Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
I hoped because getting a big dose of venom probably wasn’t good for Rain.
Not Rain. Damn it. I wasn’t naming my baby Rain, but it was kind of nice.
“From the sound of that howl, he’ll be a few minutes.” There was a tension in Lee’s voice I didn’t normally hear, but then I hadn’t been in battle with vampire Lee. “Really wish you’d brought like a sword or something. I’m worried that gun is going to send them into a frenzy, and that caliber might have worked on the murder cat, but it’s not going to work on the hellhounds.”
I stared at the one who was right in front of me. There was at least twenty feet separating us from the big canine.
Hellhounds are like every other creature. If you love them and treat them well, they’re puppies who will take the heads off of anyone who threatens you and they’ll spend the rest of their time drooling and trying to get treats and belly rubs and cuddles.
If you train them to kill, withhold any kind of affection, they will treat the world like something to put down.
The difference between the two? Fear.
“Kelsey, look at their eyes,” Lee said.
A hellhound’s eyes go fiery red when they’re mad enough to kill.
So why were theirs a milky white? “It’s a spell. They’ve been spelled. We can’t kill them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
“Yes, we can totally kill them,” Lee countered.
“No. We can’t.”
There was a low growl from the hound in front of me, and then he leapt.
I’m a pretty solid chick. I’m not like the tallest, but I’m muscular, and I’m pretty sure my bones are way stronger than a human’s. I’d been freaked out by the murder cat, but I’d had really good sex since then, and that always puts me in a calm mood. And then there was all the tension with Lucifer, so I was also ready to choose violence. I heard Lee yell out, but I was busy.
I planted my feet and reared back my demon hand and punched the fucker right in the face.
The hellhound jerked back and flew halfway across the yard.
I wasn’t usually that strong.
I felt a flutter go through me.
Baby boy was in there, and he was lending his mama some serious demon strength.
“Whoa,” Lee said, sidestepping his own hound. “I do not remember you ever doing that.”
The other two hounds were taking up the fight. One leapt on Lee’s back, his mouth open and teeth going for Lee’s neck.
Lee jumped up and back down, pinning the hound behind him and then rolling away.
The hellhound I’d punched was getting up and shaking it off. That was when I heard the growl from behind me.
I ducked as the big body flew over me and landed near its brother. Both hounds settled back on their haunches and then leapt toward me.
See, I was so much looser. I know it’s protocol to take a dose of vampire blood before going into battle, but I’m telling you that an orgasm is every bit as important. I caught the one to the right with my fist and kicked out left, shoving that one to the side.
Another howl split the air as I moved back, giving myself some space. Lee was rolling on the ground with his hound, growling every bit as much as his opponent.
That was when I noticed they had something I hadn’t seen before. Collars.
Hellhounds don’t wear collars. Their owners don’t dress them in cute sweaters for Christmas or doggie PJs. They do not suffer through those humiliations lightly.
So something was wrong with that collar.
“Kelsey!”
Evan was running down the stairs, and so was my worst nightmare. Now that’s a hyperbole for you. Of course my worst nightmare would be the hound chewing Lee’s head off and turning him into a big pile of dust. Or Fenrir or Evan, same thing without the pile o’ dust. But in that moment with Lee handling his hound, Evan still pretty far away, and Fen being in a massive wolf king body, that puppy running down the stairs like he was three hundred pounds bigger than he was scared the holy fuck out of me.
Lee tossed his hound off and managed to jump in front of me as the one I’d kicked nearly beheaded me.
“Kelsey, what the hell,” Lee said as he diverted the big guy.
“It’s Puff,” I yelled as I took off. I was glad I’d traded in the ornate blazer and corset for a sturdy bra and T-shirt, and I’d ditched the heels as soon as I could. Running across the grass in fuzzy slippers wasn’t ideal, but it was better than the alternative.
Evan was crying out as she realized what was about to happen.
She wouldn’t make it in time. Puff was already facing off with a hound who had hundreds of pounds on him. He looked so small standing there, his front paws planted on the grass and his tail up and ready for battle. His growls were nothing compared to the deep rage that came from the other hound.