Tilly’s body rocked and bucked against the Hounds sandwiching her. They both held her up while she took the control. Swirling her hips, she rode them both, using their shoulders for leverage. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her eyes peeled wide. For a hot second, Valor feared they had pushed her too far, but when she tipped her head back and let loose her glorious orgasm, the other Hounds were swept away too and Valor went right along with them.
He grabbed her by the back of the head and smashed his mouth to hers while the Hounds held her steady. She stopped bucking, but by the sounds Baz and Bishop were making, her body was still squeezing them.
“Good girl,” Valor growled in her ear.
Baz was the first to slow down and pull out. “Fuck,” he was barely audible, “this feels incredible.”
Tilly’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were back to being bright green. She was on her tippy toes now, waiting for the other Hound to slide out of her body.
“Christ on a cracker, I’m still seeing stars,” Bishop panted. He pulled out slowly and Baz handed him a towel. Tilly’s thighs quivered and she held onto the sink for support while they cleaned her up.
“Take care of her,” Valor ordered, then he left the room.
Chapter 11
After they cleaned Tilly up, Baz insisted on carrying her to bed. Bishop didn’t argue and Tilly was too exhausted to say a word.
Holding her in his arms, Baz wanted to pour his heart out to her. Ever since Tilly had come to their house and wiggled herself into his heart, she’d been able to coax things out of Sebastian Ricci no other ever had.
It wasn’t that he was closed off and held everything tight to his chest like Drake, it was that no one ever asked. Baz never knew if it was because the pack didn’t give a shit or if it was out of respect that they never pried into his personal business.
Baz’s demons were no better or worse than any other Hound’s dark secrets, so he never spoke out about what ate him up on the inside. He just dealt with it. But then Tilly came along and the carefree spitfire made everything easy: Talking, listening, watching, thinking… loving.
Fuck, he wasn’t in love with her. He was in love with the idea of her. Baz kept telling himself that over and over and he would continue to do so until he fucking believed it. He laid Tills down in her bed, “Are you too sore?”
She looked exhausted as she licked her lips slowly. “No,” Tills croaked. Then she closed her eyes and didn’t say another word.
Instead of leaving, Baz crawled into bed and tucked her in close to him. He was fully clothed, which was a good thing. Tills, on the other hand, was naked and her hair was still wet. Shit, they should have blow-dried it for her. Was she cold?
He immediately hopped up and grabbed another blanket to lay on her. If she got too hot, she could just kick it off later. Getting back into position, Baz held her tight and let his mind swirl.
Visions of the catacombs, of seeing Tilly when he astral projected to get help, of her sipping coffee, her swaying in the kitchen while she sang when she made them grilled cheeses, the way the column of her throat looked when she howled…
God damn, that howl. Her first one was a pure cry for help. Every single Hound in the house had clambered up the steps to get to her. Never had any of them acted like that before. Was that how it was in Sara’s pack? Yeah, it fucking was. Those Hounds were the ultimate protectors of their woman. Always aware, always ready, always there for her. This pack would treat Tills the same way. They would make sure she never regretted her decision to stay with them in Hell instead of going to Heaven to be with her family.
She fell asleep in his arms. Best fucking place in the whole world was right where Baz laid right now. The sunshine beamed through the windows, the summer air was already sultry. At some point today, Bishop opened her window a fraction. The air conditioning flew right out the damned thing, but the summer air smelled pungent with fresh blooms and cut grass. None of them worried about allergies as Hounds. Baz inhaled a lungful of summertime and Tills. He held her for about an hour thinking of all the things he wanted to say and when he should say them.
“You need to eat, Vivian.” Tilly’s voice was sharp.
Baz held his breath. Fuck, was the next phase of becoming a Hell Hound kicking in? Maybe she was just dreaming and talking in her sleep. He knew the answer when Tills got up and walked out of the room.
Shit, shit, shit. It was the next phase: The Haunting.
Keeping silent, Baz followed her out of the bedroom, down the hall, and to the steps. Bishop came into view at the bottom of the stairs and rushed towards her. Neither touched Tilly as she descended without holding onto the banister.
“I told you, I’m staying. If you aren’t going to raise her, then I fucking will.” Tilly’s voice was even sharper now. “Go back to Pascale, Dad. You’ve made your priorities clear.”
The two men exchanged looks, but neither spoke. Bishop stayed two steps down from Tilly, prepared to break her fall if she stumbled. Thankfully, she made it to the foyer without any trouble. Her eyes were open, but she definitely wasn’t seeing the same things they did. She saw her past... the moments that haunted her life. And Sebastian and Bishop would bear witness to it.
Tilly marched into the kitchen and grabbed the bag of bread from the pantry and the jar of peanut butter. “I swear to God, Viv, you will either eat this, or I’ll shove it down your goddamn throat. You’re too thin.” She slathered peanut butter onto the bread and folded it in half. Not bothering with a plate, she turned and placed the sandwich at the table. “Eat. Please.”
She spun around and started washing dishes. Singing Tennessee Whiskey, Tilly moved through the kitchen with confidence. “I did it,” she said halfway through her song, “and I’d do it again, too, Viv. You shouldn’t be alone. You need someone to take care of you.” She laughed and grabbed the faucet, yanking it free and spraying her sister with it, giggling. “Fuck you too, chicka.”
She turned the water off and went over to the fridge next. “He doesn’t deserve us. Didn’t deserve mom, either. You can tell how good a man is by looking at his priorities, Viv. We’re on the bottom of his list and we’re his fucking kids. Did you know he’s been fucking Pascale since before mom was in the hospital?”
Tills opened and closed a bunch of drawers and cabinets. “Where’s the fucking Nutella?”
They didn’t have any. Would she care? Would she notice? Valor and Drake came into the kitchen now. The pack of men were silent as the dead while they studied Tilly’s Haunting.
“I told you I’m not ever settling down.” She tapped her fingernails on the kitchen table next, “but if you’re going to be the fool to do it, best be sure he’s worthy of you, Viv. Jimmy’s a piece of shit. Smells like it too, with all that cologne he pours on.” She cracked a laugh and spun around again. “God I love you. And no, I’m absolutely not fucking Liam. He’s just a friend.”
She travelled out of the kitchen and into the living room. All four Hounds followed her.
Tilly plopped down on the couch and tucked her legs under her ass. “Come on. I’ll braid your hair.”
She braided nothing. Her fingers combed through the air and a smile ghosted across her face. “You’re too young for that shit, Viv.” She made a motion that looked like she’d yanked her sister’s hair back. “And if he forces you, you fucking tell me about it. Dad might not be here, but I am and I don’t give a fuck about my honor or my reputation. And when you are ready, you need to use protection. All the protection. No kids, okay?”
Tilly popped up and walked out of the room. She made it to the foyer before she stopped again. She let out a loud gasp.
Valor rushed forward to keep his eyes on her. “Her aura,” he whispered. “Och, Gods, lass.”
“H-h-h-h-how did you find me?” Tilly took a few steps back. Bishop had to jump out of the way before she stepped on his feet. “I’m not telling you a goddamn thing.” She spat at the no one she talked to.
Like an invisible f
orce hit her, Tilly slammed her back into the wall.
Valor bared his teeth and growled.
Tilly cracked a laugh that was more maniacal than real, “Go fuck yourself, you low life piece of shit.”
If only they knew who she was talking to.
Tilly dropped to her knees with a grunt and looked up with hellfire in her eyes. “Don’t ever come back here, dickface. Else I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever do. Don’t forget who you’re dealing with.” Her face jerked to the side like someone slapped her and she cried out.
Drake’s growl took over the room, as did his presence. Baz flung his arm out to stop his twin from disturbing The Haunting. Bishop grabbed Valor to keep him back as well. She wasn’t actually hurt, this was only a reenactment. Still, the idea that someone had struck her sent all her Hounds into aggressive mode.
Tilly slowly stood up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She opened the front door and stepped outside. Naked as the day she was born, she went to the center of the yard and dropped to her knees. Mumbling in low tones, she patted the ground and stood up, brushing invisible dirt and grass off her ass. Then she marched back into the house and slammed the door.
“I’m home!” She raced up the steps giggling and fell, halfway up, with an oomph! Bishop raced to help her, but Baz ripped him back.
Tilly grumbled and slapped the stairs, "Damnit. Stupid balance." She got up and went into her room. They all followed her - Baz and Drake sat on the edge of the bed, Bishop leaned against the dresser with his arms folded, and Valor was at the doorway.
Tilly paced back and forth, chewing on her bottom lip. Rotating her neck, they heard her little bones snap and crackle and then she sighed loudly and opened up a drawer. She pulled out.... nothing.
Holding her left arm out, Tilly brought what seemed to be an invisible blade down and she sliced her arm.
Baz flinched, his imagination making up for what reality lacked. He knew blood would be flowing freely from her cut if this was real. As it was, he imagined her younger, coming up to her bedroom and taking a knife to her arms. Then it clicked - her scars, these were how she made the cuts that went up her arms like ladder rungs… she was summoning –
"Zaza, I need help." She held her arm out to the side, invisible blood dripping onto the floor. Not even her scars remained now that she was a Hell Hound, but they all knew what this would have looked like in her past.
"Zaza! Please! I need guidance. Tell me who has it and how to get it?" After standing for a few minutes in dreadful silence, Tilly's head lolled back and she sank to her knees. "So tired."
Tilly crawled into her bed, "I'll do laundry tomorrow. You can wear my green sweater tonight, but don't stain it. It's my favorite." She curled up into her bed, closed her eyes and started lightly snoring.
"Jesus," Drake dropped to a squat and brushed Tilly’s hair out of her face. "How many of these will she have?"
"As many as she needs until it's over," Valor's tone was as sad as the truth.
The twins barely remembered their Haunting phase. Sebastian never asked what it had been like for Valor or Bishop, so he didn’t have a clue what it was like other than it was a natural part of becoming a Hell Hound.
“That person who hit her,” Bishop said quietly. “Do you think it was recent?”
They all thought the same thing: That show downstairs, when she slammed against the wall, might have been from her murder. But Baz wasn't convinced. If it had been, surely Tilly would have reenacted all that came afterward too and she hadn't. Which meant that wasn't the first and only time their woman had been attacked.
"I'll stay with her," Baz announced. The others nodded and left the room, one-by-one.
His Tills was out cold. Safe and sound. When Baz slid back into the bed with her, he held her extra tight. "Jesus, woman, what the fuck happened to you?"
Drake sat at the kitchen table and stared at the uneaten peanut butter sandwich Tilly made for her sister. He fought the urge to scream.
"Someone's hurt her.”
Drake glowered at Bishop, “No shit, Sherlock.”
“I feel like a fucking fool,” Bishop dropped his ass into a chair. “Did anyone else know about any of this?”
Drake’s lungs burned while he tried to breathe. “She’s a damn fine fighter. Took a lot of defense classes in many styles.” Now his leg started to shake with pent up energy, “Women don’t normally arm themselves so heavily without feeling like they have a serious need to.”
Valor ran a hand over his beard, “And she’s such a sharp shooter. What I thought were impressive skills now have new meaning to me. I never thought to question her much about it, quite honestly. People target practice all the time. Figured she just liked the rush and control of handling the weapon. She knew her way around the shooting range and just about every weapon I handed her. When I asked, she just said a girl needed to know how to protect herself. I couldn’t argue with that and didn’t think twice about diving deeper into it with her.”
“You all were star-struck and didn’t see her for what she was,” Drake scowled. “That woman knows too much magic, been to too many forbidden places, and knows an awful lot about things she shouldn’t know exist.” Popping up to his feet, Drake began to pace. “And now she’s in the pack.”
“You wanted her here just like the rest of us,” Bishop argued.
“And I still fucking do,” Drake stopped and glared at Valor. “But we need to know everything about her. And I mean every motherfucking thing.”
“How’s that fair?” Bishop stood up and walked over to poke Drake in the chest, “We don’t know everything about each other and we’ve been together for how long?”
“We’ve got history,” Drake said, “our loyalties are set in stone.”
“Stone that crumbles when enough pressure is applied.” Bishop and Drake glared at one another. “You confuse history with skeletons.”
“What the fuck are you implying, Bishop?”
“Nothing, Hound. Nothing at all,” Bishop stalked past Drake and left the room.
Chapter 12
Heat surrounded Tilly on all sides. Her blurry vision cleared up with a couple of blinks and she smiled, “Hey,” shit, her throat was scratchy. She cleared it and tried to speak again, “Hey.”
She stared into brown eyes. Drake's were a shade darker than Sebastian's. D’s were more like black coffee with flecks of gold, Baz’s were chocolate cake with caramel drizzle.
"Drake," she purred. Her lazy smile warmed her cheeks. He didn't smile back, but then again she didn't expect him to. That Hell Hound never showed much emotion and certainly didn't smile often.
Oh sure, he might smirk or grin, growl and sneer, but a genuine smile on his handsome face was rare.
As Drake continued to stare at her, she felt his hand move up her thigh. Still groggy, it took a minute to realize she was laying with Drake at her front and... Tilly rolled back and pressed into a matching hard body. Baz.
Fuck if she wasn't in the middle of making a twin sandwich. She could feel Baz's hard cock pressed against her ass. They were crammed tightly together in the bed - not that she was complaining.
"Shhhh," Drake kissed the top of her head.
The gentle act was odd. Drake wasn't gentle at anything. Wait, did she confuse the twins and this was Baz? Instead of relying on her vision, she went with her nose. Inhaling the scent of his skin, she knew damn well it was Drake. The Hound smelled like wood smoke. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to twist her body around to figure out what room she was even in. A low rumble came from behind her and she propped her head up to see Bishop half-hanging off the edge of the bed.
Good God, she had three Hell Hounds in bed with her? Where was—
Ah, Valor was sitting in a chair watching them closely.
Her mouth was so dry, it took work to swallow. "Water," she croaked.
Valor got up and walked over to her, holding out a glass. She sat up, accidentally bumping Baz in the process, and took th
e water.
Baz was still out cold, but Drake now sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. Her fingers ached to touch him. While she chugged the water, Tilly reached out and ran her fingers down Drake’s spine. He didn't make a sound, but his body spoke for him in other ways. There was a slight tension in his shoulders, like he was suppressing a gasp. The moment lasted for a fraction of a second and then he stood up and ran a hand through his tussled black hair. Good god, Drake never looked so disheveled. Even when he came back from a hunt, his hair was still slicked back and perfect. Right now? It was all over the place – like how Baz usually wore it when he was home with nothing to do.
Valor took the empty glass from her hand and she stretched with her arms over her head. Yawning big enough for her jaw to crack, Tilly was in Heaven. God damn, she had never slept so good before. Maybe it was because of the Hounds in her bed? Or maybe life and death had finally caught up with her and she had shut down for a reboot. Either way, she’d take it. She felt wonderful.
Her dreams had been wild. Disconnected. Not that any of that was new for her, but Vivian was in them and that made Tilly feel a little homesick for the sister she would never see again.
At least she's in a better place.
That one bit of positivity felt like a tiny drop of water in a very empty bucket.
They say that shit all the time, don’t they? Go to a funeral and someone will eventually cough up the phrase, "At least they're at peace now," or "They’re in a better place."
Tilly hated that bullshit. How did they know? Had they been dead before? Nope. But that little bit of bullshit was what Tilly would feed herself every day to make the guilt hurt a little less. She chose the Hell Hounds instead of Vivian. What kind of sister does that? A selfish one.
It was too late to change her mind. And even if it wasn’t, Tilly would still stick by her decision to do this. She had to trust Satan when he said Vivian was okay and trust her gut that this was where she belonged. Damn, but she never saw any of this coming.
Hard to Kill (Hell Hounds Harem Book 6) Page 9
