Chapter 24

Mac ported to his uncle’s, eager to catch up and see what had happened since the last time he saw him.

“Uncle?” Mac shouted out as he ported into the front entryway.

“In the kitchen,” came a faint reply.

Mac walked through the house, entering a door to a back area that was kept for family. The walls went from plain and boring, to more colorful with family pictures hanging on the wall. There were pictures of Mac’s parents with his uncle, pictures of Mac and his uncle, pictures of Mac playing with the Hellhound puppies that always seemed to be around. He had a good life growing up.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw his uncle on the floor, three hellhound puppies crawling over him. It was a side of him not many saw.

“Who had puppies this time?” Mac asked, squatting down to let them sniff his hand.

“Clarice. Braedon’s the father.”

“That’s a good pairing. These will be good protectors then,” Mac said. He was familiar with all of his uncle’s dogs.

“I think so. They’re weaned now and I’m just starting to get them housebroken. I had a thought I wanted to run by you,” he said.

Mac nodded, letting his uncle know he was listening, but he was really playing with the little balls of fur. Not that they would stay little for long. Hellhounds grew to be about Great Dane-sized in height but were built more muscular. If you combined the strength and cunning from a Doberman Pincher, a Rottweiler, and a Pit Bull, with the training of a German Shepherd, that was a close enough description of the Hellhounds. They were Netherworld in nature, so they too could transform their shapes, often with flaming fur and the lights of hellfire in their eyes. They could be terrifying and once they latched on to their person, they would destroy the world for them. His uncle knew which dogs paired best with each other to create the next generation and he was always careful to train them himself. While some other demons did get their own Hellhounds, most still belonged to his uncle. They often accompanied him or the Enforcers for work.

“Once I get these trained, I would like to give one to your mate. I know you worry about her when you’re not there, even with the wards in place. I can make a Service Animal accreditation for him, so she can bring him to work. What do you think?” his uncle asked, looking at him.

“She’s been wanting a dog,” Mac said slowly. “I think she would accept one. Which one were you thinking?”

His uncle pulled out one of the squirming puppies, placing him in Mac’s hands. “This one.”

Mac studied the dog, noticing it met his eyes square on, a little growl forming. “That’s enough,” he said firmly. “Are you going to protect my mate?” he asked the pup.

The whip-like tail went crazy, wagging like mad, a little woof giving him the answer. “That’s a good pup,” Mac said, holding the pup up to his face, letting him scent him.

“I think it’s a good choice,” Mac said, grinning as a little tongue licked his nose.

“Great. I’ll work on training him so he’s ready. Would you like to visit the punishment levels today?”

Mac knew this was his uncle’s way of asking if he wanted to go mete out punishment to the ones who hurt his mate. It was very tempting, especially with the scream of last night’s nightmare still fresh in his mind. But he didn’t want to go back home with that energy on him.

“Not today. I know you’re punishing them for me.” He sighed. “She had another nightmare last night. She doesn’t talk to me about them, but I think she does to Thomas and the therapist she sees online.”

“You need to give her time. No one should have to endure what she did, or Thomas did. I thought I had made it very clear years ago that anyone who tries to hurt my boys will be dealt with by me,” his uncle said, his voice hard. “Apparently they need a reminder.”

Mac grinned, knowing his uncle had unofficially adopted D when they were younger. It was always fun getting both families together during the holidays. D’s parents were probably the only other ones who got to see his uncle in his family life. Everyone else only got to see the work version.

“Thank you,” he said. “Got any more ideas on wooing my mate?”

“You tried flowers? Chocolates? What about love notes?”

“I don’t know that love notes are really my thing,” Mac replied. “Where are you getting these ideas?”

His uncle blushed. “Magazines. What?” he asked indignantly when Mac started laughing. “It’s not like I have a mate,” he protested. “I’ve been single for longer than you’ve been alive. No one wants to date me, thinking I’m just my job. And I haven’t come across my mate yet,” he pouted.

Mac squeezed his uncle’s shoulder. It would be wonderful if his uncle found his mate. He needed someone to come home to, someone to relax with.

“I tried the flowers and chocolates. I sent over coffee and cannoli, one time I sent her lunch. She’s been talking to me, but I don’t know that I’m making much progress otherwise.”

“You are. By being there consistently and showing up, you’re showing her that you’ve changed. It might take some time. You were an idiot.”

“Thanks, Uncle.”

“Well, you were. She’s dealing with you and your change of mind, plus all the trauma and residual scars of being abducted. You need to have patience. Being there for her is what she needs from you.”

Mac nodded, knowing he was right. It was fun getting to know her. She was funny and he loved hearing some of the stories that came from working in the library. Like the other day when she found an older couple getting frisky in the back corner, thinking no one could see them. Or the little girl who finally finished a book on her own and couldn’t wait to tell Viv about it. He had been there for that one and it had been adorable. Viv was so good with the kids, well with everyone really. He couldn’t believe he was dumb enough to not have seen it and had lumped her in with his first mate simply because she was human.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, causing Viv’s pup to nose at it. “I’m getting it,” he said, laughing, gently pushing his nose away. He read the message, not quite sure if he was reading it right. He read it again, a grin spreading over his face.

“You look creepy,” his uncle pointed out. “What’s going on?”

“Viv asked me on a date.”

Viv was nervous. She had hit the send button before she could second-guess herself.

“Good job,” Thomas praised her, his teacher voice coming out. “Now what? What are you going to do?”

“The park has an outdoor movie tonight. Maybe pick up some food and have a picnic and watch the movie?”

“What kind of movie is it?” Thomas asked. A horror movie or even a murder mystery probably wouldn’t be the right kind of movie for a first date.

“It’s a rom-com. It’s an old one I’ve seen before. It’s a little cheesy, but it should be fine.”

Her phone chimed. “He said yes and wants to know when.”

“Tell him tonight. You can drive together and either pick food up on the way or have it delivered right before you leave,” Thomas suggested.

Viv nodded, typing out the details and sending it. She pulled up the food app, thinking that having the food delivered would be easier than driving someplace and waiting for it and trying to make it back in time for the movie. She decided on barbeque. There was a place close by that did really nice green beans with diced onions and bacon. The pulled pork was always good and she loved their cornbread. It was moist, which was hard to find. She found most places had dry cornbread, but she loved this one. She added two different sauces, not sure if Mac liked a sweeter or spicier BBQ sauce. She added another side of mac and cheese and coleslaw since she knew how much he could eat, and a couple of drinks.

“Can you ask D if we grabbed the picnic basket from the apartment and where it might be?” Viv asked. The first few days of the move were a blur.

“I think I know where it is. There’s a storage closet in our hallway. Let me go look,” Thomas said. Viv followed him to his side of the house. She hadn’t been over there much, other than the first tour he gave her. They tended to leave each other’s rooms alone and stuck to the common spaces. The closet was packed. It looked like everything that they didn’t know where to put or if they should keep it, ended up in here. Thomas dug in, searching through piles and towers of stuff. “Found it!” Thomas slowly started pulling it out, trying not to send the tower of stuff tumbling.

Viv helped get it out and then ran to the shower. She wanted to look nice for tonight, even though she knew nothing was going to happen. This was their first date, despite knowing each other and texting and talking on the phone. She was nervous, which seemed ridiculous, but if this went well it had the potential to change her life. She would have a mate and would live a long time. And if it didn’t…well, her heart would be broken again.