“This must be a very old hellhound,” Kaenon notes. “It is bigger than any I witnessed in my time, long ago.”
“I’m pretty sure it could eat the entire upper half of my body in one bite,” Heidi says faintly, gulping as her fear prickles upmy arm from her hand. “My inner animal is kind of freaking out right now.”
I squeeze her hand. Ian takes her other one like he’s just as determined to comfort her.
“Devil!” Asher shouts, whistling.
At once, the terrifying hellhound stops baring its teeth and lifts its head, its ears perking up. Its great big tail swings side to side before it turns and spots Asher. Then it bounds toward him at top speed.
“It will crush Asher,” Kaenon worries.
“Well, everyone has to go at some point,” Ian shrugs, grinning when Heidi elbows him playfully.
The hellhound tackles Asher in the yard and starts barking. Even though the deep sound is something right out of the pits of the hells, it becomes obvious really damn fast that the big fluffball is just excited as fuck.
I don’t think I’ve seen Asher smile yet, but he’s grinning ear to ear as he wraps his arms around Devil’s neck. The hellhound won’t stop licking him.
“Better late than never. Now get off. Off, you damned fleaball,” Asher grunts, trying to shove the happy hellhound off of him.
Devil barks, sitting on Asher’s legs instead as his tail keeps thumping heavily against the yard.
“Yeah, I’m fucking glad to see you too, but I’m going to stick your fluffy ass in obedience training if you don’tget off.”
Heidi giggles beside me, her enjoyment and amusement washing over me like warm rays of the mortal world’s sunlight. “Okay, my inner animal is all good now.”
As soon as Asher finally gets the oversized hound off of him, his pet notices the rest of us and lopes over to sniff all of us. He snaps playfully at Kaenon, who starts petting the giantbeast behind the ear. Devil lets his tongue loll out, enjoying the attention as Asher walks over, still grinning.
He looks at Heidi. “That’s Devil. I usually call him Dev.”
“He’sso cute,”she grins.
Asher turns to his hound, whistling sharp and low. At once, the loyal, infernal creature is at attention, staring at his master expectantly.
“Guard Heidi,” he points at her and then Ian, me, and Kaenon, “and these three with your life. No exceptions. Got it, Dev?”
Devil barks.
“Good boy.” Asher turns his attention to Jada next. “Thanks for planting his fangs and making this happen, but I have a favor to ask. Some dipshits found where we were staying, so it might be best for us to stay in a safehouse tonight, just in case. If you’re willing?—”
She holds up a hand. “Say no more. Our guest room in the basement is all yours, and Dev has plenty of space to hunt on our property until you go. You’re officially invited in,” she adds, speaking specifically to Ian since siphons can’t cross thresholds without an explicit invitation.
“Thanks. I’ll owe you for this,” Asher tells her.
“Not at all,” she says before rejoining her quintet on their back porch.
Heidi smiles, petting the giant hellhound under the neck and scratching behind its ears. “Hi, Dev. I’m going to make you some homemade doggie treats. Yes, I am. Gods, he’s gigantic.”
“He is. What the hell does a thing this big even eat?” Ian frowns at Asher.
“Thralls.”
“Ha fucking ha.”
37
ASHER
After takingDev out to go hunting for food on Jada's property for a while and giving the big menace some much-deserved belly rubs for protecting me so well months ago, it's almost three in the morning when I finally slip back into Jada's guest room.
