Hard to Kill (Hell Hounds Harem Book 6) Page 15

  Valor fought to swallow the lump in his throat. Yeah, she broke it... by dying.

  “Her bloodline curse ended with her. She sacrificed having children to ensure it. She took in more magic than all of you combined have on your worst of nights, and repeatedly suffered all while having faith that something would work out eventually.”

  Valor couldn’t breathe. To hear how Tilly went through so much alone was just…

  "She's a thief, a liar, and a cheat," the Devil winked at her, "If only we are all so lucky to have a girl like that, am I right?"

  A few Hounds laughed. Valor didn’t. No one in his pack did.

  "She's also a savant. Knows her shit around a blade and dagger. Can work magic even our Voodoo Man hasn't mastered yet."

  "Damn," someone muttered.

  “Be still my heart,” grinned Byrne.

  "She's the one who led Valor to the twins. She's the one who's seen more of our enemy than anyone else." Tilly tensed and started to shake her head no. Lucifer ignored it. "And she's going to lead us to victory by telling us everything she's knows."

  All eyes went to Tilly. She shrunk into herself immediately. "I... I don't know who it is. I didn't see anyone."

  "Liar," Lucifer purred. "You saw a hand, did you not?"

  Valor watched her chest rise and fall with each breath she tried to take. Damn that corset. It was probably suffocating her.

  Lucifer continued to walk around the room, a slight smile curving his mouth. "We'll talk more later, little Hound. For now, I need Sebastian to rise."

  Baz blew out a deep breath and pushed away from the table to go stand by Lucifer.

  "Tilly, why don't you go ahead and recite that prophecy you have locked away in your pretty little head." Lucifer grabbed the hem of Sebastian's shirt and pulled it up and off his head, tossing it to the table.

  "The dark angels created by the Fallen One will infest the world."

  Lucifer turned Baz around to show his back to the alpha Hounds. The black wings were there but more faint now. You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

  "Asher has the same on his back, but his marks are darker. He is also far more volatile." Lucifer tipped his head to Baz. "Tell them what you told me, Hound."

  Baz's jaw clenched. "I'm not sure what Asher feels, but I... I lost my head to lust earlier. And I'm not talking about the Hell Hound hunger for flesh and touching. I mean, I was a raging cock. I could think of nothing but getting my hands on my woman and I'd have torn her in half to get inside her as deep as possible."

  Shit you not, Tilly's arousal slammed into Valor's nose. Such piss poor timing for that, but she couldn’t help it and they knew it. Valor turned to look at her, to get her to stay focused, and that's when he caught Sara looking every bit as turned on as Tilly. Both women had their lips slightly parted and Sara started to pant.

  Valor and Kalen both growled their warnings. Not that it did any good. Both women were lost to lust that goddamned fast. Their pupils blew wide open and Sara flung her arm out, grabbed Kalen by the hair and yanked him in for a crushing kiss. Tilly, however, stayed glued to her seat, barely breathing as beads of sweat trickled down between her lush breasts.

  Fucking corset!

  "If it hadn't been for my brother and Tills, I have no idea what I would have done." The shame in Sebastian's voice killed his pack. "Ever since I got out of the catacombs, I haven't felt right. Something terrible is growing in me. I've slept more than I've hunted. My appetite is non-existent. And my body feels like it's being eating by a wood chipper." He looked over at Drake, "My brother's no better, but no worse. He's just better at handling his demons than I am."

  "Do you have the wings too, Drake?" Finley asked.

  Drake stood and yanked his shirt off, his back was bare.

  "They tried to pull my soul out, but couldn’t," Sebastian explained.

  “Why not?” Fin asked.

  Sebastian gave Tilly a lopsided grin, “This clever girl did a soul binding on me after summoning my spirit to her.”

  Someone whistled in awe. “That was risky.”

  "In the end,” Sebastian continued, “they poured enough magic into my system to make me truly want to fucking die. The pain... fuck, I've never felt anything close to that level of agony in my life. At one point I thought I finally died. When Tills came to my side, my last thought before passing out was that she was an Angel."

  A tear slid down her face but she didn't respond or move.

  "Lust," Lucifer took the floor. "One of the seven deadly sins."

  "So it's true? You've turned Baz into some kind of dark angel?"

  Lucifer shook his head no. "I'd never do something like that without full consent."

  "But you can do it?"

  Lucifer's mouth clamped tight.

  "So what was Asher? Which sin?"

  "Wrath," Gabriel answered before the Devil could. “Or at least that’s what we’re leaning towards. Didn’t make a full connection until we heard about Sebastian exhibiting similar traits.”

  "Shit," Finley rubbed the back of his neck. "So we got vanity, envy, and a bunch of others to go?"

  "Five more sins and..."

  "More than five Hounds are missing," Kalen said. "Whoever this is has Hounds to spare."

  "I've something to add," Valor took the table. "While hunting I was spat on by a malanum, and the wrath I felt was damn near debilitating. I wanted blood to flow in a terrible way."

  "How did you get over it?" Brock asked from across the table.

  "I had her," Valor looked at Tilly. "And the powerful bloodlust didna last long, but it rode me hard while it could."

  Brock leaned back and tapped his fingers on the table. "You must be one helluva woman, Tilly."

  Drake diverted, "So you're saying you didn't create this, Lucifer? The person who held us captive did.”

  “Correct.”

  “Can I say something?” Tilly raised her hand.

  God, she was adorable.

  Lucifer gave Tilly his undivided attention, “Speak.”

  “What kind of Hound is Asher? What’s his personality or… his struggles?”

  The Devil became guarded, “Why are you asking?”

  Tilly looked over at Valor first, “Because when Valor was filled with wrath, it went against his nature. Yeah, he’s alpha, but he’s not a vicious brute. And I know how he died in his first death. He was a warrior and no warrior goes into battle without being pumped about it. Wrath fed his warrior side then, didn’t it, Val?”

  Valor’s lips curled into a prideful smirk, “Aye.” Fuck him sideways, thinking about war made him harder right there in his chair.

  Tilly leaned forward, excitement lighting her face. “And Baz,” she looked to her right and smiled up at him. “He’s… well…” she frowned and didn’t look like she wanted to share her thoughts anymore.

  “Say it, whatever it is, Tills.” Baz almost begged, “If you’re onto something, we need to know.”

  Tilly blew out a big breath. “Sex is a struggle for him. He holds back until he can’t. Then he’s a…” her gaze heated as she kept staring at him. “He’s a voracious beast in all the right ways.”

  Someone cleared their throat.

  Tilly shook her head, “What I mean to say is, in both instances with my Hounds, they gave into their temptation. I let them go to the edge of their rage and their lust, trusting them fully to make the right decision.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and sat back.

  “Explain,” Sara frowned.

  “For Valor, I gave him my neck and he bit down, holding me in place. He was violent and angry and needed to dominate. I gave in and submitted, knowing he could have easily ripped my throat out. But he didn’t. He was able to control himself once he got to the edge of reason and desire.”

  Tilly stared at Valor for a minute. He felt shame wash over him for his behavior that day. But she was right and he couldn’t argue.

  “Baz also needs to dominate, but in a different way. It happened onc
e outside – he went wild and I allowed him to chase and hunt me through the woods. I fed the beast in him what it needed and took what it gave, putting my trust into him entirely. Then it happened again in the bedroom when he needed to mark me. That time, however was more… intense. Before he completely lost his mind to whatever was pushing him into this haze of lust, he had me call out for help. Drake came and was able to keep his twin restrained enough where Baz still had control of me and what he needed, but Drake had his back.”

  “So what are you saying?” Brock crossed his arms and scowled, “We should just let these dark angels give into their urges and hope they don’t kill, rape, or maim innocents in the process?”

  “No,” Tilly bristled. “But whatever is triggering them, we need to find out. And as for Asher, you still didn’t answer my question. What’s his personality like?”

  The Hell Hounds all looked around at each other, waiting for someone to say something first. “He used to be a boxer,” Finley answered. “So wrath is something he understands.”

  Tilly flung her gaze to Lucifer. “Let his pack in there with him. See how far he takes it with his Hounds. Tell them to allow him to throw his punches.”

  Lucifer shook his head, “He bashed his head until he cracked his skull when we went in there. I’m not risking Asher causing further self-harm.”

  “That’s because you went in there,” Tilly argued. “You aren’t his equal. He can’t dominate you. And if loyalty is so important to Hell Hounds, he’s not going to go after his maker. That would never happen. To challenge or harm you goes against his very existence. But if you put a pack member in there, he’ll have free will to make the choice of taking it too far or just far enough to ease the chaos in his head.”

  Valor’s jaw almost hit the floor. “You’re asking for us to potentially sacrifice two Hounds for the sake of one?”

  “That’s what I did for you,” she deadpanned. “It was up to you that day, Val. And it’s up to Asher now. Put his pack in the cage with him and see what happens.”

  Lucifer ran a hand down his face and huffed. “Fuck me, this cannot be happening.” His gaze sailed over to Gabriel and his jaw clenched. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

  “You’re serious?” Brock stood, “You’re going to send your Hounds in there and let Asher pound on them until he’s satisfied.”

  “Until he returns to his senses,” Lucifer corrected. “And yeah, I fucking am. I don’t expect you to understand my reasoning for everything, but I do expect you to trust the decisions I make and with this, I’m taking Tilly’s advice and putting his pack in there. If it saves Asher, they’ll be happy to fucking do it. If they all go down together, then,” Lucifer tossed his hands in the air. “You’d do the same for your own Hounds, wouldn’t you, Brock?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I fucking would. I’d die for one of my own.”

  “So would all of us, Hound.” Lucifer knocked his knuckles against the table and the Hell Hounds joined in. The thump-thump-thump went straight into their bone marrow. “Gabe, Uri, go back to Asher’s Hounds and tell them the plan. The rest of you,” he glared around the room, “listen the fuck up. I’ve got to tell you something and you’re only going to share it with your pack. No Loas. No psychics. No one else.”

  The room fell silent.

  “After the walls crashed and hell broke loose, I lost my shit. You all know what I’m talking about, too. Whether you saw it with your own eyes or not, I know you all heard that I wiped out a great portion of the malanum attacking Sara’s pack in the prisons.”

  No one moved.

  “That act has cost me. The world lost some evil and now has too much good in it. Balance is a bitch, Hounds. And the weight of my actions is starting to take effect. You all draw your energy from me.”

  Hounds nodded silently.

  “Well, you’re gonna have to hold back as much as you can until I can get myself straight. What’s left, I’m going to need for myself.” He wasn’t going to get into the whole Angels drawing energy from other Angels right now. That shit wasn’t necessary to share at the moment. “Now, I’m going to give you orders and you’re not going to deviate from them, no matter how crazy it sounds. Trust me, that’s all I’ve ever asked. Now, what I’m going to need you to do is…”

  The Devil told them his plan.

  Chapter 18

  After Lucifer gave his marching orders, everyone but Valor’s pack was dismissed.

  Sebastian stood off to the side and continued to stay silent. Try as he might to wrap his head around everything, it just felt impossible. A part of him felt tainted and dirty in a way no words could express.

  The fleeting thrill of hope he had, thinking that maybe this shit on his back was the work of the Devil, was just doused by icy cold reality in the form of cautious looks and guarded half-hearted smiles from fellow Hell Hounds. It made him want to scream.

  Sebastian couldn't stand to be looked at like he was potential danger. He would never hurt any of them intentionally. But he wasn't a strong Hound. Not after everything he endured in his first life. Back then, Sebastian lived as a sex slave, a form of entertainment, a profitable piece of ass and a target for the most depraved to use to get their kinks out.

  Maybe all that would have been okay if the clients treated him a little better. Instead, they would push him to the limits because in the end, he didn’t matter. Not to them, not to his owner, not to his own mother. Therefore, Baz was used in ways that left him raw and struggling for air most of the time.

  That's when the drugs were both a curse and a blessing for him. His owner dosed Baz one night after a particularly gruesome client had their way with Baz. He became addicted to the numbness it brought, almost immediately. The drug Baz smoked dulled the pain before, during, and after a sex session. Baz hadn't planned on the addiction being his owner’s new way of squeezing more value out of him. Baz became drugged every time he went out on a job by the time he was eighteen. It dulled the pain, but it also dulled his wits and reaction time.

  No more fighting back.

  No more caring either.

  At that point, Sebastian had been separated from his twin for so long, he often wondered if Drake escaped and forgot all about him. His owner would always dangle Drake’s fate at him though. And Sebastian never wanted to risk that maybe they weren’t empty threats. He believed, wholeheartedly, that Drake’s safety and nourishment depended on Baz’s compliance. So, Baz kept fucking. Kept breaking. Kept being used. Sebastian would have continued that life forever if it spared Drake.

  Heroes don’t always present themselves with a weapon and a cape. Sometimes they were submissive, well-trained whores who bowed in shackles.

  Eventually despair turned Sebastian hollow and self-destructive. Every time more shit went epically wrong, he would inhale more drugs, close his eyes, and the world didn't hurt so much. That numbing saved him then... just like the numbing from not having a soul or emotion saved Drake later.

  That's why Sebastian never judged his brother for taking the easy way out and destroying his soul long ago. How a man could have the capability to do that seemed impossible, but Drake was good at being the triumphant underdog.

  Baz envied his brother. The stoic strength and stone heart Drake possessed was a beautiful survival skill. Which meant that now, with Tilly's piece of soul in Drake, the Hound no longer had a shield. And yeah, Sebastian was scared Drake might destroy her gift, but he also knew Drake would never do anything to jeopardize what she gave him. Everything Drake did was for the greater good. So if he had to suffer feeling again, he'd do it and just keep his mouth shut about it for Tilly's sake and the pack’s.

  "You okay, brother?"

  Sebastian looked over at his twin and frowned. They'd been told to sit and wait while Tilly and Sara left with Lucifer and Constantine to go into another room. "Yeah, why?"

  "You look like you're ready to fall on your face."

  Sebastian was exhausted, apparently it showed more than he thought. "I'll be fine. I jus
t want her back where we can see her."

  "She's safe with Lucifer. You know that." Drake leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and stretched out his leather clad legs. "Don't worry about your wings."

  Easier said than done. "How can I not worry, D? Think of what could have happened earlier with Tills.”

  Drake glowered, "You're the strongest motherfucker I know. Whatever they did to you in the catacombs will not destroy you. It'll make you stronger."

  "Or make me the enemy."

  Valor piped up, "Ye sensed something was wrong. Ye called for backup before ye could hurt her. Ye took care of yourself and made sure she was safe, instead of doing something ye might have regretted."

  Sebastian's head went to that place where he kept his shame and guilt. The act of him jacking off uncontrollably on Tilly was at the top of his pile. "I can't explain how it felt," his voice was quiet. "I needed to mark her so bad, nothing else would have been good enough." Even now, it didn’t feel good enough.

  "Which was why it was necessary for you to mark her how you could and let her do the rest," Drake added. "You calmed when she declared she was ours."

  "I calmed because you were there to force me to be aware and in control of myself."

  Drake shrugged, but didn't argue.

  "What's going to happen if this power overcomes me again and you aren't there to yank my fucking leash, D?"

  "I'll always be there, Baz. And if I'm not, someone else from the pack will be."

  Great, now he'll have a chaperone at all times? Sebastian couldn't tell if he was relieved or insulted. Both. He was both.

  "Our girl can handle us," Bishop spoke up from his position by the fireplace. "She's proven that time and time again. She knows what we need, when we need it."

  "Her instincts have been... miraculous." Valor stood and started pacing.