Hellhounds

by Esther E. Schmidt

  “So that little talk she gave you about hiding thoughts from me was, what? Just a sisterly lesson you weren’t gonna use?” Alastair sneers while he gives Velma a dirty look.

  “As if you are a saint who gives up every single piece of information. Oh, no…wait, you’re not sharing any shit with her, that concerns us either,” Velma snaps at Alastair.

  Sisters in one corner, brothers in the other, mated couples…yet we’re all standing on opposite sides at this moment. I have to follow my gut, I always follow it and it hasn’t failed me yet. I connect my gaze with Velma, giving her a slight nod. She releases a deep breath and shrugs, as if she’s giving me a silent okay.

  “We all have our priorities, concerns, and speculations. All of this is new to us. It might not seem logical to you guys, but we need girl time to discuss things. All kind of things. And that means without guys’ ears around because clearly…you guys can take things the wrong way in the blink of a freaking eye. Velma was concerned. About me, about another possible half-sister we might have, about her father’s intentions. She’s been ripped away from the world she’s been living in her whole life and the only thing that’s familiar is me. So yes, we wanted a private discussion. But mostly…”

  “No matter what, I’m here for you. You know that, right? I get you two need girl time, but we’re in a situation here where every detail is crucial.” Alastair plows a hand through his hair. “We’re going in blind as it is, none of us know what the fuck is going on exactly. It’s like all we have is a handful of pieces from a complex puzzle.”

  “You know what? Here.” I flash the piece of paper Velma wrote on in front of Alastair’s face.

  “Fuck,” he mutters. “You’re not half human? That’s not…”

  “Don’t even say it,” I snap.

  Alastair steps forward and grabs my hair, pulling my head back. There’s fire swirling in his eyes, a rumble coming from deep in his chest. I feel the heat vibrating from his body and I can feel that his Hellhound is close. I keep staring at him, waiting for him to lash out, telling me the same words my father said to my face…

  “You fucking think I would…what, walk away?” he growls.

  I have to swallow hard, because that might have crossed my mind.

  “I am not your fucking father who would dismiss you, or…fuck, Eliana, tell me. Because the blocking thoughts shit? It’s fucking working.” Alastair is growing angrier with each word.

  Os curses behind us, making the both of us look his way. Velma is standing in front of him, her hands on each side of his face. I’m pretty sure she told him what she told me just now, sharing her thoughts with her mate.

  “Velma remembered something from the night she found out I existed, when our father was drunk and mumbling in his sleep. Words that didn’t make sense then, yet put in perspective with what we know now, do.” I close my eyes before I add the rest. “My mother was half witch. He basically said that I was an accident that slipped into a trial version for what he set his mind to perfecting. See what could be combined, create a new paranormal, stronger, more powerful one.”

  The bellow that bounces off the walls rumble through me. The grip on my hair is gone.

  “Prez. No!” Os yells.

  My eyes flash open right before a sea of flames erupts around me.

  Chapter Nine

  ***Alastair***

  Os’ words echo in my head. Hellhounds in an MC are like a pack and we have a telepathic connection so we can easily communicate. He relayed the words Velma gave him to me and they hit me so damn hard, I couldn’t contain my Hellhound.

  Add that with what Eliana just voiced? A trial version for what’s to come. Eliana was only a fucking kid, his own damn daughter...even if Eliana’s mother poked holes in a damn condom, Eliana is the person who she was meant to be...mine. Not to be turned into some kind of guinea pig.

  Then Velma’s fear.

  Fear? Yeah. Fucking legit. If the fucker’s mind jumped to create stronger half-bloods for his own personal...what? What the hell is this guy up to?

  “Shift the fuck back, Prez. Holy shit, I thought for sure you were going to hurt her with the…woah…this ain’t right...damn, are you guys seeing this shit, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?” Os’ gaze is set on something behind me.

  I’m pacing from left to right, although this space doesn’t give me much room to do so.

  Eliana steps in front of me, placing a hand on my left head but looking into the eyes of the other. “There’s no immediate threat, not one we need a Hellhound for right now anyway. Unless you want to off me because I’m more tainted than you thought.” She fucking cringes at her own words, even if she voiced them in her own head.

  One step forward and I’ve got her in my arms, the shift back is like the blink of an eye. Werewolves shift by cracking their bones into the appearance of their wolf but we’re more like opposite sides of a mirror. Flip a coin and you see the head, flip it again and you get the tail…literally.

  “I fucking warned you about the punishment I had in mind when you degrade yourself.” I growl in her face. “It doesn’t matter who or what your parents are. You’re the person you became yourself. My mate, you’re…”

  “Yeah, can we cut through the mushy stuff and get to the…how the ever-fucking-hell your tail has an extra fucking head. Because dude…that’s fucked up.” Os has his hands in the air, his eyes wide.

  “This whole situation is fucked up,” Eliana mutters.

  Velma steps away from Os’ back. “It must be the connection that’s made with the bite that settles the bond. The President of a Hell Charter has two heads, the head of a Heaven Charter also has two heads, but one of those is attached to his tail. I wonder if the bite of a witch has any effect on you too.”

  Then it fucking hits me, and hits me hard, making me hold Eliana closer.

  “Might wanna ease up on the grip there, babe,” she croaks.

  “I can’t.” I swallow hard and give her a little room to breathe easy again. “Because I fully understand what’s going on and my head is fucking spinning. One thing is missing…I can’t see the reason for him to…”

  “Not making sense, Prez,” Os says. “Start from the top so we understand and might be able to help find the reason together.”

  I place a kiss on Eliana’s head before I let her go, she might not like me for what I’m about to say. “Their father is off track, gone rogue. Something happened and all of a sudden the fucker is making half-bloods. Eliana’s existence might have spiked the idea, but this was all him. What if he is searching for a way to gain more power through change? Is it the blood that holds the power to change? Maybe he’s searching for another mate to enhance himself, or create stronger…”

  “No,” Os interrupts. “Not the blood because you were still yourself back at the station, right after you had your first taste of her blood.”

  “I don’t know about you guys…but we can only mate once,” Velma adds.

  Os’ head turns to his mate. “There’s only one true mate for us. If our true mate dies, we could mate again if we found a female that sparks some kind of pull, but that doesn’t happen often, and it doesn’t compare to a true mate. Those who lost a true mate are never the same and refuse to mate again.” He places a tender kiss on her head.

  He might add some more words in his head to her because Velma’s arms wind around his waist and she hugs him close.

  “The job was ‘roll of the dice’. I was given the choice to claim my mate or to take her soul.” I harden my voice so they have no doubt what the job has been from the start, and I just now realize this shit. “We either fight together or wipe them all out.”

  “They damn well knew beforehand and gave you the choice,” Velma mutters and shakes her head.

  “Why don’t they interfere, stop him…how long has he been…doing, what?” Eliana asks. “And who are they anyway? Shit. So many questions, what the hell is going on? When I think ‘aaaahhh so that’s, but why?’…see? It flips
to more questions.”

  “The Orderly. That’s what they are called, and they are interfering, sis. By leaving it to Alastair’s MC to clean up the mess. Every one of us functions in a way where we leave it up to the soul in question to change, act, or evolve. Free will and all that. Clearly our father chose his own path, one that wasn’t the right choice, and there will be consequences.”

  Fuck. Although Velma didn’t want me to know some things, with what she just said…she fully understands what our job is. What all our jobs will entail.

  “The information I was given clearly said your father’s soul is to be taken. I was given the information that he took the life of an innocent. I didn’t want to tell the both of you earlier, but with Velma stating the core of our being, I hope you understand that there is no choice, nor is there another option. We have to take him out.” I’m about to add something to say to Eliana, but my mind goes blank.

  I hear a voice in my head. There’s always one soothing voice that gives me the job, or added information concerning the job at hand. We never question the voice who speaks to us and growing up you are taught to live by this voice, learn to trust it. Something that humans might compare with their gut instinct.

  “You did it again...your eyes went all…hell, fire swallowing whole dark orbs, thing. Did you get another job?” Eliana asks me.

  I ignore Eliana and look Velma straight in the eye when I ask her, “What happened seven years ago?”

  Velma gasps as Eliana mumbles, “Her mother got killed seven years ago, why? And we keep saying half-bloods, but there’s only me…maybe another half-sister, right?”

  “There might be more,” I answer her truthfully before I direct my gaze to Velma again. “Tell me about what happened with your mother seven years ago. Because that’s what I just got informed about. That the reason can be backtracked to an incident that happened seven years ago.”

  “My mother had a spotless record...like me. She never lost a soul and worked her ass off to keep it that way. Normally, we only have to guide a human. You know, a few words whispered in their ear, positive vibes without revealing ourselves. Getting into a real discussion, that’s basically the last line of defense…I’ve never had to do this myself, but she…her last assignment, that young guy...” Velma shakes her head.

  Her eyes start to well up and Eliana steps forward. I grab her around the waist and pull her against me.

  With my mouth close to her ear, I whisper, “Let her mate comfort her, gorgeous.”

  We both watch how Os wraps her in his embrace, softly stroking her hair as she continues. “That soul was so troubled. She tried to break through his troubled thoughts again, but it didn’t work, no matter how hard she tried. He had his mind set to kill himself. This time he wanted to jump off the roof of a casino. So when he walked into the elevator, she revealed herself in a last attempt to save his life...I don’t exactly know all the details, but the elevator was closing...he pushed her out at the last minute, safety failed and she got caught in the doorway. The rising elevator...she was...”

  “Decapitated. Yeah. That will do the trick to end any immortal.” Os curses.

  “My mom always kept me away from the clubhouse. We lived in a house about fifteen minutes away. When she was gone, my father told me I needed to be around there. He sold the house and moved the both of us into the clubhouse. He said something about how I shouldn’t be shielded from anything. He also made me vow to never reveal myself to humans. He said they weren’t to be trusted, not even with our true form.” Velma clears her throat. “That was also the reason I was ordered to stay away from Eliana, and was told to never mention the half-blood again when I asked him about her.”

  “Fuck,” Os and I curse at the same moment.

  “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Os quips.

  “Yeah, that right there is the reason.” I nod at my VP. “The fucker hates humans for what happened with his mate, but I’m also guessing he blames The Orderly for not interfering. Fucking hell. That’s the reason why he didn’t want anything to do with Eliana. That fucker.”

  “Is going to be dealt with,” Velma finishes with steel in her voice.

  I fucking hear my woman swallow. Knowing your father didn’t want to have anything to do with you is one thing. He gave her those deep scars to live with that fact. But for a fucking reason that’s not even her damn fault? I mean, what the actual fuck? She’s a tiny part human, half his, and another tiny part witch. But she’s a whole fucking person, breathing and living. What the fuck does her background, race, or what the fuck ever, have anything to do with her as his daughter, or the woman she has become?

  I guide her head and smash my mouth against hers in a hungry kiss. Her body melts against mine as I swirl my tongue around hers one last time before I pull back and tell her, “You’re mine, Eliana, and that’s all that matters now. My woman, the President’s Old Lady from Death by Reaper MC, Hell Charter. We’re your family, and I fucking love the fact that your sister is mated to my VP. Picture perfect, huh?”

  A lone tear slides down her cheek and she nods. “I don’t know what I did in my life to deserve you. And…you said sister, not half-sister.” There’s a bright smile painting those perfect lips and it shoots straight to my heart.

  I tap her nose with my finger. “It’s the other way around, gorgeous. How the fuck could I wind up with a mate as perfect as you? And fuck yeah, she’s your sister. I’m sick of this half shit. You two are as close as you can get. Velma looks out for you. Now we need to figure out what’s going on with the possibility of other siblings. I’ve also put two guys in action to dive into the archives. We still need more information because we only know our side and what little Velma here told us.”

  “Maybe I should go back to the Heaven Charter and…” Velma says but is cut off by Os’ growl.

  “I won’t risk my, or any Old Lady, Velma.” I harden my voice to make sure she understands. “Although for you it might be slightly different, and I know damn well you can take on a lot, but you’re one of us now and I’m not sending anyone in alone.”

  Velma strikes me as a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer. I mean her own father, the President of an MC, told her to stay away from her half-sister…yet here she is, a solid bond with her half-sister that’s built up for over a year…ever since she knew Eliana existed…get my drift?

  She nods in understanding and yet I don’t think it’s hit home yet. “I mean it, Velma. No vigilante shit. I need you with my woman when I’m not by her side, understood? It’s not just your life on the line, it’s your sister’s, your mate’s, everyone around you.”

  “Understood.” The fierceness in her voice is one I can respect.

  That’s two things we have in common; Eliana and our mate. For me those things are rolled into one, her sister. For Velma it’s her sister and Os. Each of us protect all those around us who we love and can’t live without.

  Chapter Ten

  ***Eliana***

  “Same for you, gorgeous,” Alistair orders. “I won’t have you running off, get me? Don’t leave without letting me know, and even then, you’re not to be alone. You’re with me or with Velma. And just to be sure, I will put a prospect with you guys so you don’t have to leave if you need something. Just tell him and he will get it for you.”

  “Nice…a guard.” I roll my eyes.

  “No fucking guard. Didn’t you hear a thing what was discussed just now? Your own fucking father despises humans, I won’t have the fucker near you. Or near Velma for that matter. It’s protection,” he throws back in anger.

  “A bodyguard. Right, whatever. Is there anything I can do? You have your guys looking into the archives, isn’t there something Velma and I can do to help?” I ask, better to skip over the guard thing because I know he means well...and the stuff he just said about protecting me makes my heart and panties melt.

  Alistair shakes his head. “I just need to know you’re safe so I can focus on other things. I have no clue how we
can find out about your siblings. So if you or Velma can find a way to…”

  “Wait!” Velma snaps and steps toward me. “How do you always know I’m near?”

  Alistair eyes me curiously. “You’re able to pinpoint your sister’s whereabouts?”

  I feel my cheeks heat. “It’s nothing. I just have this gut feeling when I know she’s close.”

  “I bet my left nut it’s more than that...she’s part witch,” Os quips.

  My cheeks heat some more and I’m sure my head will explode any time soon. “I just found out I’m part witch, you can’t expect me to have any magical powers, I never had…”

  Os holds up one finger. “That boil trick from the inside out, what you did in Church, that purple fire stuff? I don’t think that’s solely because you’re half Heaven and mated to a Hellhound. Velma doesn’t have any change in her...hell, I haven’t grown an extra head out of my tail or some shit.”

  “Hey,” Alistair snaps. “How the fuck do you know? Did you let your Hellhound lose after you were mated? And stop making my Old Lady uncomfortable.”

  Velma strokes my upper arm. “This is exactly the reason why I never told you. When I did my research, I talked to a witch who knew your mother. She said your mom put a protection spell on you when dad dismissed you. She also mentioned that your mother kept the witch ancestors a secret, from both you and our father. Clearly, she wanted to protect you. But the spell would have stopped working when she died. Eliana...I know you moved back with your mom when she got sick...did you clear out some of her stuff or did you save it all? I mean...do you know if she had any older looking books?”

  “As in books with spells in there?” I question.

  Velma nods. “Exactly. Maybe we can see if there’s a spell to locate family members. To see if it’s true about having another sister. Worth a try, right?”

  “But I don’t even know if I can do that. It’s not like I’m a...”