We will be right there, darling," he said with a heavy sigh as he put the glass he'd been sipping from down. "It seems I've underestimated my brother. There is always a first time for everything."
She nodded and left.
"Lazlo wants a war, Falene. And now he has reason to send the rest of your pack after us. He knew you wouldn't come back if I stayed. And if I came back he had Harlow's file."
I covered my face with my hands. This was a new level of crazy, even for Uncle Lazlo. I'd been set up. My own blood had set me up.
"I would have rather have been bait," I muttered into my hands. "Now I'm a turncoat to my own, martyred by my uncle for his agenda."
"War maybe what my brother wants, but I'm not giving it to him. Not on his terms. Not anytime soon. I'm sure he sent these ruffians. Let's take care of things, shall we?"
I did the only thing I could and followed the hounds out the door of the office back down the hall to the bar.
"Just how old are you, Maddie?" I asked as we walked out of the office.
"I lost count somewhere around the 450 mark." He was flippant. I smacked him on the back of the head. Kaden snorted.
"You have been with us 753 years, seven months and three days, give or take a week or so."
"Thank you for that, oh ancient one." Maddox huffed, straightening his jacket.
"But-but," I stammered, "we don't live that long."
"We're like lobsters, technically immortal, but things can kill us. We don't just die off." Kaden chimed in.
"Yes, we do. I've seen it." I snapped.
"Well, the diluted bloodline, yes. Depending on how human."
"How human?" I growled. Human was the last thing we should have been compared to. "What defines that?"
"If you can call fire, you're considered hound, Felly. The moment you can't, you're considered human."
I felt my anger boil as I grabbed his arm. "I am not human, Maddie."
"You are, Ms. Blackstarr," Kaden purred. "And you have Lazlo to thank for that. He has kept you all isolated from the rest of the packs. That was never meant to be."
"Is that why you're not claiming I am family?" I snapped at Kaden as he faced me.
"That is precisely why I am not. And I won't attempt to stop you from mating, as my brother did. You'll give us lovely hound babies. I'd love to have a grandpups, but, that is a conversation for another day, darling, we have business to attend to."
My mouth fell open. Maddox grumbled something in what I assumed was French that made Kaden chuckle. I didn't appreciate being left out of the joke.
Kaden headed straight for Catalina when we emerged from the hall. The bouncers hadn't been able to keep the shifters outside of Ash & Ember, or the patrons in. The once rambunctious room was now quiet as only a handful of customers remained.
Just inside the doorway of Ash & Ember stood a tatted up, rough looking man, clad in a leather jacket and jeans that had clearly seen better days. The two shifters that stood at his flank looked much worse for wear, fur sprouting along their arms. One had a series of scars on his face that looked like he'd tangled with a lion from the size of the paw swipe. The other flunky had torn the sleeves from his jacket and had barely managed to fit his muscle-bound arms through the holes.
Catalina sat a bit straighter in her seat as Kaden slid onto the bar stool beside her. The smelled of forest and moss overpowered the room. Those were the two smells I hated more than wet dog smell.
"Werewolves." Maddox's barely audible growl rippled through me.
"I told you when they were outside," she hissed as she straightened her skirt. "What took you so long? This is your bar they are about to destroy."
"Ash & Ember is your bar, darling Catalina. I built it for you. Take care of them. You're the bar manager."
Those mahogany eyes of hers burned red as her head snapped towards him as he slipped off his bar stool. "You are alpha, Kaden Grey."
"Not tonight." He headed toward the dark shadows in the corner, Maddox disappearing beside him. I took a seat beside the snow-haired girl, she didn't smell like faerie, but she did smell of fresh apples and ozone.
"I don't know who you are," she whispered, "but I can defend myself."
I leaned closer to her and smiled, my fangs showing. "You keep telling yourself that, witch. I'm only here for your soul."
She leaned back, giving me the finger, purple electricity snaking across her pale skin that was made lighter by her stark black and white clothing. "Get in line."
"We're here for that girl." The rough wolf pointed towards the snow-white haired teen. Guess I shouldn't have provoked her into using magic.
"Now, now boys," Catalina said as she hopped off the bar stool, sashaying over to the three gruff wolves. Her tulle underskirt crinkled with every step, making me cringe. "There's no need to huff and puff in here. We don't serve the likes of you. Get out before things don't go your way."
"You really think a pink haired sprite is going to intimidate me?"
"I was hoping I would," Catalina said, hands on her hips. "I didn't want to have to call the hounds."
"Call them," the shifter snarled down at her. "I could use some dinner. Those demon spawn should never have existed, they are abominations, even God sees them as a corruption."
Kaden laughed in the shadows, still out of sight of the shifters. "Are all of you self-righteous?"
"Only when there is demon spawn on the loose, show yourself!" The shifter pushed past Catalina, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground as she let out a huff.
"She's not something to hunt, but then again," Kaden slipped from the shadows, Maddox paced beside him in scraggly hound form. He came to Kaden's waist. "I wouldn't expect a creature with such limited ability to understand that."
"You think you're so slick in your suit and pressed shirt?"
Kaden adjusted the lapels of his jacket and dusted off imaginary dust. "Thank you for noticing."
The lead werewolf stepped into the hounds' personal space. Maddox snarled. The wolf shifter was not phased.
"You're nothing but an uppity, pay by the job demon ass licker." The werewolf poked Kaden in the chest to accentuate the last few words.
Kaden glanced down at the calloused hand poking his shirt, then at Catalina, then at me before tossing the human in front of me a wink. "Falene, take your toy from this place. Maddox, stick around, I think you might enjoy this."
I didn't argue. I stood, ushering the pale girl out toward the back exit.
"The girl is coming with us." The scarred wolf growled, grabbing Kaden by the lapels.
"She goes with no one." Kaden's words were slow and measured. From the corner of my eye, I caught Catalina flip a full bottle that she had grabbed from behind the bar, catching it by the neck. The metal zing of a Zippo being flipped open perked Maddox's ears. "Last chance, dogs. Leave."
"Dogs?" The burliest of the three stepped up to Kaden, looking down at him as their chests met. "Who do you think you are?"
"Kaden Grey," his name rolled off his tongue like a perfect melody. "Leader of the hounds in this city. I do believe you are out of your league."
Bottles of liquor crashed behind the trio, and as the Zippo hit the floor, the blue flames raged, blocking their exit. Maddox lanky form was surrounded by green flame that radiated from his fur as he slowly stalked toward the wolves.
Another bottle crashed to the tile, it wasn't alcohol, but I knew that smell. It was gasoline. I'd never look at that pink haired faerie the same way again. I was starting to like her, she was certainly prepared.
The gasoline caught fire as it reached the burning pool of alcohol, a wall of orange flame separated them.
"You're going to burn your place if you don't stop this." One of the wolves growled.
"I'd happily burn this place down, myself and my associates inside," he snarled. "You've been given more than enough chances. Sic ‘em, boy."
I shoved the little witch towards the exit again. I didn't have any fire resistance, I could only assume those remaining had a good reason to stay. The handful of bar patrons that remained stood and moved to join Kaden.
"Out," I snarled at the little witch. "Now."
"Gladly."
***
I LISTENED TO THE CRASHING of the building as pieces burned. I expected the girl to run, but she stayed and watched the place burn. We waited impatiently for anyone to make their way from the fire as we hid in a nearby alley.
Time was lost as I paced, my heart ran away with me until I heard my hound howl. They were safe.
"Over here!" I called back.
Kaden and Maddox rounded the corner, both covered in soot and white ash. Maddox hadn't bothered to shift back. Kaden's face was smeared in soot and blood, but his eyes were fixed on the girl beside me.
I faded into the shadows as Maddox stalked toward me. He jumped up, pinning me against the brick with his paws on my shoulders. I reached out to run my fingers through his fur. It was still warm from the heat of the blaze.
"Did the pink haired faerie make it?" I whispered, his eyes level with mine.
He licked my face in response.
"Good. I kinda liked her." I ruffled his ears and kissed his wet nose. A playful growl rumbled from him as he leaned into me harder. "Later, promise."
A flash of purple electricity caught my attention. Kaden had the girl pinned to a wall on the other side of the alley.
"That won't work on me, witch," he growled through clenched teeth. I saw the last of the electricity that ran over his body fizzle and dissipate.
"Maybe you just need more of a shock." She laid her hand on his neck, calling the energy electricity again.
I smelled the rush of ozone in the air as the electricity popped and cracked. Kaden's body didn't twitch like I expected, but he grabbed her wrists and held them against the wall above her head, pressing her body against the wall with his. She gasped in shock, drawing my hound’s attention. Maddox returned to four paws on the ground and I grabbed a handful of fur to make him stop.
"Those werewolves were after you," Kaden snarled in her face.
"I could have handled it. I have those things after me all the time."
"Those things will burn you alive."
"That's a funny choice of words coming from a guy who just survived a building fire with a fiery black dog shifter at his side."
"Hellhound, darling girl." Kaden's voice changed, becoming velvet and warm. "Guardian of souls. I am not, nor will I ever be that corruption that works for that liar who claims to be holy. You should be thanking me for saving you."
"Thanking us," I piped up. "You weren't alone there, doggy boy."
"You didn't save me, we walked ourselves out the back door. I don't know what you're so happy about." She yelled at him as she tried to wiggle from his hold.
"You're right, darling girl," he crooned with a smile as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from those soul stealing eyes. "What's your name this life?"
"Lynne Lapin Larkwood."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did your grandmother never teach you to not give your full name?"
She stopped fighting him. "Who said that's my full name?"
He stroked the side of her face with his free hand. Green fire washed over her as his lips met hers. Lynne slumped against his body as the fire danced across her skin, briefly giving her skin a purple hue as she passed out in his arms.
"Pitty I have to take the memory of tonight from you," he mumbled as he stroked her hair. "We shall meet again, darling girl. Just like we do every life of yours, but now is not the time."
Kaden turned to us, heavy shadows beneath his eyes. "Take her home. She won't remember, now is not the time. Lazlo lost more than just the two of you tonight."
Maddox nodded and shifted forms beside me. It was so smooth I wondered which of his forms was more the illusion. I gave him a once over to make sure he didn't have any obvious injuries before turning my attention to Kaden.
"Why does she mean so much to you?" I asked as Maddox took the tiny thing from his arms.
Kaden didn't hesitate. "We took her parents when she was a month old, Lazlo and I. It wasn't their time."
"Why did you do it? That upsets the balance."
He shook his head, there was no shame there. "Her father was planning on corrupting her, twisting her soul for his own purpose. He was quite the powerful warlock, trapped a crossroads demon who was part demon part storm elemental."
"So? That's for Fate to deal with."
"Not in this case. Her soul is divine, it has always been mine to protect."
"Divine?"
"Think celestial, Felly." Maddox's tone was dry as if he had said those words countless times before. I knew little of celestial things. I'd never bothered to learn, they had always been our myths and lore.
I turned back to Kaden.
"I thought you said we were neutral." I snarled at him as Maddox moved to put her in the backseat of our car. "There is more to this. Why her?"
"We are neutral beings," he paused and glanced at me to my hound, then back to me. "Doesn't mean our hearts don't have sides."
Maddox glanced from me to Kaden. "Maybe our hearts don't have sides, but it's after midnight on Lazlo's Doomsday clock. He won't stop until you give him the war he wants."
"All in good time, my boy, all in good time.
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BIO: STEPHANIE KELLEY
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EMAIL: author.stephanie.kelley@gmail.com
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Bio:
Stephanie Kelley is a 30 something sci-fi geek who wishes Firefly was never canceled. She has a degree in Journalism from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and enjoys writing urban fantasy stories as well as paranormal erotica.
Steal the Sun, her debut novel, is set in Alaska and centers around a family of supernatural hunters and their gold mine. The novel was released February 13, 2017. Touch the Moon, the second in her Alaskan Hunter series, is out now. Book three of the series, Hang the Stars, is scheduled to be released in 2018.