Page 15 of Hellhounds and Homicides

He left the building slightly disheartened by the fact that he wouldn't be seeing Dumas until morning. He could call and let him know he was on his way to the lowlands, but Dumas had been adamant about staying away, so it was probably best that he kept it to himself no need to cause him worry.

The leather bar was a shell now just a brick wall and a few planks scattered around, and dirt plenty of dirt. The attached shed was still standing but also showed signs of having been burned. He checked the perimeter of the building looking for freshly turned earth indicating a grave or any obvious disturbances to the ground or trash laying around.

It was getting well onto darkness, and he was considering coming back in the morning at full light to investigate further when he heard something from inside the old shed. He shined his flashlight over the area and found nothing out of the ordinary so moved in the direction of the shed.

With an odd sense of déjà vu, he was suddenly struck from behind, not with a bat this time but with something much smaller. The pain hit just below his left ear and radiated outward. When he reached up, he felt a dart that was puncturing his skin. It was small and sharp.

Rowen managed to remove it before succumbing to the poison and dropping to the ground. He tried to hold onto consciousness, but the shadows closed in too fast. He heard movements and voices around him, but his vision was gone, and then there was nothing as he sank into the darkness.

"He's a cat shifter." The magic was startled. "We've only used humans. Will he accept a shifter?"

“We used humans because they were easier to catch and contain. A shifter will be perfect for our last sacrifice, and itwill show our love and dedication. This is working out so much better than I had ever imagined." The Mage was giddy.

They quickly carried Rowen inside the shed which was set up for the final offering with an altar and candles and various small organics. They were skilled and had absorbed some interesting abilities from the incubus in exchange for serving him. But they were ignorant of the capabilities of a demon incubus and his lack of loyalty, care or his willingness to do anything to anyone to appease his own wants and needs. They were nothing, and yet they thought they were in control.

“Call the others and bring them here.”

"What about his pack? They might come looking for him." The magic was referring to Rowen, who lay on the cold cement floor. The Mage began to laugh as if the idea was hilarious.

"He's a cat shifter, for fuck sake. No one cares. They have no pack, and they're more likely to kill each other than provide any sort of support. No one is looking for him apart from the police, and they will never find him." The Mage shot him with another dose of the drug to keep him sleeping. Being a shifter, it would burn off quickly. He continued to laugh as he began removing Rowen’s clothes, preparing him for the incubus.

The warehouses were a bust, with no sign of anyone having been there in quite some time. But he went ahead and searched the area thoroughly. The magics could move fast and he wanted to make sure he did not miss anything. His next move was to check out the old leather bar. Others were checking the tenement, and he had a feeling about the leather bar.

He was told that it was the location the incubus had been killed apparently he came up against a human that was halfangel and his beloved who was an angry vampire assassin. The incubus didn’t have a chance. Dumas smiled at the way Gage had told that story that had been told to him. Dumas wished he’d been there.

Dumas pulled into the overgrown parking area of the club and got out feeling a weird sense of dread. He didn't do dread. It wasn't something that had ever touched him, and yet it was there. He moved around the front of the rubble that had once been the club and toward the large shed on the left. There were lights, flickering lights. He didn't hesitate to run at the door, knocking it down with his shoulder. What he saw inside froze his heart and nearly killed him.

On a weird makeshift altar was the love of his fucking life, stripped naked and about to be offered up with a knife to his throat. The rage was blinding, and he rushed to the front of the building only to be brought to a sudden halt when the one with the knife screamed he'd kill Rowen if Dumas came any closer. The need to kill to destroy was burning through him, but fear for the safety of his lover held him fast. There were four of them, just like Josef had said. They were there watching, smiling, and Dumas would tear them to pieces.

"Any closer, and I slit his throat, or maybe I'll remove his head entirely." The bastard taunted, touching the knife blade to Rowen's throat, drawing a bead of blood, and then backing off. Dumas was going to lose his mind trying to figure out a way to get his mate away from these devils. Then he saw them working their way closer and behind the two on the altar and circling those on either side. The rage and need to defend consumed him as he shifted in an instant, bearing his full fearsome Hellhound form. The terrifying beast was unleashed and ready for retribution.

"You're not leaving here alive hound once we bleed this one the prince of the underworld will rise and use your lover here and you to feed and strengthen his presence in this world. Hadden's hold on this town is about to end our Master will rise and all those who do not bow down will die." The guy was delusional if he thought he was going to make the cut.

Everyone in the room would die the moment the incubus broke through. He would need an ungodly amount of life force to stabilize himself in this realm. Dumas kept his eyes on strays waiting, and then it happened. The large candles stacked behind them on the altar, all burning large and bright. One by one, they were swept off the tables, setting fire to their robes and debris.

The second the knife was raised away from Rowen's throat, Dumas was on him, grabbing the burning man and tearing him to pieces. The other attempted to fold into the air and disappear, but apparently, fire nullified the airflow necessary for such a magic trick. The other one on the altar was being consumed by the flames, so Dumas left him to burn and grabbed Rowen up into his arms, getting him away from the fire. Rowen shifted. A soft grey cat now filling Dumas' arms and nuzzling close, looking for comfort and safety.

The last two were finished by one of Wazir's guards. The cat shifted into one of the men who'd led them in to see the Wazir. He sliced the throats of the remaining two magics, killing them instantly. Everyone rushed out of the shed, Dumas held tight to his mate, and the cats scattered. The guard came up to him and placed his jacket over Rowen.

“Thank you.” Dumas was sincerely touched by his assistance.

“Thank the Wazir. He had me keep an eye on Rowen.” He looked Dumas up and down. "I knew you'd get here, but knowthat if you hadn't, his people would have saved him." The guard made himself clear.

“His people did save him.” Dumas admitted and reached out to shake his hand. The guard looked at the hand and then took it.

"You make a good stray, Dumas. I look forward to working with you." With that, he shifted back to a large black cat and disappeared with the others. Rowen began to wake, and Dumas held him tight in his arms and placed a hard kiss on his lips.

"You're okay, my love. The magics are dead."

Dumas called it in, and in seconds, the area was swarming with people. Master Hadden had called in favors from every form of magic hunter and destroyer he knew to come and purify the land. It was determined that the Mage had come close to realizing his dream, and the demon had been on the threshold of this world. In the end, the source remained elusive, but the current threat had been neutralized.

Dumas brought his mate to his apartment in the Hadden Center fearing for his safety. The place was solid secure and there were doctors and scientists of all sorts available. Dumas was not going to take any chances on the health and wellbeing of his mate.

"The Hadden Center," Rowen stated, looking around Dumas' living room from the sofa where he lay. Dumas had been caring for him after having the doctors thoroughly examine him for any lingering effects of the drugs he was given. "It gets easier every time I come here."

"That's good to hear because you're staying here for a while. I don't want any arrogant magics taking another run at you. We wait until Master Hadden sounds the all clear, and then we move back to my place." Rowen reached out his arms, and Dumas did not delay in rushing to him.

"I love you so much, and I'm so glad I found you." Rowen rubbed his cheek against Dumas' shoulder.

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