Page 12 of How to Flirt with a Hellhound
With a blink the light on the keypad went out, and I listened for a moment to see if a phone rang. I’d used enough flame to disable the device but not fully put it offline, because these companies had fail safes built in for losing contact completely.
Modern day technologies had made things more difficult, but we had all practiced disabling alarm systems at Wilder’s compound. They hadn’t been so advanced that many years ago, but it was enough of a start for us all to figure it out. It was amazing what hellhound fire could accomplish. There was no doubt it was a bit miraculous, and we made the most of it.
There was still a regular lock, but that was easy enough to burn through, and I slid open the glass door noiselessly. The dogs whined a bit when I put my hand up for them to stay, but they obeyed, and I shut the door behind me. I was in an opulent bar room that was obviously meant to be used with the pool and the outdoor area. Thankfully, it was empty.
It was mid afternoon, but I only sensed three souls in the house. One was my rotten hell-bound mortal, and then there was a soul that was… slightly rancid. It wasn’t enough to justify my presence, but if that mortal continued down their current path, there was a good chance they’d get a visit from a hellhound.
The last soul was… I sniffed the air, letting my hellhound out. Underneath the rot and decay, there was a fresh smell, like an ocean breeze, only there was a faintly acrid scent to it. A true innocent, then, but there was an underlying sense of fear or worry. Hells, I hoped it wasn’t a little kid.
I let out a growl at the very thought, and I must have been heard, because a feminine voice called out, “Marcus, did you let the dogs in the house?”
Whoever Marcus was, he must not have heard, and I could hear the female walking this way. She was the slightly rancid soul. I moved over and out of sight, leaving my bag on the ground next to me—there was no need to have her screaming when she saw me. I would deal with her before I had my fun with this Marcus.
“Marcus?” she asked, stepping into the room, and I came out behind her and put my hand over her mouth.
“Scream and I’ll snap your neck,” I growled as she began to struggle.
She stilled at that, and I heard muffled talking against my hand. I let it loosen slightly but kept it in position.
“I don’t know anything,” she whispered. “Please, just let me go.”
Ah, the smell of deceit. I turned her around and pinned her against the wall. I knew my eyes were glowing, my face beginning to change shape. It would be enough to make me unrecognizable. Fire burst up on my back, and I let it slowly engulf my shirt.
“You know enough. Your soul reeks of decay,” I snarled.
“What…” she whispered, eyes wide.
“Lucky for you, I’m not here for you. Not yet. Keep on this path, though, and one of my kind will come for you next. Do you understand?” I bit out.
Her eyes remained wide and glassy, and I could feel her quivering in my hands. I gave her a shake, asking again, “Do you understand?”
“Yes! Yes, I understand,” she whimpered.
“I’m going to let you go now, and you’re going to get in your car and drive as far away as you can, or else I’m going to find you. You won’t like what happens if I find you,” I growled.
“Yes, ok. I’ll go. Please, just let me go,” she pleaded.
I sighed, then I did just that. She backed out of the room, her eyes on me, and I walked over to pick up my bag. By the time I did that, she had turned around and was running. I followed behind her, because it wouldn’t do to have her warn Marcus, but she ran through a front hall, grabbing keys off a table and rushing out the front door. I could see through the entryway as she climbed into the tiny sports car in the wide, circular driveway and squealed off into the afternoon.
I had read enough off of her soul to know that she wouldn’t be going to the cops. She and her husband were up to their eyeballs in illegal activities, and she was also cheating on him. My guess was that she would run to her lover for back-up. Maybe she’d even be glad that Marcus was dead.
I didn’t have much hope for her fixing her ways, but that was up to her. Perhaps I’d leave her a nice blood bath to come home to. Maybe that would drive the message home, although I hated to leave the body behind. It always caused such issues. Still, if I went the bloody route, I could let Toby know which cuts were most likely to spray versus drip…
But I was getting sidetracked.
I let my hellhound form go so that I looked like a normal human again. A shirtless human, but oh well. Marcus would have other things to worry about aside from my lack of a shirt.
I followed the smell of rot to a set of stairs. Luckily, the innocent soul smelled like it was in the opposite direction. I stalked upstairs and down a hallway, passing by bedrooms until I found a closed door. I tried the handle, but it was locked. It was easy enough to burn the lock away and gently ease the door open.
Marcus was sitting in a plush office chair with headphones on and nothing else. He was stroking himself and watching something on his screen. Without even touching him, I could see some of the heinous acts he’d committed to have such a blackened soul. Looks like I’d be burning his computer and all his files when I was done with him—Marcus liked to make raunchy videos with unwilling participants. I’d have to see if Liam could hack into his accounts and delete anything this guy had in the storm or the fog or whatever the fuck people called internet storage. Technology was obviously not my thing, but Liam was pretty good with it.
I took in the room. The office was a good size, not too big. I figured I’d be able to test out the blood splatter idea quite well in here. I’m sure Toby would like to know if his idea would work out for his book.
With a grin, I let my bag of tools drop loudly enough for Marcus to startle and look over.
Time to have some fun.
I let my flame burn the blood off my bare skin and let it lightly lick over the surfaces in the office, removing any traces I might have left in the room. I’d already fried the computer and anything else electronic, and I’d sent a text to Liam with the guy’s passwords and stuff, which he’d been all too willing to tell me once we’d been underway.
