Chapter 14 A Hellhound?
Dean
Elijah pushes open the doors to his personal quarters once the event dies down and everyone has returned to their realms.
It was an eventful night. The first time Elijah told me he wanted to gather all the supernatural leaders and who’s who of our world into one room, I was sure there’d be heads rolling.
For a minute tonight, there was blood on the floor, but everyone fell in line quickly after that. Much to my disappointment.
The ladies look up as we enter the room, a grand hall with dark brick walls and maroon carpet. August is bouncing on the couch, but the moment he sees Elijah, he runs to him with an excited shriek. “Grandpa Luci!”
Elijah scoops him up, tossing him in the air before pulling him to his chest.
“There’s my favorite werewolf. I have a very special gift for you.”
August’s eyes light up. “Really?”
“Of course. Come on, I’ll show you.”
“It better not be another ancient sword,” Nevaeh warns.
“It’s not. I promise. It’s something much better.”
I don’t like the glint in his eyes. He’s up to something.
Anxo stands to follow, but Elijah stops him. “Relax and enjoy the food, son. Dean and I’ve got this. We’ll be back soon.”
Now I’m certain Elijah is cooking up trouble because he doesn’t want our resident adult tagging along.
Apparently, I hesitate too long because August grabs my pinky with his whole hand and drags me along, bouncing off the walls with excitement.
The deeper Elijah leads us into his castle, the more anxious I get. The nerves rolling off him aren’t exactly helping either.
“Elijah, why do I feel like whatever you’re planning is going to get me in deep shit?”
The asshole pointedly ignores me, nodding to the guards ahead to open the massive iron gates. He flashes me a guilty smile, silently asking for patience before gesturing for me to go in first.
The heavy doors shut behind us with a loud thump. A small cube sits in the center of the room. A single fire burns in the corner, leaving most of the cage swallowed in shadow… until a pair of bright red eyes blink up at me.
I immediately wrap an arm around August, pulling him behind me
“Elijah… is that a fucking Hellhound?” I hiss.
He looks sheepish, but I know it won’t last long. He didn’t bring us here for shits and giggles. “The kid could use a little extra protection.”
“Giving my grandson a Hellhound is your idea of protection?”
He winces but doesn’t waver. “Look, Cerberus fathered only three pups this cycle. Smaller litter means stronger offspring. He’ll be unstoppable when he grows up. Unstoppable. I’m training the other two to guard my daughter when she takes over Hell.”
Even though none of Cerberus’s offspring are three-headed monsters, they’re still a breed of brutal protectors and vicious opponents. Dozens guard the gates of Hell, and even more roam the earth, protecting children and dragging their abusers back here. Whatever’s left of their victims, anyway.
“You remember when August stayed with us for a day while your kingdom was fighting Visha’s Coven?”
I nod. I wasn’t a part of the fight, but I’ve heard enough to piece together what happened.
“I didn’t notice at first, but August left one of his toys here. A stuffed dinosaur.”
So that’s where it went. August is usually easygoing, but he went into full-blown meltdown mode for two days until Anxo pulled out one of the identical backups he keeps for emergencies.
“Long story short, this pup locked onto August’s scent.”
Bullshit. I narrow my eyes at him. “Hellhounds don’t lock onto scents without the King of Hell’s permission.”
Elijah throws his hands up. “Exactly. I don’t know how he did it, but it can’t be undone.
I didn’t bring him to the Tetrad kingdom right away because I needed to be sure August would be safe around him.
I didn’t want him to accidentally maim the kid.
But he’s been moping ever since August left. Barely eats anything.”
August slips out from behind me, and before I can stop him, he crouches in front of the cage, watching the pup sleep like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
Elijah slumps. “Dean, he chose August, imprinted on him. He won’t survive without him.”
I sigh, my eyes fixed on the little werewolf inching closer to the cage.
“Nevaeh is going to skin us alive.”
Elijah grimaces. “Trust me, I know. She’s terrifying when it comes to her family. Her name is on the list of top five supernatural beings you don’t want to piss off. They teach about her in political class.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to choke down a laugh.
Fuck, this is a mess.
“Grandpa, look! He’s so small,” August whispers.
When he reaches for the cage, I move to stop him, but Elijah grabs my arm and shakes his head.
If the Hellhound has really locked onto August’s scent, he’ll rip my hand off if I try to touch him now. It’s going to take a lot of training to teach the pup who’s friend and who’s foe… because right now, everything is foe.
Neveah is going to fucking kill me.
August slowly opens the cage and carefully lifts the pup into his arms. I hover as close as I can without triggering the little beast my grandson is admiring.
Sure, it looks adorable now, but I know exactly what it’s capable of.
The pup lets out a low growl before nuzzling into August’s arms. The kid watches his new protector with hearts in his eyes, gently stroking his fur.
When August looks up at me, his eyes are filled with so much hope. Oh boy.
“Can I keep him? Pleaseeeee?”
Elijah turns to me with the exact same pout.
I’m going to kill him for putting me in this position.
“Fine, but—”
August throws his arm around my leg, still holding the pup. “Yes! Thank you, Grandpa! I’m going to call him Shadow because he can disappear in the dark!”
It’s true. Insanity is our family motto at this point.
I’m still processing the name when August bolts, yelling, “Mama, look what Grandpa Luci got me!”
Elijah and I slowly turn to each other, wide-eyed, and whisper, “Fuck.”