“Evening,” he greeted the demon manning the counter. They were shorter than most of the others, with thin arms that seemed overly long for their body. Two stubby horns protruded from their forehead above a snout-like nose. “We’re interested in a room for the night.”
The demon grunted at Zach, then glanced at Drew, before doing a double take. They peered at him for a long time, causing Drew to shift nervously. Leila sat on his shoulder, watching the demon with her calm gaze. Finally, the demon turned back to Zach. “Eight silver for the room, ten with an evening and morning meal included,” they said with a voice so gravelly that it almost hurt Drew’s ears.
Drew felt the telltale change in pressure as Zach accessed his magic before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small, hexagonal coins and placed them on the counter. “Much obliged.” As Zachhad predicted, none of the demons nearby seemed strong enough to be able to tell that magic was being used.
The demon slid the coins off the counter and then fetched a large bronze key off a hook on the wall behind them. They gestured at a doorway near the kitchen. “Room six. Up the stairs and to the right.”
Zach nodded, took the key and led Drew upstairs. They found the room easily enough, and Drew slumped down onto the small bed immediately. Leila’s wings half-flapped to keep herself balanced, and he reached up to steady her. “I’m so tired,” he whined.
“I know, sweetness. It’s been a long day,” Zach agreed. “Let’s head back down and get some dinner, then we can go to bed.”
Drew groaned. “Why did you make me climb the stairs if we were just going to be heading back down?”
“Because I wanted to make sure the room was safe and determine where we could safely escape if needed. There’s a door at the end of the hall that looks like it leads to a rear staircase. I’ll check for sure on the way back down.”
Drew yawned and took the hand Zach offered him, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. “I guess that makes sense.”
After checking that there was in fact a stairway leading to a rear alley, they went back down into the main room of the inn. Most of the tables were full, but there was a little room free at the very end of one of the tables if they sat opposite one another. Leila jumped down onto the table, pecked at a few crumbs of stale bread, then hopped down onto Drew’s lap. Zach hailed a waitdemon and, after inquiring what was being served, placed an order for them both.
“What will we be eating?” Drew asked. He wasn’t sure if his wariness or curiosity over the food available in Hell would win out.
“Gathra stew. It’s a little like a wild boar. It tastes very much like pork,” Zach explained.
“Cool. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse.”
“Should I change your selection?” Zach asked, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You want the pony pie instead?”
Drew narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend. “Don’t even think about it.”
Somebody thumped down onto the bench next to Drew and threw an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him tight to their side. “Well, well, well,” a deep voice drawled. “Is this a human I spy? And in the company of an angel, no less. How very interesting.”
Chapter 4
Ex-cuse me?
This had to be some kind of cosmic fucking joke. There was no other explanation for why, in this devil-forsaken hole-in-the-wall inn, out of all the demons in Hell, they had to run into Andras. He’d not changed in the years since Zach had seen him last. His skin was a milky-white, his eyes the palest of greys. His delicate face was framed by white-blond curls and dominated by plump lips. He was ethereally beautiful, deadly, and an absolute pain in the fucking ass.
“Andras,” Zach growled. “Take your hands off him before I rip out your damn throat.”
“And why would I do that, darling heart?” Andras mused, pressing the tip of a talon-like nail to Drew’s cheek hard enough to make him yelp. “It appears you have some sort of attachment to this human, so what better way to gain your cooperation than using him as my leverage?”
Zach narrowed his eyes at the term of endearment, but didn’t bother disputing the use of it. Andras would definitely latch onto that and go outof his way to use it to his advantage. “And what exactly is it you need my cooperation for?”
“Really, Zachariel. Straight down to business? Is that any way to treat someone who shared your bed for so many centuries?”
Drew’s eyes widened a little at this, and Zach cursed internally. They’d never really discussed his previous partners, and although he knew Drew was aware he’d had some, this wasn’t exactly the way he wanted him to learn about his longest-lasting relationship to date. It was the last straw. “I swear to all that is fucking holy, Andras, if you don’t let him go right now, you won’t survive beyond the next thirty seconds. I will end you,” he warned.
Andras simply looked amused. “Oh, really? You and whose army?” He gestured with his free hand around at the inn. “Because from where I’m sitting, you’re in disguise, in the middle of enemy territory, and one false move on your part will have this entire crowd out for your blood.”
Drew whimpered, his face paling in pain as Andras scratched down to his jaw, but before Zach could react, Leila did. In the blink of an eye, the feathered menace was upon Andras, leaping up from Drew’s lap and launching herself at his face. Andras cried out, even as he toppled backwards off the bench, trying to bat away the sharp beak and even sharper claws. Zach knew exactly how much that stung, since the wounds he’d received from the familiar yesterday were only just now beginning to fade away.
Making the most of the distraction, Zach leaned over the table and hefted Drew into his arms, pulling him over to the safety of his side of the table. As soon as Drew was clear of the danger, Leila gave Andras one last peck on the chin and then flapped her way back over to land on Drew’s shoulder. Shebokkedangrily at the demon, even as he staggered back to his feet.
“What the fuck is that thing?” he demanded, wiping blood from his face.
“Your comeuppance for being an asshole,” Zach snarled. He turned to Drew and examined his face, which now had a long, shallow scratch adorning his cheek.
“I’m fine,” Drew said quietly, putting on a brave face.
