Hellhound (4 page)

What
was
I doing?

Father’s blue eyes glimmered in the bright light of
his apartment. As the Elder leader, he commanded the most respect and power in
the Council. My decisions directly affected him, and the last thing I wanted
was to bring reproach on the man who loved me despite every dark fault.

Father sat closer to me and gently turned my chin so
he could look into my eyes.

“Such darkness, my young one?”

I was upset. My eyes, including the white parts, had
probably clouded over with blackness. I ran a tongue over my fangs, hidden
behind closed lips.

I did not look like my parents. I was dark. They were
very fair. When the time came to take a throne, I would transform to look like
every other Elder. My black hair, eyes, and birthmark would turn white. My dark
essence would turn silver. My skin would become pale.

My parents expected me to marry my intended. Nathanial
would become an Elder one day, and he held promise. Our parents arranged our
union on the day of my birth and etched it on eternal paper. Only death could
render the contract null and void.

“Do you love him?” Father asked with a soft tone, to
my surprise.

I’d only known Demetrius for a few months, and I loved
everything about him but feared admitting it.

“I don’t want to force you to make the right decision.
I
want
you to make wise choices. Love affairs come and go, but marriage
unions must be made. You must consider your future, our future. Your blood is
pure, filled with those who ruled the ancient world. We must take back what is
ours, but in order to do so, the chosen ones must take their thrones and lead
our people. You and Nathanial are the chosen ones.”

“And what if I choose not to be an Elder?”

His eyes flashed white. “There is no choice in the
matter. Unlike your mother and Claudius, I will not drag you to the altar and
tie you to the throne tonight. We all know what sort of fury you’re capable of.
Your temper runs hot, and your powers continue to grow.

“But remember this: You are the daughter of Elders,
ordained for a life on the Council, and on the road toward reclaiming
greatness. A concentration of ancient abilities turned you into a ruthless and
worthy future ruler. Because of your recent activities, word has spread about
this affair. Some view you as a prodigy, while others see unfolding troubles.
Be careful, daughter.”

He paused. “Do you enjoy hunting?” He pushed out the
last word, as if disgusted by the notion.

“I do.”

“What about it do you like?”

I watched him carefully. “I like bringing criminals to
justice.”

“You already do that.”

“No. I come when summoned and do what the Elders tell
me to do. There’s freedom out there for the trackers that no one else has.
Making this decisions means having control over something in my life that isn’t
pre-ordained, that isn’t an order.”

“And you don’t think being an Elder will give you
those things?”

I supposed so, but it would tie me to the Council for
the rest of my life. Becoming one with them wasn’t as pleasant as Father made
it out to be.

“Are you good at it?”

“I’m the best.”

He arched his brows. “Really?”

I bit my lower lip. “All right, I’m not that great at
tracking, but once I get a criminal in my sights, I always take him down.”

“Have you taken memories of those criminals for other
clans? Do other clans know about your unique ability?”

I shook my head. Did he want to protect me or keep my
ability a secret for only the Council to utilize?

He took my hand. “I know what happens when you take
memories, steal abilities. This is a good thing. I urge you to continue taking
the powers of others. Perhaps this hunting business will give you the chance to
take powers that you can’t take sitting in the domicile all day. Perhaps I was
wrong keeping you hidden in the domicile. Perhaps I should’ve known to allow
you into the criminal justice system in order to take essences.”

I stared at him. Did he give permission? Did he want
me to expand the essence ascension to those of all classes of Mythians?

“Father, how did you know?”

“You’ve taken memories of those who crossed our clans
since a young age. You didn’t think I wouldn’t notice developing powers after
the fact? Most of us have powers, some more than others, but yours have
expanded.”

“You...you want me to continue doing this?”

“I will allow you to continue in this lowly position
you’ve chosen. Be a hunter for a little while and steal the abilities of
others. When you’re ready, take the throne and annihilate your enemies. This is
the only advantage of being a hunter. But you will end things with the tracker,
and you will marry Nathanial. I just hope you make the decision yourself,
because I would hate to force you.”

“But you would force me?”

He nodded.

“Do you love Mother?”

“Yes. Our parents arranged our marriage at birth. I
grew to love her. I sought her out in my youth when other men tried to pursue
her. I believed she liked this, knowing I fought for her affections instead of
thinking I owned her no matter what.”

Father hugged me. “You are a grown woman, a powerful
woman. I expect nothing less when you rise to the throne.”

He kissed my forehead. “Now go think about our future
and how to end things with the tracker.”

I shook my head and left. I couldn’t love anyone as
much as I loved my father, despite our differences. I was determined to end my
emotional affair with Demetrius. Our relationship hadn’t crossed the romantic
bounds, but we headed in that erroneous direction.

“I need to speak with you,” I said into the phone when
I entered my apartment.

“Sure. Do you want me to pick you up?” Demetrius
asked.

“No. I’m not going anywhere, but I want to tell you
this in person. Can you come to the domicile?”

He paused. “Sure thing. Be there in a bit.”

I paced the room unsure of what he would think, how he
would react. Maybe this was just a crush. After all, I didn’t know what love
was, never felt it. We weren’t exactly dating, and I’d never broken things off
with anyone. How did people do this?

What had I done? My parents were upset, Nathanial was
probably just as mad, and I planned to hurt Demetrius by telling him this
couldn’t go anywhere.

I took off my boots and settled them on the coat
closet floor. My toes pressed against a comfortable carpet as I sat on the
armrest.

I opened the door when Demetrius knocked. He checked
the hall before entering, and hugged me once he closed the door behind him.

I groaned and buried my face against his chest. His
broad arms around my shoulders felt so nice, secure, and our bodies against each
other felt perfect. My chest ached. I’d never experienced this type of
emotional pain before.

Gathering the fabric of his shirt in my fists, I
tugged.

He kissed my head. “Something’s very wrong, I take
it.”

I swallowed and pulled away. Enough stalling.

Demetrius remained close to me as I tried to explain,
“The clan knows about us.”

“Is there an ‘us’?” he asked with a glimmer of hope in
his eyes.

“They know what I’ve been doing—hunting, leaving the
premises, taking essences, spending time with you, and I should end this before
it goes anywhere.”

He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer.
He rested his chin against my forehead. His stubble tickled. “And you’ll forget
you want freedom from the clan, choose who you love, and pursue your own
destiny?”

“Those things aren’t rational.”

“Emotions aren’t rational. If you tell me you really
want to marry him, would enjoy living as an Elder, and would never think of me
again, I would restrain myself if it means you’re happy.”

Against better judgment, I placed my hands on his
shoulders to get closer when I should’ve pulled away.

Demetrius lowered his lips to my ears and in a gritty
voice asked, “Is that what you want? Do you want me to leave?”

I closed my eyes. My entire body quivered. We’d never
embraced this way before. His lips had never touched my skin, so when he brushed
them across my cheek, I gasped.

With his lips at the corner of my mouth, he asked
again, “Do want me to leave you?”

He pressed his mouth against mine, so cool, gentle.
The light touch sent trembles into the pit of my stomach. A fiery heat erupted
in my soul and fanned out, scorching everything in its path. How could I deny
this?

Demetrius ran his hands around my back and pressed
harder against me. His solid body had me yearning for more, for everything. In
this moment, I’d defy everyone for him.

He tugged my bottom lip between his. The gentle kiss
turned torrid.

Demetrius pulled away enough to allow me to breathe.
My lips remained parted, expecting another round, but he smiled and looked into
my eyes. The beautiful swirls of black essence wrapping around the natural
green hue called to me.

“Well?” he asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “Don’t leave me.”

He smiled and took my hand, leading me through the
hallway without a hint of where we headed. Demetrius walked ahead of me,
passing large Renaissance paintings in thick, gold frames against thin sheets
of gray and pink marble. The hall during mid-day was empty with the exception
of one person returning to their apartment. He glanced over us and arched a
brow.

I supposed he knew about us, and he didn’t seem happy
about it by the way he quickly walked inside without even a smile. Demetrius
pressed the button as the elevator doors closed. We enjoyed a brief, silent
ride down. He reached over and held my hand, squeezed, and released it before
the doors opened.

“Where are we going?”

“Blacksmith,” he answered.

I followed his pace as others ducked and weaved around
us. “Why?”

“You should look for a suitable weapon if you’re going
to hunt.”

“What type of weapon should I use?”

I entered the shop. The blacksmith must’ve been
working out back since I didn’t see him. His apprentice watched the store as a
few archers picked up new arrows.

“What will the blacksmith say if I ask for a weapon?”

Demetrius ran a finger over a knife, the blade
cushioned in a black leather carrier. “Who is he to question you?”

“Selene.” One of the archers nodded his head as he
walked by and gave a cross look at Demetrius, who returned the glower with his
own. I stiffened, half expecting a verbal brawl. The archers left.

Demetrius moved on to the bows. “You’ve learned how to
use all these weapons in school, right?”

“Of course. My father gave me the best education,
which included weapons.”

“Which weapon will suit you? A dagger? Bow and arrows?
Staff? Knives? Swords?”

I rolled my eyes. “How about an invisible lasso?”

“What?”

I shook my head. “These things are all too large,
bulky, except the dagger.”

He twisted his mouth and thought for a moment. “Hm, I
think I know, but it requires a special metal.”

Calling over the attendant, he said, “I’ll need to
speak with the blacksmith.”

“He’s busy for the rest of the day. Come down after
sunset,” the older man replied.

Demetrius nodded and turned toward me. “I want to give
you the best, but I’ll have to travel far for the metal.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you might like to know if I
disappeared for a while without contacting you.”

“Of course I want to know.”

He smiled. “I’ll leave tonight after I speak with the
blacksmith.”

I thought a short while meant a few days, not a few
weeks.

Chapter Four

An irritated groan escaped my throat when a Council
minion summoned me for a trip to the cerebral chamber.

“You don’t have to escort me,” I grumbled while in the
elevator.

“Orders.” He watched the lit buttons until we stopped
at SL5. “After you.”

I huffed and followed the dark walled hallway around
two bends. The architecture this far underground was more primitive than above.
The walls were coarse, only a few statues tucked away in nooks. Fluorescent
light shone through long fixtures above. Very few people traveled these
corridors.

The smell of dirt and iron lingered in the air. A sub
sentry was near. The six foot five, burly man appeared as I rounded a corner.

The rough skin of his face wrinkled as he spoke,
“Selene.”

I nodded. He moved aside.

I glared at the bronze and silver round door that
stretched four feet across and stood seven feet tall. Scenes of the muses had
been etched into the metal. They held our memories, our secrets, and our
lineages. The engravings created a circle around a central figure—my ancestor,
Mnemosyne. Man once called her the goddess of memory. Because of her, I was one
of the few able who could perform the memory retrieval.