Page 13 of Demon with Benefits
“So,” she said into the growing silence, “what—”
Belial strode into the kitchen and came to a dead stop, eyes locked on the puppy in Raum’s arms.Great.
“Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”
“It’s a hellhound,” Raum supplied. The dark-skinned, golden-eyed demon shot his brother a challenging look.
There was an ominous silence.
Iris swallowed. Was today the day she would witness one of Belial’s rage attacks? She was pretty sure she’d just seen a flicker of hellfire in his blue eyes as he glared back at Raum.
“Where did it come from?” Bel asked.
“I found him,” Iris replied, keeping her tone even. The last thing she would do was show a demon even a glimpse of fear. “Someone abandoned him outside my door.”
Bel’s jaw flexed as he glared at the puppy. “I don’t like it. I’ll open a hellgate and toss him back where he came from.”
“No!” Lily, Iris, Eva, and even Raum said simultaneously.
The hellhound in question lifted his head off Raum’s muscled arm and blinked sleepily as if he knew the conversation was about him.
“I do agree that it’s strange,” Eva said, trying to defuse the tension. “How did he get here?” Her riotous curls were tied into two messy buns on either side of her head, and her sunny disposition seemed incongruous next to a brooding Asmodeus with his crossed arms and long raven hair hanging in his face. Yet somehow, they had the same ultra-compatible, power-couple vibe Lily and Mist had. The kind that Iris wouldn’t have believed existed if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
“Is he safe?” Lily asked from the other side of the kitchen island. “I mean, is he... evil?”
Raum shot her a dark look. “He’s a baby. He’s not evil.”
“I had to ask.” Her cheeks flushed. “I mean, he is from Hell.”
“It’s still an animal,” Ash said. “He’s just like any regular dog.”
“But smarter,” Mist said from behind Lily. Surprisingly, he had chosen to remain in human form. Lily had said he was getting more used to maintaining it for long periods.
“And bigger,” Raum said.
“And way more bloodthirsty,” Ash added.
Iris winced. “How much bigger?”
“The size of a horse.”
Iris gawked at him. “Ahorse?”
“A small horse,” Ash amended. “Like a pony.”
That did not make her feel any better.
Before she could start worrying about how a gigantic dog was going to fit in her apartment, Ash added, “But hellhounds can shift into a smaller form that looks like an Earth dog.”
“So he’s a giant, bloodthirsty, cunning, shapeshifting dog.” Eva cocked a brow. “Totally the same thing as a regular dog.”
“He can’t stay here anyway,” Belial announced, slashing a big hand through the air. “We don’t know how he got here, and it’s too big of a risk that he was sent by one of our enemies.”
Ash scoffed. “And what fearsome enemy would send a puppy after us? Lucifer?”
Bel’s jaw clenched. “It’s too big of a coincidence.”
“I agree it’s strange,” Raum said, “but Ash is right. If it was Lucifer, we’d be facing an army. And anyone else dumb enough to send a hellhound pup as an infiltrator isn’t a real threat. Let them come. It’ll be fun to kill them.”
