Hell To Pay: Hellhound Champions Book Two, page 17
Sol was going on about something Cody didn’t understand when Cody caught sight of something moving in the woods. He tightened his hold on Sol’s hand, who squeezed back, stroking his thumb slowly over Cody’s knuckles. Someone was there, and Sol wasn’t concerned. Cody realized quickly that he’d be inside the bar in five seconds flat if Sol thought he was in danger. So it definitely wasn’t an aswang. But it was something. Or someone.
Cody glanced at Sol, but he still had that calm, cool, and collected thing he going on. He was trying to let the person in the woods decide for themselves. Which was sweet and all, until Cody caught another glimpse and realized he needed to take action. He saw their face, this time. Young and scared. Cody gave Sol’s hand another squeeze before letting it go. He moved around the small group they were talking to and approached the edge of the woods.
“Hey,” Cody said softly. “You okay?”
She didn’t answer, but she let him see more of her. Long, tangled blonde hair and jeans which had seen better days. She looked exhausted. She was so pale, not the pretty kind, but the sickly kind. She had purple marks under her eyes. Poor thing. He needed to help her.
“Can I come closer? I won’t hurt you. You can probably tell that I’m human. I’m guessing you aren’t. I’m not sure because this is all new to me so if I’m mistaken, um, well, I hope I’m not mistaken because then you’ll think I’m a crazy person. Which, let’s be honest, you might think that anyway because I’m told I occasionally give off the crazy vibe.”
Of course, he could kind of tell she wasn’t human. Something in her eyes looked… off. Kind of how Sol’s did now that he knew what he was looking at. Something inside them that wasn’t completely obvious and could be written off as nothing unless you knew.
She nodded, and he stepped forward again.
“So, there’s a lot of people out there, and I don’t know, but I’m thinking you’re a little nervous about that. But if you need help, I can help. I can walk inside with you, if you want. Maybe get you something to eat or drink? If you want. Or you can hang out here and I can bring you something if that’s better?”
She looked nervously over Cody’s shoulder where Sol had last been standing.
“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Cody said. “That big lug’s my… well, boyfriend I guess, but now that I know what he is, that seems like a pretty lame word. You’ll have to forgive me if I sound like an idiot. I literally just learned about all this like… an hour ago or something.”
“R-really?”
“Seriously. One minute, I was all this guy is hot like burning and I want to do bad, bad, things to him, and the next I find out he’s like actually hot like burning, and then I did bad, bad things to him. Well, not technically in that order. But things happened. Life changing things, if you get my drift.”
She giggled and leaned against the tree. “You’re funny. I like you.”
“Thanks.” He paused and smiled at her. “I’m Cody. What’s your name?”
“L…Leandra.”
“Oh, man, that’s so pretty. I got stuck with a boring name. So, you want me to walk you inside? My friend Shelly is in there, and she’ll help you, too. And Walt’s a little cranky, I’m not going to lie, but he’s a great cook and I know he’ll make you something to eat.”
She blushed and glanced behind her nervously. Cody couldn’t help it. He panicked a little. Sol appeared at his back, a big hot presence behind him. He’d probably done the steaming half-hound thing again. “Cody?”
He didn’t need to panic. If something scary was out there, Sol wouldn’t have let him get this close to it. It was really crazy how he knew that, but he had zero doubts.
“Sol, this is Leandra.”
Sol put his hand on Cody’s shoulder.
“I told her she could come inside.”
“Okay,” Sol said. He pressed a kiss to the top of Cody’s head before speaking again. “You’re safe here.”
“I…I’m not alone,” Leandra whispered.
“Get your cubs, Leandra,” Sol said gently. “They will not be harmed.”
“Cubs?” Cody asked.
She went into the woods again and returned with two squirming…holy hell on wheels those were lion cubs. They looked like baby Simbas, and they were the cutest things Cody had ever seen in his entire life. Leandra had on a backpack, too, and another bag over her arm. One of those over-stuffed diaper bag things the moms at the grocery store always had. Izzy had carried one around for years, and Cody had been convinced for a long time that it was a magical Mary Poppins’ bag. No matter what she needed, Izzy pulled it out of that bag. Once, she even got him dental floss from the bag. Why did she need floss in a diaper bag? Those things were a universal mystery. He couldn’t think any more about it, though, because Leandra swayed. Sol moved faster than Cody could process and caught her as she fainted.
“Cody, get the cubs,” Sol said.
He darted forward and reached for one of them, but it hissed at him.
Sol growled and his eyes flashed red.
The cub whimpered and rolled over before nearly falling off of Leandra’s chest. Cody caught it, and then grabbed the other.
“Get them inside,” Sol ordered.
Cody turned and hurried toward the bar. Every eye in the parking lot was on him. Intense didn’t begin to describe it. Cody wasn’t sure he completely understood what was happening. The cubs tried to hide themselves in his armpits. Cody didn’t have time to wonder how he was going to get the door open, because the moment he was close enough, it opened for him. Calli looked at the cubs, her breath hitching a little, then at Sol.
“Get me a Jerrick,” Sol commanded.
She nodded and stepped outside. She didn’t even bother going around the side of the building. Cody heard the swoosh of the flame circle as he carried the cubs inside. Shelly seemed as surprised as Cody was by the little lion cubs in his arms. Sol carried Leandra to one of the longer tables at the back. Jedrek helped him untangle her from the mess of bag straps before they lowered her carefully onto the table. Both of the cubs whined.
“Shh,” Cody whispered. “You’re safe here. We’ve got you.”
He wasn’t entirely sure if they were people or actual lions, but a soothing tone never hurt anyone.
“We’ve got that barrier thing we used for Sophie in storage. Remember, Walt?” Shelly asked.
“I got it,” Walt huffed. He disappeared into the back room and emerged a minute later with a mangled box. Teague moved a couple tables out of the corner, and they had a little fenced area set up with a pad on the floor.
“Okay, that’s cool,” Cody said. “Sophie used to play here?”
“Yeah, when she was little. We kept her until dinner time when Izzy’s sister came and took her for the night.”
“I didn’t know Izzy’s sister lived nearby.”
“She doesn’t. Not anymore. Her husband got another job and they moved. Put ‘em down, Cody.”
But he didn’t want to. They were cute and cuddly and apparently kind of sleepy.
He heard the now familiar swoosh, and Calli reentered the bar with Ben Jerrick behind her.
“Both Doc Jerricks are in surgery. Ben said he could stabilize her until his dad can finish and get here.”
Cody swore that Ben Jerrick got taller every single time he saw him. The kid was huge, taller than Shaq and Sol, but he had this gentle giant presence about him that always made Cody want to give him a hug.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“She fainted. Exhaustion and probably dehydrated,” Sol said.
Ben inhaled and his eyes widened. Cody wasn’t even entirely sure what happened next, but Ben made a noise and suddenly every hellhound in the room was surrounding him. Including Sol.
“Uncle Sol?” Ben sounded small and scared.
“Tell me,” Sol demanded.
“I… I smell…” He looked around the room, and he finally noticed Cody and the sleeping cubs in his arms. He made a sound, a heartbroken keening sound that brought tears to Cody’s eyes and he didn’t even know why.
“Ben!” The young man’s eyes moved to Sol when he spoke. “We need to help their mother. Can you do it?”
The words seemed to help. “I can do it.”
“Cody, get the cubs in the playpen. Stay with them.”
Shelly helped Cody climb over the rails of the thing, and he sat down with his back against the wall. The cubs huffed and began to purr.
In the meantime, Ben crossed the room to Leandra and began looking her over. He kept glancing at Cody and the cubs nervously, but he was able to do the basics at least. He was in med school and he worked at his dad’s veterinary— holy crap. Vaughn wasn’t a vet at all. He was a shifter doctor. Shifter doctors were a total thing that existed. And Ben was going to be a shifter doctor, too.
“What is it?” Shelly asked gently. She’d gone and gotten a little bowl of water and sat it inside the play area with Cody.
“I just realized that Vaughn is a shifter doctor, not a vet.”
Shelly grinned. “Yeah, that one was a shocker to me, too. I watched those kids grow up and never even realized something was different about them.”
“Holy crap. They’re shifters, too. I didn’t even… oh, that makes so much sense now. Ollie is such a menace. What is he?”
“Wolf,” Shelly said. “Ben’s a bear.”
“Holy mackerel.”
She grinned again before leaning over and gently touching one of the cubs on the head. “They were all adopted by their dads when they were cubs. After they found them.” She looked at Cody and it was one of those Come on. Put the pieces together and figure it out looks. They’d been found. The word was significant. And the guys were always super protective of them whenever they were around. Which probably meant they’d been hurt when they found them. Dammit.
Cody looked up at her and nodded. He’d put the pieces together, even if the answers weren’t ones he wanted. Whatever had hurt Ben had a scent, and he’d caught that scent on Leandra and her cubs. Which meant that they’d either been hurt, too, or she was involved with whoever had hurt them. Cody hoped it was the former, because the guys— the pack, Cody corrected in his mind— were absolutely devoted to the Jerrick kids. They were family, and now that Cody knew more, he understood how significant a distinction that was.
Cody turned his attention to Ben, who’d taken Leandra’s blood pressure and listened to her heart. “I’ll have Dad double check, but I think she’s dehydrated. I can get her awake, and we can let her drink, but I…”
“What?” Sol asked.
“Can I look at the cubs before I wake her up? Make sure they’re…”
“Yes,” Sol said.
Ben moved over to the enclosure and easily stepped over the rails. He sat down in front of Cody with his long legs crossed in front of him before leaning over and gently running a finger over one of the cub’s head. “May I?” Ben asked softly.
“Sure,” Cody answered.
Ben gently lifted the cub in his big hands and cuddled it against his chest. He closed his eyes, but Cody could tell he was listening. Cody wasn’t a doctor or anything, but the cubs looked good to him. They weren’t skinny or anything, and their coats were shiny. They were a little paler than lions, more white than gold, but Leandra was pretty pale herself so maybe that had something to do with it. Ben let out a sigh a minute later and opened his eyes. He looked at Cody and smiled.
“They okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. She’s taking good care of them.”
“But not herself,” Cody said gently.
“That’s what parents do,” Ben said. He handed the cub to Cody before taking the other one. He repeated the same routine as before and got the same result. Then he smiled suddenly, and Cody’s unease lifted.
“What?” Cody asked.
“I can’t believe they’re asleep with hellhounds and other shifters around. Cubs are so ridiculous like that. Get them warm and cuddly, and they pass out like they can’t be bothered anymore. ”
“I don’t know that I blame them. I always feel pretty safe here, you know?”
Ben looked around and smiled. “Yeah. It’s why our Papa always let us come here. He’s human, in case you didn’t know.”
“Wait…so Dr. Vaughn is…wait, what is he?”
“Wolf.”
“But you’re a bear.”
“Yes.”
“But Ollie’s a wolf. Shelly told me.”
“Yes. Emily and Jack are wolves, too. Natasha is a fox.”
It took Cody a second to remember there was one Jerrick kid missing.
“What about Henry?”
Ben glanced at Sol before turning to Cody. “Henry’s human.”
There was a story there, and he’d make Sol tell him later.
“But Sam is human, and he and your dad are… mates?”
Ben nodded. Dammit, what was it with these shifter guys and their ability to be perfect couples. First Shaq and Drew, and now Vaughn and Sam.
“So you and Uncle Sol, huh?”
Cody couldn’t help his surprised gasp as he turned to Ben. “I… uh… yeah?”
Maybe… maybe he’d be able to join that list, too. The thought sent an excited tremble through him. Sol turned his way and smiled.
“Cool. Uncle Sol needs someone to keep him on his toes. He’s such a pain.”
“I heard that,” Sol grumbled.
“I know you did. How are the ribs?” Ben asked.
“Fine.”
Ben made another little noise and stood up, leaving the cubs with Cody.
Cody glared over at Sol. “I forgot about your ribs. How did I forget about your ribs?”
“The goddess fixed them. It’s fine.”
Cody narrowed his gaze further. “Show me.”
Sol crossed his arms over his chest and glared. “Cody—”
“Show me right now.”
Sol sighed, uncrossed his arms, and lifted his shirt. “There. Happy now?”
Nothing but smooth golden skin and really, really pretty abs.
“Yes. You’re a pain in the ass, you know.”
Sol growled and dropped his shirt. “Takes one to know one.”
Ben cackled and the cubs began to stir. One of them made a little noise, and Leandra woke up with a gasp.
Sol’s attention immediately turned to her. “You’re fine. You’re safe. Your cubs are safe.”
She pushed up anyway, looking for her babies. Ben stepped over the enclosure once more and went to her side. At first, she looked scared, but then she actually looked at Ben with his floppy hair and sweet brown eyes, and she relaxed.
“Hey,” Ben said softly. “I’m Ben Jerrick. How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Leandra said.
“Goddess,” Cody groaned. “Why are you all such liars? Is there a manual? Someone get me the manual.”
Leandra looked at him with a puzzled frown. “Is he…”
“He’s not insane,” Sol said. “He just acts that way sometimes.”
Cody huffed as the cubs began to crawl all over him. “Ow! Easy with the claws, guys.”
“One guy. One girl,” Ben said.
“Right.”
“But he had a point,” Ben added. “You’re obviously not fine. Will you let us help?”
She looked at Ben again and shrugged. Ben glanced toward the kitchen window where Walt stood watching them all with a glare.
“Ben,” Walt barked. But Cody noticed it wasn’t as loud or scary as he usually bellowed. “Nachos or wings?”
Ben did the cute little shoulder shrug he’d been doing since the first time Cody met him. The question was always the same, and so was Ben’s answering shrug. And then Walt always said…
“Fine. I’ll make both.”
“And scene,” Cody whispered under his breath. Every single time.
Sol came over and sat down beside him. One of the cubs scrambled across Cody’s lap and tentatively put its paw on Sol’s thigh. It wrinkled up its nose and sneezed. Cats and dogs. Cody snickered and looked up at Sol.
“I don’t want to know.”
“Cats and dogs,” Cody said.
He snickered again. Sol ignored him and let the cub climb closer. It sniffed at Sol’s clothes before hissing and scrambling backward. The other one climbed off Cody’s lap and went to the water bowl Shelly had brought over. It drank thirstily before making a cute little meowing sound. It put its paws up on the rail and looked for Leandra.
“Stay there,” Leandra said.
Cody took a quick peek and realized it was the boy. “Um, what are their names?”
“That’s Lionel,” Leandra said. “He’s my escape artist. The one sniffing your mate is Ariella.”
Mate. Huh. Was that the shifter word for boyfriend? Because he’d read a few books where—
“Is it okay if we make them something to eat?” Ben asked Leandra softly. “Uncle Walt is making me food. He wouldn’t mind putting on a couple burgers, if that was okay with you.”
Cody heard her stomach rumble from across the room.
“I don’t want to—”
“Hey, Walt!” Cody yelled.
Walt reappeared in the window with a scowl.
“What?”
“I’m hungry.”
Walt scowled at him. “Fine.”
“So are Leandra and the kids.”
Walt’s expression only changed the slightest bit. “I’m not making damn chicken nuggets, Cody.”
“But kids like chicken nuggets.”
“Um, or burgers,” Ben suggested again. “More protein and iron.”
“Well, yeah. Right. Burgers, Walt? All around? Pretty please?” Cody asked.
“You’re such a pain in the—” Walt stopped and growled. “Too many da…rn kids around here these days. Can’t even…” He threw up his hands in frustration and disappeared into the kitchen.
