Page 22 of Demon Demands

Monday Late Night

Franklin continuously shocked me with how far his reach went. Even in the Underworld, the ancient vampire could get access to just about anything I needed.

Like my favorite pack of hellhounds on short notice.

I’d known him for most of my life, been taught by him, but there were still so many mysterious facades to him. How he knew I preferred Lira and her pack of pups was beyond my knowledge. It wasn’t something I’d ever mentioned before.

But oh, did I adore Lira. She was the dam to my boys and the entire pack we were using, plus a few females who were left behind.

Lira was smaller than her pups, but what she lacked in size, she made up for with her fierce speed and cunning personality.

I didn’t have a connection with her, not like my hounds, anyway. She was happy to respond in deep yips and low growls when I spoke to her, though.

Most of my guys looked uncomfortable as we started our journey to the deserts of Lilk. Riding hellhounds was similar to riding horses, if a little more jarring. The extra weight on their backs didn’t slow them down, and their stamina would keep them from getting too winded over the course of our trip. They’d run for a few hours, then we’d all slow down when we reached the territory borders so that Grim and I could track Jack properly.

Wanting to see how the group was fairing, I tossed my left leg over Lira’s back and spun to face the guys behind me. I crossed my legs in front of me, placing my hands in my lap, and studied my guys as they surveyed the landscape around them.

“So, welcome to Stars,” I announced, my voice a bit uneven as Lira sped down the path toward Lilk. “It’s one of my favorite places to visit in the Underworld, second only to Motus.”

“Why Motus?” Stone queried, his eyes going completely black as his demon surged to the surface. I sensed a test in that question.

“I love the forests and the caverns and the creatures. Not so much the inhabitants, though.” I shrugged.

The demons of Motus were awful beings to encounter as a traveler. They had cultivated their own language hundreds of years ago to help them weed out foreigners. Thankfully, they spoke English in Hell, mostly. It was used as the official language since many of the demons living there weren’t natives.

“Mmm,” Stone agreed. “I don’t think I’ve been to the denser parts of Motus, only the city center.”

“What the fuck are you two talking about?” Briggs grumbled. “Aren’t you worried you're going to fall? You’re not sitting on a couch, Barbie. Why do you look so fucking comfortable?”

I laughed softly at Briggs, patting Lira’s side affectionately. “I’ve ridden hellhounds before, and Lira quite a few times. She was actually the first that I rode, well before she had my boys. Lira is the dam of all the hellhounds that we’re riding.”

Briggs shook his head. “And you don’t think that you’ll fall off? You’ve got your back turned, not looking where you're going and not holding on to any part of her.”

“I trust her. If I fall, it wouldn’t be her fault. I don’t need to see where she’s leading us because I sent her an image of the map with the destination circled. That’s all she needs to get us to Lilk.”

The images had been a mental gift left at the edges of her mind for her to open if she chose to. One was of the map, the other was of compensation in their preferred food source.

The Kings owned vast property in Motus, and I’d granted her entire pack permission to hunt on the land.

“What’s the city center of Motus like?” Novak asked as he tried to take in his surroundings.

It was hard to see everything. Like looking through a car window and watching the trees speed by, you could see the landscape passing you, but you couldn’t quite catch every detail.

“It’s Hell. Literally. Hell sits in the dead center of Motus and acts as a hub for all the territories of the Underworld. It’s where all major trades happen, as well as negotiations and treaties. The Devil rules over the entire realm, but there are representatives from each territory that travel back and forth. We try to be civilized, or at least act like it.”

“If there’s anything else important that we should know, then this ride would be the perfect opportunity to inform us,” Vaughn stated, brushing his frost tipped fingers over Helios’ neck.

“I’m sure you eejits need to learn a ton of shit, but we’ll be at the border soon.” Hyde spoke with her head laid on the back of her hound’s neck, relaxed and carefree as she stroked his skin. “Did I use that right?” she asked Palmer excitedly. “I feel like I did.”

Palmer groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, but don’t lump me in with these bastards.” He waved his hand to the right, pointing at the rest of my guys.

I shook my head at them, chuckling as Hyde rolled her amber eyes at my mage. “It sounds strange when you say it. Maybe stick to your usual insults, Hyde.”

“Dolyn wants me to stop cursing so much,” she sassed. Mocking his deep voice, she added, “Hyde, your mouth is worse than an entire construction crew. You need to chill the fuck out.”

Dolyn snorted. “I don’t sound like that.”

“He’s the reason you learned those words in the first place,” I smirked at her. “Dolyn, her filthy mouth is your fault. She’s practically an adult.”