Seriously? After we all just got with Heidi? It’s like he just can’t help himself.
“Look, I’m flattered. But for the last damn time,I’m only interested in Heidi, so stop trying to get into my pants.”
That pulls his attention away from the camera. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the random times you’ve tried hitting on me. I’m Heidi’s alone, and that’s that.”
“Hitting on you?” Asher chokes, utter disgust filling his face. “You’re fucking delusional. Why on earth would you think I’m hitting on—” He pauses, frowning like he’s going back through all our conversations before he squints at me. “You do this every time I insult you.”
Insult?
Oh, isthatwhat this redhead was trying to do?
Relieved that he’s not making passes at me after all, I snort in amusement. “Nothing you’ve said to me could ever be mistaken for an insult. That was all flirting, plain and simple.”
“Only to demons, apparently,” he rolls his eyes before looking at the camera again. “Fine, what’s an insult to someone like you? That you smell like roses, or some backward-ass psychology like that?”
“Nah. Honestly, I’ve never heard a good insult in English. It’s too soft a language, too nuanced and shit. The Nether tongue’s full of them, though.”
“I’ll take your word for it. But just to be clear, I would rather sit through every awful romcom movie ever made for the rest of my life than hit on you. My type is Heidi, and it stops there.”
“Thank khaos. Your dick’s about as appealing as a namghirr tail to me.”
“Whatever that means,” he grumbles, scratching his neck tattoo. “That said, as much as I hate anything related to demons, you’re not as fucking unsufferable as I expected, since you’re good to Heidi. Although Kaenon’s going to need a different English teacher soon because you’re awful at that.”
“Awful? I’ll have you know I learned this shitty language in eight months. I’m a damn excerpt.”
“Expert.”
“What’d I say?”
He huffs and starts to say something else, but we both tense when a wave of heat rolls over us. Attention snaps back to the charred earth in Jada’s backyard, and I realize little glowing cracks are beginning to appear in a large patch of the ground as hellish heat rises from it.
Asher breathes out. “Thank you, gods.”
“Khaos is responsible for spawnings, not those holy pricks,” I inform him.
Then I hurry back around the spawn zone to get to Heidi and the others. Taking my beautiful empath’s hand, I pause for a second to enjoy her curious, surprised emotions before I grin at her, toying with the charm bracelet she’s wearing.
“Ready to see some infernal shit, Candy?”
“Yes. But first, are we in the splash zone?” she asks, watching with wide eyes as the ground continues to heat up.
Jada shakes her head. “I’ve seen a few hellhounds respawn from the depths of the Beyond. It’s one hell of a show, but it’s not going to hurt anyone.”
A second later, bright, demonic red light floods the backyard as a massive, clawed black paw breaks through the charred earth. The ground rumbles as smoke starts to rise from it. The hellhound’s snout emerges next as it digs itself out, and soon its telltale chilling howl splits the night air.
With a savage snarl and a final push like the bowels of the earth itself are birthing this infernal thing, the biggest hellhound I’ve ever fucking seen bursts out of the ground completely. It immediately smells like sulfur and smoke in this backyard.
“Remind you of home?” Ian mutters to me, watching in disturbed fascination.
“I’m not from the hells, dumbass. For the last time, I’m half elemental.”
Heidi’s shock reverberates through my hand, which I still haven’t let go of, so I can enjoy her marveling at this hellish creature firsthand.
“Elemental? I didn’t know that,” she sputters, not taking her eyes off the massive black hound as it shakes its glossy black coat to dispel more ash and dirt.
“Uh-huh. Metal,” I explain, still admiring the hellish perfection of Asher’s pet as it bares its teeth, growling at its new surroundings.
