Hell Hounds Are for Suckers (3 page)

CHAPTER 5

  I woke up to banging on my door and Hades whining under the bed. This fear was completely not like the behavior Hades had displayed over the past two days. I wasn’t sure I wanted to open the door, either. A vamp just raised isn’t a pretty sight. Stalling, I slipped on a charming robe decorated with roses interwoven through thorns. Checked my hair in the mirror, gathered my vampire mojo and traipsed to the front door. Hades kept tripping me up, winding himself around my feet. He had grown again. From a small fur ball to a dog big as an armchair. He was determined to stay at my feet still whining.

  “I can hear you in there, Ares, you little scoundrel. Let me in now!” A deep commanding voice bellowed at my front door. As if the door was an offensive object.

  I whipped open the door just as the man was in mid-knock. He looked surprised to see me. Then he saw Hades and growled. Yes, growled. Hades whimpered and drew closer to me.

  “What do you want and why are you growling at my dog?” I planted my feet and folded my arms. Attitude and early morning disturbances – err… afternoon - not agreeing with me.

“I was not growling,” the man said. A very hot, built sexy man.

  “You were too,” I said raising my eyebrow. I had practiced for hours to do that, it was so epic. The moment made the exercise so worth it.

  “I just want to get my dog and go, Miss,” he said. He had a faint accent and deep green eyes. Mesmerizing actually. I lost track of what he said for a moment. Then shook my head.

  “What do you mean, your dog? Hades is mine.”

  “This dog’s name is Ares and he’s mine. Aren’t you, boy?” He got down on one knee and tried to make nice with Hades. Hades whimpered and then growled at him.

  “See, not your dog.” I took a step back preparing to close the door but he put his foot in the way. “Excuse me?” I said. I do not do early wakeups gracefully.

  “I haven’t got my dog yet,” he answered. The growl in his voice had been replaced with arrogant outrage. The way he kept saying dog, with an emphasis on dog made me think that he knew exactly what Hades was and that he might be his. But Hades didn’t want to go with him and I didn’t want to give him away, so we weren’t budging. Ugh! When did I start thinking of him as my dog? Probably when I found out he was a little lost hell hound. I have a soft spot for bad boys.

  “Listen, buddy. You’ve got the wrong dog and you’re messing with the wrong girl, so get the hell out of here.” I turned to walk away and slam the door but he grabbed my wrist. I tried to pull away with my considerable vampire strength but he was just as strong.

  “Look, girlie. I don’t care that you’re a vampire. I want my damn dog back now.”

  “So rude.” I kicked him in the nads and slammed the door in his face, making sure to lock it afterwards.

  Aidan popped in just as the man started wheezing and claiming he was going to kill me for kicking him and taking his dog.

  “What on earth is going on, Hannah?” Aidan said laughing.

  “I think that I found Hades’ owner,” I said pointing at the door. “He calls him Ares.” Hades whimpered. “And he knows I’m a vampire. I had to kick him in the family jewels to make him let go of me so I could get him out of my doorway and lock up.” Aidan instinctively made a protective motion towards his nether regions and grimaced. Apparently, a male manifestation developed the same protective gestures as the males of any species. In pretty short order, too. “I had no choice, Aidan.”

  “Why don’t I go out there and see what I can find out about him,” Aidan said. Which was a good idea because the man was pounding on my door again and by now my neighbors were going to be wondering what the hell was going on. He popped out.

  “I can understand why you ran away,” I whispered to Hades. The dog tilted his head at me.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I hissed. He whined.

“You’re not reconsidering your allegiance?”  Hades flopped down at my feet. Tongue lolling.

CHAPTER  6

  I could hear Aidan talking to the man on the other side of my door. They kept their voices low so I couldn’t discern everything they said, but I heard enough. Special bat ears and all that. His name was Diel. He was a demon. Yikes. So Hades was his. Well, he wasn’t getting him back, even if he had raven hair that swept across his smoking eyes, bronze skin and was built like someone out of my most erotic dreams. As Lily says – Focus, Han.

  Aidan materialized next to me and I quickly wiped the drool from my lip and calmed my barely beating heart. Aidan looked curiously at the glazed expression on my face. Then started talking.

  “His name is Diel. He’s a demon and a Duke at that. He wants his hell hound back, Hannah, ” Aidan said as seriously as I’d heard him speak, except when he’s sparring with Sebastian and wishing him to the depths of hell. “Diel calls him Ares. I explained that you didn’t want to give Hades back and he said that was tough, he wasn’t yours to begin with.”

  “Well, why was Hades wandering around unattended in the first place?”

  “Because he’s a little beast that can’t seem to listen like he should,” came a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

  “You sure took your time in coming to get him,” I said, raising my voice slightly.

  “I had to track you down. Your kind messes with my skills. Can we talk about this inside? Your neighbors are watching me,” Diel said in a lower voice.

  I looked at Aidan and he nodded so I opened the door and let the demon in. He was tall. I repeat tall, like in having to almost have to stoop down to go through the doorway. Damn.

  “My name is Diel,” he said holding out his hand.

  “Hannah,” I answered shaking it. He was warm and his hand was surprisingly soft, yet he had a firm handshake. Not a wuss. I felt a little tingle go all the way through me as we shook hands. He smiled slightly, showing perfect white teeth.

  Hades wrapped around my feet and growled at him. Diel looked down and his eyes narrowed.

  “Traitor,” he said. Hades yipped quietly, which I appreciated as I’d left the fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

  “How long have you had Hades?” I used my dog’s name, refusing to relinquish my claim.

  “His name is Ares and I knew the bitch that he came from. Got him as soon as he was weaned.”

  “His name is Hades, isn’t that right, Hades?” Hades licked my hand.

  “I don’t care what the damn thing thinks. His name is Ares,” Diel shouted.

  Aidan rolled his eyes and held his hands up in the official time out signal.

  “Okay, you two. Take a break,” Aidan said. He was enjoying this. He is an energy addict and nothing gets his fires going like a little dust-up.

  Diel let out a big breath and cracked his neck. I huffed and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. Hades trotted in after me, close at my heels. I got some meat out of the fridge for him, gagging at the scent and was barely able to get it into his bowl before he started eating it. I felt Diel and Aidan come in behind me.

  “Let me make you some coffee, Hannah,” Aidan said summoning it for me.

  “Thanks, Aidan.”

  “Must be nice to have your djinn summon everything for you,” Diel snarked.

  Aidan’s eyes glowed. Before he did anything I stepped in. 

“Aidan is not my djinn. He is his own man. He is not bound to anyone.”

  “Sorry, my bad,” Diel grinned, enjoying the look on Aidan’s face.

  Aidan had said he was a Duke. A Duke of what, and where? I guess his arrogance came with the title. Well, he could take his title and shove it. I poured myself a cup of java and took a sip, relishing the smooth blend Aidan had conjured. This was top of the line coffee. I had to get the name of it, but he probably pulled it from the ether or wherever he got things.

  “I think it’s time you leave, Diel,” Aidan snapped, still smarting from the bound djinn insult.

  “Oh hell no, I’m not going anywhere without my hound.”

  “Well you’re not taking him with you,” I hissed. My fangs had descended and I was ready to kick some demon Duke butt.

  “I said it was time to go.” Aidan pointed at him and he popped Diel out of my kitchen. I gave Aidan a startled look.

  “Where’d you send him?” I asked.

  “Into the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge.”

  I started laughing and Aidan winked at me.

CHAPTER  7

  Aidan watched Hades later that night while I went out hunting. I am a firm believer in “just a nip and a sip” when it comes to blood. The older a vampire gets, the less blood they need. I am young compared to Julian and Helena and even Sebastian is over three hundred years old. Only Lily is younger than I am so we both have to hunt more often than the old folks. I don’t need much but I’m very discriminating.

I was lucky and nabbed a college kid right near the new stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. He was loaded and soon, so was I. It’s different for vampires than it is for humans. Where they get stupid, we get mellow and even-tempered. We don’t lose any of our acuity. I licked his wound and sent him on his even more enhanced way. Our serum is like that, just a dab’ll do ya’ and he wouldn’t remember a thing.

  I was feeling good and headed back for home. I was walking up my street when I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around I was jumped by a massive man, scratch that, demon.

  “Holy shit, Diel! Do you want to wake up the entire neighborhood?” I could feel that fine hard body on top of me and it felt good, dammit. It had been way too long.

  “That was some trick Aidan pulled this afternoon, ha ha. Now I want Ares back.”

  “Hades is mine.” My fangs were out and this time we were going to have it out. I kicked and moved lightning fast, getting up and out from under him. I stood in front of him crouched, ready for him to attack.

  “You don’t want to mess with a demon, Hannah,” he said with a grin. Ye gods he smelled good and that smile was just about my undoing. He moved fast but I was faster. He was stronger, though, and he had magick. He sent a pulse of energy at me and I was suddenly moving through molasses or what felt like it, though it was perfectly transparent. His little trick slowed me down enough for him to catch me. He gathered me up in his arms.

  He looked down at me with a commanding gaze. Like he knew what I needed and he wanted to give it to me. Damn those green, green eyes.

  “What am I going to do with you, you sassy little vamp?” He took a deep breath of my hair. A shiver ran through me.

  “Do with me? Don’t you mean what are we going to do about Hades?” I asked, pushing myself away.

  “Yes, that’s what I said.” Diel backtracked and gave his head a small shake.

  “That is so not what you said and I’m glad you’ve come around to calling him Hades.”

  “Wait, what do you mean? I did no such thing. His name is Ares, after the god of war. It’s a fitting name for a hell hound.”

  “So obvious. Hades is the god of hell, much more witty.” I continued walking towards my house and Diel followed. We argued the whole way back. Aidan opened the door before I could.

  “I heard you two a block away. No it’s Hades, no it’s Ares. No he’s mine, no he’s mine,” Aidan said.

  “Sorry, Aidan. We should’ve been quieter. How’s Hades been?”

  “He and I have been playing all night. He’s showed me one of his special tricks,” he informed us with a wry look on his face. “For instance, we went for a walk and his eyes would glow red until he mesmerized a pretty woman. She would approach and throw herself at me. It was rather amusing the first few times but after the eighth one I decided we needed to come home,” Aidan said shaking his head. He leaned back with his hands in his pockets and his legs crossed against the back of my couch.

  Diel laughed. It was the kind of laugh that was full and rich and sounded like a river rolling over a bed of smooth pebbles. I lost another moment of time.

  “That is one of his bloodline’s special tricks. Hell hounds like to mate up their owners,” Diel explained. “Of course, you’re not his owner. Miss Sassy Pants is confusing him with dragging strange men home to care for him.”

  Aidan raised his eyebrow and looked at me but didn’t say anything, which I appreciated. I imagine anything he said would have pissed me off. Although thinking about those women throwing themselves at Aidan was cracking me up on the inside. I would have to share it with Helena and Sebastian, who would especially appreciate it. I suspected Lily, not so much. Julian would be intrigued.

Diel was still smiling when I turned and sneered at him.

  “What now?” he said.

  “I think it’s time you leave. I don’t appreciate being jumped from behind.”

  “That’s low, Diel. I hope you made it count,” Aidan said as he winked at him. I moved to smack Aidan but he transmanifested to the other side of the room. Diel smirked and high fived Aidan.

  “All right. I have so had enough testosterone for one evening, Hades excluded. Out! Both of you. I don’t care where you go, just out. Let a girl have her house back.”

  “Come on, Diel. I know a good pub close by,” Aidan said, clapping him on the back.

  Males and that instant bonding thing. So annoying!

  “Sounds like a plan,” Diel said.

  “Freaking traitor,” I hissed at Aidan. He just grinned.

  Hades bumped my hand with his head, wanting to be petted. I knelt down and rubbed his head.

“Such a good hell hound, Hades. Don’t let those nasty boys upset you,” I crooned as they walked out my door. Good riddance. I didn’t want any part of the boys’ club tonight. Aidan can’t even drink beer. WTF?

  I went to my room throwing clothes in the general vicinity of the hamper on my way to the bathroom. I needed a shower, especially after feeding and being tackled in the dirt. What was he thinking smelling my hair? It still gave me a shiver thinking about it. One minute he’s all kick ass and the next he’s breathing heavy on my neck. My kind of guy. But a demon? Can vampires even have sex with demons? Am I serious? After my shower I’m looking it up on Voogle, the vampire’s version of Google.

  Half-way through my shampoo, Hades jumped in the shower, scaring the crap out of me. His thick coat barely got wet. He started lapping at the water and trying to bite it. It made the rest of my shower interesting - and fast. When I got out, he followed me and before I could get a towel for him he shook all the water off, whisking it all over my bathroom. Note to self: shut bathroom door for future showers.

  I got dressed in some comfy pajamas, booted up my laptop. Logged into Voogle, entered a series of passwords and I was in. Now to look up demons and cross-reference them to vampires.

  I looked up Diel first. Every demon was registered in our database. It seems that he was in fact a Duke. He had several thousand lesser demons under him that could do his bidding. Impressive. His full name was Sihdiel. His special talent was finding treasure and lost things. No wonder he was able to track down Hades. Now to find out if it was possible to do the nasty with a demon.

  Voogle says that although it is rare, it is possible. It cautioned that a liaison with a demon was very powerful and could be addictive to both parties and not to be undertaken lightly. All righty then. He was immortal, check. On the other hand, was it a match? Other than his drool-worthiness, I knew nothing about him. Besides, Hades was immortal too and I’d never have to worry about him leaving me.

  Now that I knew the deed was possible, did I want to? I’d have to think about that. Right now the most important thing was convincing him that Hades was mine. Maybe we could come to some kind of compromise. He could have visitation rights as long as he gave up that ridiculous name.

  I called Hades. He dropped the cow femur he was chewing on and padded to me.

  “What do you think of you sharing time with me and Diel?” Hades green eyes glowed a red, lit by the fires of, well, hell. “Eeww creepy, buddy. But I guess that means you approve.” He nudged my hand until I petted him. I hugged him and loved on him until I was feeling less lonely. I think he liked it too, judging from all the wet kisses I got.

  “Come on, Hades. Let’s go to bed.”

  I dreamt of a large bronze-colored man with raven hair and bright green eyes.