Nay, they were not the same barbaric enemies they’d been.
Neither were they friends. Certainly not family. Probably the best term for them was bitter strangers.
Thorn crossed the cabin to stand before him. In a move that was as audacious as it was foolhardy, he knocked Devyl’s feet from the chair where they rested and took a seat on it. Leaning back, he folded his arms over his chest and cocked one arrogant brow as if daring Devyl to take him to task for his brave stupidity.
“You are a cheeky bastard.”
Thorn smirked at him. “And you’re a bullish one. Now can we dispense with the insults and you tell me why you rang my bell?”
Closing his book, Devyl scratched at the whiskers on his cheek. “We have a bit of a problem.”
“Demons proving too much for you?”
He cast the bastard a menacing glare for that dig when Thorn knew better. Not even the mighty Thorn and all his army had been able to take Devyl down. Had it not been for Vine’s treachery, they’d all be paying homage to him under his eternal reign as evil overlord. Damn shame the bitch had gotten greedy and he’d gotten stupid.
“Hardly. Nay, there’s a bit of a fluff you need to know about.”
Thorn arched his brow even higher. “What fluff is this?”
“I’ve stashed it belowdecks with the Dark-Huntress I dredged from the sea.”
“Pardon? What Dark-Huntress?”
Devyl tsked at him. “You’ve fallen way behind, Leucious. How unlike you to not know everything I’ve been up to.”
“Well, as cute and adorable as you are, Duel, I do have other, much more appealing asses to stay on top of. Now, would you like to catch me up? Or should we continue this game?”
He let out an annoyed “heh” before he spoke again. “Appears your friend Menyara has sent a Seraph to my door.”
Thorn actually choked. Pity it wasn’t fatal for him.
Devyl handed his mug to him to help clear his throat of the gall that had gagged him.
He took it and drank deeply, then spat the contents out and cursed Devyl for everything he’d never been worth. “Blood? You’re drinking futtocking blood and you handed it to me without warning? Seriously? When you know what blood does to me?”
Devyl didn’t react to the fact that such a beverage could turn both of them into mindless killing animals who would commit any atrocity to taste more of it. “Since when do you discriminate? Besides, it’s demon blood. Not human. Pity, that. But I knew you’d get your tits in a wad if I chose a more fulfilling libation.”
“You evil excuse for a sentient being. I can’t believe”—Thorn stressed the word—“I let Savitar talk me into bringing you back.”
Devyl snorted. “As you said on my resurrection, to destroy evil of this magnitude you don’t send out choirboys, unless you want to feed your enemies lunch.”
Thorn sighed irritably as he wiped his hand over his mouth. “Is there anything in this place to drink that didn’t once filter through internal organs?”
“When did you become such a prissy quim?”
“Careful, Duel, lest I don my armor and we take up where we once left off.”
“That would be fine by me. We never did settle that last fight, as I recall. You turned tail and ran.”
The expression on Thorn’s face could have frozen fire in August on the equator. “I advanced in a new direction.”
Yeah, right.
Scoffing at the bullshit answer, Devyl cast his gaze to the corner where he kept his alcohol. “Cabinet behind you. Serve yourself.”
Thorn got up to peruse the meager potent potables Devyl kept on hand for his visiting crew, who would be even more horrified by his preferred beverage than Thorn. “Not by my choice. I’d have gladly sent you to your precious Annwn that day, had it been up to me.”
“You’d have tried. ’Twould have been your heart I’d have delivered to your father for my reward, rather. Quite the price he places on you.”
