Hellhound (6 page)

“Perhaps she should start with a lighter…” Dorin started to say and Gunner held his hand up to him.

“There is no reason that she should not be able to battle with whatever I give to her. She is branded.”

“I know but…”

“Dorin.” Gunner said as he turned and stared at him. His expression was hard. Finna shook her head and Ari laughed.

“Fine.” He said as he stepped up and held his hand out to him.

“What?” Gunner said as he held the ax.

“Give it to me Gunner, you are the hardest opponent in the house, she should at least have a chance her first time around.”

“She needs to...”

Dorin took the ax from him and for a minute they both stood there like a fight may happen. I held the ax and watched closely, not knowing what would be happening next. Gunner then stepped back and waved a hand as Dorin nodded to him. He turned to me and smiled as I saw his teeth, two pointed ones and it was then that I realized that he was in fact a vampire. Shit.

He leaped into the air and twisted above me as I swung my ax upwards over my head. The fact that I did kind of shocked me. I mean I had never had a weapon in my hand before the knife I shoved into Travis’s face. I was not a fighter by nature, but as Dorin landed behind me and I spun on one foot, my long red hair swinging out to my side and the ax following with a serious swing, I started to think that maybe I was a warrior. Maybe something had laid dormant in me forever and this was why I was able to take that knife to Travis when I knew it was him or me. Of course I did not know at the time that I was fucking dying, but whatever. I killed him just the same. Dorin then laughed as he darted to the right and my eyes were able to follow him, I adjusted my footing as he darted to the left and then he was on me and swinging the ax like a maniac as I bent back and arched my back. My head almost touched the ground as I saw Gunner watching me, which was a fucking distraction. I came up just as Dorin reared back and hit me in the nose with the butt of the ax and I stumbled backwards, reaching up to touch my nose. I pulled my hand back to see blood but it was not red, not at all. It was now black and the sight of it bothered me, giving Dorin another chance to strike at me but as he leaped above me, I brought my ax up and held it in both hands and stopped his ax just a fraction of an inch from my eye. I stared at it as he grinned and showed off his vampire teeth. I shook my head and then pushed him back from me as I yelled out.

“I never liked vampire movies; they never got it right once the fucking teenagers got involved.”

Gunner laughed as did Ari and Finna as I spun around and swung my ax as hard as I could. It came within a sheer fraction of an inch from cutting his throat, as he leaned back from me. I then kicked him in the stomach and he flew across the room and hit the wall, quickly sliding down as he laughed out loud. 

I stood there, my chest rising and falling as Dorin stood up and then he nodded to me, a smile curling his lip up at the corner of his mouth as he looked me over.

“It would seem that you are capable of handling yourself.”

“Thank you.” I said as he approached me and looked down my body. I straightened up as he grinned.

“If you would ever like some company I would be…”

“Halo.” Gunner said as he stepped up behind me and Dorin stopped talking.

“So, you are a Hellhound…but, you are a vampire.”

“That I am. I was a vampire when I died and came to Hell. Killing Vlad did not come at a heavy price Halo.” I watched him as he handed the ax to Gunner and started to walk away.

“Good job Dorin.” Gunner said to him and Dorin raised his hand and waved it slightly, without turning back to look at any of us.

“He is a serious warrior, he is loyal.” Gunner said as he turned back to me.

“I kicked his ass.”

Gunner leaned into my ear and whispered to me.

“He let you.”

I opened my mouth as he pulled back and looked down my dress. Suddenly I had no words as his eyes searched me. It almost felt as if he was touching me. Finna nudged Ari and pulled him along with her as they left Gunner and I standing in the half lit room.

“That is not cool.” I said to him as he grinned at me.

“Neither is this.” He said as he swung the ax and I screamed and blocked him.

Chapter Four

Vampires Suck

I stood in front of the mirror and stared at myself. I had been beaten and thrown for nearly 4 weeks and even though I felt as if I may be ready to take on a demon of some sort, the only thing that was consuming my mind was one kiss, from a very attractive badass in the house. Gunner had not taken any liberty with me since that day and I wondered if he simply lost interest in me. I would hate to think so, I mean if anything, I was definitely feeling a pull towards him, an undeniable need to feel his body against me and his lips on my own. He had tasted sweet, sweeter than anything I had ever known before and it lingered with me. I touched my lips and closed my eyes, suddenly lowering my hand and turning as I heard a voice behind me, followed by a light tapping. My door stood half open, I didn’t feel the need to shut it most of the time as no one bothered me at all. The only time we truly mingled was for training and other than that we ate in almost a complete silence, as if the thought of bonding was not something they wanted to do with me.

“Well, how are you Halo?” Dorin asked me as he stood at my doorway. I grinned and remembered the old sayings about inviting a vampire into houses, I did know it also included rooms.

“You can come in Dorin.” I said as I watched him closely. It could not be a bad thing to say it, could it? I mean he is a Hellhound and a part of the team.

“Thank you.” He said softly as he stepped into my room, one foot at a time and with caution. I smiled and looked him over. He was dressed in all black, as usual and his button down looked nice and neat, a white tie looking pristine against the black of his shirt.

“So, you have to be invited into rooms too? Interesting.” I said as I placed a hand on my hip and he smiled at me, his teeth looking completely normal. Honestly, his teeth never grew and looked menacing unless we were sparring. It must have been the excitement from all the fighting.

“Yes, it can be a pain in the ass. Most of what you know of vampires is true. We have to be invited into homes, rooms also, which is not really known, as they are personal space and protected by those who live in them. We also hate garlic, but it not because it hurts us, it stinks and our sense of smell is stronger than that of any animal. Anything with a pungent smell is annoying.”

I laughed and stepped up to him. If anything, Dorin had been the only other person in the house who had spoken to me, I mean more than screaming “Jump! Duck! Roll!” which I had listened to in abundance for weeks. Dorin had mentioned small things to me, things like how I seemed to fighting with more skill and how I seemed to be settling into my roll.  It was not that I liked him more than I needed to, but it just seemed ironic to me that the only non-human Hellhound in the house was the only one who seemed to be making me feel human at all.

“So, tonight…”

Dorin held his hand up to me and shook his head just slightly. I stopped talking, not quite sure as to why he was doing it, but he opened his mouth and spoke softly to me as he always did.

“We do not discuss the Hunt, it is bad luck.”

“Oh.” I said as I crossed my arms on my chest and stood there. It would be nice if they would all allow me to understand more than just being a killing machine.

“Nothing personal Halo, please do not take offence to it.”

I relaxed a little bit as he stepped closer to me. His eyes were as soft as his voice seemed to be. If I didn’t know any better I would never guess he was a vampire. I would have to guess that this was exactly why vampires were who they were and could seduce anyone. They appear human in every way, in fact, they seem
MORE
than most humans can pull off.

“I just wish I knew, I mean, don’t get wrong. I feel accepted here to a certain degree but all we have done is fight and train, train and fight. No one has said more than two words to me since day one…I mean, except for you, which I totally appreciate, I do.”

He watched my lips as I spoke and my heart fluttered in my chest. I could not tell if it was my fault or some trick of his own. He broke his stare from my lips and let his eyes rise, he looked into mine and I rubbed my neck as he stepped closer. He was now only about 2 feet from me and I could feel strange emotions rising up in me. He had never made me feel like this, not the entire time we had sparred. Not one moment, but now, I feel…I don’t know what I feel. He stepped once more and was now only a foot in front of me.

“Halo.” He said with his beautiful accent. I had never hated my name, but coming from his lips it sounded like song.

“Dorin, I…” I started to say and he stepped up and cupped my face with one hand. I closed my eyes as if I had no control with him, as if he was leading and I was simply a follower. He then leaned in and I could not feel breath, as he did not breathe, but I could feel his presence. It engulfed my senses, each one, taste, touch, smell. It was as if he set my inner animal on fire. I parted my lips and took a small breath as his eyes watched me. Then he turned me and held me close to him. When I opened my eyes a knife was placed to my throat and I sighed, knowing this was a fucking test as everything was here.

“Fuck me.”

“It looks as if I could.” Dorin whispered into my ear as I reached up, twisted his hand and cracked every bone in it. He dropped the knife and I flipped him over me, slamming his body into my mirror and shattering it to pieces. He laughed as he laid in the mess and stared up at me. I shook my head at him and felt completely disgusted. Of course they were testing me, I am a killer of killers now.

I heard clapping behind me as Gunner stepped into my room and stared at Dorin on the floor.

“Well, that is good.” He said to me as I became a bit flush. I hoped he did not think that I liked Dorin; I mean he was obviously using his vampire voodoo bullshit on me. I narrowed my eyes and looked down at Dorin who grinned up at me.

“Fuck you.” I said as he pushed himself up and then pulled his mangled hand up. He popped one finger back into place and then the rest. He then turned his wrist and reset the bones as his vampire blood fixed the rest.

“That was brilliant Halo.”

“Oh thanks.” I said as I stared him down.

He leaned into my face and then tapped my nose.

“There was no chance I would have fucked you, I prefer boys.” He whispered and I opened my mouth to yell at him but he walked away as I turned and looked infuriated. Gunner placed his hand over his mouth and watched me as Dorin left my room and closed the door behind him. I shook my head as my arms crossed on my chest once again and Gunner kept his laughter to a minimum. He then watched me as I stepped up to my mirror and looked at all of the shards on the floor. I looked down and saw many of me, all splintered off and in bits and pieces just as
I felt now. I was not quite sure of who I was, who I would become or where I was headed. Then Gunner stepped up behind me and I saw him in the shards along with me. I calmed down as he looked …right, as if standing behind me made a difference. I turned, having to look upward as he was at least a foot taller than I was.

“That was bullshit Gunner.”

He reached up and touched my hair as the small act just left me a bit flustered in a seriously hot way. He pulled his hand back and had a small piece of mirror in his hand. He looked at it as he turned it over in his hand and then tossed it behind me. It landed amongst the rest of the mess on my floor.

“It was a necessary evil Halo.”

“Really? I really needed to be humiliated by a vampire?”

“You needed to understand how dangerous they are, a vampire is a worthy advisory and to survive with them you have to stay focused and impervious to their lure.”

“I feel like an asshole.”

He paused and I tilted my head.

“You are not an asshole, it doesn’t matter who you are, a vampire is a predator and can kill at will. They are built for it. I am just grateful that Dorin is a Hellhound and not a target. He would be a pain in the ass to kill.”

“I can only imagine.” I said as he watched me walk to the window and stare out at the setting sun. The sky was streaked in pink and gray as the sun was quickly escaping this world and travelling to the next. I knew that we would be going out soon to kill, my first hunt. I won’t lie, I am nervous. I mean what if I…

“You will be amazing Halo.” Gunner said as he stepped up next to me and stared out at the sky with me. The colors lit up his face and I had a hard time ignoring his beauty. He was truly stunning and before I could look away he turned and looked down at me. His expression was calm, as always, which was confusing. He seemed to a master of hiding his emotions, I, on the other hand, seemed to be a fucking failure at it.

“What if I fuck up?” I said to him and he stepped up to me and took my hands, he held them and let his thumbs run across the tops of both of them, sending small waves of nervousness up my arms. I looked at his hands as he watched my face too closely. He then cleared his throat.

“You are a Hellhound, just as I am. We are protectors of this world and we were chosen for a reason. We have greatness inside of us, not only are we able to kill that which should not be, but we have compassion. It is a blend that is not found often. You should be proud to be with us Halo. This is a mission that we cannot fail at, many lives depend on us and I have faith in you as does everyone here.”

“Really, I mean you believe me?” I asked him and he leaned up as I closed my eyes and prepared for the kiss I knew was coming, then I opened one eye as he spoke to me.

“You will be amazing, now come.”

I opened my other eye and once again felt like an asshole for prepping for the kiss that would not come. I had to get this shit out of my mind. The one kiss he had given to me in the elevator was obviously out of pity and not love.  He let go of my hands and walked to my door as I stood there and sighed. Maybe this was Hell for me, having this hot guy so close and yet a million miles away.

“Halo?” he said and I nodded to him.

“I am ready.” I started to follow him as my heart sank a little deeper into my chest.