Devilish Mate

18

“Yes, it does.” Brandy fixed a glare on me. “But listen. You better not hurt Hannah. I don’t care if you are the devil, I will kick your ass.”

I raised an eyebrow at the feisty human. We both knew how that would end, but I had to give Brandy credit for her courage and loyalty to Hannah. “Noted. And now we really should be on our way.”

Hannah nodded, and then gave each person a long hug before saying her final goodbyes. I shook Asmodeus’s hand one last time, and then gripped Hannah’s bags and led her outside.

“Took you long enough,” Zel said, from where she leaned against the Lamborghini.

Our limo driver rushed out and took Hannah’s bags from me, then loaded them into the car. He was a young vampire and eager to serve, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly loyal or only spying on me for his Archdemon, Baal. When we returned, I’d have to deal with the Archdemons and find out who among them was loyal to me.

As I ushered Hannah toward the limo, the hair on the back of my neck prickled, just as Zel drew her knives. The sky was cloudy and full of the promise of rain, a rare and precious thing in Southern California, but it darkened even further as a large shape flew over the nearby houses.

“Something’s coming.” I pushed Hannah between me and the limo as I scanned the sky for the threat. “Get in the car.”

The shape flew close enough that I could identify it. Large wings with dark red scales. Reptilian black eyes. Huge talons and fangs. A f*****g dragon. Out here in suburbia in the middle of the damn day when anyone could see it. The outright insubordination made me furious, and I quickly spread darkness around the area, obscuring us from any neighbors who might peer out their windows.

“What’s happening?” Hannah asked, and I realized she was the only one who couldn’t see through the murky shadows. The rest of us all had eyes accustomed to living in the eternal darkness of Hell, but as an angel, Hannah was more suited for the land of light.

Zel jumped into action, spreading her black wings and launching into the air toward the dragon. I maintained a defensive pose in front of Hannah, who’d ignored me when I’d ordered her into the car, naturally.

The dragon immediately sliced at Zel with its talons, though he seemed to have enough sense not to shoot flames from his mouth. If he set fire to Brandy’s neighborhood, he would quickly see the true depths of my rage, just before I ended his life.

Zel managed to catch the tip of the dragon’s wing with her light-infused dagger, making the beast roar loud enough to shake the windows of the nearby houses. I hoped the residents would write that off as an earthquake or a loud truck passing by, but this had to end quickly or someone would get suspicious. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a bunch of nosy humans showing up and asking questions.

The dragon retaliated by knocking Zel back hard. She crashed against a nearby roof, then rolled off it and dropped onto the grass, sending shingles flying. Oh, for f**k’s sake.

“Can’t we help her?” Hannah asked, and I noticed she was glowing again, like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. The dragon noticed too, and immediately honed in on us.

“She’s fine,” I said. “You just focus on keeping your powers under control. I’ll handle this.”

I had to get control of this situation, fast. As the dragon tucked its wings and dove toward us, I reached out with tentacles of darkness and wrapped them around the beast. He tried to shrug them off and managed to get a wing free, but then Zel slammed into his side, distracting him enough for me to encase him completely in my shadows. Shadows which Hannah’s bright light was quickly burning through. She didn’t even realize she was doing it either.

The dragon spun and twisted, but couldn’t escape the dark coils wrapped around him, and his momentum carried him straight down into the middle of the road. He hit it so hard he sent out fractures and cracks in the asphalt where he landed. Zel set down beside him, brandishing her daggers, and the dragon hissed at her with hatred in his eyes.

I stood over the dragon, looking down at the captive beast. Fury pounded in my veins, and I allowed darkness to swirl around me menacingly while brilliant blue hellfire sparked in my palms. “You dare to attack me and my mate in the middle of a human area in broad daylight. Explain yourself.”

“I seek vengeance!” The dragon roared the words in my face, his fangs dripping with venom. “You killed my father!”

Ah, of course. This must be Mammon’s oldest son, Valefar. I’d met him a few times before, but never in his dragon form. With some effort I clenched my hands, extinguishing the hellfire, as I remembered Samael’s words about making peace with the remaining dragons. I supposed he had a point. There was a reason I kept him as my advisor, after all.

“You’re right. I did kill your father. Mammon conspired against me and attempted a coup. He attacked me in my own home. I couldn’t let such insurrection go unpunished.” I held up a hand before he could say anything in return. “Like it or not, I am your king, and you are now the Archdemon of the dragons. There are very few of your kind left, which means you have a choice. You can bow before me and swear loyalty, or you can go to war with me, as your father did. You know how well that went for him.” I paused, letting my words sink in. “I don’t want to wipe out the remaining dragons, but I will if I must.”