Chapter Two
Scotty
Kharon the Ferryman was at the dock with our ride across the Styx, though we could have flown.
Er’on had poo-pooed the idea. “It could be seen as an act of aggression if you’re not invited. Kharon will wait for us at the dock in case Lycus refuses to see us.” Sounded good to me.
Brok sat alone at the back of the boat. “He’s not very social, is he?” One reason Jay and I got along so well was because we were both social people. We loved to meet people and find out about their lives. Apparently, the hellhound wasn’t of the same mind.
Everyone had stories they were dying to tell, and when they met someone who hadn’t heard them, they got excited and ended up telling a lot more than they would under ordinary circumstances. It benefited us during our missions on behalf of the Council and Lucifer, so we were used to chatting with strangers.
We didn’t only hunt rogue demons or spirits. While searching for Paxton De Vil, we’d run across a cherub who attended the throne of the Creator.
The cherub was slumming in Limbo and had gotten involved with a lesser demon, which was strictly against the rules. We’d been upfront with the cute little being that we were a sanctioned balanced pair, and it begged us not to tell. We made a deal, and now we had a favor from someone close to the Deity in case we ever needed it.
“Master Brok has a great many things on his mind. We oversaw torture in Hell for Lucifer for since the fall, which wasn’t really a bad job. Unfortunately, Cerberus kept falling asleep at the mouth of Hades, so Bereth came to us with a plan to redirect our talents. He assigned one of us to each prince and sent Cerberus to take our place in Hell since she is the mother of the hellhounds.”
That was a surprise. “She didn’t want them with her?” I mean, sure she was a demon, but did she have no maternal instincts?
Er’on offered a sad smile. “They were born as one litter. Seven male pups. Their sire is unknown, so they learned to rely on each other, and their bond is quite strong. Brokorol is the firstborn, so he is the natural leader. An exemplary one. Asmodeus and Verrine have since dismissed their guards because they didn’t like being followed, even if it was for their own good. Appollin and Orron have been assigned to Lucifer’s guard. The other five hounds are still charged with guarding the princes.”
“Who did Brok call when we were back at the condo?”
He’d left the room to make a call. Seemed like we should know what we were walking into.
“He called Gremon as a courtesy. He is the guard for Prince Lycus. This way, they’re expecting us.” Er’on then bowed and went to sit in the back with Brok.
I sat near the side of the boat, mesmerized by the waves of fire as we glided through the river. It was beautiful in a weird way. When they reached the other side of the river, the dock was empty except for two men.
“Kharon, please wait here with General Ad Hoc and the angel.” Brok then turned to Er’on. “You stay here too. Let me talk to them first.”
Brok jumped onto the dock and raced up the stairs before Kharon had tied the boat properly.
Er’on started to follow him, but I grabbed their arm. “You said he’s a great leader. Trust him.”
Brok bowed to Prince Lycus and shook hands with the other man. “Who’s that?”
Er’on was wringing their hands. “That’s Gremon. He’s the guard for Lycus. I think Lycus just likes having him around. Lycus could kill all of us with his thoughts if he wanted. He doesn’t need anyone looking out for him.”
The three demons spoke for a minute before Brokorol hurried back to the boat. “He’d like you to come up, please.”
Jay and I walked up the hill with Er’on going ahead of us. When we reached the top, Er’on bowed to Lycus and hugged Gremon. Jay bowed.
I was an angel. I didn’t bow to a demon.
Lycus chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect you to show respect to me, white lighter. I am Lycus, a prince of Hell. If you are here to ask a favor of me, I’d rethink my approach.”
“Very well.” I extended my hand to shake his, and surprisingly, he did the same.
“Shall we go have a—I’m sorry. I don’t know what you like. There’s a café where they have human coffee. There are bars where they have alcohol. Which do you prefer?” Er’on was definitely anxious to be of help.
“How about we just sit somewhere and talk? We won’t need much of your time, and we’re not asking for a favor for ourselves. We’re here as a favor to you...and your father.” I wasn’t taking his high-and-mighty bullshit. If he kept it up, I would walk away.
Lycus turned and started walking toward a park further down the street. There were old men playing checkers and children spinning on a merry-go-round. To the left was an empty picnic table, so we followed Lycus and sat across from him. Brok and Germon stood at either end of the table, observing the others while Er’on paced behind me, clearly unsure what to do with themselves.
“Speak.”
I glanced at Jay. “Tell the man.”
Jay nodded and took my hand before he turned to Lycus. “Archangel Michael killed your nephew. Split him in half and ate him.”
“I have no nephew.” Lycus studied the two of us carefully.
I wouldn’t allow Lycus to harm Jay, so I sat a little taller. “You do. Your brother, Asmodeus, mated with Apate, and she gave him a son. Vagar. He possessed an innocent at the direction of a warlock acting on behalf of Apate’s mother. Nyx.”
Lycus was silent. I was wishing we’d told this to Beelzebub. At least he had a small level of trust for Jay, if not me.
Jay cleared his throat. “You don’t have to believe us. Go talk to Nyx. Ask her if your brother has betrayed your father.” It came out as a dare, and when the ground rumbled, I thought we might be ripped apart.
Lycus stood from the table and stomped away. Gremon ran after him, and Brok reached for Er’on. “Go to the dock and tell the Ferryman to wait. We need to get out of here.”
Jay and I hopped up and followed Brok and Er’on to the dock. I agreed that we needed to get out of there, though I wasn’t sure what would happen now that we’d blown open Pandora’s Box.
We strolled right out the front gate of the underworld, Brok pushing a huge cart he’d commandeered from somewhere. I didn’t even blink anymore. The Celestials and the Demoniacs held different values, and as part of the machine, I knew I had to pick my battles.
There was a small pickup truck parked not far from the gate. I turned to stare at Brok. “We won’t all fit in there.”
For the first time, the hellhound grinned. “Are those wings on your backs fairy wings or do they have a purpose?”
Jay let out a raucous laugh before he unfurled his black wings. “He’s got you there, angel. Let’s get home.”
With that, my guy took to the air, me not far behind. The tattered shirt I was wearing was no match for the cold February air. There was a weather system off the coast, and even though the cold didn’t affect me as it did humans, I’d grown fond of the sunshine and mild temperatures in Sacramento.
I caught up to Jay, both of us enabling our cloaking abilities to fly over the rooftops of homes in the neighborhoods of Sacramento without notice. “Do you think Lycus will heed our warning?”
Jay slowed and hovered over a park not far from his house. “I don’t know how much he cares. If Lucifer doesn’t know what his son is up to, maybe they just don’t give a fuck? All I know is that you’re not getting out of my sight. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. We have a lot of future ahead of us, and I’m going to make sure we enjoy it.”
I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around my demon, the two of us breathing in each other’s scent. I trailed soft kisses over his cheeks, finally settling on the two soft lips that made me feel alive. The passion sparked between us just that quick.
Jay ended the kiss and looked into my eyes. “Let’s get home and see if we can do something about this”— he reached for my dick and gave it a gentle squeeze— “before those two arrive with our stuff.”
Without a word, we shot through the sky, coming down on the back deck of Jay’s home. He went to a rock in a flowerpot and opened it, pulling out a key for the back door.
“I’ll get you a copy of this later.” Jay held up the silver key. “Remind me to have the locks changed. I don’t want Beelz coming and going at his convenience.”
I laughed as we went inside. “I doubt a key would keep him out if he really wanted inside.” We both perused the house to see Beelzebub had returned everything to its previous appearance, though he had left the kitchen upgrades he’d added.
Jay grabbed my hand and rushed us to the bedroom, peeling his tattered shirt off and ridding himself of the jeans he was wearing. I followed suit.
We wrestled for dominance as we fell on the bed, him on top of me. “I want you to make love to me.”
Jay stopped and looked into my eyes. “Are you sure? I thought you didn’t like to bottom.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again before clarifying. “I love you. I want to be with you in any way you’d like. Always remember I’m yours.”
The time for talking had ended. Jay had lube in his hands from the nightstand before I knew it. “Is that yours or is it—” I couldn’t finish the sentence, much less let the thought take root.
“It’s mine. I’m pretty sure Beelz is a spit guy.”
That thought made me shudder.
Jay quickly prepped me—tongue, fingers, and then my grand prize...his thick cock.
He had me on my back, my legs over the bend in his elbows as he pounded my prostate to the point that I levitated off the bed, making him laugh as he slipped from my hole.
“Okay, angel. How can I keep you on the bed?” His sexy smirk made me laugh.
I flipped onto my hands and knees, ass waving in the air in an invitation for him to plow me. After a quick kiss to my ass cheeks and a tickle to my hole, Jay did just that.