Page 2 of How to Trust a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls #4)

Wilder

I sipped some coffee as I walked down the steps to what had been nicknamed the “torture basement.” It really was an accurate name based on what Dexter was currently doing to the… man? Woman? I wasn’t sure there was enough left of them to make that call without using my hellhound senses.

Dexter was always one of the messier boys growing up. He did enjoy his work.

“Make sure to burn off the blood underneath your fingernails and in your hair before you go see Toby. And your right ear is covered in blood. Probably get inside your ear a bit, too, for cleaning up,” I told Dexter.

The man—it was definitely a man—groaned when he heard my voice. I was surprised he was still alive, what with all the parts missing.

“I’m amazed you’ve kept him alive this long. Lovely job, son,” I told him.

Dexter smiled at me, looking slightly maniacal since he was covered in blood. You could never give your kids too much praise. Yes, he had made a massive mess, but Dexter was good about cleaning things up.

I was a little surprised he’d brought someone back to the torture basement, though. Most of the boys did their work in the field since Dexter, Liam, and Atlas had human mates. This level of torture required privacy and time, however.

Humans could be squeamish about things like torture basements, although Dexter’s mate Toby wrote suspense novels, so he was usually interested in the details.

Liam’s mate Quinton was a bloodthirsty, sassy human, so I didn’t think he’d mind, either.

But Atlas, the most feral of my boys, had found himself a truly sweet and lovely mate in Aiden, and I didn’t think he’d enjoy knowing people were being tortured next door.

“Toby’s writing a new scene, and I’m doing some research,” Dexter explained. “He wants one of his characters to be tragically disfigured, and he was wondering how much people can go through without dying.”

“Ah,” I said, sipping my coffee. “Well, don’t let me stop you. I’m not sure he’ll last much longer without any treatment.”

Dexter looked thoughtful at that. Shit. I could see him planning.

“I’m sure you’ll get enough information for Toby without prolonging this for days. Plus, I’m not sure the mates would enjoy knowing there’s a serial killer being tortured in the basement,” I told Dexter.

Dexter sighed but nodded, turning back to the man. The hellbound soul was indeed a serial killer, and he’d been quite prolific. Just sitting near him gave me a sense of his crimes, and he’d face far worse in hell than anything that Dexter did to him.

We chatted for a bit as Dexter finished the guy off, marveling at how much the human body could take. Dexter did a perfect job of cleaning up, and he gushed about his mate and Toby’s newest book while cleaning up. He was truly besotted, and I was so happy for him .

We headed upstairs, and like an eager pup, Dexter raced off to fill in his mate, leaving me to my thoughts.

I finished off my coffee as I thought about our new home.

Paradise Falls was an odd little town, with its eclectic mix of afterlifers and others.

Usually you wouldn’t find such a mix in one place—the crews from upstairs and the underworld tended to bicker—and those of us who had left heaven and hell liked to stay under the radar.

After all, our dedication was no longer to our previous departments.

We served Earth now, and our loyalty was to her.

But three of my boys had found mates here, and if I wasn’t mistaken, the others wouldn’t be far behind. It was rather miraculous.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on my boys. Corbin was outside with his crows, and Dexter was already with Toby at their house. Liam was on the other side in his own house with Quinton. Atlas and Aiden were… to the west, but not far away. Still in Paradise Falls.

Jude had been full of restless energy this morning, so he’d gone off to hunt. He was north, a couple hours away.

If I concentrated very hard, I could feel three other mortals—they were almost pack members, but they were on the fringes.

Very far off in the distance, I felt another hellhound, but it was a very faint trace.

Free will would determine whether any of them joined our pack.

I breathed out and let my concentration fade.

Finding those who weren’t pack yet was difficult and a bit draining.

Being able to easily find my boys, though, had made wrangling a bunch of adolescent hellhounds a hell of a lot easier. I smiled to myself, thinking of all the mischief they’d gotten into as they’d grown up. I’d been blessed to have them all in my life.

I’d spent some quality time with most of my boys since coming to Paradise Falls, but I hadn’t really had one on one time with Corbin yet.

I tracked down some nuts and stuffed them in my pockets before I made my way outside, following my senses.

Corbin was a little ways into the forest, sitting cross legged on the ground.

His crows announced my arrival, but Corbin already knew I was coming.

He had his own sense of the pack because of his witch blood.

He nodded at me, and I sat next to him. I took out my offering, and the crow on his shoulder took a nut from my hand, and then, as if that gave the rest permission, they came down from the trees and surrounded me.

Corbin smiled fondly at them as I threw nuts out for them.

“You spoil them,” he said.

“Isn’t it a grandfather’s job to spoil his grandchildren?” I asked.

Corbin laughed, which was my aim. He was usually too serious. Besides, the crows were like his children—his pack within the pack.

He pet the one that had returned to his shoulder, and we sat in content silence for a while, watching his crows and occasionally chuckling at their antics.

I was gifted with a perfectly smooth pebble that had hues of white and blue, and I thanked the crow who brought it to me, slipping it into a pocket.

Sometimes just sitting with Corbin was enough. He was like Atlas in that way—he enjoyed quiet companionship. I could tell he had something on his mind, though.

“What have your crows been telling you? Or is it Mother Earth who is worrying you?” I asked.

Corbin hummed thoughtfully. “This town. There’s something about it.”

“Yes,” I agreed. I sat and let him gather his thoughts. I knew sometimes it was hard to put feelings into words.

“Things are… changing. I don’t think in a bad way. I think the universe wants change, and I think it helps us along.” He stopped, looking into the distance. “Three of my brothers have mates,” he added.

I nodded, wondering how to discuss his feelings on the matter. He loved the new packmates—I could sense that amongst all the pack. The humans were welcomed and protected by all. Yet I could also sense a… yearning coming from Corbin.

“I scent him sometimes, I think,” he said.

I looked at him, waiting for him to continue. He was staring off into the woods, and I knew that he was talking about his own mate.

“The crows… I think they know him. But for some reason, part of me is holding back,” he finally said.

“You have always trusted your own judgment, and it has never led you astray. I know sometimes it’s hard for you.

I know your hellhound instincts and your mystical knowledge are not always in agreement.

Yet you make the right choice every time.

A part of you knows what side needs to be followed,” I reassured him.

He hummed, but I could still sense his uncertainty.

“Do you remember the village baker?” I asked him.

Corbin looked at me then, shaking his head. I figured he’d forgotten the story, but I hadn’t.

“When you were still a pup and you were brought to me, one of the first towns we went to had a rotten soul—the village baker. We were all set to take care of the man, and I thought it would be a good bonding experience for the pack. We went to his home under darkness, and as we walked towards the door, you put your hand out and grabbed onto Dexter, who was in the lead. You said, ‘Not yet.’ We all stared at you, and I knew some of the boys thought maybe you were feeling nervous about killing with us.”

Corbin chuckled at the thought, and I smiled at him.

“I trusted my own instincts, and they said to trust yours. I could sense your hellhound yearning to bring justice to the man, but I thought perhaps you needed time to acclimate to the pack a little better. For two more nights, you said it wasn’t time yet, and the boys grumbled and groaned, but I said we’d give you time.

The baker wasn’t going anywhere, after all, and even if he did, we could track him.

” I trailed off, remembering the man. He had been truly rotten down to the core.

“I don’t remember a baker being our first kill as a pack,” Corbin said.

“Yes, because he wasn’t. The fourth night, the stench of rot was so strong in the air, and you told us all that it was time. The baker was meeting up with like-minded individuals, it turned out.”

Corbin smiled. “Ah, the barn massacre. I do remember that. It was the first time I felt like I had a family since my mother had died.”

I chuckled. “Yes, it was an excellent bonding experience for us all. We had many kills that night, and it was thanks to you. Your hellhound cried out to kill the man on that first night, but a part of you knew that greater justice would be served if you waited.”

Corbin nodded.

“Patience has always been your virtue. Have patience, son, and your time will come. Trust in yourself. You know what’s right.” I placed my hand on his back.

He looked off into the distance again, clearly thinking. His crow ruffled their feathers and cawed, and there were answering caws from the trees.

Corbin looked at me. “It isn’t my time, but perhaps it’s yours,” he stated.

We both heard the car a moment later, and Corbin smiled at me. “Time to go, old man.”

I laughed at him, ruffling his hair. “Alright, pup, I’ll go check it out.” I stood up and started walking, calling over my shoulder, “I love you, Corbin, and your murder of crows.”

I heard cawing in response, and then I made my way to Atlas and Aiden’s house. I heard their voices before I saw them. Despite their attempts at whispering, they weren’t very quiet.

“I can’t drive to the cabin, because we don’t actually have a road to the cabin. We should have thought of that!” Aiden hissed.

“He can stay here,” Atlas stated, and I knew from his voice it wasn’t the first time he’d said it.

“He doesn’t want to stay here, and we need to respect what he wants,” Aiden told him.

“But why not? We’ll protect him,” Atlas insisted.

“It’s a human thing, okay? He doesn’t want a lot of people around. And he doesn’t even know you,” Aiden insisted.

“He does so. He’s met me a bunch of times,” Atlas replied.

“No,” Aiden said slowly, “he’s met Fluffy a bunch of times. You’re going to have to be Fluffy.”

“But who will carry the stuff?” Atlas asked, obviously confused at why he couldn’t be Atlas.

I almost laughed at their conversation, then I smelled him.

Josh.

The man who had been at Toby’s. He smelled like cinnamon sugar and vanilla, like a tasty treat.

Yet there had been something there that night that had made me stay away, despite my desire to go speak to him.

There had been a faintly acidic smell of fear, like an orange gone to mold.

I hadn’t liked the scent, and I knew all of us hellhounds together could easily make humans nervous, so I had kept my distance and let him get used to us.

After all, I knew I’d have plenty of opportunities to meet him.

He was one of Toby’s best friends, and he was on the fringes of the pack.

Only he wasn’t near all the hellhounds now, and the tangy, rotten orange smell of fear and pain was heavy in the air. I suddenly knew that he was injured, and I began to run toward the sound of Aiden’s and Atlas’s voices.