“I’m sorry, this was a mistake,” Kendric started to choke as blood ran from his mouth. Whatever magic the demonic hand had given him had clearly abandoned him when he lost connection to it.
Blood began to seep from the countless arrows peppering his body, and he slumped to his knees. “I’ll do anything. I’ll repay—” Kendric cried out as Elena grabbed an arrow jutting from his stomach and twisted it.
“You owe us more than you can ever repay,” Naerith said grimly. He dug his fingers into a gash in Kendric’s shoulder made by a sword strike.
“But we’ll allow you to try to repay us in blood,” Elena finished for her husband. “But first, I’ll have my arrows back.”
Clayton watched dispassionately as his mother brutally tore her arrows free one by one and his father ripped Kendric’s body open with his bare hands.
Kendric’s screams were ear-piercing at first, but they weakened quickly into pathetic squeaks and gurgles as he choked on his own blood.
Clayton kept an eye on his boat while his parents got their revenge, making sure his own kids were safe. None of the fae soldiers stirred from their hiding places, only making their presence known by cries of pain and whimpers of fear.
The portal the fae soldiers had come from closed up as Kendric died. The demon portal was unchanged, and Clayton watched his lover feasting happily as he pondered his options.
His gaze fell on the demon hand still wiggling on the ground, and he got an idea.
“Darling, beloved, love of my life,” Clayton called out to Mal, and he stopped when Naerith put a bloody hand on his shoulder.
“Son, I don’t think that’s your mate anymore.” Naerith’s face was streaked with blood and held a serious expression.
“Pfft,” Clayton scoffed. “He’s fine. He’s just having fun.”
“Carwyn, I know what it looks like when your mate has gone off the rails and needs space.” He gestured to Elena, still tearing arrow after arrow out of what Clayton was pretty sure was now Kendric’s corpse. “I wouldn’t go near her for all the gold in the kingdom’s treasury right now.”
His mother’s eyes were fierce and crazed, and she snarled and screamed curses as she destroyed Kendric’s body. She was dripping in blood and looked like a goddess of war and revenge.
“Fair point,” Clayton conceded. “But we need to close the portal, and since Mal is halfway in it, he needs a heads-up.”
Against Naerith’s advice, he drew closer to Mal, now fully scaled and filling a quarter of the cavern.
Clayton threw a rock at Mal’s foot to get his attention. “Mal! Knock it off. How are you supposed to fit on the boat when you’re this size?”
Naerith hissed, “Carwyn, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
Clayton waved him away. “Don’t worry, Dad. I have probability magic and can do anything.”
“That’s not how it works…” Naerith said weakly, but Clayton ignored him. Negativity like that would only disrupt his flow.
Clayton had gotten Mal’s attention with his rock, and Mal was regarding him quietly. He’d partially withdrawn from the portal and held demons in several tentacles. He’d stopped biting off heads, but Clayton could see the demons slowly dissolving in Mal’s grasp.
“Love,” Clayton began, “I definitely have a thing for tentacles now.” He pretended like he didn’t hear Naerith choking in the background and continued. “But those are too big. If you want to fuck me with them, you’re going to have to be smaller, okay?”
The burning humiliation of the very public announcement had Clayton’s dick hardening, and, like a dog smelling treats, Mal pulled fully out of the portal and reached out a tentacle to pick Clayton up.
“Son,” Naerith called out in alarm.
“Don’t worry, Dad, he won’t hurt me. Just destroy the hand, and I’ll take care of Mal.”
Clayton stopped paying attention to Naerith and stroked Mal’s massive muzzle as he was pressed against it. Mal sniffed Clayton and gave a happy snort of recognition.
“You look a bit like a dragon and an octopus right now. Is this your real form?” Clayton admired his lover, running his hands over shiny black scales and making mental notes to jot down later. He was going to study the shit out of Mal as soon as he got a minute.
Mal gave a low hum of agreement.
“Well, you’re beautiful.”
Mal made a happy growl.
