How to Hack a Hellhound (Hellhounds of Paradise Falls #2)

by Shannon Mae

Pumpkin spice wasn’t lovely. It was fucking nasty. I said what I said, and I stood behind it.

Monsters were out there, but so far all the monsters I’d met in real life had been one hundred percent human.

Dear god, it was worse than an orgy. Way worse. I would not have agreed if I had known what it really was. It was… Fuck. It was like some kind of early 2000 sitcom where all the girls sat around drinking Manhattans and gossiping about the men in their lives, only we were sitting in Toby’s living room, drinking wine, and gossiping. I was in the gay version of Sex in the City, for fuck’s sake.

Quinton was a flame in the darkness, and I wanted to set him free and watch him burn. I would make sure no one ever again tried to put out his fire.

“Cassius wants to know what’s going on with Q and Aiden. He’s pissed. He did adopt them, and then you stole and rehomed them.” I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Dex, they aren’t stray pets.” Dex looked offended. “I know that! They’re stray humans. Obviously. I still don’t think you can just steal and rehome them.” I just shook my head. Dex was… well, he was Dex. Not the most human-savvy hellhound of the group.

Aww, are you asking me to move in with you, my creepy stalker? I almost regretted the words after I typed them, but fuck it. If this guy was stalking me, he probably knew I had an attitude. I have been informed that people do not ask people they have not officially met to move in with them. I laughed, wondering who had “informed” him of that.

“I’ve gone from Creepy Stalker to Sexy Stalker. A definite improvement, I think,” I answered.

“Of course, I would hunt you down in a very nice way and bring you back willingly,” I said, nodding. “Toby always says consent is important. And if you didn’t want to come back then we’d all just follow you around or something. Although we like it here, so we’d all prefer it if you'd stay.”

“Did you just say ‘he leaked a bit’?” I asked. “From his eyes,” Liam added helpfully. For fuck’s sake.

Some threats, the promise of torture and vengeance, and a little hacking—a romantic evening indeed.

Sometimes it’s better to grieve someone than to punish them. Grieve the man you thought he was. It’s ok.”