by Nadine Mutas
He raised a brow.
“It’s just—” I flailed. “Dogs are so slobbery. The ones I met all tried to lick me. Like—everywhere.”
He crossed his arms, raised one hand to his chin and shook his head, his eyes wide. “Can’t imagine why.”
I cast him a sidelong glance. “What about that hellcat in my rooms? Can’t I have that one as my guard? It looks big and vicious enough.”
He sighed. “Mephistopheles is...too capricious for guard duty.”
“Mephistopheles?” I stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously? Like that demon in Goethe’s Faust?”
“He’s been around longer than that poet.” He shrugged. “If I remember correctly, he got bored here and visited Earth for a while, which is how he must have inspired the character’s name. He was quite smug when he came back. Took a century for him to not bring it up at every opportunity.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “The hellcat that spit on me played muse to a world-class poet, sure, sure.” Deep breath in, deep breath out. “Anything else?”
“He chewed off van Gogh’s ear.”
My hand fell limply at my side. “Figuratively?”
“Literally.”
I blinked rapidly. “And you let him stay in my rooms?”
“He can’t hurt you.”
“Why? Didn’t you just say he was unreliable?”
“He’s bound by oath not to harm the master of this house, and that applies to you as well, courtesy of our...marriage.”
I narrowed my eyes. “He offered to scratch me.”
“He has an odd sense of humor.”
I gave him my best side-eye.
“Here,” he said, and held out a leather jacket. “Put this on too.”
I took the jacket and regarded it, noting its style and design were closer to an armored, long-sleeve tunic. “This is not mine.”
“No. I had it made it for you. The pups can be a bit...rambunctious.”
“You mean bitey?”
“If they bit you,” he said in his most patient tone, “they could cleave off your arm, whether you wore leather or not.”
“Good to know,” I squeaked.
“This is to protect you from their claws should they jump up on you.”
“Come to Hell, they said,” I muttered. “Enjoy the local wildlife, they said.”
“Pray you won’t ever meet the real wildlife. Hounds and cats aren’t it.”
“Is it dragons?” I shrugged into the tunic-jacket and shoved my feet into the boots Azazel materialized. “Please tell me it’s not dragons.”
His answer was a smirk as he turned toward the doors to the balcony, pulled them open and walked out. I followed him into the lightning-lit twilight. Heat billowed against me, and I gasped. How was I supposed to survive even five minutes in this oven, dressed like I was? Pulling at my collar, I tried to catch my breath, sweat already dripping down my neckline.
“C’mere.” Azazel grasped my arm, pushed up my sleeve and laid his fingers on my wrist.
A welcome, surprising chill shot up from his touch, spread through my body as if my veins had been injected with non-toxic coolant. I sucked in air, closed my eyes in bliss and moaned. “Oh, God, thank you.”
He tsked, still holding my wrist, his thumb rubbing over my pulse point. “Who?”
Clearing my throat, I slanted a glance at him. “You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?”
“I’m a fan of giving credit where credit is due. So when I’m the one making you moan, it better be my name on your lips.”
I pressed my mouth into a tight line to keep from grinning, looked up at him from beneath my lashes, fluttered them for effect, and breathed, “Oh, Azazel.”
He uttered a sound somewhere between a grunt and a laugh. “We’ll work on that.”
A whoosh, his wings erupting from his back in all their fire-licked glory.
Putting his hands on my waist, he pulled me close and lifted me a little. “Hold on.”
Instinctively, I slung not just my arms around his neck, but my legs around his hips as well. His one hand came to rest on my butt, his other arm wrapped around my back, holding me fast.
My face was level with his, cheek on cheek, the stubble on his jaw scratching over my skin. The scent of leather, fire, and that enticing spice—strong now that he was fresh out of the shower—teased my nose, made my lips tingle with the impulse to feel him. It was all I could do not to lean forward an inch and bury my face in the crook of his neck again...where the temptation to lick and taste him would do me in.
“Anytime you feel like using your tongue on me, love,” he muttered, “feel free to do just that.” His hot breath on my ear, making me shiver. “Anywhere you want to.”
My thighs tightened around his hips, wayward need sparking to life in my core. “We better start those shielding lessons soon.”
The thump of his wings drowned out his quiet laugh as we shot into the air. My stomach did a somersault.
“Do not shriek into my ear again,” he said.
“Fly better, and I won’t,” I hissed back.
“Maybe you just need a distraction.”
He banked abruptly, and my insides turned over. Before I could get a scream out, however, his mouth covered mine, and whatever high-pitched shriek had been building in my throat was swallowed by a kiss that made my stomach flutter with something entirely different than a sharp turn in the air.
I didn’t even notice when he landed. By the time he broke the kiss, we were on solid ground, his wings retracted, my mind foggy with lust, and my thighs squeezing him for all he was worth.
“See?” he said as he disentangled himself from my grip and let me slide down his front. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I made a noncommittal sound and held on to him for the seconds it took my legs to stop being wobbly.
“Lord Azazel,” someone said from behind me. “How may I serve you?”
I turned and eyed the demon who’d spoken.
He straightened from his respectful bow, long black hair sliding over his right shoulder. The hair on the left side of his head was close-cropped. Sharp brows rose over what appeared to be dark blue eyes, set in a face of rough-hewn pale beauty.
“Hael,” Azazel said, stepping forward and nodding at the demon. “I require a pup, not yet fully grown but trained.”
“Certainly, my lord.” Hael’s gaze flicked to me for a moment before focusing on Azazel again. “Any other special preferences?”
“Show me your most protective ones.” He glanced at me then added, “Their temper should be mellow.”
Hael inclined his head and made as if to turn and walk ahead, when Azazel snapped his fingers and the other demon paused.
“They need to be extremely obedient.” A brief pause, then, “And perhaps not too prone to licking.”
I bit my lip to rein in my grin at the expression on the other demon’s face.
“Of course, my lord,” was all Hael said before he beckoned for us to follow him into the squat building.
Attached to the outside of the massive structure of Azazel’s main fortress, the kennel building itself was the size of a mall. We walked through enormous, sturdy double doors into the semi-darkness of a hallway that could have been a tunnel allowing for a multi-lane freeway.
The strong smell of canines hung in the air, and deep-throated barking sounded from somewhere farther ahead. Every now and then one of the soul-crushing howls rose and fell in the distance.
The hairs on my arms stood up, my heart racing like mad.
I needed to get my shit together. If these beasts were anything like real dogs—or wolves—they would take one sniff of me and smell my fear.
Deep breaths, I told myself. Think of happy puppies. Happy, cuddly puppies.
Azazel made a sound close to a suppressed laughing snort, and I glared at his back.
Here, he said in my mind, tapping a spot on his side. If you stab me here, it will tickle.
My hand flexed around
the hilt of the dagger strapped to my hips.
He smiled as we rounded a corner and stopped in front of a large pen, secured with a thick metal fence, its bars reminiscent of the kind of enclosure necessary to keep elephants in check.
“Please wait here,” Hael said. “I will fetch the pups.”
Azazel nodded as the other demon left.
“Do you have a favorite hound?” I asked Azazel. “You know, one that’s more your pet than the others.”
His smile warmed, his gaze on the pen. “Chaos. He used to be Azmodea’s.”
“The one you stole from her?”
He cast me a narrow-eyed look. “I didn’t steal anything. He chose me. It’s not my fault if my sister doesn’t have her hounds under control and one of them happens to like me better than her.”
I pursed my lips. “Mh-hm. You lured him, didn’t you? Bribed him with treats or something.”
“Unfounded accusations.” The corners of his mouth twitched upward. “No proof, no crime.”
A door on the other side of the pen opened, and several large shadows streamed into the enclosure. Their baying shook the walls, rattled my bones, and I grabbed Azazel’s arm without thought.
“They’re just excited,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the noise the hounds made.
“Is that—do they—” My hand shook as I gestured in the direction of the beasts. “Three heads?”
“All the better to chew up couches with.”
I stared in horror at the hellborn canines, each of them as big as a lion. “Those are puppies?”
“They’re about two thirds of an adult’s size.”
A muffled squeak escaped me.
After their initial dash around the pen, the hounds settled a bit, some of them slowing down to sniff at the ground, a few of them wrestling with each other. I studied the ones closest to me who stood still enough that I could get a better look.
Indeed, three heads crowned each of the beasts, and they seemed to operate independently of each other too. Short, shaggy black fur covered their bodies, their long tails swishing back and forth. Just one tail for each hound, I noticed with a bit of relief. I wasn’t sure I could take more multiplied weirdness.
The ears on their heads were mostly pointed upward like wolves’, although a few of them flapped...like puppy ears are wont to do. They had long snouts, and the hounds whose lips were pulled back displayed a set of intimidating teeth. Those fangs could easily measure the length of my forearm.
“So?” Azazel’s question jerked me out of my observation. “Which one do you like?”
“Um.” I grimaced and let my gaze rove over the beasts bounding around the pen. “I still need a minute.”
Out of all the hounds, one repeatedly caught my eye. Maybe it was the way it tried to eat dirt. Or how it tripped over its paws. Or seemed startled by its own tail. All of its six ears flopped wildly around its heads, giving it an endearingly disheveled-looking appearance, what with quite a few of those ears seeming to be permanently stuck turned inside out and showing the pink inner part.
“That one.” I pointed at the beast.
Azazel stilled, then stiffly faced me with his arms folded in front of his chest. “You jest.”
“It looks adorable, as far as four-hundred-pound predators go.”
“The deciding factor shouldn’t be cuteness,” he replied. “As your guard, it needs to be sharp. This one looks like its favorite pastime is running into walls.”
“Hael.” I turned to the other demon, who’d joined us again, standing unobtrusively a few feet away. I waved at the hound in question. “Is this one protective?”
Hael came to attention, hands clasped behind his back. “Yes. She has no trouble tearing apart whatever threat faces her, and she responds swiftly in training to protect her handler.” The demon paused, then added hesitantly, “She’s just...a bit special in other situations.”
Azazel raised a brow. “You mean dumb.”
Hael grimaced. “More like clumsy, my lord.”
Oh, I could relate to that. “Yes. Her.” I pointed at Ms. Clumsy.
Azazel glared at Hael. “Will she make an adequate guard? I need her to be focused and obedient—to her.” He nodded at me.
“She’s attentive to commands.” Hael inclined his head. “We should try a meeting to see if she’s a good fit for…your….”
A beat of awkward silence as Hael’s uncertainty about my status hung in the air.
“Pet,” I said into the tension, and smiled.
I wasn’t looking at Azazel, yet I felt the singeing heat of his focus on me, its weight heavy and pressing.
“Pet,” my demon husband repeated, his voice a rough rumble. His attention shifted to Hael again. “Set up the meeting.”
“Right away, my lord.” Hael left with a bow.
“What?” I asked after a moment.
Azazel had been staring at me with an inscrutable expression, the silence between us weighted. Now he simply shook his head in non-answer to my question, as Hael called the hounds back inside from the door on the opposite side of the enclosure.
All except Ms. Clumsy.
She tried to jog after the others, tripped over her own legs and face-planted in the dirt. With all three of her faces.
Beside me, Azazel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
Hael whistled low, and the hellhound scrambled to a stand, then sat at attention. The demon gave a sign to Azazel.
“Come,” my skeptical spouse said and opened a gate on our side, waving me through.
Gingerly, I entered the pen, my heart thundering.
“I’m right behind you.” Azazel laid a hand on my lower back.
“Oh, good.” I swallowed. “So she’ll have to chew through me to get to you.”
His power stroked along my spine, his low laugh filling my mind.
“What’s her name?” he asked Hael.
“Vengeance.”
I snorted.
Hael shot me a dark look.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “It’s a good name. A strong name. Fierce. Well-chosen.” I gave the demon a thumbs-up. “A beastly name, a—”
Azazel’s hand covered my mouth. “Who are her parents?”
“Rage and Devastation.”
“Hm.” Azazel’s voice was thoughtful. “That’s a good bloodline.”
Hael preened.
“Let’s see it, then.” Azazel removed his hand from my mouth, moved it to my shoulder and squeezed. “Call her.”
I cleared my throat. “I feel like I need to point out that I’m not the most authoritative person. I don’t do well giving commands, I mean.”
“Really?” Azazel’s voice dripped with amusement. “Could have fooled me.”
I narrowed my eyes, which was totally lost on Azazel, of course, since I faced away from him.
Hael, on the other hand, looked distinctly confused.
“All right, then,” I muttered, squared my shoulders, stood up straight, and firmed my voice. “Vengeance. Come here.”
All six floppy ears flopped adorably around as the hound swiveled her heads toward me. I slapped my thigh.
Tongues lolling out, Vengeance loped over to me. I had a second of terror-frozen doubt at the sight of the lion-sized, three-headed canine from Hell bounding in my direction, and I probably would have backed up if Azazel’s hand on my lower back had given me an inch to do so.
A moment later, I had three large snouts sniffing all over my body, and when I say all over, I really mean all over—one of her heads was between my legs, taking a good sniff of my privates.
I squeaked and pushed the offending snout away, only to have another one check out my left armpit. Wet breath on my ear, a tongue on my right hand. I flailed.
“Sit!” I yelped.
All three heads retreated as Vengeance sat down—or intended to. She kind of toppled over. Only for a second, then she bounced back up and parked her butt on the floor, her tail thumping, her six eyes fixed on
me.
“Good girl,” I said.
The tail thumped harder. One of the ears that had been normal now flopped in the other direction, showing the pink inside.
Grinning, I stepped up to her. “Who’s a good girl?”
Thump, thump, thump.
“Who’s a good girrrrrrrl?” I reached out and scratched her middle head.
Her butt wiggled, and her other two heads tried to bump the middle one away to get to my hand, which resulted in her toppling over again. I went to rub her belly, and she rolled right over to give me better access, all four legs in the air, twitching.
“You are,” I crooned, scratching the soft fur on her belly. “Yes, you are. Good girl, such a good girl. Look at you. Oh! You’re so sweet. You like them belly wubs? Yes, you do!”
Azazel cleared his throat.
I glanced up at him. He looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon.
Hael coughed in his hand. “She, uh, she has a perfect kill record, my lord. Her shred time is under a minute.”
One of her heads tried to bite her tail while the other two did their best to lick me.
“I want her,” I said to Azazel.
He seemed to be in pain. “Are you sure?”
“She’s the one.”
“She just fell over again while trying to get up.”
“She’s spatially challenged, so what?”
He tilted his head back and glanced at the ceiling, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, “Hell give me patience.”
I grinned all the way out of the kennel building. Hael would deliver Vengeance to me shortly, after a few last preparations. Azazel’s sour expression notwithstanding, he hadn’t protested my choice further, his only comment being, “Of course you would pick the dorkiest runt of the litter.”
Despite his mood, the flight back to his balcony featured another toe-curling, you need a distraction kiss—not that I was complaining.
Once in his suite, he led me to the lobby room thingy with the fountain in the middle...and Hekesha patiently waiting, her hands clasped behind her back.
“My lord.” She bowed her head.
Azazel nodded at her. “Wait outside.”
She immediately left, closing the door behind her.
“Hekesha will escort you to your rooms,” Azazel said to me. “I have business to take care of, but I’ll come to see you later.”