A Hellhound in Hollywood

by Amy Armstrong

  I was seriously rethinking the love at first sight thing. Clearly, I needed my head examined. The attraction must have had something to do with the fact that it had been quite some time since I’d done the horizontal tango. His smile was wide as he took back the weapon then stashed it down the back of his jeans.

  “You’re as feisty as your mother,” he remarked casually. “As pretty too. Can you hunt like her?”

  I flushed at the compliment and tried to ignore the fact that I’d run away from that thing earlier—something she never would have done—but I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

  “No one hunts like my mother.”

  “Guess I’ll have to be the judge of that,” he said in a low, silky voice. “Damn. Lizzie Day’s daughter. I wondered if our paths would ever cross. When my handler told me you were here, I was intrigued. I wanted to meet you. I’m Tyler, by the way. Tyler Braddock, but my friends call me Ty.”

  “Ty,” I repeated. “If you know me, I take it I don’t have to tell you my name.”

  “Nope. Alana. Pretty name for a pretty little lady.”

  “Little?”

  His laugh was rich and full-hearted, and the sound sent a shock wave of lust coursing through my body. He spent a long time looking me up and down. Even though the light from the nearby street lamp offered little illumination, there was nowhere to hide and I grew embarrassed by his scrutiny.

  “Come on,” he said at last. “Let’s get moving. This is not the safest neighborhood at the best of times, but especially not at night.”

  www.totallybound.com

  Amy Armstrong

  13

  I nodded and put away my stake. “That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said since we’ve met. Out of curiosity, why were you taking me to your motel?”

  “Running for my life makes me horny,” he said, deadpan.

  “What?” The word came out on a screech.

  He threw his head back and laughed again. “Relax. It was a joke. I’m all out.” He pointed to the pouch on his belt.

  “Oh. All out of what exactly?”

  “Holy water. I’ve got another couple bottles in my room and you sure don’t look like you’re packing any.” He craned his head to look at my butt. “Nope, I don’t think you’d fit anything else in those pants, which, by the way, look damn hot on you.”

  I ignored the salacious comment wrapped up in a compliment, even though it did something funny to my stomach, and asked, “That was holy water you threw at that thing back there?”

  “Sure was. It’s the only thing that will stop them, although it doesn’t kill them. They’re nearly impossible to kill.”

  “You mean you know what it was?”

  He drew his eyebrows together as he stared at me. Even a frown looked sexy on him.

  Typical.

  “Of course. That was a hellhound.” He gave a visible shudder. “Nasty fuckers. Pure evil.

  They’re not the most cunning of demon, but just as lethal. You haven’t come up against any before?”

  “No, never.” I shook my head, trying to process everything I’d learned. It made sense that the creature was a demon. The coldness I’d felt, the dread… Though I’d never encountered a hellhound before, I had heard of them, but I hadn’t put two and two together. Now that I knew what it was, it seemed obvious. “Jesus, there are hellhounds in Hollywood?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It sure looks that way. I came up against one a few years back and it nearly mauled me to death. Would have killed me too if your mother hadn’t fought the thing off me.

  She didn’t kill it, but she hurt it badly enough to put it out of action long enough for us to get away.”

  “My mother?” I breathed.

  He nodded. “She saved my life.”

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  A HELLHOUND IN HOLLYWOOD

  14

  “Wow.”

  My stomach dipped again and this time the feeling was uncomfortable. I was far from sorry that she’d saved Ty, of course, but it was proof positive that I would never be as good as her. She’d not only not run away, she’d fought off the hellhound and saved Ty’s life in the process.

  The heat of shame and humiliation settled on my face.

  “After that incident, my handler told me to use holy water,” Ty said. “Fucking council.

  You’d think they tell us this shit when we’re still in the academy, wouldn’t you? I never go out hunting without holy water now. Can’t be too careful. If there are hellhounds around here, you’d better start carrying some too. The way we spend our nights, it’s likely we’ll come up against one again. You need to protect yourself.”

  I shuddered at the thought of seeing a hellhound again, but nodded. “I’ll get some.

  Thanks for the tip.”

  Ty pursed his lips. “You’re obviously here in L.A. searching for the same thing I am. The book?”

  I nodded, but stayed silent, not wanting to give too much away about my mission.

  “Yeah, these grimoires are all anyone’s talking about in the council. I figured it would be an easy job, but it looks like we’re too late.”

  “Too late? What do you mean?”

  “Think about it. Hellhounds have that name for a reason, right? They live in hell and they can’t just come and go from there as they please, thank the Lord. The only way they can get here is if they’re summoned and—”

  “The only way to summon them is with a grimoire,” I finished for him.

  “Exactly.”

  “Did the council give you anything to go on?” I asked.

  Ty shrugged. “Not really. The council didn’t know diddly, but I’m meeting an angel at midnight. I’m hoping he can shed some light on things.”

  The rich timbre of Ty’s voice gave me goosebumps, but I tried to hide the effect he was having on me. “An angel?”

  “Yeah. His name’s Malaki. Have you met him before?”

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  Amy Armstrong

  15

  As it so happened, I had. Not only had I met Malaki before, but the angel was my one and only lead in LA so it looked like Ty didn’t have anything more to go on than I did.

  “Yeah, I know him,” I confirmed. “Midnight, eh? Where are we meeting him?”

  A wide grin stretched across Ty’s lips, and, if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a trace of satisfaction in his eyes.

  “You know, I wasn’t in the market for a new partner, but working alongside a lady as pretty as you?” he said in a silky voice. “I’d be some kind of fool to turn down an offer like that, and I’m no man’s fool.”

  I cleared my throat. I felt the need to turn away from his appraising gaze, but I was riveted. “Great,” I said, my voice a little higher than usual. “Lead the way to your motel.”

  When his grin grew wider, I narrowed my eyes. “For the holy water, Ty. This is business.

  Don’t get any ideas.”

  I had to keep my wits about me. Hunters were sent on assignments with different hunters all the time. We came and went out of each other’s lives in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t afford to get too close to Ty because I sensed how easily I could become attached to him then when the time came to part, it would hurt as nothing had hurt before.

  His expression softened. “There ain’t nothing wrong with a little fun to break up a dull day, Alana.”

  I tried not to imagine just how much fun that fun would be. Under different circumstances, I might have agreed, and I’m sure that any other single woman in my position would have jumped at the chance to enjoy Ty’s company while they could. But I’d never been the type of woman who gave in to my desires or base instincts. Everything in my life had always been controlled and orderly. I did my job and I did it well. My mission in life was to be the best hunter I could be. I wanted my mother to be proud of me and trying to accomplish that goal had left little time to indulge in many extracurricular activities. Yet even if I’d wanted to have some fun while I was in LA, I knew I had t
o stay the hell away from Tyler Braddock.

  We might have only just met, but the way I felt when I looked at him confirmed that, for me, his name spelled trouble with a capital T.

  I swallowed and nodded to the street ahead. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”

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  A HELLHOUND IN HOLLYWOOD

  16

  Chapter Two

  After we’d called the council to inform them of the hellhound sighting, we picked up holy water from Ty’s motel then headed to the all-night diner where Ty had arranged to meet Malaki. Seated at our table, the strip light above us bright and harsh, I was able to take a long, assessing look at Ty. Although part of me wished otherwise, I liked what I saw. I’d called my mother while Ty had been in his room and she’d confirmed the story he’d given me. In fact, my mother had had nothing but good things to say about the ‘charming, Southern gentleman’

  as she’d called him. Tyler Braddock was, by all accounts, a damn good hunter. That was high praise indeed, coming from someone with my mother’s exacting standards.

  A good six inches taller than my five foot five frame, Ty’s body was far bulkier than many of the other male hunters I’d worked with. His neatly trimmed fair hair and facial features were so damned perfect they belonged on the cover of GQ. A light dusting of stubble dotted his strong jaw. I’d always been attracted to rugged men and he embodied the term. When he wore his cowboy hat, I could imagine him riding a horse around a coral or out mending fences in the middle of the day, his chest bare and dripping with sweat. His warm hazel eyes—a captivating mix of green and brown—were a color I’d never paid too much attention to, but on him, it was sensational. His eyes were a knockout.

  Along with his good looks and charm, Ty exuded confidence. When the waitress deposited our coffee and gave him her best flirty smile—in true Southern gentleman style—he thanked her warmly but, I was pleased to note, he didn’t flirt back or give her any encouragement at all. No, the flirty behavior he saved for me, and I can’t say I minded all that much.

  “You really are a pretty lady, Alana,” he commented before taking a sip of mocha.

  It was nice of him to say so, but because I’d always considered myself to be nothing more than ordinary in the looks department. It was easy to doubt his sincerity—not that I wanted to doubt anything he said.

  My hair couldn’t decide if it wanted to be blonde or brunette, and unless I spent a lot of time in the sun—which I didn’t—it was what I’d describe as a muddy blonde or listless light www.totallybound.com

  Amy Armstrong

  17

  brown. Most female hunters had slim, fit physiques, but my desire to be as good as my mother meant I spent a lot of my off time working out, which made my muscles hard and well defined as opposed to the soft, feminine body that most men found pleasing. My face was a mixture of both my parents. I had my mother’s petite nose and high cheekbones, but my father’s big blue eyes—eyes I sometimes thought were too big for my face. Despite their size, they were the thing I liked most about myself and the one feature I was regularly complimented on.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, feeling almost as self-conscious as I’d been at fifteen.

  Ty couldn’t have noticed my discomfiture and if he did, he was gentleman enough not to mention it.

  “Really pretty. Those eyes… Jesus. I could look into those beautiful peeps all day long.”

  Even though I’d heard some variation of the compliment before, coming from Ty was like hearing it for the first time. I gave a weak smile and took a sip of coffee to hide my embarrassment. I wasn’t particularly good at accepting compliments, especially not when they came from a man as hot as Ty was.

  We were on our second cup of coffee by the time Malaki arrived at the diner. We’d both met him before, but I don’t think either of us was prepared for the change in him. Malaki looked terrible and that was not an adjective I ever thought would have applied to him. If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. His usually glossy black hair lay limp and scraggly and smudged eyeliner covered his cheekbones. Ominous brown-red spots dotted his dirty, torn clothes.

  He sank heavily in the chair and when he lifted his head to meet my gaze, he’d lost the sparkle in his eyes that was what I’d remembered most about him. He didn’t even crack a smile and that wasn’t like him at all. Malaki was the biggest flirt I’d ever met—even more so than Ty and that was saying something—so I’d prepared myself for wisecracks and innuendos, maybe even a little pissing contest between them both.

  There was none of that.

  Ty and I were still staring at him wearing mirroring expressions of surprise when Malaki spoke.

  “There’s somewhere I need to be, so we’ll have to make this quick,” he greeted curtly.

  Even his voice sounded different—quieter and containing less emotion.

  “Is it a hospital?” I quipped. “Because you look like you need one.”

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  A HELLHOUND IN HOLLYWOOD

  18

  I’d meant to make him laugh, but my poor attempt at a joke had the opposite effect.

  Malaki scowled and a flash of anger swirled in his eyes.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there are hellhounds running all over this godforsaken city.

  I ran into a couple earlier. I hate those damn things.”

  “Is it?” Ty asked. “Forsaken, I mean.”

  Malaki curled his upper lip then gave an exaggerated shudder. “It should be.”

  As he was clearly not in the mood for small talk, I got started on the issues we needed to discuss.

  “We ran into a hellhound earlier,” I informed him. “Is there a way to kill them?”

  Malaki shook his head. “I wouldn’t advise you to try. Angels don’t even kill them. We send them straight back to hell. Just hit it with holy water and hope for the best. If you’re still alive to do so…run.”

  “Great.” I let out a long sigh. “That’s just what I wanted to hear.”

  He shrugged, unconcerned. “If you see one, the best thing to do is get far away from it.

  Call the council. They’ll call us.” He got a distant look on his face. “Too bloody often lately,”

  he muttered under his breath.

  Ty raised an eyebrow as he met my gaze. When he turned back to Malaki, he asked,

  “What can you tell us about the grimoire?”

  “It’s a book,” Malaki said flatly. “It has pages inside a cover—pages that have writing on them. People read that writing.”

  Ty’s expression turned thunderous and I thought I saw a muscle in his jaw tick. Even though that was more like the angel I knew, I rolled my eyes and heaved a sigh.

  “Can you tell us anything that can actually help us find it?”

  He turned to me. “I traced the grimoire to an acting agent here in the city,” he said, seemingly remembering his need for speed. “He’s a witch and although he’s able to read from the book and could certainly have summoned the hellhounds, I don’t believe he’s the one who’s been using it. He has a nice little sideline going in the procurement and sale of magical artifacts. I’m guessing he sold the book to the highest bidder—a demon.”

  “Why would demons want to raise hellhounds?” Ty asked. “I thought their goal was to raise Lucifer.”

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  Amy Armstrong

  19

  “They’re probably trying to fuck with us angels. The war has been raging for as long as I can remember, but demons are getting impatient. They want to escalate the fight, and my guess is they’re using the hellhounds to provoke us. One book isn’t enough to set Lucifer free. They need many—certainly more than they have. Hellhounds are uncontrollable, so they’re the perfect way to expose us all to humans.”

  I took a sip of coffee then asked, “Did you meet with the witch?”

  Malaki nodded. “Yeah, but he wouldn’t talk to me. Said he doesn’t like ange
ls. Weird.

  I’m usually so persuasive. Must be losing my touch.”

  “I’m guessing you’d like us to meet with him,” I said. “Find out who he sold the book to?”

  “Exactly.” Malaki reached inside his torn leather jacket, pulled out a slip of paper then slid it across the table. “His home and office addresses. Call me if you discover the location of the demon. I’ll try to find the hellhound you ran into earlier.”

  Ty gave Malaki the location of the alleyway while I finished my cup of coffee. I’d been in LA for just over six hours and was already exhausted. There was a bed in a cheap motel with my name on it, and I couldn’t wait to climb under the covers.

  After Malaki left to deal with the hellhound, Ty turned to me, his eyes dancing with excitement. The eagerness in his expression intrigued me. I double-checked no one was listening to our conversation then inched closer.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  Ty leaned in, so close his breath fanned over my face and his nearness overwhelmed me, but I didn’t move back.

  “Are you tired?” He had a twinkle in his eyes that made my breath catch. “If not, we could try to find some action before we hit the sack.”

  Anticipation fluttered in my stomach the way it always did when I thought about hunting and suddenly I was wide awake and eager to get back out onto the street. Besides, I was curious to see just how good a hunter Ty actually was. The fact that my mother had praised him meant he had to be accomplished.

  Ty was by far the biggest hunter I’d met. The muscles in his arms were huge and complemented his broad, solid chest. Guns like his didn’t usually work in a hunter’s favor, because what we needed most to do our job effectively was speed, so the lighter we were on www.totallybound.com

  A HELLHOUND IN HOLLYWOOD

  20

  our feet, the better. Vampires were fast and it could be hard work keeping up with them. I’d have expected the kind of muscles Ty was packing to slow him down, but I hadn’t seen any evidence of that when we’d been running from the hellhound. That didn’t mean he could hold his own in a fight against a horde of vampires or rogue werewolves, however, and the fact that he was still alive could have been as a result of luck, rather than ability.