Page 62 of How to Trust a Hellhound
Wilder hugged me more tightly. “It’s okay, Mei Ume. You’re safe now. I won’t let you out of my sight again.”
“I mean, there wasreallysomething wrong with him. He looked strung out or something. He was ranting about getting me away from demons and how the angels were going to help and how powerful they were. It was… it wasn’t anything like Rick. He doesn’t believe in supernatural stuff. He has a temper, but he isn’t delusional.”
Thea raised her eyebrows, looking at Wilder. “You said angels and demons don’t always get along. Could he be working with actual angels?”
I sat up and turned to look at Wilder. Q came over with coffee and some muffins, setting them on the table and staring at us.
“I’m okay, Q. I ran into Rick, but he didn’t hurt me, and I’m fine. I was just shocked,” I told him.
“That amoeba-brained, shit-sucking pile of puke. Where is he? I’ll fucking kill him myself,” Q seethed.
I raised my eyebrows. That was pretty creative, even for Q. Usually it was just cursing.
He saw my look and grimaced. “Toby has a character who swears in creative ways. He keeps asking my opinion on them. They’re kind of fun to use.” He shrugged.
I laughed, and Q cracked a little smile, heading back to the counter when one of the other employees called him. A line was building up, but Q still took his time.
We drank our coffee and ate the muffins, and Wilder must have sensed I needed some normality, because he talked about the layout of the town, the nearby cities, and the rural areas with Thea. They chatted easily, and the coffee and muffin made me feel less shaky.
By the time there were only crumbs left, Thea and Wilder were both quiet. Thea got up first.
“I’m going to continue exploring, maybe see if I can scent anything. He wasn’t hellbound, and he was just human, but there was some scent clinging to him… I don’t know.” She shook her head, and then headed out the door without a goodbye.
Ok then. I guess she was as fond of social niceties as the rest of the guys.
“Ready to head out, Mei Ume?” Wilder asked, and I nodded.
He helped me up, and we made our way to his car. He opened my door and even buckled me in, and I didn’t complain, although I did blush. He drove with one hand on my knee, and he kept looking over at me. It made me feel warm inside.
With everything that had happened, I’d totally forgotten about my appointment with Helene, but Wilder obviously hadn’t, because we pulled up in front of a brick building.
“Shit. I forgot,” I muttered.
“If you want to put it off, I’m sure she’ll understand,” Wilder reassured me.
I sighed. “No. It’s good. I’m just not sure how I’ll explain all of this without talking about all the hellhound stuff.”
“Oh, well, Helene is a fury, so she knows all aboutus,” Wilder said.
I turned and stared at him. She was a what now? I had the urge to check and see if my ears were clogged or something. Did I have a concussion?
Wilder must have sensed something in my look, because he looked apologetic. “Ah, sorry? I thought Aiden had told you that. I’m sure she’s ok—the guys have vetted her—but I still planned to walk you up and check her for myself. If that’s okay, of course.”
I just continued staring at Wilder.
“So, ah, you ready to go meet her?” he finally asked, fidgeting a bit.
I opened the car door and got out, and Wilder followed behind. Was I ready to meet the really nice lady I’d talked to on the phone, who was also apparently a fury? Sure. Why not? My day certainly couldn’t get any more fucked up than it already was.
Helene was… nice. Normal. Sweet, but also with a take-no-shit kind of attitude. I liked her, and I felt better talking to her. She and Wilder had stared each other down when we first got in, but she apparently passed whatever test he had, because he told me he’d wait in the car.
I’d given her some background over the phone about Rick and our relationship, so jumping straight into the explanation of what happened that afternoon was easy. That led into talking about Wilder and my feelings for him, and expressing all my concerns about moving too quickly.
“Your mind tells you it’s too quickly, but what does your heart say, Josh?” she asked.
I tilted my head at her, unsure how to answer that question.
“How would you feel if he was gone from your life?” she asked.
