Hellhound (11 page)

Chapter Nine

Sometimes I lead

Sometimes I follow

I sat in the weapons room and stared at everything around me. It had been weeks since I had said anything more to Gunner and he spent all of his time hunting. Even going out alone and leaving us here, which was not what we were supposed to do, we were a pack, just as dogs are. We travelled as one, but Gunner seemed to be pulling away from us, from me and I could feel it. I had hidden the pain the best that I could, but confronting him seemed useless and the longer it went the more I feared that what Lucifer had said may have been completely true. I stood up as I heard clapping echoing behind me. I turned to see Lucifer walking towards me in a nice suit. His hair pulled back and out of his face.  He then turned and waved his hand at his head and I saw that he had cut his hair off. It was now pretty close to the length of Gunner’s. I sighed as he approached me. He then stopped and narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, you have been dumped Halo, what a tragic turn of events. Men suck.”

I watched him closely as he scanned the room.

“I tried to tell you.”

“I don’t need your advice.” I said.

He looked at me and shook his head slowly.

“Obviously you did, I told you what he is.”

“He is not like that.”

He laughed and it echoed in the room.

“This is your fault, seems to be the only one you have. I mean you kill with proficiency, you are a beauty beyond compare and you fuck like…”

“Stop.” I said as I walked to the wall and pulled two staffs. I walked back to him and tossed him one.

“I don’t enjoy the fact that I can no longer hear your chatter Halo, I mean you used to have all kinds of lovely things running through your head.”

“I don’t want you in my head anymore.”

“That is anger and hurt driving you to the other end of this Halo, you came here so sweet and trusting.”

“I was never exactly innocent or trusting. In fact that is why I died.”

He smiled as I spun the staff in my hands and then above my head. I spun on one foot and slammed mine into the floor, making the sound echo in the room.

“Feel like gambling?” I asked as he tilted his head. He spun the staff in his hand and slammed it to the ground. I blinked, but refused to allow him to bother me.

“Oh this sounds interesting.”

“We battle, and we play for prizes.”

He licked his lip and watched me very closely.

“What prizes, would it happen to start with a p and end with a y, because I would love to take my…”

“No, no sex.” I said and he sighed.

“Well, for what then?” he asked me and I spread my feet apart.

“We battle and if I win you don’t visit us in the house anymore…ever.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Well that fucking sucks.”

“Not for me.”

“Okay, well if I win, then what, what do I get?”

“If you win I will visit you once a week, for an hour, to talk.”

“Talk?” he said as he spun the staff and started to pace back and forth.

“Yes talk. I know you like my chatter.”

He stopped and turned to me.

“About anything?”

“Anything.”

“Mmm.” He said as he stepped towards me and held the staff out to me.

“I am surprised with you Halo.”

“Why?”

“I thought you would ask me to make him love you.”

I stopped breathing for a second and then regained my composer.

“I don’t need that, I need for you to stop pestering everyone.”

“I am not a pest.”

“I disagree.” I said as I started to spin my staff. He watched it closely and then gripped his staff in his hand.

“If you win then I want one more thing.”

“You get one and I get one Lucifer.”

“I want you to visit me once a month to chat, in Hell.”

“If you get two things then I get two things.”

He smiled and looked me over.

“You visit me and I will fuck you like you have never been fucked before.”

“Uh… no.” I said as he looked into my eyes.

“What? You need dick, I know that you do.”

“I want you to not let Gunner come to Hell and suffer like he does.”

“Oh, please. I told you that he does that on his own.”

“I don’t believe you, I think you have something to do with it.”

“I do not.” he said as he tried to keep his smile under control.

“I want those things if I win and…”

“Okay fine.” He said as he lunged at me and our staffs met. I swung around on one foot as he hissed behind me. I then swung my staff and caught his leg, knocking him onto his back and he laughed manically at me. I stepped back and shook my head at him.

“You didn’t even try.”

“I will see you tonight, wear something pretty. Vinyl, of course.” He said as he stood up and tossed the staff to me. He started to walk away and I called after him.

“Gunner won’t be coming to Hell anymore, not to suffer.” He waved his hand above his hand and with that he was gone. I sighed and then rubbed my forehead.

“Fuck me.” I whispered as I knew he actually just won.

***

I stepped out into the hallway as Gunner leaned against the wall. I was wearing another one of my vinyl dresses, this one was not the one I fought in. It was just tight at my neck, built like a tank top and hugged my body closely as it ended mid-thigh. I had out on a pair of candy apple red heels with it and when I saw Gunner I stumbled, catching myself with the door handle and closing it behind me.

“Gunner.” I said as he stood up and stared at me. His eyes lowered to my shoes and back up my body.

“Going out?” he asked me and I nodded to him.

“Well, not out, down.”

“Down?”

“I had a sparring match with the prince of douchebaggery and I won.”

“You what?”

“Lucifer, he came here and I sparred him in the weapons room. I kicked his ass. Well, I didn’t kick his ass, he let me and now I have to go visit him.”

“No.”

I turned and raised an eyebrow. My expression should be telling him to shut the fuck up.

“I am going Gunner, you are not my Dad.”

“Halo, he is a master of deception, you could go down there and never return.”

“I am fine, he just wants to talk. I have to go once a month and talk to him.”

He laughed at me.

“What?”

“You didn’t win, he manipulated you. He wants to fuck you.”

I placed a hand on my hip. “And if he does then why do you care anyway?”

He watched as I walked by him and down the hallway.

“Halo.”

I stopped and turned back to listen to him. But he said nothing and I shook my head and left him standing there in the hallway.

***

“I am going.” Gunner said as Dorin stood in his room and stared him down.

“No.”

“Listen to me, she is in danger Dorin. Lucifer is not to be trusted.”

“Perhaps this is something you should hear Gunner, you fucked it up with her and now what? Lucifer may fuck her, and so what if he does. He likes her, she is a Hellhound, he cannot kill her.”

Gunner stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes.

“He places a hand on her and I will…”

“Will what Gunner? We cannot hurt him, but you hurt her.”

“Wow Dorin.” Gunner said as he stopped pacing and rubbed his neck.

“I apologize to you my old friend, but Halo is allowed to do as she wishes and if she happens to sleep with the Prince of Fire then so be it, you are not wanting her now, so why is this an issue for you?”

“It is Lucifer, Dorin!”

“I don’t think this is about him at all. I think this is about you and her.”

He walked to his closet and pulled his black leather jacket. He slipped it on and turned back to Dorin.

“I am going to get her, are you coming with me or not?”

He walked past Dorin, as Dorin shook his head and then turned to follow him.

“Do me a favor Gunner.” Gunner stopped and looked back at him. “When we get her back just tell her that you love her already.”

Gunner turned and ran as Dorin followed.

***

I sat at the table and watched as the naked woman laying before me laid very still with all of the sushi on her. Lucifer entered the room and swung his arms open wide as I started to stand up; he was at my side before I could blink again and had my hand in his. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed the top of my hand, his lips cold as ice and burning my skin. I watched him as he lowered my hand and studied my face.

“You look good enough to eat.”

I glanced at the woman on the table and he did too.

“I am not going to eat her if you are worried about that Halo. She is here for you and you alone.”

“I don’t like raw fish.”

He stepped back and clapped his hands as two small men entered the room, the same as I had first encountered with him when I met him. They climbed onto the table and both grabbed a hand on either side of the girl. She stood up as fish fell to the table. Lucifer raised an eyebrow and started to contemplate some punishment, but he glanced at me and laughed.

“Meat.”

Another small man stepped up with a platter and Lu
cifer leaned down and sniffed.

“Not human.” He whispered as I took a drink, smelling it first to make sure it was not blood.

“You know what? I am not that hungry. Let’s just talk.” I said as Lucifer sat down next to me and looked me over. It was a huge table and having him right next to me was a tiny bit uncomfortable.

“Your dress is interesting.”

“You gave me nothing but Vinyl.”

“Oh yes, well that is what you had in mind. I don’t pick the clothing; the clothing is picked by the Hellhound.”

“I have a hard time believing that what I wore when I was 17 would be what I would want to wear now.”

“Well, clothing is an important part of who we are. I would have to say that you felt most at home, most like yourself when you dressed this way and that is why you chose it to kill in.”

“Huh.” I said as I took another drink and he studied me even closer. I scooted my chair over and he scooted with me.

“The deal was that I would come to talk to you, that is it Lucifer.”

“Things like “Oh my God don’t stop” and “I love it when it hurts” are part of a conversation Halo.”

I shook my head and almost laughed at him, his evil charm was annoying.

“You think I am charming.”

“No, I thought it was and could be annoying, not that I found you charming.”

“I am going to cut to the chase here Halo. I like you, I like the way you smell and how your pussy…excuse my language, smells like sweet honey.”

“Uh, thanks?” I said as I looked at him and he grinned.

“I mean my tongue is long.”

He stuck it out, closing his eyes tightly, and it went past his chin as my eyes widened.  I took another drink of my wine. He flicked it at the end and I looked around the room at all of the artwork on the walls. I stood up and walked away as he leaned in with his tongue extended. He then opened his eyes and stood up as I walked to the wall and stared at a very curious painting.  I leaned in and looked at a man with his hands up to his face. He had a napoleon style looking hat on with a yellow pyramid on it. I felt Lucifer near me before he spoke. He leaned up behind me.

“Aleister Crowley.”

“Oh, I thought I recognized it, I mean I have seen this before.”

Suddenly the eyes started to bleed in the picture and the man screamed as I backed away from it.