Hellhound. Part 4

I stood there, my chest rising and falling as Dorin stood up and then he nodded to me, a smile curling his lip up at the corner of his mouth as he looked me over.

"It would seem that you are capable of handling yourself."

"Thank you." I said as he approached me and looked down my body. I straightened up as he grinned.

"If you would ever like some company I would be..."

"Halo." Gunner said as he stepped up behind me and Dorin stopped talking.

"So, you are a h.e.l.lhound...but, you are a vampire."

"That I am. I was a vampire when I died and came to h.e.l.l. Killing Vlad did not come at a heavy price Halo." I watched him as he handed the ax to Gunner and started to walk away.

"Good job Dorin." Gunner said to him and Dorin raised his hand and waved it slightly, without turning back to look at any of us.

"He is a serious warrior, he is loyal." Gunner said as he turned back to me.

"I kicked his a.s.s."

Gunner leaned into my ear and whispered to me.

"He let you."

I opened my mouth as he pulled back and looked down my dress. Suddenly I had no words as his eyes searched me. It almost felt as if he was touching me. Finna nudged Ari and pulled him along with her as they left Gunner and I standing in the half lit room.

"That is not cool." I said to him as he grinned at me.

"Neither is this." He said as he swung the ax and I screamed and blocked him.

Chapter Four.

Vampires Suck I stood in front of the mirror and stared at myself. I had been beaten and thrown for nearly 4 weeks and even though I felt as if I may be ready to take on a demon of some sort, the only thing that was consuming my mind was one kiss, from a very attractive bada.s.s in the house. Gunner had not taken any liberty with me since that day and I wondered if he simply lost interest in me. I would hate to think so, I mean if anything, I was definitely feeling a pull towards him, an undeniable need to feel his body against me and his lips on my own. He had tasted sweet, sweeter than anything I had ever known before and it lingered with me. I touched my lips and closed my eyes, suddenly lowering my hand and turning as I heard a voice behind me, followed by a light tapping. My door stood half open, I didn't feel the need to shut it most of the time as no one bothered me at all. The only time we truly mingled was for training and other than that we ate in almost a complete silence, as if the thought of bonding was not something they wanted to do with me.

"Well, how are you Halo?" Dorin asked me as he stood at my doorway. I grinned and remembered the old sayings about inviting a vampire into houses, I did know it also included rooms.

"You can come in Dorin." I said as I watched him closely. It could not be a bad thing to say it, could it? I mean he is a h.e.l.lhound and a part of the team.

"Thank you." He said softly as he stepped into my room, one foot at a time and with caution. I smiled and looked him over. He was dressed in all black, as usual and his b.u.t.ton down looked nice and neat, a white tie looking pristine against the black of his s.h.i.+rt.

"So, you have to be invited into rooms too? Interesting." I said as I placed a hand on my hip and he smiled at me, his teeth looking completely normal. Honestly, his teeth never grew and looked menacing unless we were sparring. It must have been the excitement from all the fighting.

"Yes, it can be a pain in the a.s.s. Most of what you know of vampires is true. We have to be invited into homes, rooms also, which is not really known, as they are personal s.p.a.ce and protected by those who live in them. We also hate garlic, but it not because it hurts us, it stinks and our sense of smell is stronger than that of any animal. Anything with a pungent smell is annoying."

I laughed and stepped up to him. If anything, Dorin had been the only other person in the house who had spoken to me, I mean more than screaming "Jump! Duck! Roll!" which I had listened to in abundance for weeks. Dorin had mentioned small things to me, things like how I seemed to fighting with more skill and how I seemed to be settling into my roll. It was not that I liked him more than I needed to, but it just seemed ironic to me that the only non-human h.e.l.lhound in the house was the only one who seemed to be making me feel human at all.

"So, tonight..."

Dorin held his hand up to me and shook his head just slightly. I stopped talking, not quite sure as to why he was doing it, but he opened his mouth and spoke softly to me as he always did.

"We do not discuss the Hunt, it is bad luck."

"Oh." I said as I crossed my arms on my chest and stood there. It would be nice if they would all allow me to understand more than just being a killing machine.

"Nothing personal Halo, please do not take offence to it."

I relaxed a little bit as he stepped closer to me. His eyes were as soft as his voice seemed to be. If I didn't know any better I would never guess he was a vampire. I would have to guess that this was exactly why vampires were who they were and could seduce anyone. They appear human in every way, in fact, they seem MORE than most humans can pull off.

"I just wish I knew, I mean, don't get wrong. I feel accepted here to a certain degree but all we have done is fight and train, train and fight. No one has said more than two words to me since day one...I mean, except for you, which I totally appreciate, I do."

He watched my lips as I spoke and my heart fluttered in my chest. I could not tell if it was my fault or some trick of his own. He broke his stare from my lips and let his eyes rise, he looked into mine and I rubbed my neck as he stepped closer. He was now only about 2 feet from me and I could feel strange emotions rising up in me. He had never made me feel like this, not the entire time we had sparred. Not one moment, but now, I feel...I don't know what I feel. He stepped once more and was now only a foot in front of me.

"Halo." He said with his beautiful accent. I had never hated my name, but coming from his lips it sounded like song.

"Dorin, I..." I started to say and he stepped up and cupped my face with one hand. I closed my eyes as if I had no control with him, as if he was leading and I was simply a follower. He then leaned in and I could not feel breath, as he did not breathe, but I could feel his presence. It engulfed my senses, each one, taste, touch, smell. It was as if he set my inner animal on fire. I parted my lips and took a small breath as his eyes watched me. Then he turned me and held me close to him. When I opened my eyes a knife was placed to my throat and I sighed, knowing this was a f.u.c.king test as everything was here.

"f.u.c.k me."

"It looks as if I could." Dorin whispered into my ear as I reached up, twisted his hand and cracked every bone in it. He dropped the knife and I flipped him over me, slamming his body into my mirror and shattering it to pieces. He laughed as he laid in the mess and stared up at me. I shook my head at him and felt completely disgusted. Of course they were testing me, I am a killer of killers now.

I heard clapping behind me as Gunner stepped into my room and stared at Dorin on the floor.

"Well, that is good." He said to me as I became a bit flush. I hoped he did not think that I liked Dorin; I mean he was obviously using his vampire voodoo bulls.h.i.+t on me. I narrowed my eyes and looked down at Dorin who grinned up at me.

"f.u.c.k you." I said as he pushed himself up and then pulled his mangled hand up. He popped one finger back into place and then the rest. He then turned his wrist and reset the bones as his vampire blood fixed the rest.

"That was brilliant Halo."

"Oh thanks." I said as I stared him down.

He leaned into my face and then tapped my nose.

"There was no chance I would have f.u.c.ked you, I prefer boys." He whispered and I opened my mouth to yell at him but he walked away as I turned and looked infuriated. Gunner placed his hand over his mouth and watched me as Dorin left my room and closed the door behind him. I shook my head as my arms crossed on my chest once again and Gunner kept his laughter to a minimum. He then watched me as I stepped up to my mirror and looked at all of the shards on the floor. I looked down and saw many of me, all splintered off and in bits and pieces just as I felt now. I was not quite sure of who I was, who I would become or where I was headed. Then Gunner stepped up behind me and I saw him in the shards along with me. I calmed down as he looked ...right, as if standing behind me made a difference. I turned, having to look upward as he was at least a foot taller than I was.

"That was bulls.h.i.+t Gunner."

He reached up and touched my hair as the small act just left me a bit fl.u.s.tered in a seriously hot way. He pulled his hand back and had a small piece of mirror in his hand. He looked at it as he turned it over in his hand and then tossed it behind me. It landed amongst the rest of the mess on my floor.

"It was a necessary evil Halo."

"Really? I really needed to be humiliated by a vampire?"

"You needed to understand how dangerous they are, a vampire is a worthy advisory and to survive with them you have to stay focused and impervious to their lure."

"I feel like an a.s.shole."

He paused and I tilted my head.

"You are not an a.s.shole, it doesn't matter who you are, a vampire is a predator and can kill at will. They are built for it. I am just grateful that Dorin is a h.e.l.lhound and not a target. He would be a pain in the a.s.s to kill."

"I can only imagine." I said as he watched me walk to the window and stare out at the setting sun. The sky was streaked in pink and gray as the sun was quickly escaping this world and travelling to the next. I knew that we would be going out soon to kill, my first hunt. I won't lie, I am nervous. I mean what if I...

"You will be amazing Halo." Gunner said as he stepped up next to me and stared out at the sky with me. The colors lit up his face and I had a hard time ignoring his beauty. He was truly stunning and before I could look away he turned and looked down at me. His expression was calm, as always, which was confusing. He seemed to a master of hiding his emotions, I, on the other hand, seemed to be a f.u.c.king failure at it.

"What if I f.u.c.k up?" I said to him and he stepped up to me and took my hands, he held them and let his thumbs run across the tops of both of them, sending small waves of nervousness up my arms. I looked at his hands as he watched my face too closely. He then cleared his throat.

"You are a h.e.l.lhound, just as I am. We are protectors of this world and we were chosen for a reason. We have greatness inside of us, not only are we able to kill that which should not be, but we have compa.s.sion. It is a blend that is not found often. You should be proud to be with us Halo. This is a mission that we cannot fail at, many lives depend on us and I have faith in you as does everyone here."

"Really, I mean you believe me?" I asked him and he leaned up as I closed my eyes and prepared for the kiss I knew was coming, then I opened one eye as he spoke to me.

"You will be amazing, now come."

I opened my other eye and once again felt like an a.s.shole for prepping for the kiss that would not come. I had to get this s.h.i.+t out of my mind. The one kiss he had given to me in the elevator was obviously out of pity and not love. He let go of my hands and walked to my door as I stood there and sighed. Maybe this was h.e.l.l for me, having this hot guy so close and yet a million miles away.

"Halo?" he said and I nodded to him.

"I am ready." I started to follow him as my heart sank a little deeper into my chest.

Chapter Five.

HUNT.

I lowered my goggles that Finna had handed to me before we came on the hunt. They reminded me of some Steampunk style gla.s.ses, all bronzed metal with two spikes coming off the tops of each round lens. The strap was the same color and held my red hair in place as I watched Ari riding a beast from h.e.l.l. We had encountered it while on this first hunt, it appeared as a small child on a street corner like some f.u.c.ked up horror movie, but when Gunner leaned into my shoulder and told me to lower my goggles I could suddenly see it for what it was. Unfortunately we cannot see the demons as they appear on earth unless we wear, what I will call "Demon vision goggles", which is almost comical. I mean we are h.e.l.lhounds, we can feel the demons, just not see them as they are because earth is an even playing ground as both Lucifer and G.o.d fight for control of it.

"Mother f.u.c.ker!" Ari screamed at the beast as he held onto his back. I stared at him as he stabbed his long knife over and over again into the side of its neck. Black blood oozed and covered his hand and then squirted onto his face as the beast screamed and exposed rows of sharpened dagger like teeth. It must have been 11 feet tall, three large men wide and its skin looked charred, like it had been roasting in a fire pit. It glowed between the cracks like fire raced through it and perhaps it did. This was a demon we had tracked down and now fought in this back alley, as time seemed to stand still. When we fight no one can see it here, time stops for humans, or "mortals" as I should get used to calling them now. I am not mortal; I will never be that again.

"For s.h.i.+ts sake, kill it already!" Finna screamed up at him as Ari rolled his eyes.

"Does it look like I am playing?" he yelled back at her as she shook her head and leaned into me.

"I think he is losing his ability to kick a.s.s." She said, loud enough so he could hear her.

"Oh really?" he yelled down as the beast spun and tossed him across the alley and into the brick wall. A few bricks fell as he did, he lay still in a lump of fur for a moment and then I stepped forward, but Finna held her arm out and stopped me. Ari stood up and shook off the brick dust as the beast extended his arms out and screamed in his direction, it belched fire, as you would expect a demon of h.e.l.l to do.

"Come on!" Ari screamed as he lunged forward. The beast ran at him as Ari suddenly leapt into the air. Finna tossed him his large ax and he swung it as his body spun in the air. The ax made contact with the side of the beast's thick neck and started to plow through it like b.u.t.ter as Ari gritted his teeth and yelled like the Viking king that he truly was. Finna crossed her arms on her chest as the ax went through the demons neck and it stood there for a moment as Ari landed, his fist hitting the ground, ax tightly held in the other and he rose up. The demon head dropped before him and body slammed to the ground, making a rumbling noise beneath out feet. I stood there as Finna walked up to him and then the tongues and making out became a bit disgusting. There wasn't much that the two of them did that was not aggressive and looked like it may hurt a little bit. I jumped slightly as Gunner touched my arm and I looked up at him. He lifted my goggled to the top of my head as my eyes remained wide. I must have looked like I may be in shock.

"Are you okay?" he asked me and I nodded to him. I had no choice. I mean what was I to do? Say "Oh listen, I think I s.h.i.+t my pants?" which would be closer to the truth, but not beneficial to me or this team.

"Good, because the next one is yours."

"What?" I said as my voice cracked and I followed him out of the alley.

Dorin stepped up next to me and grinned.

"You are about to pop your cherry."

I rolled my eyes and glanced at him.

"I am not talking to you yet."

"Really?"

"Really." I said as I started to follow Gunner. He walked down the middle of the street.

"Don't hate me Halo." I stopped and turned to him. I raised my sword into his face and he grinned, his teeth still looking normal and quite human.

"What you did was not cool."

"What I did will someday save your life and that is my job, to show you what a vampire can do."

I tilted my head as I watched his teeth elongate in his mouth and he looked behind me.

"Oh s.h.i.+t." I said as I started to turn. I then saw a man, walking towards me. He looked normal, business suit, clean cut. I then looked back at Dorin.

"What?"

"Googles?" he said to me as I lowered them and turned to see what I could have done without, a demon, a nasty one. He looked a few feet taller than Ari's had and this one had wings that expanded out to his sides. It then stopped and stared me down as its wings rose up higher and it suddenly screamed at me as it leaned forward, its claw like feet tearing into asphalt like sand. It flapped its wings and that, combined with its stinky hot breath, blew my hair back as Dorin stood behind me and avoided it. He then nudged me from behind and I almost stumbled. I looked back at him and raised my eyebrows. He waved his hand as if he was telling me to get on with it. I took a deep breath and turned back, gripping my sword tightly in both hands as the beast stood up taller and I watched it rise. f.u.c.k me.

"Listen. I am new at this so I would appreciate it if you just settled the f.u.c.k down." I yelled up at it as it stopped and tilted its head at me. I then nodded to it.

"Yes, this is my first time so let's just be civil."

It then started to laugh, a deep and rumbling one that was a pure mockery of me and I knew it. I mean am I really trying to reason with it? I glanced behind me and Dorin was shaking his head.

"Not prudent." He said to me as I turned and suddenly felt the grip of its large hand around me. It lifted me up to its face as I tried to remain calm. Gunner stepped up next to Dorin and stared up at me.

"s.h.i.+t." He started to step forward, but Dorin stopped him.

"You know that is not the way we do things; she has to do this on her own Gunner, no help from us at all."

He looked back at me as he lowered his knife and stared the beast down. He knew, as I did not yet, that I had to kill on my own this first time out or the branding would rise from me and out of my skin. It would leave me to go back to purgatory forever so he could not interfere.

"Gunner?" I yelled as it started to shake me like a rag doll. Gunner gripped his knife tightly and gritted his teeth as Dorin sighed.

"You have to stop this."

"Stop what?" Gunner asked him and Dorin touched his shoulder.