How Not to Kill a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls #5)

Chapter 1

Corbin

I lounged on the couch, which was plush and comfortable. Crow, my familiar, was perched on the back of it, keeping an eye on the good doctor. Not that he was going anywhere.

“I’ve never visited a shrink before.”

The doctor grunted a bit, and I corrected myself. “A psychiatrist, I mean. I guess ‘shrink’ is offensive.”

We were both silent for a moment before I continued.

“You probably start by asking about family. My family is wonderful—I have a supportive and kind adoptive father, and although my brothers can be idiots, we would all do anything for each other. They all have mates, including my father, although I’m not sure Jude knows it yet.

I’m not jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking.

I know my future holds a mate for me as well, although there are…

complications. He isn’t exactly what I thought he’d be. ”

There was a shifting in the doctor’s chair that human ears probably wouldn’t have even picked up on.

“That isn’t to say he isn’t perfect. He really is.” Crow cawed in agreement, and I smiled. “I just don’t foresee things being easy, because he’s death.”

The doctor made a muffled sound, and I hummed in agreement.

“Yes, I do mean actual death, but I’m sure we’ll be able to work through that.

” I sighed. “But that’s kind of skirting the issue, isn’t it?

Because if you’re asking about family, I only told you about my adopted family.

I never knew my father, but I had many years with my mother, and I think those years fundamentally shaped who I am today. ”

Crow made a soft sound, sensing my sadness.

“She was beautiful, intelligent, and kind. We lived in a small village, and my mother was respected and revered as a midwife and healer. She had some sight, as well. I still think, to this day, that she foresaw what was coming.”

I was lost in my thoughts for a moment, the doctor quietly waiting.

My mother had always assured me that my father’s people would find me and care for me when she died.

She told me that death was not an ending, it was a new beginning, and I needed to remember that she was not forever gone.

I was young, and her death seemed like something far in the future.

I hadn’t realized how soon it would come.

“She wasn’t called a witch, you know. She hid her sight, and she healed with tonics and lotions. Even the doctors of the time used herbs for healing, so it was not so far-fetched. She said she was a doctor’s widow, so her knowledge seemed plausible.

“Of course, powerful and capable women in that time often found themselves in conflict with men in power. Eventually a doctor came into town. He seemed to respect her at first, and eventually he even proposed to her. She turned him down. She didn’t like his aura, she told me.

I could sense the wrongness in him, too, so I didn’t argue.

I wonder if she knew, even as she turned him away, what would happen. ”

The doctor fidgeted again, and I sighed. Yes, I suppose it was all rather maudlin, and it was so far in the past.

“To sum up, there was no burning at the stake or anything so horrible. The townspeople didn’t rally against her.

He didn’t turn everyone’s minds and hearts against her.

She saved a child from getting run over by a carriage, and she was knocked unconscious.

She had extensive bruising and some broken bones, but nothing she couldn’t heal on her own.

But the townspeople were worried, and they called for the doctor.

I asked them not to, but I was only a child. ”

Crow cawed again, ruffling her feathers. She sensed my anger, and she shared in it.

“Can you guess what happened? He ‘treated’ her by taking her into surgery, and she bled out on the operating table. Everyone mourned her, and the doctor talked about how severe her internal injuries were, how she couldn’t have been saved, but how she died a hero for saving a child’s life.”

The doctor made a noise of distress.

“Yes, he lied. He took advantage of his position of power to get rid of her. He let her die on that operating table. He said he wanted to save her, but I knew the truth, and I made him admit it before I killed him.”

The doctor whimpered at that, and I looked over at him. His eyes were wide with fear, the rag in his mouth soaked with spit, and I could see he had been working at the zip ties on his wrists and ankles. It would do him no good.

I got up, walked towards him, and kneeled down in front of him. Crow flew over onto my shoulder.

“So you can guess how distressing I find it when people in power, particularly doctors in power, take advantage of those that they’re supposed to help. You can guess how… angry that makes me. Brings back all that trauma, you know?”

The doctor whimpered again, and I thought he might be trying to plead behind the gag.

“I’m not sure if talking it out really helped, but don’t worry—I’m sure by the time I’m done with you, I’ll feel much better.”

I stood up and went over to grab my bag, taking out some of my tools. Crow flew over and landed on the doctor’s shoulder as he whimpered again. Crow cawed in his ear, and he flinched.

“Crow has been ever so patient, don’t you think? She deserves a treat. Did you know eyes are soft and rich in nutrients? They’re something of a delicacy for most animals.”

The doctor began crying, his whimpering getting louder.

“Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with tears for long. And as for making noise… Well, you made sure that no one can hear what goes on in this office, so we have all the time in the world, doctor. All the time in the world.”

I smiled as Crow began pecking at him. He screamed for a long time, and I really did feel better when we were done. I supposed there was something to this whole therapy business after all.

My family was wonderful; I hadn’t been lying.

We all lived in houses or cabins on our combined property in Paradise Falls, and we had some humans in our pack, too.

Dexter had moved in with Toby, his paranormal romance writing mate.

Liam, our hacker hellhound, had his perfect snarky partner in Quinton.

Aiden was paired up with Atlas, my most feral brother—I had to admit that had surprised me at first, but the two balanced each other.

Wilder, my adopted father, had mated with Josh, a friend of Toby’s.

They were both caretakers, both kind and loving, and they took care of each other along with all of us.

That left Jude and I in the big house, and Jude was…

Well, he was Jude. One would think we would have the most in common, and in some ways we did.

We had both been raised with humans, but Jude was quite a bit younger than me, and he was also quite the joker.

Although I think everyone knew the sheriff was more than likely his mate, they were doing some weird mating dance, which consisted of illegal acts on Jude’s part that the sheriff mostly chose to ignore, aside from the occasional moment in handcuffs.

I walked into the house we shared, and Jude called out a greeting, asking, “How’d it go with the not-so-good doctor?”

“Good. Crow enjoyed things.” Crow cawed in agreement.

Jude chuckled. He was at the stove fixing some dinner.

“No group dinner tonight?” I asked, slightly disappointed.

“Nope,” Jude said, giving me a grin. “You know, you could just go talk to Sebbie. I saw you both eyeing each other at the last dinner.”

I snorted. “Yeah, maybe you should go talk to your sheriff instead of trying to get arrested by him.”

“He likes it when I break the law. Handcuffs are our love language.”

I snorted again, and Jude left the subject alone, dishing us both plates.

As annoying as Jude could sometimes be, with me he was calmer and quieter.

I think he didn’t feel like he needed to keep up his jokester persona all the time when it was just the two of us.

Yes, it was a big part of who he was, but there were depths to Jude, as well.

Growing up as a hellhound in the human world left scars.

The two of us just covered our scars up in different ways.

I hadn’t talked to Sebbie at the one dinner we’d both been at, despite being drawn to him.

We’d stared at one another now and then, but too much had happened for it to progress.

Despite the fact that he was Toby’s and Josh’s best friend, I’d only met him when he was kidnapped by a cult—a long story, but it all ended up fine.

I’d known right away when I’d seen him in the basement of the cult house that he was important to me, and that he was probably my mate.

I’d also seen the shadow surrounding him, almost like a figure superimposed on top of him.

I’d had the realization that Sebbie, the sweet, bubbly best friend that Toby and Josh always talked about, was a grim reaper.

He was death. A collector of souls. And he had the capability to kill anyone and anything. Even immortals.

Even hellhounds.

Then I’d seen another image when I’d stared at Sebbie—the ferryman. Only, that didn’t make sense. The grim reaper collected souls, and the ferryman transported them to wherever they needed to go. They were, as far as I knew, two separate entities. Yet I’d seen both on the man.

Then everyone in that room had died, maybe—or maybe not—and then we’d been fine, and the immortal cult leader had been dead. All because of Sebbie. He’d saved us.

I wanted to see and talk to him. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to find out everything about him.

There was only one major problem—I was pretty sure he had absolutely no idea who or what he was, and I was also pretty sure he didn’t remember a thing about what had happened in that basement room.

It looked like courting my mate might be a little more difficult than I’d expected.

Crow ate the pieces of corn I shared with her, and she ruffled her feathers at my thought.

She was right. We were patient. We would watch over our mate and figure out the best way to court him.

Our murder of crows would keep us informed even if we weren’t there.

After all, they were already quite attached to the cute little reaper.