Beel stood up then, brushed his hands off, and walked over to Jon, enfolding him in a hug.
“Well, that was rather… gruesome,” Jon mumbled.
Beel pulled back and grinned. “Aw, I hardly even did anything. And it was a teeny bit satisfying, too, no?” he asked gleefully.
They both turned to look at Marcus, who was rolling around and whimpering softly in pain.
Jon looked at Beel, who had a proud, smug expression on his face. Oh how he loved his demon, sadistic streak and all. And hey, at least there were no bloodstains (at least not large ones—there might have been a few drops from the crushed hand), and although it looked like there might be a small wet stain on Marcus’s pants, there was no pee on the floor.
Jon supposed you had to take your wins where you could get them.
“Well, yes, it was satisfying. He is an asshole. But… I don’t know, I kind of feel bad, too,” Jon admitted.
Beel looked at him fondly. “You’re too soft, love, but it is one of the things I adore most about you.”
“Listen, Marcus!” Beel shouted, snapping his fingers. He must have done something for the pain, because Marcus looked terrified but marginally more aware of his surroundings. “If youevercome near us again, it will be the last time. I'm going to have someone watching you from now on. Everything I promised is in your future, but perhaps people are capable of change.” Beel shrugged noncommittally. “I’d love to see you in the pits, but Jon has a soft heart, and he hopes you find redemption. You have seen what awaits you. Live your life as you are and then spend eternity in pain and misery, or change yourself. It matters not to me, as long as we never see you again.”
“Get some therapy, maybe, huh? I suggested it that one time when you blew up at your mom, but you always denied you had any issues,” Jon added.
Beel snapped his fingers again, and Marcus was back to agonized rolling around.
“What are we going to do with him? I might get customers?” Jon asked. Ok, so he supposed his sympathy had run out for Marcus. The guy deserved to suffer his injuries. At least Jon had a clear conscience that anything he did from here on out was on Marcus—he’d been given fair warning.
Beel snapped his fingers again, and Marcus was gone.
“Well, that’s nifty,” Jon declared.
“Eh, big demonic mojo for that, but it was worth it. He’s rolling around in pain in his apartment now at least.” He leaned forward and kissed Jon softly, then leaned back to look at him. “Are you really ok, love? I know that was a little gruesome for you. But you didn’t even hide behind your fingers!”
Jon giggled. “I thought about it.”
He leaned forward, kissing Beel back. They drew the kiss out, lazily pressing lips together and touching tongues, their arms wrapping around each other and tightening.
Jon hardened in his jeans, and Beel’s hips thrust against his, causing them both to moan softly. Still, they kept it gentle, remembering theywerestanding in the middle of the shop.
“I love you more than eternity,” Beel whispered when they finally came up for air.
“I love you, my soulmate. Thank you for always coming to my rescue. You’re my knight in shining armor.” Jon chuckled softly. “You really are my frog prince, and I’m the luckiest man alive to have found you,” he professed.
“Ah, Jon, I think you have that backwards. You were the one who saved me. It was your kiss that made me what I am. You have given me so much—love, confidence, joy, motivation—you make me a better demon each and every day,” Beel replied softly.
They leaned their foreheads together, softly smiling at each other. Jon had no doubt that they would finish what they started later, but for now they had a shop to run. Jon wasn’t worried, though, because they had all the time in the world together.
They had an eternity of happily ever after ahead of them.
Part Three
Revenge is a Family Affair
A HELLHOUNDS OF PARADISE FALLS BONUS STORY
Chapter 1
Thea
What the hell was it with kids these days? I watched another one blow out a huge cloud of vape smoke and wondered what the point was. They were slowly killing themselves, and it didn’t even get them high. A total waste of their lives.
Then again, I guess kids were always stupid. When I was in my twenties and I went to a bar, it didn’t even matter whether or not you smoked, because everyone else did. I used to have to go home at two in the morning, take off my clothes, leave them in another room, and shower before I could even go to bed, because even my hair would reek of cigarette smoke.
