Page 124 of Hounded

The sounds were the worst part. Animalistic, feral, and ferocious, they invaded my brain as angry noises with murderous intent. I wasn’t sure what Moira sent them to do. They couldn’t kill me, but they could capture me. Or send me back to the cramped kennel I’d barely escaped from.

If they managed to do either of those things, whatwould happen to Indy?

Treasure, my hound whimpered.

I couldn’t leave him defenseless and alone. Couldn’t live without him. I’d tried.

The hound gripping my hair slammed my face into the ground again, sending my thoughts scattershot. I was, effectively, blind and deafened to everything but the pinprick stars behind my eyelids and the roar of the hellbeasts heaped on top of me. Their combined weight proved crushing, immovable, and hot.

Burning hot. Scorching. More than mere body heat, this was searing and, when I peeked out through the blur of tears, I saw fire.

The once-menacing sounds turned alarmed, from growls to shrill whines and keening cries as the weight on me relented.

Blood clogged my broken nose, so smell came belatedly, but the wafts of singed hair and skin were potent.

I stayed on the ground. My battered body was reluctant to respond to what must have been a newer, greater threat. But something in the fire felt familiar. With a grunt of effort, I rolled onto my back. Yellow-orange flames curved above and around me, clearly channeled. The bodies of the attacking hounds littered the ground on my left and right, engulfed in tongues of fire that shouldn’t have been able to burn hellish creatures.

Unless…

Craning my neck, I looked toward the open garage door. A figure stood in its wide frame, so bright he seemed to glow from the inside out. Massive golden wings fannedaround him, their plumage dripping with liquid fire.

“Indy?” I croaked, too quiet to be heard over the sizzling of hellhounds being reduced to ash while human mechanics wailed in terror.

I hadn’t seen him like this in decades. In his full power, or near enough to it. It was a staggering sight, and undeniably beautiful. Everything about him was alight, as bright as the sun, and I stared until my eyes ached.

When I blinked at last, the darkness was a welcome respite. I was still on the ground, bathed in blood and drawing rattling breaths. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed there, only that the world grew distant and increasingly quiet until someone grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

“Loren!”

I roused with a series of fluttering blinks to see Indy knelt over me. His hands quivered as he brushed blood-matted hair away from my face.

“Oh, god, okay. Okay… It’s okay,” he rambled, assuring us both despite his wide yellow eyes betraying rampant panic.

“Indy, how did you…?” The words lodged in my throat, and I coughed, jostling shattered ribs.

His worry eased, and he gave a strained smile. “Superpowers,” he whispered.

My huffed laugh brought another round of pain, and I cringed. If his phoenix powers were back, it was a miracle, but I was reluctant to celebrate when I noticed the sallow tint of his skin and the shadows smudged under his eyes. He looked weary, maybe even ill, and I couldn’t tell if his trembling was from nerves, exertion, or something else.

“Are they dead?” I asked.

Indy looked around the empty garage. The employees had escaped at some point in the chaos, and we were alone. “All but the girl,” he admitted sheepishly. “She ran.”

“Abigail,” I supplied.

I pushed up onto my elbows despite my body giving agonized protest. I would heal, but the damage I’d sustained would have killed a mortal man a few times over, so it would take time. Time we didn’t have. If Abigail ran, presumably back to Hell, she would report on our whereabouts, and reinforcements would come in droves. They’d found me, but worse, they’d seen Indy in all his fiery glory.

Working my way to standing was a balance of pain and my determination to endure it. I couldn’t see much of the state the other hounds had left me in, but I felt every bit of it.

Once I’d drawn myself to my full, albeit slouched, height, I said, “We need to go.”

“How?” Indy asked. “You can’t drive. You can’t even walk.”

“I can walk. And drive,” I retorted as he ducked under my arm to support me. His hand hugged around my waist, and I couldn’t help but lean against him. And, while it was hard to admit, I felt like I needed to say, “Thank you, Doll. You saved me.”

Indy swelled with pride. “We take care of each other.”

I hummed acknowledgment and kissed the top of his head.

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