Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Az fixed you up. Good. You can help us get revenge now,” Tog said.
“Change of plans,” Azroth interjected sharply. “You need to take Matteo to Luke’s room.”
“What? No!” Tog roared. He stomped his foot, and the entire building shook.
Luke reached out and placed his trembling hand on Tog’s hand. The demon quieted instantly. “Please, Tog. I need you to take him home, heal him, and tuck him into my bed so he’s warm. Please, I know you’re the only one to keep him safe for me. Matteo is a thousand times more important to me than anything that happens here tonight.”
Tog’s face scrunched up, and Luke tensed, waiting for the demon to explode or at least stomp his foot again. A couple of tense heartbeats later, Tog exhaled and nodded. “I’ll take care of your Matteo. Heal him and protect him until you return.”
“Thank you, Tog. Thank you so much!”
The giant demon shrugged, looking uncomfortable. He pulled out of Luke’s grasp and turned to Matteo. In the blink of an eye, they were both gone, leaving Luke alone with Azroth.
“Don’t worry. Tog might seem like his head is filled with worms, but he really does have a brain in there. He will take good care of your new boyfriend.” The demon’s wing extended, wrapping around Luke in such a way that it pulled him closer, almost cocooning him in his own safe haven. “Now, I believe we have some very stupid humans who need to learn that they have fucked with the wrong Bird Boy.” The words twisted and writhed before flying off Azroth’s tongue.
It was very clear that the demon was pissed.
Chapter 25
Never Piss off a Demon
LUKE
As soon as Tog took Matteo away, Luke could draw in a full, deep breath. He was nervous about his new boyfriend being left alone with the demon, but he was better off with Tog than he was in this cold, filthy warehouse.
“Are you sure you’re feeling better? I’ve healed you properly?” Azroth asked, sounding so unsure, which was strange. For as long as he’d known him, the demon had appeared confident in everything he said and did.
“I’m fine. Really. Nothing hurts. I’m not even cold anymore. Thank you,” Luke reassured him, but Azroth shook his head, as if brushing aside his gratitude. His wings shivered and resettled about his shoulders as if he were uneasy.
“This should never have happened. When you asked us to leave, I should have rousted the crows. Ordered them to keep an eye on you and your new mate. If I hadn’t allowed myself to be distracted by the promise of your new relationship, I would have been more attentive to your needs, to the surrounding threats.”
Luke reached out but stopped suddenly. He wasn’t quite sure what he should grab on the demon, so he allowed his hands to fall back to his sides. “No. There’s no way you could have known that those assholes were stalking us. They mentioned the crows and other birds were still harassing them. I didn’t know. If I had, I would have called Atticus and the others off.”
“I thought the crows would keep those bastards away from you. I should have killed them and been done with it months ago,” Azroth snarled.
Luke bit his tongue. He wasn’t sure how much he could argue with the demon. The frat bros might not have deserved a demon-related death months ago, but they’d hurt Matteo. Luke felt far less forgiving now.
“Where are they? What have Ogos and the others done to them?”
Azroth’s evil grin returned, and he wrapped one wing back around Luke while motioning to the right with the other. He guided Luke through the random debris and chaos of the warehouse. The glowing red orb he’d conjured up earlier preceded them through the large room, casting everything in an eerie, bloody light. Shadows jumped and lurched as they approached, making the building seem even more like something out of a horror movie, and yet, Luke had never felt so safe in all his life. But then, not everyone had a demon escorting them through the darkness. How could anything touch him?
A rusted and dented metal door screeched open at a wave of Azroth’s hand, and they stepped into the next room, where several orbs of fire flickered in the air, illuminating everything. All the refuse, boxes, and broken machinery were piled against the sides of the room so that the center was open.
There, four naked young men hung upside down, their heads more than four feet above the floor. But as far as Luke could see, no ropes or chains held them suspended. It was all done by magic.
The only injuries Luke could see were hundreds of tiny shallow cuts all over their bodies, as if they’d run naked through a paper storm. Thin streaks of blood and cold sweat covered their flesh, but the wounds had closed before the blood could travel more than a couple of inches. They were shivering and trembling, whimpering and shouting to be let go.