“I know you were,” Lucifer tilted her head so she would meet his gaze, “But trust me when I say we all fall eventually.”
She huffed. “Says Satan.”
“Says Satan,” he smirked, “I mean, I should know, right?”
She couldn’t help but giggle a little.
“So what’s it going to be, Matilda Jane? Yes or No?”
“Do I go to Heaven if I say no?”
“Eventually,” he nodded. “But you’ll have to wait for my brother Uriel to escort you.”
“And if I say yes?”
Lucifer’s shoulders lifted, like the answer was obvious. “Is it worth living for?”
“You mean… are they worth living for?”
Lucifer’s jaw ticked. His eyes squinted with the faint smile he flashed. “You know that answer already.”
Tilly’s cheeks warmed. “I’ll say yes on one condition.”
“Are you trying to make a deal with the Devil?”
“I am.”
Lucifer’s head tilted back and he laughed uproariously. “Go ahead, let me hear it.”
Chapter 4
Lucifer marched back into the throne room with a flat expression. All the Hounds stopped pacing and gave him their full attention. All but Drake, who was sitting on the steps with his face buried in his hands. He was rocking silently back and forth.
“Drake. Get your ass over here, Hound.”
He stood immediately and stumbled forward like he was drunk.
Lucifer grabbed his arm, and looked in Drake’s eyes. He growled angrily as he siphoned the soul right out of Drake, and slammed it back into Sebastian where it belonged. “Keep it. That won’t be necessary anymore.” He held Drake by the nape of the neck and marched him out of the room yelling, “Stay there,” to the rest of the pack. “Kalen, come with us. Now.”
The Devil marched Drake forward, “How you holding up, Hound?”
“You know the answer, Satan.”
Lucifer scowled and bit his tongue. Fuck, his heart bled for Drake. The Hound finally gave hope a chance and now he felt betrayed all over again. Fate had never been kind to the twins. Not until lately.
“Where is she?” Drake whispered, “How is she?”
“She’s… a pistol.” Lucifer kept his smile to himself. “She needs you though, so you’re going to do every fucking thing I say and not disobey a single order. Understood?”
Drake nodded. Kalen remained silent the entire time.
They entered Time Out and Drake’s speed picked up. Lucifer had no doubt Drake could have found Tilly without any of his five God-given senses. It’s what was going to make this so motherfucking poetic.
Drake stopped dead at the cell she was in. His hands wrapped around the bars and he tried to rip them off their hinges to get to her. “Tilly!”
“Not so fast,” Lucifer barked. “Your girl here has made a deal with me.”
Drake didn’t tear his gaze from her. “What? What’s the deal?”
“She’s agreed to become a Hell Hound.”
That got Drake’s attention, he swung his gaze to his maker. “Are you fucking serious?” There was no hiding the hope and relief in his gaze. He didn’t even try.
“Yeah, but it’s on the condition that you get a piece of her soul.”
Ever watch a flower wither on high-speed? That’s what Drake did hearing those words. He fucking wilted like a goddamn, no good, black rose with no petals left - only his thorns. “She can’t do that.” Drake turned to Tilly and snarled, “You can’t fucking do that.”
“Says who?” Lucifer interceded.
Tilly was incapable of speech right now. That was part of Lucifer’s counter offer. He’d do all the talking and Drake could accept this or not. The choice was all his, without her interference.
“Why?” the Hound’s voice cracked. “Why would you do that, woman?”
“Yes or No?” Lucifer crossed his arms over his chest. Kalan still remained silent. If he understood what was going on, the Wolf kept his thoughts to his damn self.
Drake’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the cell bars. “If I say yes, is she ours? Does she come home with us?”
“Technically, if you have a piece of her soul, you’ll carry her wherever you go, Hound.” This would be the moment the audience ooohs and aahhhhs. But there was no audience here. None that were going to make a fucking peep, that’s for sure.
“Yes,” Drake whispered. “My answer is yes.”
“Smart man.” Lucifer waved his hand and unbound the voice spell he’d put on Tilly.
She jerked against her restraints, the chains clanking while she kept on talking. “I want to touch him,” she kept her eyes locked on Drake, but her words were all for Satan. “Let me free so I can touch him.”
Lucifer opened the doors again and Drake beat him to her. When the Hound cupped her cheeks, his hands went right through her. She might have looked like flesh and bone, but she wasn’t. She was freshly dead, with most of her energy still blazing, and when she saw Drake, her energy rose to the next level.
The Devil bit back his smile and addressed Drake, “Ghost out if you want to hold her. But you can’t touch her for long. She’s fraying. To keep her bound, I’ve got work to do. You have three seconds.”
Drake nodded, his gaze never breaking from hers, and he used his Hell Hound powers to turn into his ghost form. He grabbed her face, pressed his forehead to hers, and whisper-yelled, “Why would you do this?”
“Find what you’d die for and live for it,” she replied.
“Enough,” Lucifer’s one word boomed through the cage. Drake took an immediate step back, releasing Tilly and turning solid again.
“Give it to him,” she urged. “Give him a piece of me.”
“Not yet.” Lucifer motioned for Kalen to come forward. “Take Drake back to his pack, Wolf.”
Drake behaved and didn’t fight back when Kalen escorted him out of there. When the Hounds were out of sight, Tilly slumped in her shackles, “I’ve changed my mind, Satan.”
Lucifer froze, “Changed your mind about what?”
“My soul.” Her green eyes flicked to his and her cheeks flushed. “Bust it up. Give them each a piece of me.”
Lucifer’s smile went a mile wide. “Right now it’s time for the transformation fires.” Once freed from her restraints, Tilly slumped into Lucifer’s arms. He picked her up like she weighed as much as a wet kitten.
“I thought you’d hold your end up first,” she frowned. “You should have given it to him right then and there.”
“Are you telling me how to do my job?”
She didn’t answer at first, then, “What about the other part of our bargain?”
“We’ll get to that later.”
“You’re not in a hurry for much, are you?”
It was all he could do to not growl at her. It was bad enough Sara liked to rule the roost whenever she came down here. Luce had a feeling Tilly was cut from the same cloth. She’d be barking her orders in no time.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned as the Ruler of Hell, Matilda Jane, it’s that patience always pays off.”
He carried her into the separate chamber used for creating his Hell Hounds and other such creatures. The eternal fire burned bright and hot and the Devil tossed her in.
Drake returned to the main room and waited with the rest of his pack. He looked fucking awful.
Sara came in with Tanner, Jack, and Eli. “Is she out? Did she make it?”
“Och, what are ye doing here?”
“Like we wouldn’t come?” Jack scoffed, “We just got word about Tilly and came as soon as we were able. Bloody hell, who killed her?”
“We don’t know yet.” Baz stalked past them and poured himself a drink. “But she’ll tell us, I’m sure.”
“She might not be able to at first,” Sara warned. “If it’s too fresh and painful, it might take her a little while for it to sink in. Just be mindful.”
Valor had no do
ubt his pack would be as patient as possible with their woman. Still, a big piece of him hoped she’d tell them immediately so they could stay hot on the trail and find the whoreson and tear him to shreds.
Until then, Valor would take care of their woman and make sure she never regretted her decision to become a Hell Hound… if she became a Hell Hound. Oh Gods… Valor felt so close to losing her again, he couldn’t breathe.
The wait was excruciating. Valor sat in a chair, his elbows resting on his knees, and his leg bobbed almost as fast as Tanner’s usually did. Just when he’d reached the end of his rope, he heard footfalls and looked up.
Everyone rose to their feet. The door opened and –
“Mo leannan.” Valor beat his pack to her. Gods, she was gorgeous. Just as she always was. Only now, instead of her regular shorts and tank top, Tilly was dressed in leather pants and a corset.
Fighting gear.
He was almost afraid to touch her. What if she was a figment of his imagination? Fuck it, only one way to find out. Valor gently held her neck and tilted her chin up so the light would shine across her face.
“H-h-how do I look, Foxy Boy?”
“Like a Hell Hound, lass.” He took the first kiss and made it count. Everything Valor had went into that moment, that kiss. Tilly swayed and Valor caught her before she fell.
“She’s unsteady,” Lucifer warned. “Will be for a little while. She’s going to need round the clock attention until everything settles in and she’s at full capacity. I won’t keep her locked up like I normally do with new Hounds. She can go with your pack. I suspect she’ll do better in your care than she would in mine.”
Valor nodded as his gaze roamed down her body. He had a million things he wanted to say, but every word sizzled and turned to ash on his tongue.
Bishop took the silence as an opportunity and pulled Tilly to him next. “God damn, Sweetness.” He crushed her to his chest and squeezed the hell out of her before kissing her senseless.
Baz took her from Bishop. “Oh my god, Tills.” They stared at each other for what felt like forever and then Baz nodded towards his twin and whispered, “Him first.”
Drake stood alone against the wall. Tilly was like a newborn fawn as she walked over to him – all wobbly and unsure footing. Drake met her halfway across the floor and grabbed her elbow to steady her. His jaw ticked. The light from the fire cast shadows over his face. “Why would you do this?”
“Because I can.”
Whatever they were discussing, Valor wanted to know. “What’s going on?”
“Your girl has agreed to be a Hell Hound on one condition,” Lucifer settled into his seat with a shit-eating grin. “That I give a piece of her soul to Drake.”
Baz’s hands dropped to his side. “Is that even possible?”
“Anything’s possible,” Lucifer shrugged. “But she’s changed her mind.”
Drake stiffened. Tilly looked down at her feet.
Valor spoke up, “It’s her choice. It’s her soul to do with as she pleases.”
“Glad to hear it, alpha. Because she’s asked to give each of you a piece of her soul instead of just Drake.”
The energy in the room spun around them. Still, Tilly kept her gaze to the ground.
“Eyes,” Sara said from across the room. “Remember what I told you, Tilly.”
She lifted head and looked at each member of her pack. “I’m giving my soul to you. A piece, I mean. It’s the only way I’ll do this. It’s all I have to give.”
“Giving someone a piece of their soul,” Lucifer’s gaze swung to Sara, “Imagine that, Darling.”
Everyone in the room knew Lucifer had given Sara a piece of his soul a long time ago. It had saved her ass from complete destruction once. The gift helped Lucifer in many ways too.
“Give it to them,” Tilly said. “Now, please.”
“Not now.”
“Yes, now.” Tilly bristled. “Sire. Lord. Satan the Great. Shit, I don’t know what to call you.”
“Lucifer is fine.” It was hard to not laugh. Bless her sold-soul, Tilly was all kinds of mixed up right now, which was why there was no way the Devil was going to give her what she wanted today. He had his reasons and, hopefully in due time, she would understand exactly why he was denying her request right now. “And my answer is still not now. I’ll only stick to the original deal today.”
“Just Drake then?”
Lucifer nodded and stared at the broody Hound glaring daggers at him. Drake’s icy expression didn’t change Tilly’s or Lucifer’s mind in the slightest. “Take it or leave it, little Hound.”
She cocked her head to the side, “I’ll take whatever I can get, Lucifer. Always.”
Good girl. Clearly Tilly was excellent at picking her battles. That would come in handy with her new life. Or, maybe she knew the same thing Lucifer did…
Time would tell.
Lucifer crooked his finger and Tilly stepped forward. She was going to have to learn to walk on her own. Might as well begin with stepping towards Satan.
He leaned down and tilted her chin up. Then he pressed his mouth to hers and sucked in. Holding his breath, he beckoned Drake forward. Then he blew into the Hound’s mouth and gave Drake a piece of Tilly’s soul. Drake clutched Lucifer’s shoulders as Tilly’s slice of soul entered him. He tensed so fiercely, Lucifer could hear Drake’s walls crack and crumble under his skin like bones being crushed.
Lucifer held Drake steady until he could accept the gift completely and was able to move again. “Steady, Hound. Accept it. Let it in.”
Drake’s lungs punched out air as he panted through the burn. His soul being altered to include a piece of Tilly was bound to hurt at first.
“Back up and sit,” Lucifer commanded.
Drake stumbled back and obeyed. His ass didn’t land in a chair. He sank to the floor, still sucking in all the air he could get.
Yeah, being offered a gift like that should take his fucking breath away.
“Not gonna lie,” Tanner said from the far end, “I totally thought you were gonna kiss him just now doing that whole soul gifting thing.”
“So did I,” Sara nervous-laughed. “Ohhhh that would have been so hot.”
Lucifer arched his eyebrow and didn’t respond. Fuck, his head felt like Vikings were knocking his skull with a battering ram. Transforming Matilda Jane took an extraordinary amount of power from him. More than he thought it should.
“Give her a piece of us,” Valor requested. “If ye willna give a piece of her to each of us, then give a piece of us to her.”
Damn, but Lucifer knew one of them would insist that happen. Unfortunately, Luce only had energy for one of these tricks tonight. “Not now. Take her home, Hounds. Come back when she’s ready to report for duty.”
He dismissed Valor’s pack with a wave of his hand.
Before Valor disappeared with the rest of them, the alpha stepped up to the throne and got down on one knee, “On behalf of my pack, thank ye for this gift, sire.”
Lucifer wasn’t insulted that Bishop, Sebastian, and Drake hadn’t kneeled to thank him. If they were going to fall on their knees for anyone, it should be their woman. Not the Devil. But he appreciated Valor’s gratitude. “Don’t thank me yet,” he chuckled. “She’s going to be one helluva handful for a while. I fear, under my current circumstances, I wasn’t able to keep certain energies at a reasonable level. They’ll have to balance out on their own.”
Valor looked up with his brow furrowed. Then what the Devil meant clicked. Clearing his throat, Valor nodded and left.
Once alone, Lucifer raked a hand over his face and sighed. He didn’t have much longer now, turning her had cost him more than he could spare. Fuck. If she could pull this off, the cost of what he just did would be well worth it in the end.
He hoped.
You better hold up your end of our bargain, woman.
Chapter 5
Tilly’s head was still swimming when she entered the basement of the pack’s ho
use. As she crossed the threshold, a surge of energy smashed into her from all sides only to vanish the second both her boot-clad feet hit the basement floor. Her ears popped.
Being a Hell Hound was definitely going to take some getting used to.
Her mind raced. She was hyperaware. The world around her was no longer the same at all. The scents of man, paint, wood, spice, and lemons tingled in her nose. Their house always smelled good to her, but now it stirred something in her bones...
Stopping in front of Bishop’s music room, Tilly inhaled deeply. Using the wall as a brace, because her balance was a hot mess right now, Tilly walked around the perimeter of the room smelling and memorizing the scents.
She eased down onto his stool and picked up the drumsticks. Bringing them to her nose, she inhaled again, riding the tip of her nose along the length of one drumstick. Then she carefully placed them down and ran her hand over the snare. Then the cymbals. Then the bass.
Bishop watched her closely.
“What?”
“Nothing, Sweetness.” He almost smiled, “I just can’t believe this happened.”
She blinked and stood slowly to examine the rest of the room. “Everything looks different. Smells different. Feels different.” She strolled around, smelling the posters on the wall, even the light switch. “It smells like you in here. You’re everywhere.”
She stepped out of the room and went across to Baz’s gaming room with the pool table and huge black and white photos hanging on the walls. Everything had a pulse – her eyeballs, her throat, her neck, even her pussy. “Mmmph.” She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the onslaught of intense need. Big breath in, big breath out.
She popped her eyes open and did the same thing to this room that she had to Bishop’s. God, was she going to do this to the entire house?
Yes.
The answer pounded in her bones. She would memorize these scents like she memorized her old text books and spells. She would sear these things into her mind and blood and bone and never forget them.
Hard to Kill (Hell Hounds Harem Book 6) Page 3
