Jinx skipped forward, out of nowhere. He was wearing a black leotard with a rainbow tutu. His long, dark hair was all tangled and disheveled. A lopsided plastic tiara balanced precariously on his head.
He bounced over to Sam, stood behind the chair he was sitting on, and started fiddling with the knots. Sam watched Tally standing calmly, keeping a close eye on the hellhounds and gangsters who were facing each other. It almost looked like a standoff, but Sam could tell that in reality, the gangsters were frozen in fear to the spot and the hellhounds merely making sure they didn’t move.
The rope binding Sam’s wrist slithered free, and he stood up. He walked over to Tally, escorted by Jinx. Tally gave him a quick smile but kept his concentration on the enemy. Sam really wanted to hug him but resigned himself to saving it until later.
Someone else walked up from the far end of the warehouse. Sam blinked. It was Felix. His long red hair was tied up in a high ponytail and he was wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. The hoodie sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing his colorful tattoos. He was also twirling a baseball bat. He looked around the scene calmly.
“I guess you really didn’t need my help,” he huffed, sounding disappointed.
“I told you!” beamed Tally, before turning his attention back to his enemies.
“Alright!” called Tally to the gangsters. “I will call the hellhounds off if you promise to behave.”
The gangsters all nodded eagerly, but Sam saw Tally was only interested in the boss’s reaction. As soon as the young man in white nodded, Tally whistled again and the shadowy beasts slowly stepped back into the shadows, where they disappeared.
Sam was pulled from staring at the spot where the largest hellhound had been by Tally yanking him into a hug. Sam put his arms around Tally’s slender form and sighed in happiness as the warmth of his body seeped into him, along with his delicious scent.
“Jinx, no! Get off of him!” called Tally as he broke away from the embrace.
Sam turned to see the gangster boss flat on his back on the floor, with Jinx straddling him and licking his face.
Felix strode over and hauled Jinx off, ignoring the incubus when he hissed like a cat.
“Hi Cristos,” Felix said to the gangster as he offered his hand.
Cristos took it and let Felix pull him up. He dusted off his white leather jacket anxiously before taking off his sunglasses to stare at Felix.
“Felix?” he said in surprise. “Wow. You are looking good,” and then he blushed.
“Get out of here, all of you!” ordered Tally, ruining the moment, though Cristos looked a little grateful. He and his men all walked towards the back door, trying to maintain their cool but scurrying a little bit too fast for that. Sam could have imagined it, but he swore he saw Cristos give Felix one last lingering look.
Sam watched the gangsters go with relief. Nerves and apprehension he hadn’t felt at the time, suddenly sprung to life. He trembled. Tally gave him a concerned look.
“He needs to go to the hospital, head injuries are serious. Those idiots don’t know what they are doing.” said Felix.
“Okay,” agreed Tally, his blue eyes wide. “Are you well enough to walk?” he asked Sam.
Sam thought about it. He wasn’t sure. All his limbs felt strangely heavy. He could probably remember how to walk, but he wasn’t sure he could get very far.
Felix sighed, “Good thing I brought my car,” and he started walking away. “Children,” he added with a mutter.
Leaning heavily on Tally, Sam hobbled after him. It had been quite a night.
Chapter 25
Felixhadaverynice car, all heated leather seats and sleek chrome. Sam didn’t know why he was surprised, he knew the dancer must be making a shit ton of money.
They pulled up outside the hospital, and Tally helped him out of the car. Jinx and Felix came over and stood beside them. The night-time city air carried a thousand different scents and sounds. And the roar of traffic from the nearby busy street was disorientating. The warehouse had somehow seemed quieter. Being back in the normal world was a little overwhelming.
“Felix, can you take Jinx with you? I don’t want to take him in there,” asked Tally.
Felix scowled, “I’m not a babysitter.”
Jinx straightened himself up and tossed his dark hair over his shoulder in a gesture that clearly said, ‘I don’t need a babysitter.’ before giving them the finger, turning on his heels and flouncing away down the sidewalk.
Sam watched him go for a moment. “We can’t let him go off by himself dressed like that.”
Tally sighed, “He is a demon Sam, he can disembowel anyone who annoys him.”
