Infernal Bonds

by Holly Evans

  "Evelyn, darling, so good to see you."

  There was a pull to him. His voice was smoother than the finest silk. I couldn't imagine how many women had fallen at his feet; I told myself that I wasn't going to be one of them.

  My resolve faltered when he closed the distance between us, his eyes dancing with mischief. He smelled of hot metal and petrichor, not that I had much of a chance to enjoy it. He grabbed my left hand and sliced it open with a small stiletto knife. I didn't get a chance to pull back from him, he held me firm as he cut open his own palm and pushed our fresh cuts together. The smile never left his face. I went to punch him in the jaw, but he took off down the street before I'd pulled myself together.

  I was in shock. My mind was reeling. My palm stung like a sonofabitch, but the cut was already healing. There was a new sensation in the back of my mind, a wriggling feeling of fear.

  Matyas cut through my scrambled thoughts. “Evelyn, where did it go?"

  Seven

  I turned to see a group of three hunters standing behind me.

  Matyas stepped closer and said more sharply, "Evelyn. Where did the beast go?"

  I instinctively buried my cut hand in my pocket and pointed straight ahead. I couldn't explain it, but something told me to lead them away from the mysterious man. There was something about him. I wasn't about to let the hunters tear him apart, not before I had answers anyway.

  Matyas nodded and jogged down the road with the other two close behind him. With my hands in my pockets and my head down, I walked back to the main road and over to the metro station. I needed to speak to Elise. She was the only one other than Quin that I trusted. She'd give me some sound advice. Elise was my oldest friend; we'd met the first week that Quin and I had moved to Prague with our parents. She was a priestess under the moon goddess. I went down into the bustling metro station and tried to get my mind back in the game.

  The guy had been following me for a few days, yet he hadn't approached me until that day. He knew who I was and blood-bonded without any prior warning. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to run the possibilities through my mind. He wasn’t fae, they were too distinctive, and it wasn’t their style. A fae would have hung around to gloat or do far more damage than he had done. He could have been a witch. I had pissed off quite a few witches not that long ago with the ‘Quin-being-kidnapped’ debacle. Male witches were very unusual and weaker than their female counterparts. I didn't know enough about magic to understand why a male witch would blood-bond with a non-witch, particularly a hunter. As far as I could remember witches were very protective over their male counterparts, as bloodlines and breeding were incredibly important to witches. Their magic flowed through family lines, so the likelihood of a witch blood-bonding with a non-witch seemed low.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out as I rode the insufferably long escalator back up to the city. It was one of the hunters. I ignored it. They could wait.

  By the time I arrived at Elise's church, with its unusual terracotta colouring, I'd convinced myself that the guy had been a weird hunter groupie. Every once in a while a human or two would find out about supernals and hunters; they either reacted with love or fear. Quin had had to silence a particularly determined groupie not long after Christian vanished. He fawned over Quin and kept getting himself and those around him in danger. We protect innocents, so he had to be removed from the equation.

  I knocked on the old dark wooden door before I pushed it open and stepped into the darkness. Elise's church was a very old affair; it had been built on pagan religious grounds in the 1100's. The cool air was fresh, the atmosphere relaxing as I walked up to the simple white marble altar. I acknowledged the existence of the gods and tried to be respectful, but I didn't feel any pull to one in particular. There was something calm and peaceful about the church. I knelt before the altar and whispered a quiet prayer of thanks for returning Quin to me. It seemed the polite thing to do, given Elise had helped me track him down when the coven had kidnapped him.

  Elise came from the back rooms in her usual uniform of a floor length white dress that hung over her slender form and added an ethereal feel to her pale skin and waist-length white hair. Her silver eyes practically shone. Her movements betrayed her and gave away the strength that she hid beneath her waif-like appearance. She was a little shorter than me, and smaller in every aspect, yet she still terrified men twice her size. She moved much like a big cat, efficient and graceful strides that ate up the ground while still looking feminine and elegant. She was anything but weak; the moon goddess liked her priestesses to be fierce warriors.

  I stood and opened my arms to embrace her. My anxiety had melted away already, leaving my head clear, yet my heart remained heavy. I was in the middle of something, I could feel it; I just had no idea what.

  Elise wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. “Oh, Evie, you look awful."

  I laughed. “Thanks, Elise, you always know how to cheer me up."

  She grinned at me and led me through into her private quarters. They were simple in their elegance, a comfortable sofa sitting facing a small television with a broad bookshelf along the left-hand wall. I curled up on the sofa while she made some white tea. The soothing floral scent filled the small room and brought me to sigh with contentment. No matter what was going on outside the walls of the church, I knew I was safe and happy within them.

  Elise sat down next to me, tucking her long legs up under her as she handed me a large cup of light white tea. I breathed deep, taking in the scent and relaxing more deeply into the sofa. She smiled at me and sipped her tea, waiting patiently. After a long minute I placed the tea down and showed her my palm, a faint pink line remained. There had been no reason for it to heal so quickly, and there was no denying the facts.

  She frowned and ran a finger over the line, her touch tingled and left a cool trail in its wake. I picked the tea back up and studied her face. Her pale eyebrows were knitted and small lines formed around her delicate mouth, her lips painted electric blue as her goddess wanted her.

  “What caused this, Evie?"

  Her voice was weighted with serious concern. My heart dropped. I related the story back to her in completion, how the man had shown up out of the blue and what had happened.

  "He started showing up the morning after the blood moon?"

  I bit my bottom lip, I should have made the connection sooner. I refused to look at her, I was ashamed of myself for being swept up in foolish thoughts and daydreams.

  Her hand wrapped itself around mine.

  “You said he smelt of hot metal and petrichor?" she asked quietly.

  I nodded; the scent remained fixed in my mind.

  She sighed and laughed quietly. "Oh, Evie, you've gone and done it this time."

  I looked up at her before she said, “He's a hellhound. You've been bound to a hellhound."

  Eight

  “How is that even possible? Only those with demon blood can bond with a hellhound!"

  Elise held my arm firmly but gently when I tried to stand and pace around the room. I couldn't be bound to a hellhound. It wasn't possible. Her lady, her goddess, must have been mistaken or there was a mix up in communication.

  “Evie, my lady isn't wrong. You're bound to a hellhound, and you must keep him safe."

  I looked at her. My level of alarm rose.

  “Keep him safe? He's a hellhound, I should kill him or at least send him back down to the infernal plane," I said while trying to throw my hands up in the air.

  Her grip on my arm tightened and her voice deepened. “You are to keep him safe. That's important."

  I leaned back against the sofa and resigned myself to the situation.

  I said quietly, “What's Quin going to say?"

  She smiled at me, that serene smile that never failed to smooth out any kinks I may have. “He's your twin, he'll probably be excited to explore something new."

  I couldn't help but smile. “Yea, you're right. He's never happier than wh
en he has something new to poke at. He's been spending a lot of time with that elf as of late."

  We finished drinking our tea in silence. My mind was reeling. A hellhound was a very unusual occurrence. I'd never met one before. I'd been told about them, but they required a great deal of power to get onto our plane. They were also owned and bound to a demon. There were so many questions and so few answers.

  Elise placed her hand on my cheek and said sternly, “Keep him safe, Evie, it's important."

  I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but my phone vibrated again. I pulled it out to see a text from Quin. The hunters wanted our help; there were two hellhounds and a collection of shades in the city. Part of me was glad to be returning to the chaos. I never did downtime very well.

  “What am I supposed to do, Elise?"

  She gave me that knowing smile and said, “Trust your instincts."

  That was all I got. I adored her, but sometimes she and her priestess serenity drove me insane. Regardless, I hugged her tight and thanked her before I headed out to return to the alchemist’s. I needed to meet Quin and hand the vials over to Kadrix. I'd completely forgotten about them with the hellhound nonsense. I couldn't have demon blood. There had to be some other reason, some witch-based workaround.

  My mind flitted back to the ritual the coven had been performing when I saved Quin. We'd both spilt some blood in the circle. We'd shrugged it off as nothing happened at the time. A sacrifice hadn't been made, though, it shouldn't have done anything. I leaned against the window of the tram and tried to calm myself, but I was feeling overwhelmed. My head began to spin.

  Someone in the lékárna muttered under their breath when I bypassed the queue and went around the counter to Kadrix's workshop thing. I ignored them and stepped into the narrow hallway. Quin's laughter mingled with Kadrix's, and once again I felt a pang of jealousy. I pushed it aside; I'd put myself in the position I was in. I had chosen to protect him and keep myself distant from those around me.

  I pulled out the vials with the shadow in them and made my way around the heaps of books and lab tables to Kadrix and Quin. They were talking animatedly about whatever was bubbling away in the small copper pot. I paced around the small clear area nearby and waited for a lull in the conversation. After a moment I began spinning my blades trying to soothe my anxiety with the familiar motion. It was something Father had taught me at a young age. Spinning the blades is a good way to get a feel for them, and it will distract your enemy when used in combat. It had become something I did when stressed after a while. A moving meditation of sorts. There was finally a pause in the conversation. I put my blades away and pulled out the vials.

  “I managed to bottle some shade for you, Kadrix,” I said in the calmest tone I could muster.

  His attention moved to me. His expression was bright and his eyes eager; he reached over to take the vials from me. I raised an eyebrow and pulled them closer to me. I hoped he hadn’t caught the slight tremble in my hands when I did so. Anxious or not, I wasn’t going to allow him to screw me out of my money.

  He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth, before he said, “Let me look at what you have, then we'll negotiate a price."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. Elves were slippery business partners. I felt the pressure at the front of my mind where he was trying to use his magic to bring me around to his way of thinking. I took a step back. I’d had more than enough magic for one day. My muscles tensed even further, I clenched my teeth while glaring at him.

  He grinned at me, his entire body relaxing before he said, “You can't blame me for trying."

  I could blame him, actually, but he was a good contact, not worth losing over a silly bit of negotiation. Quin sighed softly and crossed his arms across his chest. I glared at him before I handed the elf the vials. Quin had never really doubted Kadrix, but he was an elf, and I wasn't going to trust him any further than I could throw him.

  Kadrix pulled down his copper goggles and played with a knob on the side of one of the lenses. He pursed his lips, and I tried to stop myself from fidgeting; there was much to be done.

  After what felt like an eternity, he said, "It was a weak shade, but still a valuable item. I'll give you ten thousand crowns for both."

  I held out my hand to take the vials back.

  He grinned at me. “Fine, fifteen."

  "Good boy."

  I couldn't resist; I needed something to take the edge off, and taunting him was the best thing I had right then. His face darkened and Quin gave me a dark look. I ignored them both.

  Quin said, "Dimitri and the others said we need to talk, there's a problem with shades and something about hellhounds."

  I felt the blood drain from my face at the mention of hellhounds. Kadrix watched me with incredible interest. I went to pull my blades back out again but thought better of it. It would only draw more attention and the damn elf was already watching me much too closely. I wanted to leave the situation. I couldn’t face that line of discussion.

  I just said, “Let's get going then."

  Quin said to Kadrix, “We'll pick up the money tomorrow."

  I'd forgotten about the money. My mind had been consumed by the hellhound situation. I was in a situation. I calmed myself; it was all some bizarre misunderstanding. We'd fix it. We always did.

  Nine

  Dimitri had chosen a pub to meet in; personally, I felt that something a little quieter and less public was more appropriate. Dimitri and co., however, wanted beer with their discussion. They were locally born and raised, and beer was a large part of the Czech culture. It wasn’t something I’d ever developed a taste for, but we had to at least try and accommodate them. We headed off Wenceslas Square into the quietly opulent area just out of sight of the big tourist attraction. The large stone slabs gave a very different feel to the more usual black and white mosaic style they used for the paths. The buildings were classic in their elegance, with almost plain walls and strong clear beams on view. They were proud old structures that were secure in their place in the city.

  The pub they'd chosen had a few tables outside, but they had gone inside, up the well-worn stairs to an equally well-worn table in the far corner near a small window looking out onto the walkway below. Everything about the place spoke of comfort and familiarity; it was the local pub that everyone was welcome in. Everything about it was designed to put people at ease. The sturdy wooden chairs had been worn down from so much use. Local art hung on the walls, simple pieces showing the history and landscape of the city. TVs were strategically placed in the corners, for those who wanted to watch sports. It was the sort of place that you met up with friends and laughed the night away in. It was exactly the type of place that I never usually set foot.

  The hunters already had beers in front of them, locally brewed of course. The pub had a few microbrews on tap, another nice touch to bring people in. They were dressed in practical attire, hoodies and jeans with sturdy boots and casual coats thrown over the back of their chairs. There was very little room for style or fashion within the hunter community. What was the use in a pretty pair of pants that restricted your movements when fighting? They were all slightly hunched over their beers, each of them wearing frowns and the beginning of exhaustion. Lines criss-crossed their faces and muscles remained tense as they kept glancing both out the window and around the room. Hunting was a hard life.

  I braced myself for the potential confrontation; they no doubt had more questions about the hellhound. I'd given Quin a quick rundown of my run-in with the hellhound, but I left out the blood bond part. I didn't have time to fully explain it or deal with the outburst that would no doubt come after it. I couldn’t very well run away or shut them down this time. We were there to discuss the situation, and they had seen me having a run in with the damn hound.

  The room was quite dark with only a little natural light, as is typical of buildings of its age. The hunters had seen us. Their eyes had all settled on us when we entered the room. They’d chosen to return to talki
ng to each other in harsh whispers rather than greet us. Quin grinned at them and greeted them all by name, each one extending his hand, which Quin used as an excuse to pull them into a man-hug. I smiled and nodded at them each in greeting. I knew Matyas and Dimitri, but the older blond was new to me. Matyas introduced him as Viktor.

  Matyas led things. “We have something of a problem. There are two hellhounds loose in the city, and a horde of shades. We're only three, we cannot remove them alone."

  I remembered what Elise had said, and said firmly, “We will deal with the hounds, you deal with the shades."

  Quin looked at me questioningly, but I held Matyas' gaze and dared him to push back against me. His mouth tightened and his eyes flicked to Viktor but he finally nodded and took a big drink of his beer. I couldn’t risk them dealing with the hellhounds. Elise had been adamant that I had to keep the one that had dared form a bond with me safe. That would be far more difficult if the hunters were doing what they did best: hunting.

  Dimitri leaned a little closer to me and said, “What happened to that hound earlier, Evelyn?"

  I knew the line of inquiry was coming. I’d run the possibilities through my head on the journey over. I didn't like the way my name sounded coming from him, he toyed with the syllables, somehow adding a slime to the word. A desire… or a threat, perhaps. I allowed my mouth to form a small smirk as I took a long deep breath and relaxed my muscles into a practised look of mild boredom.

  I shrugged and said, “You tell me, you're the ones who ran after him."

  He narrowed his eyes at me, small creases formed at the corners.

  Matyas said, “You looked as if you spoke to it."

  I gave Matyas a dark look; I was not going to be pushed around. I couldn’t afford to allow him to start down that line of questioning or insinuation.