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Chapter Thirteen
Running the Hounds
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‘Austin-’
’I swear to the old world, if you say this is a bad idea one more time, Exton...′
‘But Aus...’ the hellhound whined. Austin gritted his teeth. He wasn’t angry at Exton. Not really. His bodyguard had done everything in his power to keep Austin safe and Austin just kept on making stupid decisions. Honestly, it was amazing the hound wasn’t losing hair over the amount of stress his master was likely causing.
‘If you have a better suggestion, I am all ears but right now the only thing I can think to do is try and stay one step ahead of this asshole. If this woman is important to Jed, then she might be able to help us.’ Austin looked out the window. The weather had turned foul in the last few hours, the clouds low and heavy as though only just clasping onto the torrent of rain that threatened to fall. The air was uncomfortably warm and moist. A storm was definitely on its way.
For a long moment Austin marvelled at the way his new demon senses could taste the raindrops that hadn’t yet descended. His skin prickled in anticipation for the thunder that was steadily creeping closer. This must be what it was like for animals. Were humans really so dulled down when it came to the wider world? Honestly, he hadn’t had a chance to really explore his new demon abilities or senses yet.
‘Aus, if she’s good enough to go into hiding from someone like the Veida clan, then what makes you think we will be able to find her?’
‘We have to try Exton. Besides, I have a plan.’
‘I was afraid you were going to say that,’ Exton whimpered.
Austin rolled his eyes. ‘Anyway. Bring the car around.’
‘Why? Where are we going?’
Austin gave the man a small smile. ‘Well, with this new contract in place, we know that sooner or later, Jed’s hounds are likely going to find this woman, right?’
Exton nodded slowly. ‘Yes...’
‘So, we go see Haven again. Haven will see where they find her and all we have to do is get there first.’
‘Austin. That is the dumbest plan I have ever heard,’ the hellhound said flatly.
‘Well, it’s a good thing you’re not the decision maker here,’ Austin growled. Exton sighed in defeat and trudged away to fetch the car. Austin watched him go with a pang of guilt. He would have offered that Exton not come with him if he didn’t already know that the hellhound would be repulsed by the idea. Even so, the drive to Haven’s was very uncomfortable. The AC in the car was up high to counter the heavy, moist air from the oncoming storm. Exton was staring hard at the road ahead, his fingers tight on the steering wheel. Austin had no words of comfort or encouragement, so he just stayed quiet.
As he sat in that oppressive silence with only the sound of the engine and traffic to focus on, his mind wandered to a strange place, a place that he hadn’t visited in a long time. His father. He hardly ever thought of his father. He’d certainly never felt particularly sad that the demon had vanished from his life. Demons weren’t exactly known for their loving parental bonds, especially when their offspring were born human to begin with. But now, as Austin stared up at the blackening sky, he found himself wanting to talk to the man. Had his father ever faced a situation like this? With a frown, Austin realized he could barely remember what the man’s voice sounded like. Had it really been that long?
Lessons with his father could never have been considered fun by any stretch of the imagination. Austin had memory upon memory of being expected to stand in the corner, making no noise and showing no emotion as his father made contracts. Sometimes contracts required sacrifices. At the age of seven, Austin had a vivid memory of nearly pissing himself as a woman in a sparkly cocktail dress gutted a live lamb right on the ballroom floor. He hadn’t been able to sleep for days after seeing that. His mother had told him he would grow into it. Grow into it, as though the graphic scenes of murder and black magic were a pair of baggy school shorts that he would fit into next summer.
Maybe if he had embraced all the carnage, his father would still be around, or at the very least, Austin would be strong enough to actually protect his family. Well, it didn’t really matter. There was no point dwelling on what could have been. He couldn’t change any of it and even if he could...
‘Aus, we’re here,’ Exton said, breaking him from his train of thoughts. Austin climbed out of the car.
‘Just give me a minute and I’ll call them to let them know we are here,’ the hellhound muttered.
Austin frowned. ‘Umm, they’re psychic, aren’t they? Won’t they already know we are here?’
The hellhound gave his master a flat look. ‘Yes, but it’s still the polite thing to do rather than just inviting ourselves in.’
‘Fair enough,’ Austin muttered. He checked his own phone. Jess had texted him just to check he wasn’t dead. He was normally the first person to pick up extra shifts and drop by the bakery even on his day off. His heart clenched. He didn’t want to think about that either. His future as a normal human living a short but normal life was now... gone.
‘You coming Aus?’ Exton asked.
Austin blinked. ‘Urm, yeah. Sorry.’
Haven did not look overly impressed to see them. The seer demon wasn’t hostile but there was definitely more tension in their delicate frame than there had been in their last visit. Even so, they let them inside and sat them down for cups of tea.
‘I’m sorry to impose on you like this but I’m sure you already know this is important,’ Austin began.
‘Important for you,’ Haven corrected carefully. Austin winced. The seer had a point. In the demon world, there was nothing more precious than self-preservation. This really didn’t have anything to do with Haven. This was Austin’s problem.
‘Important to me, yes. I’m sorry.’
Haven nodded elegantly. ‘It is true, I do know why you are here. Has my previous predication come to fruition?’
Austin shifted uncomfortably. He strongly suspected that the seer knew damn well that their vision had already come true. This was just a little salt on the wound for Austin’s reaction last time around. He nodded. ‘Yes, it has. I have begun taking contracts.’
Those creepy pale grey eyes traced Austin’s face. ‘You want something from me...’ Haven murmured.
Again... duh. Austin chose not to voice this thought and instead said, ‘Yes. There is someone else involved. She’s in danger. Jed forced me into creating a contract that will allow him to hunt her down. I need to get to her first. Her name is Meaghan Roshea. I don’t know why he wants her, only that he wants her badly enough to create a contract using the blood of her relative, her uncle.’
Haven hummed thoughtfully. ‘A potent binding then.’
‘Can you help us find where she is?’ Austin asked anxiously.
Haven’s grey eyes closed for a long moment. They waited. ‘I may be able to through the contract you created but you will not have much time. Have you thought about where you are going to take her once you have her? The hounds will follow. They have her scent now.’
Austin glanced at Exton. ‘Can we bring her to the house?’
‘Your ma is not going to like this...’ groaned Exton.
‘She’ll cope. Jed wasn’t able to cross the wards to get into the manor. He might be strong enough to come onto the grounds, but he couldn’t force his way into the manor itself.’
‘I suppose,’ the hellhound agreed reluctantly.
Haven nodded. ‘Very well. I will need a little of your blood. Yours too Exton. They are undoubtedly hellhounds that he has sent on her trail.’ The boys did as they were told, each holding out an arm. Haven took up a small dagger, little more than a letter opener really. They pressed the tiny tip to each of their forearms, extracting a small drop of blood with a tiny sting of pain. They watched as Haven wiped the blood away with a silk cloth.
The seer demon took the cloth and sat, eyes closed and whispering softly under their breath. It took so long, Austin was started to fidget. Ten minutes passed before the demon finally opened their eyes.
‘This is indeed troubling. I can understand why the Veida clan have an interest in her.’
‘You do?’ Austin asked eagerly.
‘She has the sight.’
‘So, she’s another seer demon, like you?’ Austin spluttered in amazement.
Haven frowned. ‘Yes, and no. Her breed is older than my own, purer. I suppose you could say closer to the original source. She is still very young, her powers not yet fully developed. Like yourself, I see that Jedrzej has intentions to use and train her just like any of his other animals. She is the white swan to your black. He is building a collection of useable assets.’
‘So that’s what we are, chess pieces?’ Austin growled.
‘You sound surprised. I don’t understand why. You seemed to comprehend your position the last time you visited.’
‘Is there any way we can get out of this?’ Austin asked desperately.
Haven shook their lovely head. ‘It is not that simple. As I told you, my abilities allow me to see emotions more than solid, unbending visions. I cannot tell you how to break this chain of events, but I can offer you one thing.’
‘Which is?’
‘Those he surrounds himself with do not always wish to be in his company.’ Austin had to fight down his exasperation and disappointment. He did not need Haven to tell him that. ‘Do not misunderstand. I don’t mean his victims. Those who he holds close.’
Austin frowned. ‘So then, other members of the Vieda Clan?’
Haven nodded. ‘I will give you an address but be warned. This address is clear to me because of how close to now this moment is. I usually only get vague shapes, moments that could be rather than what will. Go now but know that if you do, you will be putting yourselves in great danger. Oh, and consider my debt to your father paid.’ They handed Austin a sheet of paper and looked pointedly toward the door.
‘Thank you,’ Austin said honestly.
Exton broke many road laws on their way to the address. The address itself took them to a particularly rundown part of the city. Eyes of the hungry and suspicious peered out at them from the shadows as Exton pulled up at the curb with horrific speed and they both jumped out.
‘This way,’ Austin ordered, heading for one of the largest apartment buildings. The front door was wide open, the glass grotty and cracked. The street was unnaturally quiet. The storm was close but something else was much closer. As the thunder rumbled from the dark, the baying of a hound broke out. The sound of it sent ice cascading down into Austin’s stomach.
‘We’re running out of time already,’ Austin rasped.
‘Go, I’ll head them off,’ Exton growled.
‘What? Fuck no!’ Austin yelped. Exton shot him a blazing look. ‘Exton, no. If they don’t kill you, they’ll brainwash you or something. You can’t fight them!’
‘You don’t think much of me, do you?’ Exton said coolly.
Austin flushed. They didn’t have time for this! ‘Exton-’
‘Go!’ the hound roared. Austin actually took a step back. He hesitated for one more moment before sprinting away.
‘Don’t you dare die!’ he shouted over his shoulder. He heard an unearthly growl and knew that Exton was already shedding his human form. Austin didn’t look back. He reached the stairs and sprinted up them two at a time. Strangely, he wasn’t as tired as he normally would have been for the number of stairs he was racing up. Probably the adrenaline...
He rounded one corner, galloped down a corridor and then turned up another flight of stairs. He could see the door Haven had described. He got there and turned the handle. He had barely got the door open before he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
‘A gun? Really?’ he spluttered.
‘Silver bullets,’ a girl with wild brown hair snarled.
‘Well don’t shoot! Meaghan Roshea, I’m on your side. Come on, we have to go. Like, right now!’
‘Who are you?’ she spluttered with wide eyes.
‘Austin. Look, we don’t have time to explain. The Veida Clan has sent hellhounds after you. We-’ Her eyes opened impossibly wider. She reminded him startlingly of an animal facing its own slaughter. ‘The Veida Clan? Here? No! How?’
‘Does it really matter how?’ Austin spluttered.
Amongst her terror crept a sudden suspicion. ‘Yes, actually, it does,’ she snapped. ‘They should never have been able to find me!’
‘They used a Contractor Demon and your uncle. Would you please just follow me?’
‘A contractor demon!? Aren’t those supposed to be, like, insanely rare?’
‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Austin growled. ‘Look, we have to go.’
‘Where!? If the hounds are on my trail, there isn’t anywhere I can go!’ The gun was now hanging limply at her side. She looked as though she had a naturally pale complexion. With her current fear, she was a ghostly white. At least she wasn’t threatening to shoot him anymore.
‘There is. I know a place with old warding.’
‘Why are you helping me!?’ she shouted. The gun rose a little from her side.
‘I know I’m a complete stranger to you. I’ll be honest, I’m not just doing this out of the kindness of my heart. All I can say is that I hate them as much as you do, if not more. Keeping you safe is my best answer to stopping Jed from getting what he wants.’ He could see she was torn but even as they stood there, an unearthly howl erupted from somewhere in the building. Austin’s stomach turned over. Meaghan looked torn but that howl seemed to spur her forward into action.
‘Alright, let’s go. Just give me a second,’ she rasped. She disappeared for a moment before coming back with a rucksack over one shoulder. Austin grabbed her by the arm and all but yanked her out of the room. They ran awkwardly back towards the stairs. His heart leapt in his throat as he heard heavy footsteps coming up from the depths.
‘Exton?’ Austin called hopefully.
‘Oh, you are in trouble,’ purred a deep rumbling voice. They skidded to a halt. Austin stared in horror as Holter emerged from the darkness out onto the landing.
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END
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