A Hell Hound's Fire (6 page)

“Liam!” Sarah sat straight up, exposing her
lovely breasts. Alex’s mouth watered and his mind filled with the
memories of suckling on them.

“He’s fine. Why don’t you go shower and I’ll
meet you downstairs?”

She nodded and stretched, and Alex had to
turn away before he tackled her and thrust his cock in to her sexy
warmth.
Chewed bones, I gotta get out of here.
He damn near
ran out the door, trying to ignore her naked glory as she sauntered
into the bathroom. Her ass fit perfectly in his hands and he wanted
to slide his palms over her cheeks again.

Down. Stairs. Now.

By the time Sarah and Liam joined him in the
kitchen, he’d warmed the Jeep and gotten his raging hard-on under
control again. Liam inhaled a quick breath and grinned, but didn’t
say anything as his mother hustled him into his jacket. Alex had
never had to worry about his scent before—humans couldn’t seem to
smell much of anything—but he hoped the kid was okay with the mix
of his scent with Sarah’s.

He locked up the house and joined them in
the Jeep. The river’s steady gurgle soothed some of his concerns,
but the skies hung heavy with black rain clouds and unease squeezed
his gut.
Ominous sign
. Alex shrugged it off, smiled at
Sarah’s curious look, and pulled away from the house.

“Where shall we go for breakfast?” She
tightened her jacket around her.

“I thought we’d stop at the Gold Rush Café.
Good, hot food, rich coffee, and a truck stop. Lots of people come
through there, so strangers aren’t that noticeable.”

“It’s best to be anonymous, init?”

Alex sighed at her tight expression. “For
now, yes. The less the locals notice you, the more difficult it
will be for the demon to track you.”

“Right.” The pain in Sarah’s voice stabbed
his gut and he reached out to take her hand.

“Hey. It’s going to be okay. We’ll make it
through this. I’ll keep you safe.”

She nodded, but her doubt saturated the air
inside the Jeep. His Brother snarled at her disbelief, but Alex
mentally shook his head.
She met me yesterday. Trust takes
time.

True Mate. Mine to protect.

Yeah, well, prove it.

His Brother wolf subsided with a grumble and
the rest of the drive passed in silence. When they pulled into the
gravel lot of the Gold Rush Café, Alex wove his way through semis
and pickups to park near the side entrance. They got out and he
sniffed the air. The scents of fuel, grease, and exhaustion wafted
outside the truck stop, but he detected no danger or
maliciousness.

“Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”

“Are you sure we’ll be okay?” Sarah hugged
Liam to her side and eyed the glass windows full of early morning
diners.

“Yeah, I can’t scent anything off. Can you?”
Both she and Liam inhaled and shook their heads. “Okay, then. Let’s
go in and eat. We’ll leave if anything seems out of place.”

He followed them into the diner, keeping
close to Sarah. He laid a hand at the small of her back, and her
shoulders relaxed. He needed to touch her, to keep watch over her
despite the lack of overt danger. Not many of the truckers looked
up at their entrance, but a possessive growl welled in his throat
at the few who eyed Sarah.

Ease up, Brother. They’re no threat.

Mine.

His hand tightened on her back and she
raised an eyebrow at him, but he smiled and sat across from them in
a booth.

A sleepy-eyed waitress ambled up to them and
set menus in front of them.

“Welcome to the Gold Rush Café, folks. Can I
get you some coffee?”

“Just tea for me, please.”

The woman cocked her head at Sarah’s lovely
accent. “Lipton okay?”

“Yeah, well enough.” Sarah smiled and hugged
Liam, who’d grimaced.

“I could bring some peppermint herbal tea,
if you’d prefer, young man. Does that sound better?”

Liam brightened. “Yes, thank you, miss.”

“Don’t you have sweet manners? All right,
peppermint it is.” She turned to Alex, and her smile widened with
appreciation. “And for you, sir?”

“Coffee, cream, no sugar.”

She nodded with a coy smile and a wink
before she sauntered off to the kitchen with a little extra sway to
her hips. Amusement and flattery rippled through his chest. Even
after two centuries, some women still fluttered their eyes at him.
However, this was the first time one had smelled like rancid oil
and hairspray.

He returned his gaze to the woman across
from him and paused. Sarah’s eyes had narrowed and her lips
compressed in a tight line as she followed the waitress with her
gaze. Anger crackled across the table and Alex braced for
action.

“Everything okay?”

Surprise flickered across her features
before she offered him a smile. “Yes, fine, thank you. I just need
some tea.” She lifted her menu, killing the conversation.

What had gone wrong? Alex searched the diner
for a source to her distress, but nothing came to mind. Then he
inhaled. Sour jealousy tinged the edges of Sarah’s scent, and a
little pool of warmth filled his chest.

****

Get a hold of yourself, gel. No need to fly
off the handle.

The pep talk settled her Sister a little,
but Sarah still inwardly grumbled about the look the waitress had
given her Mate. She’d never felt such possessiveness before, even
with Liam’s father. Perhaps her mother hadn’t been telling tales
when she’d described the Mating Bond as powerful and permanent.
Sarah took a deep breath and tried to focus on the menu.

“What will you have for breakfast, Liam
love?”

Liam eyed her curiously. “Do they have
bangers and mash?”

“What and what?” Alex looked perplexed.

“Bangers and mash. Don’t you eat it?” Liam
frowned a little.

“He means sausages and mashed potatoes in
gravy.” The waitress stood by their table with a teapot and mugs.
“It’s actually pretty good. A lot like sausages and hash
browns.”

“That’s a breakfast meal?” Alex raised an
eyebrow.

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,
honey.” She winked again and Sarah ground her molars. The waitress
turned to Liam. “We don’t have that, but we do make some pretty
good fried onions, seasoned potatoes, and sausages if you want
it.”

“Mama, can I have that?”

“Yes, that’s fine.” Sarah tried to keep her
voice level as the waitress smiled. So the human woman flirted a
little. That was no reason to turn into a territorial bitch.
Holy Mother, calm down.

“I’ll put you down for that, little man. And
for you?”

Sarah ordered pancakes, eggs, and sausages.
The waitress showed nothing more than friendliness and Sarah
relaxed.
She’s not trying to move in on my Mate. She’s just
doing her job.
Slow, even breaths helped.

“And what can I get for you, handsome?”

Sarah’s Sister wanted to launch at the
waitress over the endearment. While Alex gave his order, Sarah
gripped her tea cup to keep from clawing the woman’s eyes out.
What is wrong with me?

“Mama, are you well?” Liam tugged on her arm
and Sarah dredged up a smile.

“I am, thank you, Liam.”

“You smell angry and your knuckles are
white. Did I do something wrong?”

Immediately, all her fury vaporized. “No,
no, love. You’ve done nothing. I’m just tired and hungry.” She
wrapped one arm around him and cuddled him to her side as the
waitress left the table. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes. Better than before. I like the River
House. It smells good there.”

Sarah smiled and nodded. “Yes, it does. It
will be a nice place to stay for a while.”

“Only a while?” Surprise and unease filled
Alex’s voice with the question.

“I wish we could stay forever.” The yearning
in Liam’s statement squeezed her heart.
I wish we could stay
forever, too.

“If you want to stay, there’s no time limit
on using the house. It’s good to have people in it again.” Alex’s
expression alternated between hope and pleading. “I don’t see any
reason you can’t stay longer.”

“What about…the demon?” Sarah whispered the
last, scanning the room for listeners. “The longer we stay, the
more danger we bring to you and this town. My friend in Manitou
already lost her home. Thank the Goddess no one was hurt, but the
demon won’t stop there. I couldn’t live with anyone else’s death on
my conscience.”

Alex reached across the table and wrapped
one hot hand around her cold fingers. She shivered as a tingle ran
straight to her pussy and made it clench.

“It’s going to be all right, Sarah. You’re
both safe here and if the demon shows up, we’ll take it down.
Together.”

“You mean ‘when.’” Sarah shook her head. “It
will
come, Alex. And how do you know we’ll be able to fight
it? Demons aren’t like humans.” She took a breath to say more, but
the waitress delivered their meal and she swallowed her words.

“There you go, folks. Enjoy.” The woman
pulled out the bill and slid it face down on the table beneath the
salt shaker, smiling at Alex. “Let me know if you need anything
else, handsome.”

Sarah gritted her teeth, but kept the snarl
inside.
Goddess, please keep me from taking down the other
females who look at Alex.

“It’s going to work out. Let’s enjoy our
breakfast. No one knows you or anything about you here. You’re
safe.”

“For how long?”

“My mom used to say there’s no point
borrowing trouble. Right now, everything’s okay. And it’s always
‘right now.’” He offered her an encouraging smile and some of her
tension melted away. “Right?”

“Right.” Liam perked up beside her and
attacked his meal. Sarah sighed, but she couldn’t argue with the
logic. “Aren’t you hungry, Mama?”

“Yes, love.”

She tried to smile and picked at her food,
reminding herself she needed strength to face whatever came at
them. Her mind churned over her odd reaction to the waitress and
concerns about the demon’s arrival. Alex struck up a conversation
with Liam about the different hauling trucks outside the windows
and soon had her son asking questions. Her heart melted as Liam
opened up and her fears retreated. Her son had been withdrawn for
so long. Alex pulled him out of his shell with patient
kindness.

After their meal, Liam excused himself to
use the loo and Sarah touched Alex’s arm as he paid the check.
“Thank you so much, Alex. Liam hasn’t spoken that much in years.
You’ve been very kind to him.”

“Oh, hey, he’s a good kid and has had a
rough time.” Alex squeezed her hand as he shoved his wallet into
his back pocket. Right on that firm arse she’d like to grab
again.

“Besides, I like him. Almost as much as I
like you.” He offered a sultry smile and desire rippled through
her. “Come on, let’s go get some groceries and head back to the
house. I don’t want you out too long.”

“Right. The water helps confuse demons.”

“Exactly.”

Alex ushered them out the door as soon as
Liam returned. The parking lot had emptied a bit as the morning
aged, but it had only grown darker with the cloud cover. Sarah
shivered and unease skittered down the back of her neck. She paused
half-way to the Jeep and glanced over her shoulder. Something
teased the edge of her senses, something familiar, like the memory
of a dream. She scanned the trucks and cars around the diner for
people, but the only motion came from vehicles.

“Everything okay?” Alex appeared beside her,
his presence comforting.

Sarah searched a little longer, but nothing
jumped out at her. “Yes. I think so. I just thought I sensed
something…” She opened the car door. “Liam, do you smell
anything?”

She kicked herself as all the relaxed joy
left her son’s expression. “No, Mama. Do you?”

“I don’t know. I just wanted to check.”

“Let’s get going.” Alex strode around the
front of the Jeep.”

“Right.”

They climbed in and Alex drove them into
town, but Sarah couldn’t shake the feeling they’d run out of time.
Apprehension settled into her gut as they pulled into the grocery
lot. Plenty of people seemed to be out and about despite the
darkness of the day. She’d grown up in the Irish wet, but this
seemed unnatural to her, and she held Liam tight to her side as
they shopped.

Alex seemed to sense her urgency and filled
the little cart with the minimum of questions. Sarah hadn’t thought
much of what she wanted to eat, not when the uncertainty of having
a next meal loomed over them. Liam had grown watchful and he held
her hand tight, his expression a mask of wariness.

“It’ll be all right, Liam love,” she
whispered.

“You don’t believe that, do you, Mama?” His
blue eyes showed fear and resignation, and she refused to let it
settle there.

“What I believe is this time will be
different.” She tried to infuse her voice with as much confidence
as she could, giving him a frank smile. “Alex is with us.
Remember?”

Liam studied her face for a long time. “Do
you love him, Mama? More than Da?”

Sweet Goddess, how do I answer that?
Any answer she gave would change something, and she wasn’t sure she
could afford the shift.

“Your da is gone, and no amount of love on
my part will change that.” She took a deep breath. “But you and I
are alive, and any friends we make while here won’t change your
da’s place in our hearts. Even if we find new loved ones. Do you
understand?”

Liam nodded. “I understand, Mama. But do you
love Alex?”

Sarah opened her mouth, but Alex chose that
moment to return to them and she swallowed her response.

“Okay, I think I got everything we’ll need
for the next few days.” Alex paused as they just gaped at him,
their silence extending. “Everything okay? You look a little
stunned.”