Page 31 of Hellhounds Never Lie

"That's kind of cool, but what does that have to do with what I told you?" That wasn't exactly what I'd wanted to say, butno wonder I already trust you and, for the first time in my life, I kind of wish I had ovaries so I could have your babiesseemed like a little too much, particularly when he should be wanting to stay far away from me after this.

"I'm getting to that." I could hear the smile in his words. "So we have heightened senses, right? Like any other shifter. But it's a little more involved than that. We can tell if someone is lying or not. And, in our shifted forms, we can see a person's energy, like an aura, but it is focused on their magic. The way my parents explained it to me is like this: When my kind was part of a team of investigators and executioners for supernatural beings, the Eternal Magic gave us the ability to understand the threats around us and take them out if we needed. Hellhounds know how strong other supes are as soon as we shift and see them. It's innate. It helped us protect ourselves as we doled out punishments."

Ah. I understood now. And I was almost scared to ask, but I had to know.

"What do you see when you look at me?" I whispered.

"I see an abundance of magic. It flows around you like a waterfall. Although knowing your affinity is for fire makes sense, because it is like a fiery crimson light."

"But…" That didn't make sense. I hadn't been able to use my magic for almost a decade.

"It's there, little witch," Dillon murmured. "Remember, hellhounds can't lie."

A new feeling shivered through me. Hope. That was what hope felt like.

"I don't know why you don’t feel it or can’t use it, but it is there. I saw it out on the road when you found me, and I saw it again just now when you asked me to shift."

"So I'm not broken? Or, rather, I'm not broken in the way I thought I was?" That shivering sliver of hope grew a little stronger.

"You aren't broken at all," Dillon said. "You need to find your way home again. That’s all. A way to trust yourself. A safe place to access your magic. The loop that formed when I bit you wouldn't have sung like it did if you didn't have such strong magic."

My sight blurred. Shit, I was tearing up. I hadn't cried since I'd first woken up all those years ago and felt a gaping hole where my magic had lived. "It's really there?"

"It’s really there," Dillon said. "And I'll say that as many times as you need to hear it to believe it."

"Thank you. I… I probably shouldn’t say this so soon—I mean, we haven’t even known one another for twenty-four hours yet—but it is true. I do feel safe with you. I guess even my magic felt that."

The implications of what he said bounced through me like happy little bubbles in champagne. I needed to share all my warm and gooey feelings, and what better way than having more amazing, so-good-it-knocks-you-out sex with a beautiful, wonderful man.

And look, Dillon was already naked. Perfect.

Of course, I was wearing a sweaty, cum-encrusted T-shirt, so that was kind of nasty, but Dillon didn’t look like he minded.

"So, I guess I have a question," I said. "If you sixty-nine, you don't have to bite my dick for that energy loop thing, right? 'Cause if that's the case, we're never doing that."

Dillon's eyes widened in surprise, then he laughed loud and long. "No. No dick biting. I promise."

"Okay, then." I turned in Dillon's embrace and straddled him. I was sure my smile was big and toothy and goofy looking, but I didn't care because Dillon smiled right back at me. And then we were kissing again and touching. I never wanted this to end.

ChapterThirteen

DILLON

That afternoon, I held Ash's hand as we approached the Willow Lake Inn. I’d never held anyone’s hand before. I hadn’t ever wanted to, but there was something about him that made me want to do that and so much more.

We’d spent the whole morning getting hot and sweaty, but it wasn’t enough. If we hadn’t needed to check in with Van or go to the hardware store, I wasn’t sure we would have left the bed, to be honest.

Before we did any of that, though, I needed to feed my little witch. That’s why we were here. Ash had suggested going to the Flying Rowan Café where he worked, but I wanted to see the place Rob was so eager to raid.

“I’ll show you the inn first, then we’ll go to the pub for lunch,” Ash suggested as we walked across the gravel parking lot to the massive three-story building.

When I nodded, Ash steered me to the left, which appeared to be the main entrance to the inn. It looked like the pub was attached to the right end of the building and had its own entrance.

To be honest, the place wasn’t what I’d expected.

Based on the character of the building, I guessed the place to be at least a hundred years old. Small artistic details were hidden everywhere. The phases of the moon were incorporated into the red brick façade, intricate carvings celebrating the native flora and fauna decorated the thick oak of the main door, and the stone lintel above the door even had a stylized wolf head.

Despite the size and heft of the door, it swung open easily to reveal a large reception room with oversized dark green sofas placed in the middle of the room, which complemented the dark hardwood floors. Everywhere I looked, ornate designs were carved into rich oak beams and panels, all stained in that same dark hue as the floor. The original pack must have treasured their home. Their love for the place was on display in every corner.