Zach shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Andras. Drew’s one of a kind.”
A long moment passed, then Zach’s ears popped once more, and Drew let his hand fall from the urco’s side. It flopped down onto the ground, rolling over until it was presenting its belly to Drew. “Is that better?” he asked, even as he began to rub the hound’s stomach. “Is the pain all gone? You’re a good doggie, yes you are.”
“Now that you’ve restored it to full health, shall we start running right away?” Andras drawled. “Or wait until it’s finished having belly rubs?”
“We’re not in any danger anymore,” Drew assured him. “Trust me.”
“Forgive me if I don’t,” the demon said bluntly.
As much as Zach trusted Drew, he couldn’t say he was one hundred percent confident Drew could keep the urco from trying to eat them. Sure, it was submitting for pets now, but it was still hungry. Once the pamper session was over, he was sure its appetite would make a resounding comeback. Deciding to take one for the team, he pointed that out. “Drew, are you entirely sure you’ve got it under control? Because that thing is still hungry and we’re still a gourmet feast in its eyes.”
Instead of answering, Drew looked down at Leila. A long moment passed, and Zach was pretty sure they were somehow communicating. Eventually, Leila inclined her midnight-black head in a small nod, and Drew nodded back. “So, here’s the thing. Even if I send the urco away, he’s still going to be hungry.” He’d changed to male pronouns as it was now abundantly clear that the beast was in fact a boy urco. A very well-endowed boy urco. Absurdly so. Zach wasn’t going to be jealous of a dog, he reallywasn’t. But maybe next time he shifted into Noodle, he’d keep his dangly bits off display, lest his boyfriend start making comparisons.
“You have a stunning grasp of the reality of the situation,” Andras said in a snippy tone.
Drew ignored him. “Instead of taking the risk, I’m just going to get him some food,” he said.
“Uh, from where, exactly?” Zach asked, gesturing around once more. “There’s not a corner store anywhere near.”
“Well, I’m not going to wiggle my nose or wear a racist harem outfit, but I’m pretty sure I can magic him up some dinner,” Drew replied.
“Look, I get that you’re kinda new to the whole magic thing,” Andras snapped. “But the laws of physics still apply. You can’t just magic up something from nothing.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve readThe Belgariad,” Drew muttered, waving him off.
Andras turned to Zach. “What the ever-loving fuck is he on about?”
Zach just shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Throwing his arms in the air, Andras glared at him. “How are you so calm about all of this? Your boy toy is playing with forces he doesn’t fully understand. If he’s not careful, he’ll rip a fucking hole in the universe!”
“First of all, he’s not my ‘boy toy,’ and you’ll show him some damn respect or I’ll rip your head off,” Zach growled. “Secondly, Drew has been under the tutelage of a Grand Master for the past year. He might not be entirely experienced, but he’s skilled enough with the basics that he’s not going to cause irreparable harm. I have faith in him. I get it’s asking too much for you to trust Drew since you don’t know him, but you knowme, Andras. Will you trustme?”
Andras stared at Zach for a long time. In the dim light, his porcelain skin seemed to almost glow, and his beauty was breathtaking. Yet it did nothing for Zach. Once upon a time, he had loved Andras, but it hadn’t been the deep, all-consuming love that he felt for Drew. They’d been together for two centuries, but he already felt more for his clumsy human after oneshort year together. Yet they had a history. They’d not only shared a close connection, but they’d had each other’s backs. Andras may have been a demon, but he’d been targeted almost as much as Zach had been. Together, they’d kept each other safe. They’d trusted one another. Zach just hoped that Andras would still trust him.
The demon sighed. “Fine. Just don’t come crying to me when we’re all obliterated by a black hole opening up under our feet.”
“Luckily for you, we’d all be obliterated, so I wouldn’t be able to cry about it anyway,” Zach said archly.
“Oh, fuck off,” Andras muttered before stalking off and finding a rock to sit on.
Drew was ignoring the entire conversation and had closed his eyes, breathing deeply. The urco was lying at his feet, staring up at him with adoring eyes. Zach felt the change in atmospheric pressure as Drew once again began to draw upon his magic. He then whispered under his breath, “me paenitet ius tuum subreptum est1,”before lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating a large pot of what looked to be gathra stew, which had appeared in front of him.
Drew opened his eyes, looked down at the stew, then across at Zach. “It worked!” he cried, his mouth stretching into a grin.
Zach didn’t even get a chance to congratulate him before armed demons emerged from behind rocks on the slope of the outcrop.
“By the decree of Lucifer, Prince of Hell, you are under arrest!”
1. 'Sorry for stealing your stew'
Chapter 8
Everybody was kung-fu fighting
“Oh, crap,” Drew whispered, even as Zach stepped in front of him. Andras, who was several feet away on a rock, jumped to his feet and hurried over, tucking himself behind both of them. Drew reached back and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze to reassure the terrified demon. The urco leaned up against Drew’s leg, but didn’t appear fazed by the disruption.
“Good evening,” Zach said politely to the demon who appeared to be in charge. They were tall and broad, and their dark cloak had several embroidered patches on the front, which looked to signify rank of some kind. “I think there’s been some kind of mistaken identity. I can’t imagine what interest the Prince of Hell would have with us, we’re just travellers passing through. Can I ask who you are and why you believe you’re looking for us?”
