Page 69 of Baking and Angels

“I thought I would see you a lot sooner and alot more.”

Vassago chuckled dryly. “There are plenty of fish in the sea, my little man,” he said.

“Then why aren’t you out there fishing? Or have you already caughtsomeone?”

The smile didn’t evaporate from Vassago’s face. At least, not entirely, but it did lessen. It was the demonic equivalent of having bags under the eyes. And it spoke to how much stress and pressure to return to Hell Vassago was really under.

Rafferty’s eyebrows popped up in genuine surprise. “Youhaven’t?”

Vassago leaned an elbow against the wall, and it was only then Rafferty remembered he came there to pee, and he unclenched. “I am being hounded by those mortal authorities. They are persistent and clever. They keep scaring off my prey. It’s quiteannoying.”

Rafferty focused on the tinkling sound against the porcelain backsplash. “A big concession from one such as you,”he noted.

“Simply an acknowledgment of my situation. I am not an idiot to want to pretend that those nasty, wicked humans who chase me, using whatever means is necessary…” Vassago chuckled dryly. “That they aren’t the-ends-justify-the-means types.”

“You mean Agent Archon and Agent Sophia?” Rafferty asked.

Vassago didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stared off into space, seeing horrors Rafferty could only guess at. It was an educated guess. “Seeing flames? Or do you think they’ll try drowning you? That one always takesforever.”

The other demon blinked hard, coming back to himself, turning his toothsome smile toward his current target. “And how are things with your little… demoness?”he asked.

Rafferty had been expecting him to ask, yet hearing the words coming from Vassago’s mouth filled him with an urge to punch and keep punching until his fist was covered in pulpy mess. Instead, he shook his member and tucked it away, then whirled away to wash his hands, but his anger made slapping the water on harder than it shouldhave been.

Vassago’s eyebrows lifted with delight at Rafferty’s violent struggle with the appliance. “Ah, I see, she’s got her hooks into you, hasn’t she? You thought your experience would protect you, but your demoness is clearly cleverer than that. I told you before, my boy, a demon can trump any human, even if the human knows better. Especially when they know better. It’ll only be a matter of time before you join us again.” Vassago laughed. “Unless you want some help with her, of course?”

Rafferty felt like Vassago had just stabbed him through.

Vassago knew.

Somehow, he knew what Helena was. The smirk on the other demon’s face was unmistakably clear.

Of course, he did. Vassago was very good at finding things out.

“Get away from me,Vassago.”

“You know the old adage. ‘The devil you know.’ And before you get your drawers in a twist, listen to my proposal. You at least owe me that, after everything I didfor you.”

Rafferty’s fist swung before he realized it had.

It slammed into Vassago’s face with a glorious smack, knocking the demon into the wall. Vassago hit the tiles and groaned in pain, only to look up at Rafferty and burst out laughing, even as he doubled over. Rafferty was shocked the tile wasn’t cracked.

“Hey, man! What’s going on?!” a bystander cried, as he entered the bathroom. He hadn’t seen the punch, but Rafferty was sure their body postures gavethem away.

“No, no, it’s alright,” Vassago said, lifting a hand to the man to stand down. “I had that coming. Trust me, I had that longtime coming. Everything is alright. It’salright.”

At first, the defending bystander didn’t seem like he intended to just leave things at that. But then a brief eerie feeling washed over Rafferty’s skin, filling him with the urgeto laugh.

Vassago kept chuckling as he expanded his power. The bystander’s mouth cracked a grin, then laughed himself, shaking his head. He then disappeared into a bathroom stall, stilllaughing.

Despite the pressure toward joviality in the room, Rafferty resisted laughing himself. He hurried to the door, needing to escape and get back to the safety of Helena’spresence.

Vassago shifted his jaw back and forth in his one hand as he followed Rafferty out the door. “Yes, my boy, I think I can give youthat one.”

“I owe younothing,” Rafferty hissed, refusing to stand down from his war footing. “You ate me!”

“You gave yourself to me!” Vassago hissed back, nodding and smiling at a couple of people walking past. His voice sweetened as he continued, folding his hands behind his back as he caught up to walk beside Rafferty. “Come on, boy. You know the rules. We can’t take it without it being given. There was no way I could take your life unless you gave it to me. I had every right to take every slip and sliver of you, but I didn’t, did I? I actually had some affection for you, even though you were an arrogant idiot who was only focused on himself. It wasn’t because of me your poor mother and sister died. You abandoned them long before I showed up.”

“I know what my sins are,” Rafferty growled, clenching his fist again. If only he could forget them.

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