He smirked. “With you? Always.”
Chapter Two
Scotty
Kharon the Ferryman was at the dock with our ride across the Styx, though we could have flown.
Er’on had poo-pooed the idea. “It could be seen as an act of aggression if you’re not invited. Kharon will wait for us at the dock in case Lycus refuses to see us.” Sounded good to me.
Brok sat alone at the back of the boat. “He’s not very social, is he?” One reason Jay and I got along so well was because we were both social people. We loved to meet people and find out about their lives. Apparently, the hellhound wasn’t of the same mind.
Everyone had stories they were dying to tell, and when they met someone who hadn’t heard them, they got excited and ended up telling a lot more than they would under ordinary circumstances. It benefited us during our missions on behalf of the Council and Lucifer, so we were used to chatting with strangers.
We didn’t only hunt rogue demons or spirits. While searching for Paxton De Vil, we’d run across a cherub who attended the throne of the Creator.
The cherub was slumming in Limbo and had gotten involved with a lesser demon, which was strictly against the rules. We’d been upfront with the cute little being that we were a sanctioned balanced pair, and it begged us not to tell. We made a deal, and now we had a favor from someone close to the Deity in case we ever needed it.
“Master Brok has a great many things on his mind. We oversaw torture in Hell for Lucifer for since the fall, which wasn’t really a bad job. Unfortunately, Cerberus kept falling asleep at the mouth of Hades, so Bereth came to us with a plan to redirect our talents. He assigned one of us to each prince and sent Cerberus to take our place in Hell since she is the mother of the hellhounds.”
That was a surprise. “She didn’t want them with her?” I mean, sure she was a demon, but did she have no maternal instincts?
Er’on offered a sad smile. “They were born as one litter. Seven male pups. Their sire is unknown, so they learned to rely on each other, and their bond is quite strong. Brokorol is the firstborn, so he is the natural leader. An exemplary one. Asmodeus and Verrine have since dismissed their guards because they didn’t like being followed, even if it was for their own good. Appollin and Orron have been assigned to Lucifer’s guard. The other five hounds are still charged with guarding the princes.”
“Who did Brok call when we were back at the condo?”
He’d left the room to make a call. Seemed like we should know what we were walking into.
“He called Gremon as a courtesy. He is the guard for Prince Lycus. This way, they’re expecting us.” Er’on then bowed and went to sit in the back with Brok.
I sat near the side of the boat, mesmerized by the waves of fire as we glided through the river. It was beautiful in a weird way. When they reached the other side of the river, the dock was empty except for two men.
“Kharon, please wait here with General Ad Hoc and the angel.” Brok then turned to Er’on. “You stay here too. Let me talk to them first.”
Brok jumped onto the dock and raced up the stairs before Kharon had tied the boat properly.
Er’on started to follow him, but I grabbed their arm. “You said he’s a great leader. Trust him.”
Brok bowed to Prince Lycus and shook hands with the other man. “Who’s that?”
Er’on was wringing their hands. “That’s Gremon. He’s the guard for Lycus. I think Lycus just likes having him around. Lycus could kill all of us with his thoughts if he wanted. He doesn’t need anyone looking out for him.”
The three demons spoke for a minute before Brokorol hurried back to the boat. “He’d like you to come up, please.”
Jay and I walked up the hill with Er’on going ahead of us. When we reached the top, Er’on bowed to Lycus and hugged Gremon. Jay bowed.
I was an angel. I didn’t bow to a demon.
Lycus chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect you to show respect to me, white lighter. I am Lycus, a prince of Hell. If you are here to ask a favor of me, I’d rethink my approach.”
“Very well.” I extended my hand to shake his, and surprisingly, he did the same.
“Shall we go have a—I’m sorry. I don’t know what you like. There’s a café where they have human coffee. There are bars where they have alcohol. Which do you prefer?” Er’on was definitely anxious to be of help.
“How about we just sit somewhere and talk? We won’t need much of your time, and we’re not asking for a favor for ourselves. We’re here as a favor to you...and your father.” I wasn’t taking his high-and-mighty bullshit. If he kept it up, I would walk away.
Lycus turned and started walking toward a park further down the street. There were old men playing checkers and children spinning on a merry-go-round. To the left was an empty picnic table, so we followed Lycus and sat across from him. Brok and Germon stood at either end of the table, observing the others while Er’on paced behind me, clearly unsure what to do with themselves.
“Speak.”
