“I should be thanking you.”
Itzal snorted. “No. Not the way you were beaten and punished.”
Loving Lilliana had never been a punishment. It’d been the only happiness he’d ever known in his excessively long life. Like Xev, he’d gladly endure his punishment and more if he could have even a single hour with her.
Itzal’s gaze returned to Aeron. “So, to answer your question, I’m not betraying you. But it doesn’t mean everything around us isn’t sending word to your enemies.” He looked to something over Aeron’s shoulder. “Or trying to kill you.”
Nick barely had time to duck before Itzal sent a blast from his hands to something behind them. A scream sounded as Nick turned around to see a shadow demon burst apart.
Caleb took it in stride.
Until a loud howl sounded.
Kaziel’s ears picked up, then he began to growl.
“Uh, what’s that?”
Before anyone could answer Nick’s question, a herd of three-headed dogs broke through the underbrush. They were coming straight for them.
When Kaziel started forward, Aeron grabbed his collar. “Not yet, lad. You’re outnumbered and likely to bleed.”
“Or die.” Vawn began shooting more god-bolts at them.
Nick used his powers to conjure fire. He shot them at the dogs. It barely slowed them down and did no real damage. Dang it all. “How do we kill these things?”
Caleb put up a shield to hold them back. “You don’t.”
Itzal agreed. “Cut off a head and three more grow back. They shoot fire and have the most lethal venom you can imagine. One bite … you’re dead.”
“Awesome! Venomous hellhounds. Just what I wanted for a pet.” Nick rubbed at his chin. “Ideas? Anyone?”
“Throw our shoes at them and hope they chase them?”
Nick passed a droll stare to Xev for that suggestion.
“I do cat things when I’m a cat that I don’t want to. Natural instinct. They might actually act like dogs.”
That was a thought.
Nick took a shoe off and threw it. Sadly, it hit Caleb’s shield wall, rebounded, and hit him in the head. “You suck,grand-père. Anyone else have a stupid idea?”
Caleb shook his head. “I expended all my stupidity when I followed you here. And at the expense of being a massive downer, they’re burning through my shield. I won’t be able to hold them back much longer.”
Sweat gathered on Nick’s forehead as he watched them snarling and shooting fire.
Then he froze as an idea occurred to him. It was about as stupid as throwing his shoe, but … better than nothing.
Moving away from his friends, he went full Malachai. Bad breath. Big black wings and horns. Red and black mottled skin with glowing red eyes. The whole enchilada.
The only thing was that he wished he was this muscled and tall as a human. In Malachai form, he was ripped like Rambo, and seven feet all, not the scrawny teen who stared back at him in a mirror with eyes full of self-loathing.
Intimidating, indeed.
Extending his wings, he approached the dogs that continued to try to break through the shield. Nick exposed his fangs, then let out a loud war cry that rivaled one of Vawn’s screams.
The hellhounds yelped and started backing away.
Nick stepped forward and let out another bellow. Whining like pups, the dogs ran off.
