Hell To Pay: Hellhound Champions Book Two, page 16
Cody shrugged. “Me and you are going to have a nice long talk. As soon as you tell everyone else you’re okay. I’m not the only one losing my mind here, Sol.”
“I know. Just…stay here, okay?”
“Where else would I go?”
Sol didn’t want to let him go. He kissed Cody’s forehead, then his lips. “I’ll be right back.”
He went to Izzy and Sophie first, who were huddled on the floor in the corner. Sophie had a tablet in her hand, but Izzy was staring with fear-filled eyes at Sol. He knelt down in front of her and reached his hand slowly out. “It’s okay, Iz.”
“No, Sol. It isn’t.”
“Mommy?” Sophie looked up at Izzy then reached for Sol. It didn’t escape his notice that she didn’t let her daughter go right away.
“She doesn’t understand,” Izzy said. “Walt made her close her eyes. I didn’t, Sol.”
And she’d seen more than she was capable of processing. He’d seen it so many times before. “There are options, Izzy. I can make it so you don’t remember a thing, if that’s what you want.”
“I want to feel safe again, Sol. Can you give that back to me? Can you make it so we never have to go through this again? I don’t know what I want. I don’t want to lose my family. You guys are all I have in this world but now… I’m scared, Sol. I have to look out for my daughter, first. She’s the most important thing.”
“I know.”
“And all those people outside. They know something’s wrong, too. It’s wrong and dangerous, and I can feel it.”
“Shelly,” Sol said, looking over his shoulder at her. “Take Sophie into the kitchen. I think Walt’s making a yummy snack, and I need her to check it out for me. Taste test it. I’m not eating anything that isn’t Sophie-approved.”
She raised her head from his shoulder and the trust in her little face shook him to the core. “Is Mommy okay, Uncle Sol?”
“Yes, muffin. She’s okay. Just sleepy and cranky. Don’t you get sleepy and cranky sometimes?”
She nodded. “I didn’t get to sleep, Uncle Sol. Everybody kept waking me up.”
“I know. Go check on my snack for me while I talk to your mommy.”
Izzy stared nervously after her daughter. Sol couldn’t blame her. He sat down on the floor beside Izzy and held her hand in his. “No matter what happens, we’re still your family. I can make sure you’re away from this for a while, and that you don’t remember today. If that’s what you want, tell me.”
She leaned into him and sighed. “Why isn’t Cody freaked out? He didn’t know either, did he? I mean, I can see that he’s freaked out, but he’s not as scared as me.”
Sol glanced over at Cody who was in a deep conversation with Cosmo. “He is, Izzy. I think he’s covering it up a little better, that’s all. And you’ve got to consider that he doesn’t have a kid to look after. You said it best: Sophie is your top priority.”
“I can’t let her get hurt, Sol. There are guys with guns in the bar. That’s…not okay.”
“How about this: I’ll have Teague take you to some friends of ours. They can keep you safe in the short term, and if you decide remembering this is all too much, we can make it so you don’t remember. You’ll be back to work when it’s over and it’ll be like it was before.”
She sighed again. “It sounds too good to be true.”
“Maybe it is, Iz. You’re strong enough to get through this. I know you are. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. But this is a lot, and you don’t have to be involved in it. This is a secret you’ll have to keep for the rest of your life. You’ll be bound to it. You need to know all that, too, before you make your decision.”
“You guys will be okay, right Sol?”
Sol didn’t want to lie to her. “I can’t promise you that.”
It seemed to help her make her decision. “Okay. Take us where we’ll be safe. And when it’s over, you and Shaq can talk to me and tell me all the rules and maybe I’ll be able to make a decision. I’m too tired right now, Sol. I’m just so tired.”
Izzy leaned into him and he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. He looked up and found Cody watching him, a sad frown on his face. Cody seemed to realize what was happening, even if he didn’t know all the ramifications of the secret he’d learned. Calli came in, took one look at Sol and Izzy, and she knew that Izzy hadn’t taken the secret well. Her eyes changed, one of the few times he’d ever seen her control slip. She turned and walked outside. Vice came over and knelt in front of Izzy. She gave him a small smile, blinking through her tears. Vice gripped her neck gently then walked to the other side of the bar and resumed his position at the door. Walt came out of the kitchen with Shelly and Sophie. He’d packed a snack bag for them, and Sophie had it clutched in her hands.
They both touched Izzy’s head softly before walking away. Sophie climbed onto her mother’s lap and frowned up at her. “Mommy, why are you sad?”
“I’m tired, pumpkin. We’re going to go meet some new friends, though, and we’ll get to take a nice long nap. I’ll even let you cuddle with me.”
Sophie leaned into her, clearly unsure what to think.
“Teague,” Sol said quietly. His packmate came over and lifted Sophie. She whimpered a little as both Sol and Izzy pushed to their feet. He kept his arm around her for as long as he could, unsure if he were comforting her or himself.
“We’ll come for you soon, Izzy,” Sol said. “Talk to them. They’ll help you make a decision.”
“I will. Just… be careful, Sol. All of you. Be careful.”
She hugged Sol quickly before wiping her face and following Teague outside. The portal closing behind them was one of the most final sounds he’d ever heard.
“Sol?”
Cody’s whispered word pulled him back to the present.
“It’s okay,” Sol said quietly.
“You said you wouldn’t lie,” Cody said. He stepped into Sol and wrapped his arms around Sol’s waist once more. Sol returned the embrace and lowered his face to Cody’s hair. He inhaled his sweet scent and tried to hold it together. He wanted to take Cody to the cabin, lock the doors behind them, and pretend the threats weren’t real.
“It’s going to work out, Sol. I’m not leaving you, okay?”
Sol’s hold tightened. “You can’t promise me that.”
Cody squeezed him and moved so he could look into Sol’s eyes. “Then tell me what has you so upset so you can stop stressing and get to work. There are people here who need you, Sol. Including me. Okay, probably especially me. So if you’re worried I’m going to freak out about you being a… um, what you are. I’m not. Okay. I am a little. But I guess—”
Sol kissed him. He couldn’t resist. He had to tighten the reins on his control once more and force himself to pull away before he gave into the urges driving him. He wanted to feel Cody again, to lose himself in the wonder that was Cody’s body. He wanted to abandon all the things weighing him down. But he wouldn’t. Because Cody deserved better. He needed to lead and not hide behind the hope that Shaq would come back and manage it all. The chess pieces were definitely being moved around the board. Sol pulled away and gently pressed his forehead to Cody’s. “There are things you need to know, need to understand and accept, before you make any promises to me.”
“Then tell me.”
Sol took Cody’s hand in his and led him into the back room. There wasn’t a ton of space in there, but enough to close the door and keep the prying eyes off of them. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Cody grinned and squeezed his fingers. “How about this whole hellhound business. Because seriously, Sol, hellhound. What is it? What do you do? Why are all those people outside?”
Questions were easier to answer. “Hellhounds are protectors. Those of us who are other are tasked with keeping our presence in this realm secret. The hellhounds enforce that rule and keep the peace between humans and creatures like us.”
“So, you’re like the tough guys. Or, oh my God, you’re totally like mob enforcers.”
Sol arched a brow. “More like supernatural cops.”
“So you’re actually a combination of mob enforcer and super soldier with super serum. Am I right?”
Sol couldn’t help but grin. Cody was doing it on purpose, trying to ease his fears, and it was working. “Sure. Let’s go with that explanation.”
“Smart man. Just agree with me, and it’ll all go better for you.”
Cody grinned up at him, and even if the sparkle wasn’t in his eyes, he was still honestly trying to help. Sol let go another piece of fear and felt his strength return. How had it taken him so long to realize what Cody could be to him?
“So, where’d you go to get fixed and where’s Shaq? Because somebody has to be stronger than you, right? Like, you’re not the boss or something if… I don’t know what I’m asking.”
“We are the champions of the goddess of fire,” Sol explained. “There are three goddesses, and each is tasked with a different duty. The mother goddess divided her powers between her daughters and gave them each a responsibility. They each have a champion and an animal to call to assist them in their duties.”
“Wait,” Cody said, his eyes wide. “You actually like…work with an actual-for-real goddess?”
“Yes.”
“And that’s who you went to see.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s who healed you.”
“Yes.”
Cody seemed impressed. He processed for a moment, before he frowned. “So why doesn’t she just… keep you from getting hurt. Like that creepy ass thing that attacked us had that shield bubble thing. Why don’t you have one of those?”
“We have different types of magic. Mine is from fire, and my goddess has gifted me with abilities that pull from that strength.”
“Right. The whole flamey eye thing.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what’s the deal with me and Izzy finding out? Big trouble?”
“No. You’re pack. Shaq explained it to me after Drew learned our secret.”
“Dude, wait. You mean Drew didn’t know at first?”
“No.”
“Oh, that explains so many things, though. And are they like magically fated to be together or something? Because if Disney had a happily ever after cartoon for princes, they’d be the stars of that movie, Sol.”
Sol grinned and ran his fingers over Cody’s hair. “I’ll be sure to tell Shaq you think so.”
“Uh, yeah, you can not do that, okay? I like my job. Make that my life. I like my life. He’d probably kill me.”
Sol laughed. “One, he’d never kill you. And two, you think he’d fire you? You could demand ownership of this place, and he’d give it to you as long as he didn’t have to work behind the bar all the time.”
Cody laughed as well. “Yeah, I actually knew that already. The man has poor customer service skills, Sol. Oh, man, that makes sense now, too. He has more important things on his mind. Whoa.”
“He enjoys working at the bar, Cody. He chose it as our base here for a reason.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, it makes sense. Anybody who needs to come see the champion— I mean, that makes Shaq like the goddess’s main guy on Earth, right?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, so all these people are here to see him because he’s her voice here. Or something like that.”
“Exactly. They know we are tasked to protect them. And they’re afraid.”
“Yeah, I bet. Of those scary bubble death guy things.”
“Aswangs.”
Cody snorted. “Wait. What? You’re serious? They’re called Ass Wangs. For real?”
Solomon had never really thought about it. He couldn’t help but smile. “I believe your pronunciation is a bit off, but yes, aswangs.”
“No freaking way. That’s both awesome and terrible, and I don’t care if I’m missing a… what are those funny accent letters called again that make the letters sound different?”
Solomon shrugged.
“Yeah, I don’t remember stuff like that either.”
Cody leaned into him once more and they stood quietly together. “I’ll keep your secret, Sol. I’m scared for what’s happening and what this all means, but I’m not going to leave. Izzy had to. You get that, right? She had to get Sophie out of here.”
Solomon nodded.
“It had nothing to do with you or what you are. If the aswang got to Sophie—”
Solomon growled and his eyes shifted.
“Exactly. So you need to tell me what I have to do to stay safe, and we’re going to figure this out.”
Sol cupped Cody’s face in his hands. “How are you being so calm right now? I’ve seen humans panic and run screaming from this world.”
Cody smiled up at him and it was one of the truest smiles Solomon had ever seen from him. It humbled him and took his breath away.
“Because,” Cody said quietly, “that would mean running away from you, Sol. And I can’t ever imagine that being the answer for me. Isn’t that strange? I’m more excited about us than I am afraid of the world around us. Besides, I’m going to hold all of this over your head for soooooooooo long.”
Sol laughed and kissed him quickly. “Oh yeah?”
“Totally. I don’t know what sort of recompense I’m going to demand. But it’ll be big.”
“Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Aww, Sol, don’t say shit like that when I’m kidding around. Because you’re all serious and I was going to be like, I want a Mercedes or something dumb just to be ridiculous.”
“Mercedes are very safe cars. They have excellent—”
“Stop.” Cody kissed him again. “We’ve stalled long enough. You need to go be the leader of the pack, right?”
“Yeah. Our pack is better now that I’m here, calmer, but outside…they need reassurances, especially since Shaq isn’t here.”
“Then let’s go.”
“You don’t—”
“Sol, shut up and take my hand and go introduce me to all the people outside and tell me what they are so I can start my own bestiary of epic proportions. It’ll no longer be Grimm’s Fairy Tales. It’ll be Cody’s Paranormal Extravaganza.”
“You can’t—”
“Don’t steal my fantasies, Sol. I’m going to write an epic paranormal romance novel with creatures the likes of which you’ve never seen.”
“I’ve never seen?”
“Okay, well, I’ve never seen.”
“Well, if you’re wanting to write a romance, I should tell you about the satyrs.”
Cody
“Hey, Sol?”
Cody stood at the entrance to the bar, looking out over the parking lot. He knew there were people out there. He’d heard Teague and Walt talking about it, and Cosmo had even explained a little. But he’d not been prepared for this.
“Yeah?” Sol replied.
“We’re gonna need a bigger bar.”
Sol looked at him for a minute before he cracked a smile. “Probably so.”
“They look like they’re planning to stay a while.”
It was barely ten in the morning and the parking lot was full.
“They are. Until the threat is over. It’s safer for them to be with us than separated. The aswangs seek to attack smaller groups and those of us who live alone. We stand in as their pack when a situation like this arises.”
“Huh,” Cody said, his brain trying to process the information and implications. “So, nothing like this has happened since I met you. Because I’d have noticed this. You know, at the place where I work. Because there are about a hundred people standing around here looking scared and worried. I’d totally have noticed.”
“Nothing like this has happened in… since… it has been hundreds of years. At least.”
Cody turned to Sol, and he was pretty sure his eyes might be bugging out of his head. “Um, Sol?”
“Yeah,” Sol said as he grabbed Cody’s hand and began walking toward one of the groups.
“You said that like you were speaking from experience. Personal experience.”
Sol paused and looked at him. “I was.”
Sol started walking again, but Cody was pretty sure his feet were frozen to the spot. When Sol realized he wasn’t following he turned to look at him with the patented Sol scowling frown.
“Exactly how old are you, Sol?”
“Why? Does it matter?”
“Holy great fire goddess in the sky, that means you’re like ancient, doesn’t it? Wow. This is like a May December romance on crack. Oh, or like Janus December. Did you know that Janus is Latin for January? I learned that on Buffy.”
“You’re so strange. I never know what you’re going to say.”
Cody grinned and scooted closer. “Good. Keep you on your toes, old man.”
Sol scoffed and pulled him closer still. “Watch that smart mouth of yours before I find something to fill it, boy.”
“See, you say that like it’s a threat, Sol. But I’m kinda thinking that’s just waving a red flag in front of a bull. You think I wouldn’t suck you off in the back room in a heartbeat? And wow, I actually want to do that now.”
Sol’s eyes flickered with red glimmers Cody had always thought was a trick of the light, but now realized was Sol’s beast getting wound up. He did not mind at all, even if he was playing with fire.
“I am going to take you up on that offer.”
“Good. Now be a good hellhound, and go say hi to the people and mark your territory or whatever.”
Sol grumbled and tugged Cody after him. “You’re going to break me.”
“Nah, you’re tougher than that. Hey, is the cabin off-limits now because of what happened or, you know, can we go there again?”
“We can go back there when this is over.”
“Okay. Because it’s really amazing, Sol. I want to go there sometime, just us. Is that okay?”
Sol squeezed his fingers. “That’s more than okay.”
Cody couldn’t help but smile as they approached the first group. Sol spoke to them all, introducing Cody to the ones he knew and getting the names of the ones he didn’t. Every group they passed seemed more at ease the longer Sol stood with them. And he wasn’t even saying much. It wasn’t like he was giving them this big stay with me and you’ll be fine line. He asked about their homes and made sure they had what they needed. He asked about friends and relatives. He shared stories about events that made some of them laugh. Cody didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this aura of calm that he felt spreading through the gathered crowd the longer Sol stayed out there.
