Hellhound (3 page)

“Do you feel different being out here?”

“Yeah, like I’m free. I see why you don’t live in the
domicile.” Excitement filled me as I absorbed power from the moon. “What are we
doing up here, aside from this amazing view?”

“Ever flown?”

“No. I heard of airplanes, but—”

He laughed. “Flown like the ancients?”

I stared at him. Was he kidding or insane? I frowned,
trying to understand his question. “Do you mean turning into smoke? I can’t do
that.”

“No, I mean fly.”

I chuckled at the ridiculous suggestion. “No one can
fly anymore. The days of soaring Mythians are long gone, at least in original
form.”

He stepped onto the ledge and held his arms out,
pretending to sway over the edge.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“You can fly. Maybe you don’t realize you’re smoke
when you do it?”

“Come here, Selene.”

“You’re insane. I would drop right through you.”

He shook his head and turned around on the narrow
ledge with such grace. He glanced back at me. “Are you coming?”

I quizzically gaped at his backside. No matter how
nice the view, I couldn’t ignore the pounding heart in my chest. He was crazy,
and I wasn’t about to jump off a roof with him while he turned into smoke and I
fell to my death.

“Trust me, Selene. I can fly without changing. Jump
on.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Why not? For some insane reason, I trusted him. Even
worse, I believed him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and grabbed the back
of his shirt. He took hold of my thighs with large, cool hands. A rumble of
pleasure coursed through my gut. Even if he couldn’t fly, even if this was some
ruse to get me to straddle him, I liked it.

“Ready?”

“All right, so you’re not joking,” I mumbled.

I cringed with slight fear and hugged him tight around
the throat as he brought my knees around to his stomach. I practically choked
him when he leapt from the rooftop and soared.

I gasped. The wind cut through my hair, a wave rolled
around in the pit of my belly, and I clung for dear life. His body rumbled
beneath me. He
laughed
!

So, he could fly.

By the time I pried open my eyes, we had flown far
from the building and continued far above ground. My gut tightened. I was
queasy and exhilarated at the same time. The thrill, the danger, the absolute
irrationality about trusting this man whirled through my head. This was invigorating
and a contrast from the pristine life in the domicile. My goodness, this was
freedom!

My eyes dried in the wind in an instant. I kept them
narrowed and protected.

I yelled in Demetrius’s ear, “You’re incredible!”

His body shook beneath me in another outburst of
laughter.

We flew higher and higher until my flesh chilled and
every hair stood on end. He turned upside down and plummeted. I especially
loved the intense quivers in my belly, which rolled up like a wave. What a
strange sensation.

My hair flew all over the place, and we laughed so
hard I thought he would drop me. I’d never laughed like this in my life. Very
few things made me feel this way, and this man brought it out.

We dropped down near a twenty-four hour diner. All
eyes fell on us when we entered the establishment. A hush spread across the
room. Demetrius watched half amused as the late-going patrons stared at me. A
small crowd of men stalked me with lingering glances.

We left with burgers in hand.

“What were they staring at?” I asked once when we left
the restaurant. Could mortals so easily discern I wasn’t human?

He grinned, close at my side, when he muttered,
“You’re hard not to stare at.”

My gut clenched.

He chuckled. “You’re a gothic piece of beauty, Selene.
You didn’t think that humans wouldn’t be as attracted to you as much as
Mythians are?”

“Never thought about it.”

“Trust me,
I
think about it.”

I shot him a disapproving glance, warning him to watch
his words. I was still the daughter of Elders and in line for a governing position.

He shrugged. “I’m an honest man.”

We flew to a high rooftop where we ate our meal in
peace. I’d never had burgers, fries, and soda, but they were amazing! After
dinner, we flew to a balcony, and entered through an unlocked back door. He
showed me around his modest but spacious two-bedroom apartment. I glanced
around in awe. I’d just received my own apartment in the domicile, but it was
smaller than this place and covered in white. His apartment was dark, filled
with rich colors like blood red, midnight blue, and forest green.

I could breathe here. I felt stronger out in the world
and free from enforced duty and expectations.

“Do you like it?” he asked, hopeful and somewhat
anxious with my reaction.

“Nice. I love the colors, the difference from the domicile.
It’s like a rebellion in itself. Did you decorate?”

“Yeah, a little over a long time.”

“I like the dark colors.”

“Different, right? Not uniformed, not required, not
expected.”

I sat at the opposite end of the couch. We faced a
silent patch in the conversation. My thoughts skimmed the situation. Alone with
Demetrius, whom I liked more and more the longer we were together, made me want
to forfeit my lineage and deny marriage to Nathanial.

I ran my fingernails against the palm as this
dangerous notion took over my mind.

Demetrius watched me, making me a little
uncomfortable. His eyes spoke volumes about desires. By the look on his face,
he felt what I felt.

I swallowed. I wanted him, badly. I’d never felt this
way before and certainly not with Nathanial. Oh, by the gods, this man would
become my ruin.

I would inherit power and had to be careful about my
decisions. As much as I wanted to lean over and kiss him, I couldn’t. I
couldn’t hurt my parents with this...crush. Besides, if anything happened between
us and ruined my arrangement with Nathanial, the Council might go after
Demetrius. This could kill him.

I stood. “I should get home. The sentinels know when I
left, and staying out too long will raise questions.”

“Of course.” He spoke with ease, but the defeated look
on his face indicated he wanted something more.

We left.

As much as I hated returning, Demetrius took me back
to the domicile before sunrise. I walked back from the gravel parking lot by
myself since we didn’t want to arouse any suspicion that we’d been together all
this time.

Chapter Three

Our next time out, Demetrius took me to an abandoned
building.

“Why are we here?” I asked as he dragged a criminal
from the car and shoved him against a wall.

“You’re going to take his essence,” Demetrius replied
matter-of-factly.

I stilled. “What? You know that isn’t allowed without
the Council’s approval.”

“They’re not here, are they?”

The criminal struggled against his bonds, eyes wide
with fear, and mouth covered with a cloth.

“Take it.”

I swallowed and placed shaky hands on the man. I dug
my talons into his chest and absorbed his essence. His dark powers crawled up
the length of my arms and entered my body, a cold, bitter invasion. It
suffocated a little, pushing aside my essence until I regained control and
shoved the criminal’s powers into a constraining corner. The shock created
waves of tremors, iciness and heat at the same time, and intoxicated my mind. A
raw energy ate through my core as I fought to control the pain.

I removed my hands from the dead man and staggered
back. Demetrius caught me as I slid down to my haunches.

My left arm, the one which stopped the criminal’s
heart, seized on me. This felt like a vicious and rapid neurotoxin infection.
Muscles froze, stabs of pain rained across my flesh, and a fleeting suicidal
moment passed. Every fiber of my being screamed until our essences were no
longer separated and fighting, until my body assimilated his powers.

Minutes later, Demetrius helped me up. The
excruciating venom passed through me. I remained quiet as I shook, hoping
Demetrius wouldn’t know how much I hurt or that the next few moments left me
weak, vulnerable.

“Do you feel more powerful?”

I offered a faint smile. The pain and weakness
subsided much faster than normal. “Wow, I feel incredible. Do you know his
power?”

Demetrius nodded. “Power to heal super fast, but not
invincibility.”

“You’re making me stronger on purpose, why?”

“Because you’ll do something good with it. He didn’t
deserve his powers. Besides, can’t let the Elders take all the powers these
days.”

“It should feel wrong.”

“Does it?”

I nodded. Not when he was a criminal.

Demetrius placed an arm around my waist and jerked me
against him. I giggled when he brushed his lips against my cheek.

“I’ll take him back to his clan, and I’ll see you
later? After my assignment.”

“Of course.”

We parted ways. I returned to the territory and didn’t
see Demetrius for weeks. He called, and I couldn’t have imagined how much I
missed him until I heard his throaty voice over the phone.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Fine. Did you catch your guy?”

“Of course. Did you miss me?”

“Perhaps.”

He chuckled. “Meet me at the gravel parking lot?”

“To go where?” Not that it mattered as long as we were
together.

“I’ll take you on assignment. Spend some time with you
before I take the criminal back to his home in Canada.”

“Can I do it?”

“Do what?”

“Take him down.”

“You can try. I’ll see you in an hour?”

“Sure.”

I laced up my boots and hurried off the premises. I
couldn’t wait to see him! One criminal take down turned into a dozen.

***

Sneaking around for the next few months seemed easy
enough. The guards and sentinels didn’t question or tattle. I thought I was in
the clear, clever and careful, until Julian, a Council minion to Father, came
to my door one evening. “Your father would like to see you in his quarters.”

I thought too soon. Dread knotted in my stomach, but
why should it? I was a grown woman.

I hurried up two flights of stairs to meet my parents.

My mother opened the front door and let me in with an
intense scowl plastered across her face. She had her long, thick, white hair
pulled back into an elegant, low bun with silver and diamond miniature combs. A
few strands were set loose to flirt with her long face, blending in with her
alabaster skin and white brows and lashes. Her eyes were brilliantly blue,
gleaming with discontent. A soft rose hue accented her cheeks and stained her
lips.

My father sat on the couch with one knee crossed over
the other beneath a white robe with a golden thread belt. His cold, blue eyes
glared at the wall in front of him. Wrinkles creased his brow.

“Sit down,” Mother ordered.

Wow. That knot of dread thickened. I nervously sat on
the chair and faced my parents on the couch.

“What have you done?” Mother hissed.

Father leaned back, and in his usual methodical
manner, studied me.

Since I didn’t know exactly what they’d heard, I
refrained from speaking first. Silence wrapped us in tension as Mother’s energy
chilled the room.

“You’ve been running around with a tracker! Hunting
criminals, leaving the premises unauthorized, and keeping things from us! Is
this why you haven’t settled down with Nathanial?” She placed a hand over her
chest and rolled her eyes. “That poor boy. Think of what he must be going
through. What a fool you’ve made of him. Your actions have disgraced us all!
For what? A crush on an unworthy tracker? Have you mated with him?”

I gaped at her.

She crossed her arms and fumed. “Don’t tell me you’ve
allowed him to defile you, Selene. I will throw him to the hounds and force you
to marry Nathanial tonight.”

I seethed. I gripped the edge of the armrests as anger
enticed my fangs to grow through aching gums. Heat washed across my face and
throat and filled my chest. She wouldn’t dare!

“Delphine,” Father intervened with a smooth, calm
voice. “Please, leave us.”

She glared at him. He didn’t meet her eyes but kept
his gaze on me. Mother remained submissive. She huffed, stood, and stomped to
the bedroom where I was sure she listened through the crack in the door.

“Dear daughter of mine, please do not forfeit your
birthright for a lowly tracker.”