Page 17

Chapter 17

Atlas/Fluffy

L iam did his best to intercept as many of the FBI emails as possible, and after some research, Corbin went on a little field trip to the FBI office where the agent who sent them was based. I was looking forward to Corbin bringing the man back—that would be a fun diversion.

Still, over the next few days, I could tell that Aiden was bothered. He talked about his brother on our walks, processing his childhood and everything he’d gone through. I think he thought it was a “normal” childhood, but even I could tell it wasn’t.

I think the wolves had given me more affection than his parents had given him. Sure, they saw to his needs and provided for his happiness, and they seemed to say the right things, but Aiden had grown up knowing that love was conditional.

Wolves were better than that, and I thought how I was raised was better. The wolves had loved me no matter what.

We were finishing up a walk and heading inside for Aiden to get ready for work when I smelled it. I stopped, sniffing at the air. Smoke, woods, earth—a distinct, comforting scent in the air.

Aiden stopped, looking at me. “Everything ok?”

I sniffed the air again, then wagged my tail. I didn’t want him to worry. The smell was close, but it wasn’t here yet.

Soon , Fluffy grumbled.

Yes, soon. I bounded into the house, excited, and changed into my human form, grabbing a pair of sweatpants by the door. Aiden’s gaze lingered on me, and he blushed when he saw me noticing. I smiled, and he muttered and pointed to his room, rushing off to get ready for work. We hadn’t repeated our intimate moment, mostly sleeping in bed with Quinton and Liam for the last few nights, and I knew that was because Aiden had a lot on his mind.

I was looking forward to more intimacy with Aiden, though, in whatever form that took.

I grabbed one of the cookies Aiden made out of the jar on the counter and started snacking on it as Quinton and Liam came out. Quinton stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me. I looked down at myself, but I was wearing sweatpants, so I wasn’t sure what the problem was.

“Are you… Is that…” Quinton trailed off, looking at Liam.

Liam looked as perplexed as me, giving a bit of a shrug when Quinton turned back to me.

I took another bite of my cookie. Aiden was such a good baker, and I loved that he made treats just for me.

“Are you seriously eating a fucking dog biscuit right now?” Quinton blurted out.

I looked down at the cookie in my hand. Yes, it was shaped like a dog biscuit, because it was the cookies he made for Fluffy. He was still making the same recipe and continued to bring treats on our walks.

It was tasty. I didn’t really see what the problem was, so I just shrugged my shoulders at Quinton and popped the last bite into my mouth.

Quinton rubbed his hands down his face, then huffed and headed out the door. Liam just shrugged. Yes, humans were so weird sometimes.

Liam yelled out to Aiden that they’d be waiting in the car, and off he went. Aiden came out of his room a minute later. He was still oddly shy about asking for what he needed, so I walked over and gave him a firm hug. He sighed into my shoulder, and I kissed the top of his head.

“Don’t get into any trouble while I’m at work,” he said.

I gave a chuckle and smiled at him when he pulled back. He blushed, and then he was out the door. Perhaps an intimate moment would come sooner rather than later with all his blushing and his slight smell of arousal. I was looking forward to it.

Once I heard the car pull out of the driveway, I changed back into my hound form and went off into the woods, roaming and smelling the air.

Close, close, close, Fluffy rumbled.

I went full hellhound, running quickly through the woods, following my nose. I was off our land and into the public land when I slowed down, the scent nearby.

I let my own scent fade away as best I could and stalked slowly through the underbrush. I hadn’t spotted him yet, but he was so close. I was as quiet as possible, determined to sneak up on him.

This was a game I wasn’t planning on losing.

The scent was practically on top of me now, and I hunched even lower, pausing to sniff the air.

Here! Right here! Fluffy insisted.

But I didn’t see him. I looked up into the trees—he was tricky like that.

It was then that I was tackled from the side, my body thrown into the underbrush, a large, heavy form on top of me.

I growled and heaved my attacker off.

Cheater , Fluffy grumbled.

Wilder stood up, laughing at me covered in leaves and dirt. I burned them off with my hellfire and showed my teeth, but he just opened his arms up. I jumped up and he caught me in a hug, my fire licking along both of us.

“That’s my boy! You almost had me. Quite tricky with your scent,” he said, hugging me tightly. “I’ll always be able to find my boys, though, because you’re always with me,” he added, letting me go and pressing a fist to his chest over his heart.

I panted at him in happiness, and we started ambling back towards our property.

“It’s been too long since we were all together, and my delicate side project could use a bit of a break,” he said.

I cocked my head at him, staring intently. Was he adopting another hellhound?

“Maybe,” he answered, anticipating my question. “This is truly a unique situation, but I’ve got some more work to do before I share. Besides, I felt like my boys needed me.”

I snorted at that.

Wilder laughed. “Come now, I took a drive through most of the town before sneaking onto the property. This place is like a nexus of afterlifers. I don’t think I’ve sensed so many non-mortals together in an area in centuries. Everyone seems to be very happily coexisting, as well, which is another oddity. You boys chose well.”

I gave a light bark at that.

“But some of my boys have found mates,” he said, giving me a smirk and a sideways look. “Although perhaps not everyone has told me about it yet. Nevertheless, I had to come and welcome the new pack members.”

I wagged my tail and gave a bit of a grumble at the same time. Aiden was my mate, but it wasn’t official yet, so I hadn’t told Wilder. I wondered if someone had tattled or if he had just sensed it on me. Anything was possible with a pack of brothers and with Wilder being a first generation hellhound.

Wilder talked about some of what he had been up to, filling me in on the last few months since I’d seen him. I trotted along, listening, as we walked toward the house where Jude and Corbin were staying. We paused, though, and he sat down on a tree stump, looking out over the woods and breathing deeply. I leaned against his side, and he pet me, smiling.

Wilder never minded when I didn’t answer back. He never minded when I stayed in hellhound or dog form. He seemed to sense the train of my thoughts, because he spoke after a moment.

“Do you remember when I first brought you home as a pup? You didn’t change into your human form for at least a year, maybe two, and then there you were, this scrawny-looking kid. I knew you had to be older, but your human form must not have aged as quickly since you spent so many years in your wolf form. You never did tell me how long you were with the wolves, and that was ok. But I worried for you. Always the most out of everyone, I worried for you,” he said, gripping my fur as he stared at me.

I licked at his hand. I knew I had worried him. I had been an angry, untrusting pup. Wilder was full of endless patience and love, always there, always giving me what I needed before I even knew I needed it.

“You will always have a pack with your brothers, and I will always be your father and love you.”

I licked at his hand again. I knew that.

“I think your hellhound didn’t always believe that. You had so many years without a true pack, and it left its mark. But I sense a calmness to you now. A peace that you never had before. I think your mate, whether he’s claimed you or not, has made that happen. He’s brought you closer to the pack, and he’s made your hellhound trust more,” Wilder finished.

I changed into my human form, because I supposed I did want to answer Wilder. He lifted an eyebrow slightly, which was as good as shouting in surprise for him. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, how much he had done for me, and how grateful I was for him.

“Aiden named my hellhound Fluffy,” I said instead, not sure why that seemed the most important thing to say.

Wilder only nodded his head, though, looking thoughtful. “I should have thought of that. We waited until you could tell us a name, because I wanted to give you that control. I should have thought that you would want to be given that, though. I’m sorry, Fluffy.”

My eyes felt wet, and I blinked at the moisture. Wilder seemed to understand, because he stood up and hugged me tight. In the past, I probably would have broken away first, but Aiden had gotten me used to contact, and I hugged Wilder back tightly.

“I can’t wait for you to meet my mate,” I finally rumbled, clearing my throat.

Wilder stepped back, smiling. “Me too, son. First, though, let’s check in with the rest of the boys. Corbin is almost back.”

I heard a caw in response, and I looked up to see crows in the trees. I didn’t smell Corbin or the rotten soul he was supposed to bring back, but Wilder’s nose and senses were better than even mine.

We walked the rest of the way toward the house, and we barely made it into the backyard before Jude came bounding out like a puppy.

“Wilder!” he shouted, launching himself at the man. Wilder grabbed him, hugging him tight. Liam and Dexter both must have heard or smelled the ruckus, because they came from the direction of their houses. Dexter got there first and got a long hug, and Liam waited patiently for his turn.

“Corbin is gonna be pissed,” Liam muttered after he got his hug.

As if on cue, we all heard the car engine and smelled the hellbound soul Corbin was bringing back. We headed to the front of the house, and we all ignored the ruckus in the trunk as Corbin got out of the car to hug Wilder in greeting.

“Pack’s all here!” Jude muttered happily. “Well, hellhound pack, at least.”

“Yes, my boys have added a few humans to the mix,” he smiled. He sniffed the air then, eyes closed. “Oh, you’ve got quite a bit more than that here, though.”

He must’ve smelled Sebbie. He wasn’t human, but I wasn’t sure what he was. I wanted to tell Wilder that letting the guys know might not be a great idea—they hadn’t reacted well to the news that Aiden’s therapist wasn’t human.

“Dangerous?” Liam asked, and I swear I saw his fingers twitch, like he was ready to start typing away on a computer.

“No,” said Wilder slowly. “Not dangerous. I sensed only harmony as I made my way through Paradise Falls. A lot of afterlifers, though. I haven’t known so many angels and demons to reside in one place, nevermind all the other afterlifers and offspring,” he said.

Jude cocked his head. “I’ve met Aiden’s therapist, and she didn’t smell like Nephilim, although I did see one the other day.”

Wilder just laughed. “Oh, my boys, you’ve got a lot more than Nephilim here. Heaven and hell have had more creatures in them than angels and demons, even if some left for the mortal plane so long ago that most have forgotten of their existence.”

We all pondered that, and then there was a particularly loud thump from the trunk.

“Any trouble?” Liam asked.

Corbin shook his head, and his crow cawed at us, ruffling his feathers. So a little bit of trouble, then, but nothing to speak of.

“Family torture session?” Jude asked hopefully, looking at each of us.

“We have a few hours until we have to pick up Quinton and Aiden,” Liam answered. “Although the uncultured mutt might want to put on pants.”

I looked down at myself and shrugged. I’d grab some sweats in the house.

“Toby is writing, and he can reach me if he needs me,” Dexter said.

Corbin nodded, and his crow stretched its wings in delight.

There was nothing like a little torture to make a family reunion complete.

* * *

The FBI agent was as hellbound as they came. Wilder let us have our fun with him as he proudly looked on. The man was amazingly resilient, and it became quite a bit of fun to see who could break him first and by what means. Psychological torture, threatening loved ones (not that we would ever hurt them), physical torture—he really did withstand a lot. Corbin even tried some witchy shit on him, but Corbin only shook his head after he put both his hands on the man’s head.

Liam sighed after a couple hours. “We’re gonna need to pick up the guys from work soon,” he grumbled.

I sighed too. I wanted to see my Aiden more than anything, but I was hoping to have some news for him.

Wilder strode forward, and we all stepped back. We’d had our fun, and it was time for a first gen hellhound to take over. He leaned in, and he began whispering in the man’s ear, flame engulfing them both but not burning them. The man began screaming in panic, but Wilder just kept whispering. He placed his hand on the man’s chest, and the screams became high pitched yowls of pain, but we could see no damage to his physical form.

Wilder could do things that none of us could, and he never fully explained it all. I wasn’t sure he even remembered everything he could do. He had probably forgotten more in his long existence than we would ever know.

Finally the man began talking, and Wilder backed away to let him speak.

He made no sense, though, and Liam grabbed a computer to start researching. He talked about “the mark,” “the next generation,” and the “old man” who he had always worked for. Aiden was needed for something, and it sounded perhaps like some kind of ritual.

“The old man is dead,” Liam said, assuming like the rest of us that he was speaking of the grandfather.

The agent just laughed maniacally. “He never dies! He will never die! So what was I supposed to do? I was a new agent, and some… being with powers, who can’t die, approached me. All I could do was help him!”

“There are always choices,” Corbin stated.

“Death! Death was my only other choice!” the agent cried out. “And now he’ll find me, and it’ll be worse than death!”

“You should not believe everything you’re told. There is nothing worse than what awaits you in hell for all that you’ve done,” Dexter growled. “He chose you because you relish in the agony of others. You always had a choice, and you chose to follow darkness for your own evil satisfaction, for greed, and for power.”

The man was crying then, and we left him tied up and trudged upstairs.

“The grandfather isn’t dead?” Liam muttered, frantically typing away.

Dexter gave a wave and muttered something about Toby, heading off toward his mate’s house. Corbin sat at the kitchen table, where he had somehow acquired peanuts to feed his crow.

Jude stared at Liam, glued to his computer, then at me. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Come on, I’ll take you to pick up the guys. That one is gonna be lost in his computer for a while,” he said, pointing his thumb at Liam.

Wilder looked over at us. “I don’t like this. Too many afterlifers. The universe is… unbalanced. And yet…” Wilder shook his head, and waved us off while he sat down, losing himself in thought.

I stripped my sweatpants and turned into Fluffy, and Jude and I headed to the car. I was excited for Aiden to meet Wilder, but I was also concerned. His grandfather faking his death didn’t seem like that big of a deal—humans did that sort of thing sometimes—but Wilder seemed troubled.

If a first generation hellhound was troubled, then there was definitely a reason to be concerned.