Page 12 of Guarded By the Hellhound
“I should spank you for that,” I tell her sternly. She opens her mouth to reply, but I interrupt her. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time.”
I immediately hate myself for saying the words because the light in her eyes fades away. She gives me a tight smile and grabs her clothes before she disappears upstairs. I watch her before pulling up my pants, promising myself that the next time I’ll fuck her, I will be fully naked, and I will be taking my time.
While Katherine takesher time cleaning up, I debate whether to wait for the police to arrive or conduct our own investigation. Staying inside the house and giving all the control to someone else does not resonate well with me. That leaves us with option two. Investigating.
While I finalize a game plan, I rummage through her cupboards for a travel mug. As I’m pouring the coffee, she re-enters the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” she asks in a soft voice.
“Making coffee,” I respond.
She arches an eyebrow at the travel mug. “Where are we going?”
I turn around, handing her the mug; she immediately takes a sip, and a blissful expression appears on her face.
“I don’t feel like just sitting here waiting for the police to show up. We should do some investigating of our own. If anybody asks, you were walking your dog.”
Her eyes flash with uncertainty. I take the mug from her hands and put it back on the counter before taking both her hands in mine. “I know you’re scared, and you are right to be scared. Your stalker is dangerous, but I will be there to protect you. I am bigger and meaner than them, and nobody, I mean absolutely nobody, touches what is mine.”
“I am yours?” she whispers with a trembling lip.
“Mine,” I confirm before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Now, I am going to shift, and you are going to walk your new dog. You let me lead, and hopefully, I’ll lead us to some answers.”
She gives me a tight nod, and I take that as my sign to shift. I bump her hand with my snout, and she smiles at me. “Okay, you win, we’re going.”
The minute we set foot on the porch, I’m overwhelmed by the scents of the city. One of them is particularly putrid: the stench of hate. I sniff the air, using my nose to guide us when we walk towards the street.
Katherine is silent as I follow the smell until suddenly it stops. I sniff and let out a small, angry bark. Katherine pets my head. “Dead end?”
When I bark again, she gives me a sad nod.
“Well, it was worth the try.”
I hate the sadness that is wafting off of her, but there is nothing I can do about it but keep moving.
I circle the block, walking in bigger circles each time until something catches my interest. Suddenly, I’m on high alert. There’s the faintest hint of something familiar in the air. Ican’t stop myself from following the scent, urgency flowing through my body. I don’t know what it is yet, but I have to find it.
KATHERINE
My feet take me wherever Raider goes, and I’m not paying much attention; I feel overwhelmed by sadness and a nagging sense of helplessness. When Raider suddenly stops in his tracks, I almost bump into him.
“What’s going on, buddy?” I ask, automatically using my ‘dog voice.’ “Did you find something?”
His ears are turning forward, and he barks before setting off in a totally different direction than we were walking.
“Calm down!” I yell when he almost drags me along. He barks an apologetic yip and slows down.
It takes me two streets to realize where we’re going. Lakewood is not the largest town, and my house is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods. This side of the town borders the woods. Right on the edge, there’s a quaint little church with an ancient cemetery. Most people use the city’s cemetery on the other side of town, as well as the adjacent church.
A few devout Catholics still visit this one, though, and apparently, we’re going to church as well.
Raider is visibly struggling to maintain control. We turn left, and the church comes into view. It looks like something out of a gothic love story, and it takes my breath away. The once-white walls are now a pale yellow, colored by the sun, and the woodwork appears faded with time. Ivy is withering the walls, and when the sun hits the building just right, the painted glass gives it an otherworldly look.
Raider stops in his tracks; he’s vibrating right now. Not in anger, so this must have something to do with him, with where he came from.
The church pulls me in, and before I know it, I’m standing in front of the big double doors, reaching for the handle.
Before I can touch the door, somebody pushes it open with enough force to make me stumble backward. I fall flat on my ass, making Raider growl. A figure steps out of the church. I can’t see his face because of the sunlight, but before I can freak out completely, I hear a deep voice. “Oh. I am sorry.”
