Demon Dog (V.B.I. #1)

By Claire Farrell

Peter and Val are close to dissolving their new partnership after a long dry spell until a chance encounter offers Peter the opportunity to prove himself to his son, and perhaps an entire community. Peter can’t afford to let Emmett down again; all he has to do is persuade Val to help him.

The hunt for a lost pet seems farcical to both of them, particularly as a series of confusing occurrences unfold, but something darker and more dangerous might be lurking in the streets of Dublin, something that could establish the pair as a force to be reckoned with, once and for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Claire Farrell
• Release date: Dec 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310094736

Claire Farrell

Claire Farrell is an Irish author who spends her days separating warring toddlers. When all five children are in bed, she overdoses on caffeine in the hope she can stay awake long enough to write some more dark flash fiction, y/a paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

Book preview

Chapter 1

It was the missing dog poster that did it. Emmett Brannigan’s hazel eyes, so like his father’s, widened as he took in the flapping piece of paper stuck to a lamppost by glittery sticky tape.

Peter took another couple of steps before realising the boy wasn’t following. He looked back. Emmett was still standing there, his fingers clenching into fists. Sighing, Peter joined his son before the poster. A curl of discomfort rounded in his belly at the childishly hand-drawn image of a hulking dog that looked more like a monster than a pet.

Look, Emmett said hoarsely. Somebody lost their dog.

Are those horns or ears? Peter asked.

"Dad."

Peter would never get used to being called Dad. It went a long way to repairing all of those holes in his heart. As it was, he couldn’t hide his smile. Come on. I’m starving, and we still need to pick up a few things in the shop.

But the dog, Emmett protested. I mean, what if it’s hurt somewhere?

With a sigh, Peter took another look at the page. Written on the poster were the words:

---

Lost Dog!

Sparky is the best dog in the wurld.

Pleese bring him home!

---

So, okay, maybe it was a little adorable.

I’m sure the dog will turn up again. Peter dug his cold hands into his pockets. Now let’s go.

"But it’s lost. Emmett’s hand reached for his eyebrow. Peter caught his fingers before he ripped out any hairs. The boy’s eyes looked wild for a moment, panicked, like a trapped animal. I was lost. I didn’t turn up again for a really long time. Nobody found me."

That made Peter’s breath hitch in his throat. He needed his son to know he would look for him forever, that he wouldn’t give up a second time. He had made a mistake—more than one—and every now and then, it became apparent that both of them were still suffering for it. He had to find a way to repair his bad decisions.

More importantly, he wanted his son to love him, and he wasn’t quite sure that had happened yet. He couldn’t even blame him, but he would do whatever it took to earn the boy’s trust. Their situation was unique, and hopefully, time would help close the distance between them. But in the meantime, he needed to act.

Emmett had been stolen away as a toddler then spit back out as a nine-year-old. Peter had learned to be a hard man in his absence, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever be a good enough father, but he was damn well going to try. Recent events had put Emmett in danger yet brought the pair closer together than their previous time together had managed, and Peter would build on that in any way he could.

I’ll go see the kid, Peter blurted without thinking. Val and me… We’ll take this job on. For free.

Emmett’s smile was sudden and warm, the panic seeping away almost instantly. Really?

Peter hid his regret behind a grin. Can’t let anyone go without the best dog in the world, right?

Emmett’s fingers unclenched long enough to give Peter a brief hug. Peter held him tight for a moment before releasing him to check his face. The sun behind Emmett’s eyes was back. Peter relaxed, relieved. The whole parenting thing wasn’t so hard sometimes.

Peter couldn’t help but grin at Ava Delaney’s reaction to his request.

Hold on a second. Her blue eyes seemed to enlarge as she spoke. You want me to take care of Emmett while you persuade the half-hellhound to help you look for a missing dog? I mean… really? That’s the best excuse for me to babysit you’ve got?

It’s true. He held his hand over his heart and made the sign of a cross. "And hope to die. Seriously, you should have seen him. The kid got this… this look in his eye when he saw the missing poster, and you know I can’t resist trying to buy his love."

She folded her arms across her chest, her stern gaze penetrating his bullshit. And what if the dog is dead? What if it got run over or this kid’s parents decided to take it to a pound and pretend it went missing?

Who would do that to their kid?

Shitheads, that’s who. The same kinds of shitheads who buy love, by the way.

He decided it would be best to let that one go. You said yourself that Val and I need to get out there more.

I kind of meant applying to work with the Senate, or, like, handing business cards in to be displayed on shop windows or something. I wasn’t expecting you to hunt down lost dogs. Finally, a smile crept across her face, making it hard for him to look away. She had no idea at all what her smile did to him. Even if that is sort of sweet.

Sweet? That’s quite a step up from selfish bastard.

She tossed her impossibly red hair and turned her back on him. Don’t get too used to it. She took a seat at her tiny desk in the corner of her living room, an apparent dismissal. Of course I’ll watch Emmett. Good luck convincing Val though.

As he turned to leave, he heard her make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

He left a cheerful Emmett with his favourite grownup and tried not to feel jealous at the obvious bond the unrelated pair had together. He was often the outsider looking in around them, but he was determined that would change. He had come a long way with Emmett, but it hurt that both he and Ava still preferred each other’s company to Peter’s. Even so, he couldn’t expect them to forget all of his mistakes just because he wanted them to.

It would have been nice though.

The next step wouldn’t be as easy. About a year ago, his half-hellhound partner had moved out of the cul-de-sac that had been a kind of safe haven for him and most of his friends when life got tough. That was fair enough, but she had moved to a property owned by a certain fae prince whom Peter couldn’t stand. And only a small part of that dislike was down to the odd connection between Phoenix, a literal son-of-a-bitch, and Ava, the woman Peter had managed to both win and lose with seemingly little effort.

Peter patted the steering wheel of his baby, a car he had kept for a long time because of the memories of Emmett’s dead mother and a family he thought he had lost forever. Now, new memories were forming, and an unnatural attachment to an inanimate object was the least of Peter’s worries.

The stick caught as he switched gears, and he swore, realising the car was halfway back into the mechanic’s garage again. He really needed some paying work to pop up, and