Hard to Kill (Hell Hounds Harem Book 6) Page 32

  “You buried all of this at your father’s house?”

  “Well what else was I going to do with it?” she sighed and slumped a little. “I couldn’t exactly return it, and a lot of this shouldn’t be out there for the world to use. People act like they collect this stuff for the history, but it’s all a lie. Even if they don’t practice magic, they can feel it and they want it because they know it’s there. I figured if I could save the world from itself, even just a little bit, then that was better than not doing anything at all.”

  Lucifer could have kissed her for that.

  “Holy shit,” Uriel picked up a scroll and unraveled it, “Constantine, this is one of yours.”

  Constantine came over and glanced at it, “Damn, that brings back memories.”

  “We need to lock all this away,” Tilly ordered, “He wants some of this.”

  “He?” Lucifer stilled. “You spoke with him?” They had only just come into the room and there hadn’t been any time to discuss what happened yet. Lucifer preferred to wait for the other packs to arrive, but that might be a few more minutes and now he had zero patience.

  “Yeah, he and I had a lovely talk,” Tilly tucked her hair behind her ears, “He offered me immortality for my stolen goods and the shit I got locked in here,” she tapped her head. “He didn’t know I was already a Hell Hound.”

  “But you saw him?”

  “Yyyyeah.”

  Gabriel spoke up, “As a ball of light or his actual face?”

  “His face, hair, eyes, feet, the whole package.” Her cheeks reddened a little. “He had sandy brown hair down to his chin, his eyes were like silvery blue, about your height,” she said to Lucifer. “There wasn’t a glow or anything like Baz and D saw when they were in captivity. He was just a man. A big one.”

  “Darling,” That’s all Lucifer had to say to get Sara prepared to draw. “Describe everything in detail, Matilda Jane.”

  While the two women got busy with the sketch, Lucifer did a breathing exercise. Rage slithered under his skin. Impatience, too. Packs started filing in, all rumbling and talking about the status of their districts.

  “Shit’s gone crazy in New Orleans.”

  “South Carolina, too,” Byrne frowned. “Had six churches burn with everyone inside it. Fucking nuts.”

  Lucifer listened as they all rambled and reported to one another.

  “And none of you came to me with any of this?” Fury gained momentum in his bloodstream.

  Byrne tossed his hands up, “It literally just happened in the past couple of days, sire. We’ve been too busy trying to keep things contained. Malanum aren’t around. This is man against man up there.”

  Maybe that was true, the Devil had his doubts though. Humans were known for their cruelty, but so many at once was highly unlikely. It was the infection doing this.

  Movement at the door brought their attention to the Paris Pack. Asher was escorted in by Chess and Caydren. He looked damned good for all he’d been through. He still rocked some serious tremors, but his eyes were clear and he was standing on his own two feet. Pride swelled in the Devil’s heart as the Hell Hound came forward. His torso was bare, the black wings on his back were faded. Asher had mastered his wrath and gained control of the magic that had been pumped into him by their enemy. Hallelujah.

  Sara stood and approached Lucifer. His brothers flanked him and they all looked at the picture Sara drew from Tilly’s description. Lucifer felt a blast of furious heat pulse out of him.

  Michael.

  “Mother. Fucker.” Uriel stepped back and scrubbed his face. “You called it, Luce.”

  “Friend of yours, I take it?” Sara handed over the drawing and took her seat again.

  Chess’s voice rose above the commotion, “What’s going on, sire?”

  Lucifer crumpled the paper and shoved it into Gabriel’s hand. “Nothing we can’t handle, right Hounds?” They all barked and slammed their fists into the table like one unit. “Trust,” the Devil’s voice rose above the pounding of fists, “we need it now more than ever.”

  More pounding and a couple howls rose up.

  Lucifer rolled with it… “Look at our Asher. Stand, Hound. Let them see what strength and loyalty looks like. Baz, you too.” When they obeyed, Lucifer said, “These two were used by our enemy. Their wings are the symbols of the Dark Angels. Bringers of mayhem. And they did not succumb to their temptations. Their wings have burned away.” Lucifer paused to collect himself. “You’re all about to be tested like them. Like the Hounds who are still missing. We must stand strong. Keep our faith in each other and our purpose.”

  More pounding and a lot more howls.

  “We are standing at the brink of war and it’s not going to be an easy battle to fight.”

  Now they barked and snapped their teeth, eager to hunt down their enemy. The sight and sound of such an army made Lucifer swell with pride and his rage cooled. “My brothers will be taking their seats in Hell soon. We must all share the burden and the honor.” His gaze flicked to Gabriel. “And I need you to treat them with the same respect and loyalty as you have me.”

  Lucifer knew they would. His Hell Hounds would obey him without question. Trust him implicitly. “Arise and show my brothers your pride in being my Hell Hounds… Our Hell Hounds.”

  One by one, they rose and lined up in front of the throne. They dropped to their knees, each pounding a fist into the stone floor as they bowed their heads.

  The sight was… Fuck him, there were no words.

  This, Lucifer thought, this is what life was about. Unity. Loyalty. Love. Honor. His Hell Hounds would die for each other. They took such pride in protecting the living, that none batted an eye at the prospect of war if victory meant saving innocents... even if it cost the Hounds their lives.

  The Devil’s army was made of the best warriors. They had trained their whole lives for this, he realized. They’d spent every waking moment fighting the worst evils known in existence – Malanum.

  “Rise, Hounds, and howl for us.”

  Howls erupted so loud, it deafened the Devil’s ears. He smiled, then laughed. Lucifer tilted his head back spread his arms out like a motherfucking crucifixion and he let those howls rock his damned soul.

  The power of his packs was strong enough to shatter the fucking world.

  “Holy shit,” Uriel said. “This feels incredible.”

  “That it does, brother. That it does.” Lucifer raised a hand to silence everyone. “Take a seat, I want full reports on what’s happened in each district. Someone get Reggie and Brock. I want soul tallies for prison and purgatory. Finley, go get them and take over for Brock.”

  He watched the Hound take off. Next, he let Valor’s pack fill everyone in on what happened just now in Paris. They now had a face to go with the monster behind all this shit. Brock and Reggie came in just at the tail end of the story and the Hound said, “We got a new one in purgatory. Said his name is Liam and insists he knows Tilly.”

  She froze. “Liam was with the man who’s doing all this. Or… well, Liam’s body was there. Shit,” she wrung her hands nervously. “Shit, shit.”

  “It’s alright, Matilda Jane,” Lucifer used his calm voice with her. “A soul will drop into its place. Pascale’s went to Hell’s prison. Your sister’s in Heaven with your mother.”

  Tilly paled, “I know. I knew that when I saw them. It was just their bodies when they talked to me. I knew their souls weren’t true to them.”

  “Smart girl,” Lucifer winked. “This Liam,” he said cautiously, “he’s the one who helped you steal everything?”

  “Most everything, yeah.” She stuffed her hands into her lap. Valor placed a calming hand on her thigh, Bishop, too. “His body was swinging from a noose in my father’s foyer. That little girl – one of the twins – was with him. Liam said Go. She said, Don’t go.” Tilly licked her lips. “I… I think the girl was telling me to not go to Pascale. She knew a trap was waiting for me there. But… I don’t understand Liam�
��s involvement.” Then it dawned on her, “Unless he tried to convince Liam to side with him. But… why kill him?”

  “Liam killed himself.” Brock shook his head. “He confessed that first in purgatory.”

  Tilly’s whole body crumpled a little, “Why?”

  “He had his reasons. They always do,” Brock shrugged

  “But, how did our enemy get Liam’s body then?” Tilly asked. “Oh my God, that girl. She kept trying to yank him down.” She gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Tilly started to shake with rage, “I’m going to find that little bitch and fucking kill her.”

  “Easy, Hound. You’ll get your shot soon enough. For now, sit.” Lucifer pointed at her seat and waited for her to obey. When she did, he said, “My brothers and I have much to discuss. For now, I want you to obey every fucking command we give you, no matter what.”

  “You know the one doing this?”

  “We do,” Lucifer nodded. “It’s Michael.”

  “The Arch Angel?” Drake asked.

  “The fallen Angel,” Gabriel corrected. “And he’s way ahead of us, unfortunately.”

  “Not for long,” Lucifer countered.

  By the time this was over, Michael was going to wish he’d stayed gone like he was commanded. Lucifer wasn’t going to give him a second chance. He was going to annihilate the motherfucker. He just hoped he didn’t lose what was left of himself in the process.

  But that was a risk the Devil was willing to take.

  Chapter 41

  During the next three days, everyone had gone back to their houses. Gabriel was setting up training rooms in Hell. They were all going to be on a rotation down there learning different ways to fight Angels. Yup. Angels. This was going to be crazy fun.

  Liam was still in purgatory and Tilly hadn’t gone to see him yet. Uriel was handling things with him and apparently Liam had struck a deal with the Devil and the other Angels. When the time came, Liam was going to prove his worth and work with them, not against them, for a second chance at life.

  Tilly didn’t know how she felt about it, really. Liam was a good guy. She was heartbroken that he’d killed himself and done it in her father’s house. But… it would have made sense. Liam didn’t have a friend in the world and a ton of baggage. It’s why they’d connected in the first place back when they were kids.

  “You ready, Tills?” Sebastian leaned against the doorjamb.

  Fuck, he looked amazing. She grew hot just staring at him and all he had on were jeans and a black t-shirt. Yum. “Yeah, but why won’t any of you tell me where we’re going?”

  “The point of a surprise is not knowing, Tills.” Baz walked over to wrap his arms around her and kiss the hell out of her. Tilly’s lust kicked into high gear and she went up on her tippy toes and pressed her body flush against his. He tasted so damned delicious.

  “Och, back off, Hound. We’re going to be late.” Grinning, Valor crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

  Tilly broke away from Sebastian and walked over to Valor with a shit-eating grin, “Jealous, Foxy Boy?” She grabbed him by the beard and tugged him in for a kiss.

  A horn honked outside. Baz laughed, “Drake’s such a dick sometimes.”

  “Sometimes?” Tilly giggled. On cue, Drake honked again and didn’t let up until they came out of the house and climbed into the truck.

  “Fuckers,” he growled. “I know what you were doing.”

  “We weren’t doing anything,” Sebastian denied.

  “Let’s roll!” Bishop hit the dash and they took off down the road with the windows down and music turned all the way up.

  “At least give me a clue, guys. Come on.”

  “We’ve got a Death Day to celebrate,” Bishop winked.

  Who? She almost asked. Oh, wait, it was her. Tilly shook her head and chuckled to herself. With everything that’s happened, she felt like she’d been a Hell Hound for a lot longer than she really had.

  Death Day. They were going out to celebrate her. Man this felt amazing. She never celebrated her birthday when they rolled around. It always made her feel too anxious and scared because it meant death was coming. Death Day was going to be wayyyy better than Birthday.

  They pulled up to The Blue Lizard and Bishop grinned, “Returning to the scene of the crime.” He hopped out first and opened the door for her, “Come on, Sweetness.”

  She followed them in. The lights were low, the place was packed, but –

  “They’re all Hounds,” she was confused. Every person here was a Hell Hound. Even the guy behind the bar, Byrne, was a goddamned Hell Hound. “What the hell, guys?”

  “We rented the place for the night,” Valor said. “It’s all ours. No humans. Just Hounds. We’re having one big bash before hell breaks loose.”

  “Tillllllyyyy!” Tanner roared from the stage.

  She looked over and saw a drum set along with a couple guitars already set up on the stage. Her heart started beating faster. “What’s going on?”

  “Gotta live with no regrets,” Sebastian kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She could feel his hard dick pressed against her ass. “Never did get through that bucket list. We’re ticking another item off of it tonight.” Baz held her list in his hand. “Well, two if you want.” He tapped at the additional item at the bottom.

  Twin sandwich.

  The words practically scrambled her brain. Heat flooded her. “Holy shit,” she whispered. Tilly couldn’t figure out how she felt about all this. “I can’t sing in front of everyone.”

  “Sure you can. You sing for us all the time. They’re no different. We’re all Hounds.”

  She shook her head and tried to break away, “Guys, no way. I can’t.”

  “Aye, ye can and ye will.”

  “Look at me, woman,” Drake got into her face, “You just took on an entire fleet of malanum and the Arch Angel Michael with nothing but a fucking toothpick. You can sing a song in front of your family and friends.”

  “It was more than a toothpick,” she argued. “And Michael disappeared. He doesn’t count.”

  “I don’t give a fuck. You’re badass. Go be badass on that stage.”

  “I can’t, D.”

  Drake pursed his lips and arched his eyebrow, trying to look all threatening and vicious. It made her laugh. “Don’t look snarly like that. It makes me horny.”

  The bastard pressed against her front while Baz pressed against her ass. “No singing, no sandwich. Right, brother?”

  “Right, brother.”

  Tilly’s mouth dropped open. “Fine,” she finally said.

  “If by fine you mean you’re getting your sweet ass up there right this minute, then get going, Goldilocks. Go be fine on that stage. Actions speak louder than words.”

  She smacked Drake’s arm and tried to breathe through her nervousness. Bishop stood over by the stage steps, ready to escort her. “I’ll be right up here with you, Sweetness.”

  “Who else?” she gulped. “Who’s playing the guitar?”

  “Tanner.”

  For some reason that made her feel better. She liked Tanner. She liked his whole pack, actually. Speaking of which, “Where’s Sara?”

  “Over with Kalen, Jack, and Eli at the bar.”

  She looked over her shoulder and saw them together. Sara was sipping on water with a lemon, Tilly had no idea what the others were drinking.

  “Heyyyyy Tilllly!” Tanner practically danced over to her. The rumbles and laughs of the crowd made her bones vibrate. “What song are we singing?”

  “Ummmm,” Shit, she didn’t know. “What songs do you know?”

  “Any. Just name one.”

  She chewed her bottom lip and thought of something way better and more fitting for a building filled with Hell Hounds.

  This night was going to be the last time they would all be together without war plans to discuss. Lucifer was granting them this one night of fun. Satan wanted them to unite and have something to fight for.

 
; The song choice rang in her mind immediately. “Do you know Shinedown’s How Did You Love?”

  Tanner’s gigantic smile got even bigger, “Fuck yeah, I do. Bishop?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Let’s do it!” Tanner went over and grabbed a guitar. As he pulled the strap over his head he was practically vibrating with excitement. Those vibes leaked right into Tilly. Bishop took his seat behind the drums and twirled his drumsticks with a big smile.

  Valor came up on the stage with a microphone and turned it on. “Haud yer wheesht, Hounds!” Everyone gave him their undivided attention. “Tonight we celebrate Tilly, Hell’s newest spitfire and my pack’s greatest addition.”

  Everyone howled at the same time. Tilly stumbled back and laughed, her giddiness getting the better of her.

  “Look at her, Hounds” Valor turned to her with a devilish grin, “I’ll be the first to say I never thought I’d be so lucky in this life. The fact that she came to us just in time means something,” he winked once then turned back to the crowd. “They’re out there, Hounds. That one last piece of your pack is out there. Find it. Cherish it.” He handed Tilly the microphone and kissed her so hard, she damn near dropped the mic.

  “Get a room!” someone yelled.

  Valor flipped them the bird while he continued to kiss Tilly harder. Everyone laughed and cheered, “Sing! Sing! Sing!”

  Valor peeled himself off of her and took a step back. “Give us all ye got, lass. Make them realize what’s worth fighting for.”

  She swallowed the rock lodged in her throat and went to center stage. Under the bright lights, she couldn’t see the crowd so well and it made her less nervous.

  Well, this was it. This was her moment. Tilly nodded once and Bishop clacked his drumsticks together and counted off. The drums started beating, Tanner ripped the guitar, and Tilly sang her Mother. Fucking. Heart. Out.

  The rhythm of the music slammed into her, shaking her bones. Her throat opened wide and she sang every chord with the force of Satan’s gifted powers blowing out of her with every breath. The energy was insane, the vibes on stage and in the crowd rocked Tilly’s soul.