Part 1 (1/2)

h.e.l.lHOUND.

Rue Volley.

”Go to Heaven for the climate, h.e.l.l for the company.”

* Mark Twain.

Authors Note...

I normally do not write a note in my books, but seeing that this in my 40th book that I have written and had published, I wanted to.

First of all I thank my husband for standing by me. Writers often go off into their own worlds for weeks at a time, not physically, but mentally. Having a partner who accepts this fact that you will be living inside of your head for most of the relations.h.i.+p is vital to its survival. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who loves me unconditionally and supports me in everything that I do. So to Von I say this. You are an amazing person and I do not deserve you, although you often mention how it is the other way around. This is simply not true. I adore you, you own my heart.

To SJ Davis and Riley Steel, two amazing women who happened to enter my life just as I started my writing career, meeting the two of you was fate, at its finest hour. Without your belief in me and willingness to publish my entire library of work I would not be sitting here writing this. I love both of you so much, but I do make it a point to say it as often as time allows. I have heard many a horror story about publis.h.i.+ng, but that has NOT been my experience. Mine has been exceptional and I could not have asked for better friends or partners in business. You both truly amaze me.

And last but not least...to my fans. Wow, just wow. When I started to write a few years ago it was to help myself get through the tragedy of losing my Dad and then my Mom. Now, I write for all of you. It is because of you that I am at this point in my career and that I am a full time author, because of you that I am an International Bestseller and that almost all of my books have ranked in every country thus far. That is no small measure of accomplishment and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for enjoying my work as much as I truly enjoy writing it. This is a journey we have just started together and I promise to continue to try to entertain all of you to the best of my ability...now, I will shut up so you can enjoy some more of my madness with h.e.l.lHOUND...

xoxo.

*rue.

* Birth of a Hound *

My hands shook and my heart ached, the pain so terrible I thought it may kill me, if I could only die. If I only could, I would. But to do that it would take more than this, more than loss and confusion. It would take a beast to strike me down a beast of epic proportions, a demonic one. I leaned into her shoulder, allowing her to console me. Who she is does not matter right now, the fact that I have to explain how I got here, to this moment in time is important to me. But before I go on, let me tell you this. Everything you thought you knew about h.e.l.lHOUNDS, you know, the dogs of h.e.l.l? is a lie. How do I know? Well, because I am one.

Now how the h.e.l.l did I manage to get this job? I f.u.c.ked up. All hunters f.u.c.ked up somewhere along the line and we died. Yep, we are all dead as h.e.l.l, tossed into purgatory along with a million other f.u.c.kalls who did questionable s.h.i.+t in their lives. Me? I killed a man. A guy who liked to beat the s.h.i.+t out of me and then claim he was sorry. Over and over I endured this bulls.h.i.+t until one night I snapped and ran a knife straight though his face, his eye to be exact. He looked at me as I released the knife and stumbled back. I wiped the blood from my lip and continued to hold myself up with sheer will. He then dropped and his head slammed into the carpet, shoving that knife through the back of his skull. I then felt my knees buckle as my vision blurred. He had stabbed me in the stomach before I stabbed him in the face. G.o.d d.a.m.n it, if it only seemed fair, but it was not. I fell to my side as I saw feet coming towards me. Black booted ones. Strong arms scooped me, a chest to lean against. I listened to a heart beating, thump, thump, thump, its rhythm making me feel at ease. Was it a policeman? A neighbor? Or perhaps an EMT? I did not know. I closed my eyes as my heart slowed and when I woke up again I was laying on a sandy sh.o.r.eline, black sky overhead with lighting crackling through it like thin spidery fingers. I pushed myself up, I then realized I felt no pain. I looked down and the blood was gone, as well as the deep cut to my stomach. I ran my fingers over the smooth skin on my stomach for a minute and then breathed out, white smoke rising up in the chilled air. Then I slowly looked up as lighting lit up the sky again and a million shadows stared me down, standing out in front of me like a crowd at a concert. They slowly started to approach me and I took one step back, only to find myself teetering on the edge of a cliff now. I caught my balance and looked down. I had no idea where the water went to but my new concern was that of NOT falling. I saw fire spitting up from a lake of molten lava far below and it was then that I felt a hand take mine and pull me forward.

I looked into the man's eyes; they were dark as night as was his hair, but the sky lit up again and I saw that his hair was actually blue. His skin pale, lips full and jaw firm. He looked weathered, and yet the same age as me I would guess. I am all of 26, I would have been 27 in two days if I had not been stabbed but anyway, he looked me over and then settled his eyes onto mine.

”h.e.l.lo, Halo Bay.” He said to me as I narrowed my eyes.

”How do you know my name?” I glanced behind me and watched the flames bellowing deep in the earth.

”I am Gunner.”

I smiled as I looked him over.

”Okay, where the f.u.c.k am I, Gunner?”

He grinned and then stepped back, moving away from me.

”The better question is, where would you like to be?”

I placed a hand on my hip and stared him down.

”Great, so we get to play games, perfect. Okay...I would rather be at a bar, drunk off my a.s.s I have a birthday in two days.”

”I wouldn't mind a drink, but there are no bars here and your birthday is actually today.”

”No.” I said as he watched me and thunder rolled overhead. I looked up towards the black sky.

”And here is?” I said as I held my hands up, not even interested in arguing my birthday.

”Purgatory.”

I laughed, but I abruptly stopped when I started to look at all the figures behind him, their movement was sluggish, almost like some f.u.c.ked up zombie movie. The lightning cracked and lit everything up again, I could see them, one by one. Eyes and mouths sewn shut with black thread. I sucked in my breath as Gunner stood there watching me very closely.

”I have to be dreaming.” I muttered as he shook his head.

”I wish I could say that you were, but this is no dream.” He held his hands out as the crowd behind him moved closer and closer to us. ”This is where the dead linger, forever. Well, unless they get tired of wandering around in this herd and then they just walk off the edge and get consumed by fire.”

I stepped back and felt the earth crumble beneath my heel. I caught my balance again and then looked down. The heat was rising from the fire far below. I looked up as the wind blew my red hair up around my face and he stared at me.

”And that?” I said as I pointed downward and he tilted his head.

”Well, that is h.e.l.l, of course.”

”Great.” I swallowed hard and saw the first of the people pa.s.sing him by. A woman held her hands out in front of her and moaned as she tried to part her lips. The thread strained against her skin and it started to tear. She suddenly quickened her pace and fell over the edge, her m.u.f.fled screams echoing upward as she tumbled further and further down. Finally she disappeared into the flames. I shook my head and looked back at Gunner as the crowd continued to come closer and closer.

”You have a choice Halo.”

”What?”

”A choice, you can stay here and eventually be eaten by flame or you can come with me.” He said and I took a breath and weighed my options.

”Where are you from?” I asked him and he grinned. His smile telling me that he might be enjoying this.

”h.e.l.l.”

”Oh s.h.i.+t, really?”

”Trust me, it doesn't have to be like this, you can survive it.”

”In h.e.l.l? What the f.u.c.k are you talking about?”

”Okay. Suit yourself.”

He pulled a ball of black thread and a long nasty looking needle out from behind his back and held them up to me.

”It is best if you sew your own eyes and mouth shut, all of those f.u.c.ks can't even see.” He glanced behind him. He then turned back to me and held the ball of black thread and s.h.i.+ny needle closer to my face.