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A goat’s tail whipped around the demon’s back end, and as he caught sight of us, two massive batlike wings unfurled at his shoulders. He wasn’t able to extend them completely thanks to the narrow width of the alley.
“Echo, this is Alpha, come in.”
Before I could reply to Tyler’s entreaty, another figure emerged from the smoke.
Not quite as imposing in height as the first demon, this one was about nine or ten feet tall, but broader across the chest and shoulders, his long arms hanging down nearly to the sidewalk, curving his massive back into a hunch. His skin was red, as if someone had told a child to draw the devil. He had no horns, but his chin and ears were pointed, and his nose was snubbed like that of a pug, pulling his lip up to expose razor sharp teeth in a menacing smile. Where the first demon?
?s eyes had been solid white, this one had deep inky black ones, so dark and empty they were like voids into which I worried I might fall and never stop falling.
“Echo to Alpha,” sounded in my ear again.
I knew this was the part where I was supposed to bring in my backup, except the van full of agents had been to help me deal with five or six vampires. This? I didn’t even know what this was, but I didn’t think humans were going to be able to provide the necessary assistance.
What other option did I have?
I couldn’t take these guys down by myself, no way, no how. I was a big-enough woman to admit my limitations, and besting two enormous demons was pretty much number one on the list of things I couldn’t handle on my own.
“Shit has hit the fan, Alpha,” I replied finally.
“Secret?” Harold tapped my shoulder, but I was too entranced by the two demons looming over us to look back at him. “Secret, I can help.”
I darted a glance in his direction. “What?”
“I can help, but I need this off.” He indicated the collar he was wearing.
“Oh, sure, let me just take that right off, and then suddenly I’m facing three demons instead of two. Top-notch plan.”
He gave me a stern look that one almost might categorize as paternal disappointment. It was so absurd, given the situation, I nearly laughed. I turned my attention back to the demons, who seemed amused by our presence.
“I have heard,” one boomed, “that a little demonling has been using my name.” The black-skinned one’s voice filled the entire alley, making my skin buzz as if his words were made of bees. Every syllable off his tongue tipped me one step closer to the cusp of insanity, and I wanted him to never say anything else.
Had this guy just admitted to being the real Belphegor?
“Secret, take off the collar,” Harold insisted.
I stared up at the two demons and noticed the six cloaked figures had emerged from the fog as well to stand at the feet of their masters.
Fuck, the gate was open, and this was just the welcoming committee. I needed to get that thing shut immediately. I could use all the help available to me, and if I had to break protocol by letting Harold off his leash, so be it.
I’d take my punishment when the time came, if it meant keeping the world around long enough for it to matter. Considering the deep shit we were currently in, if Harold turned on me, it would be the least of my problems.
I fumbled with the remote, which was still in my hand, and flipped it upside down so I didn’t engage the kill switch. Lily had been kind enough to make the thing idiot-proof. Red button, death. Green button, freedom. I lifted the cover on the green button and punched my thumb down on it. A soft beep and click came from the device, and Harold quickly removed it from his neck, dropping it to the ground almost delicately, like he didn’t want to break it. Good, that thing was probably super expensive.
He moved to stand in front of me, and for a fraction of a second I worried I’d made the wrong choice. Then he blocked the path between the demons and myself and puffed himself up so he looked almost as big and impressive as the smaller red demon.
“Oh, look, he’s preening,” bellowed the black demon. “How charming. Does it make your human girlfriend wet? Is she writhing for it? I can show you a thing or two, human girlfriend. I will make you wriggle like a worm on a hook.”
“Okay, first of all, ew,” I retorted.
“No? Then I will simply gut you like a fish.” The way his voice changed on those last words, dropping all pretense of humor and becoming something hideous and soul-searingly scary, made me bite my tongue and not reply further. This wasn’t going to be a let’s trade barbs with villains kind of night.
“Run,” Harold said to me.
I wanted to. Oh, God, I wanted nothing more than to run away and never look back. To leave Harold and these two demons here to hopefully crush the hooded cult underfoot, and to just pray it all took care of itself.
The problem was it wouldn’t take care of itself.
There was an open portal to Hell, and these two were a taste of what was coming, which meant there were certainly worse things down there behind them. I didn’t particularly want to see what was on their tails.
