"Careful!" Beth steadied the massive pup while Nathan and Harper regained their balance.
Jacinth's dark eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched their antics. "Kayja is a bit... occupied at the moment." Her lips twitched. "Apparently there's some new demon nightclub in Manhattan she simply had to check out."
Beth blinked. "Demons have nightclubs?"
"Oh yes." Jacinth's smile widened. "This one just opened last week. Something about incorporating actual hellfire into their light show?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, Kayja says she'll come by your house in an hour or so, after she's done dancing."
The hellhound woofed happily, his tail thumping against the reception desk in a steady rhythm.
Nathan's eyes went wide. "Midnight?" He glanced at Harper, who looked equally alarmed. "That's... that's really late."
"For a demon?" Jacinth laughed. "That's practically early afternoon."
"But she'll know way more than I do about hellhounds," Tyr told them. "My knowledge is pretty limited."
"Would you..." Nathan hesitated, running his fingers through his sandy brown hair. "Would you mind coming with us? Just until Kayja arrives? We've never dealt with anything like this before."
"Of course." Tyr scratched behind the hellhound's massive ears, earning another shower of sparks dancing through the black fur, creating an oddly beautiful display in the fluorescent lighting.. "I can help you get him settled in."
"Oh thank god." Nathan's shoulders slumped with relief. "Because I have no idea what we're doing here."
The puppy woofed happily, apparently approving of this plan, making them all laugh.
"Do you think he can understand what we're saying?" Beth asked, turning to Tyr.
Tyr's brow furrowed as he considered the question, his blue eyes studying the massive puppy thoughtfully. After a moment, he crouched down to the hellhound's eye level.
"Can you understand us?" he asked directly.
The puppy's response was immediate and enthusiastic. He lunged forward, nearly knocking Tyr over in his eagerness to give him a thorough face-washing. His enormous pink tongue left trails of slobber across Tyr's cheeks as his tail wagged frantically, showering red sparks everywhere.
Laughter filled the reception area. Beth covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her giggles as Tyr attempted to fend off the enthusiastic puppy while maintaining his dignity. He failed at both, ending up sitting on the floor with the hellhound half in his lap, still determinedly trying to wash his face.
"I think that's a no," Harper managed between laughs.
"Or maybe it was a yes?" Beth snickered. "Hard to tell."
"Wait!" Beth stepped forward, her heart racing with excitement. "Could I come too? I'd love to meet a demoness." She bounced on her toes, grinning. "Plus, I haven't visited Jill in ages."
Troy's moss-green eyes went wide as he stared at her. "Do you know how weird that sounds? 'I'd love to meet a demoness'?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Sometimes I forget how completely insane my life has become."
Laughter erupted through the reception area.
"Welcome to the supernatural club," Harper managed between giggles, her amber eyes dancing with mirth. "Where wanting to meet demons is just another Tuesday night."
"At least she didn't say she wanted to pet one," Nathan added, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Beth helped Harper and Nathan wrangle the pup through the clinic's front doors while Tyr held them open. The colossalpuppy launched himself into the snowy night like a furry cannonball, dragging his makeshift handlers behind him as red sparks showered all around him, creating a mesmerizing display against the white snow.
"This is ridiculous." Troy locked the clinic doors behind them, his breath fogging in the cold air. "A hellhound. In my clinic."
"Could be worse." Beth grinned, watching the puppy attempt to chase his own tail, nearly taking Nathan and Harper down in the process. "At least he's friendly."
Tyr rolled his eyes at their antics. "Beth, why don't you ride with me? I'll bring you back to finish your shift after we get this sorted."
The puppy woofed happily as Nathan and Harper coaxed him toward their car, his massive paws leaving deep prints in the fresh snow. Fire motes scattered through the thick black fur, creating tiny melted spots in the snowflakes around him.
"Good luck!" Troy called after them, already heading for his own vehicle. "Text me if anything explodes! Wait… don't!"
