Chapter Twenty-Three
Twenty-Three
Pythor
I cursed out loud, following Codie down as he sank to the floor as if someone had cut all his strings. I kept my wings around him as I kneeled in front of him, sticking close as he trembled.
"Shh, you're safe, Codie. You're safe," I murmured as Hella stuck her head over my wing to lick the side of Codie's face, sneezing as some of his hair went into her mouth and nose.
Codie shuffled closer, and I wrapped my arms around his back, pulling him close until he was sitting in my lap, his legs thrown over my right thigh as he sat on my left, his face pressed into my chest.
I tightened my wing around him, holding him just like that as he trembled. I wished I could do more for him. I wanted to go back and pummel that bastard some, but that would be for me and not for Codie. I couldn't leave his side, I couldn't do that to him.
"I've got you," I murmured, kissing his forehead as I slowly started rocking him, trying whatever I could to comfort him.
"We have to find the others," he murmured under his breath, and I squeezed him tighter.
"And we will."
"No, now," he insisted, and I frowned. He looked so shaken. Was he ready for this?
"Are you sure, Codie? There's no rush."
Codie shook his head, glancing up to meet my eyes. His looked darker than usual, and I wished I could make them sparkle again. He'd been doing so well the last couple of weeks.
"If he doesn't come back, they might think something's wrong. What if they go into hiding or something?"
That made me snort. "There's nowhere in this world a human can hide from me, Codie."
Codie smiled, just a barely there hint of a grin, but it still relieved some of the tightness in my chest.
"I know that, my big good demon mate. I just don't want to waste any more of my life thinking about them. I want—no, I need it to end."
I nodded, understanding his wish to not draw it out. I picked up the phone he'd dropped, and handed it to him.
"See if you can find the others through this."
I wasn't really good with the whole social media thing. All I knew how to do was use the chat section, so I figured he'd have more luck than me.
"They're all here," he mumbled, and I peered at the phone as he scrolled through what looked like the bastard's friend list. I ignored the names, but four of the faces looked very familiar.
I hated how confident they'd been that they'd never be caught.
They hadn't even tried to hide their faces from Codie, since I'd seen them clearly in his dream.
Or had they planned to kill him? Was that why the bastard had come here today? To finish the job?
Come to think of it, how had he even found Codie? And why now?
Shaking my head, I decided it didn't matter, and focused on the screen as Codie texted the four assholes to meet us at the bastard's place.
"Good thinking," I commended, and he gave me a small smile as he shrugged.
"Why go to them when you can bring them to you?"
I chuckled, then watched as Codie backed out of the app and started scrolling through the phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Just... looking," he mumbled, sounding a touch distracted, and I watched as he opened the Photos app, then started scrolling. They were all normal pictures of the bastard, with his buddies, at parties, some club, doing rich-people shit, I presumed.
But then Codie froze, but in the second before he dropped the phone, I saw it. Codie's face.
"Don't," he said, voice almost begging, as I reached for the phone, and I kissed his temple as I picked up the phone, screen facing away from me.
Without looking at it, I pushed my magic into it.
Magic and tech didn't always mix, but I was determined, and since I was trying to destroy rather than adjust or create, I could make it work as I made sure every photo that contained Codie disappeared not just from his phone, but from every device connected to his in any way.
That meant his buddies' phones, and anyone or anywhere else he might've shared it.
Then, I crushed the phone into tiny little pieces for good measure, and Codie slumped against me, as if he'd been afraid I'd see the pictures.
"I erased them from everywhere. No one will see those pictures again," I promised him, and he nodded as he buried his face in my chest once more.
Since there was time before he'd asked the other assholes to meet us, we stayed just like that as Codie slowly started to relax. Today had gone nothing like I'd hoped, but at least I'd gotten to keep my promise to Codie.
With how easy it'd been though, I couldn't help wondering if the bastard had paid off some cops to look the other way. How else could they have avoided getting caught when Codie knew exactly what they looked like?
It made me want to go hunt down those crooked cops, but Artemus had only given me permission to hurt the men who'd hurt Codie that night.
Maybe I could still make them pay without hurting them. At the very least, I could find some evidence of their crimes and get them fired so they wouldn't be able to protect any more bastards.
Codie pulled back, and I loosened my hold enough so he could look up at me. His dark eyes were luminous, his face flushed from being pressed against my chest, and he looked beautiful as ever.
I cupped his cheek, and he sank into my touch, his eyes fluttering shut as his face went lax. I loved the way he sought comfort from my touch, and loved that I could give it to him.
"I love you, Pythor," he murmured, making me go still.
His eyes stayed closed as he spoke, but I didn't doubt the sincerity of his words, knowing he'd never take them lightly.
"I don't know if it's romantic or platonic or something more, but like you said, I know this is it.
You're it for me, and I never want to be apart from you. "
Lowering my head, I kissed his forehead, and a soft sigh escaped his lips as I made my promise. "You won't ever have to."
Codie
The four men were mightily confused when Pythor, Hella, and I appeared out of thin air, but it didn't take any of them long to recognize me.
The bastard's house was big, all glass windows, high ceilings, and glass and metal furniture. It was cold, just like the man, and these guys fit right into the place.
They didn't get much time to react to us before Pythor took his true form and they really started to freak out.
They backed up a few steps, but the only way out was through the windows, and since we seemed to be at least above fifteen floors, I doubted they'd survive that way.
The only way out was through Pythor, and I didn't think any of them were brave enough to try it.
Pythor froze them in place as he turned to me, a bland look on his face, though he couldn't hide the anger burning in his eyes, not from me.
"What do you want to do with them?"
He'd let me decide what to do with him, and he was handing over the reins again, even though it was clear he wanted to get his hands dirty instead.
"You decide. I'm just here to watch the show," I said, and his eyes lit up like I'd given him the best possible gift.
He turned to the others as I stepped back, Hella sticking to my side. He regarded them thoughtfully, then nodded to himself.
"You, grab a pen and paper and get ready to write."
The man followed his command instantly, and I realized he was using his magic to make him move. I hadn't realized he could do that, but now I understood why the demons had been commanded not to hurt humans.
Once the man's hand hovered over the paper, pen at the ready, Pythor started dictating.
He made him confess to everything they'd done to me, naming names, dates, and all the details the cops could ever need.
Then he made him name the cop they'd paid off to keep the case unsolved, which I was surprised by.
I'd thought a cop might be involved, but I'd had no proof. Well, Pythor had just made us some.
"Now write: we're drowning in guilt over what we did, but we know there's no way to redeem ourselves, so we've decided we don't deserve to live. We've already taken care of—write your friend's name, the one whose house this is—and now, it's time for us. We're sorry."
I blinked, not expecting the direction Pythor took but not against it either.
"Now sign it, all of you."
They shuffled forward, taking turns to sign their own suicide note.
Once that was done, he made them take a picture of the note and email it right to the Chief of Police, probably so the cop wouldn't be able to tamper with the note.
"All right, now the fun part," Pythor said, rubbing his palms together. Then he seemed to catch himself, his head jerking back to look at me, and I waved him on, not at all scared by his clear enjoyment of the whole thing.
"All of you, grab a knife from the kitchen block. Make sure it's a sharp one."
They moved like obedient sheep, and once they were back in the living room with their weapons, I slid closer to Pythor.
While they'd been doing everything Pythor commanded without hesitation, their faces showed their true feelings, and all I could see there now was terror. It was strangely satisfying, to see the way I'd once felt now reflected on my tormentors.
"Now, for the climax, you two face each other. And you two too. Now, stab the other as hard as you can, and if you don't kill them, do it again."
I jerked back to avoid getting hit with a spray of blood as utter mayhem ensued, and I tried not to be disgusted by how much I relished it. I'd never want to see an innocent person get hurt, but watching these men ruin each other in a way they'd never ruin me felt good.
Once they were all crumpled on the floor and Pythor had made sure they were dead, he texted someone, and I gave him a curious glance.
"I'm texting Malik. He's a soul collector, and he'll make sure their souls end up in the Burning Chasm."
"I hope they burn for a long time."
"Me too," Pythor agreed, and once he got confirmation from this Malik person, he pulled me close.
"Let's go home and cuddle, hmm?"
"Sounds perfect," I agreed, making him grin. He snapped his fingers, and I felt a wave of magic wash over the room.
"Just making sure no trace of your DNA is left behind," he said, and I hadn't even thought of that. I loved how well he always looked out for me.
His magic stirred again, but this time I knew what it was, and I stuck close to him as we appeared in my living room.
I took a step back from Pythor, then glanced down at myself. I needed a shower, and maybe to bleach my coat and burn the rest of my clothes.
"How about you grab a shower while I get us some late lunch?" Pythor suggested because he knew me so well. The thought of being away from Pythor didn't sit well with me, though, even though he'd already slayed all my monsters. Would this fear ever leave me?
He must have seen the hesitation on my face, because he stepped closer, cupping my cheek. "Or I could stay in the bedroom while you shower. It'll only take me a moment to get the food anyway."
I pursed my lips, then blew out a breath. "Or you could join me."
Pythor's eyes widened. "Do you want that? Truly?"
I nodded, then rushed to elaborate. "I don't—I don't want to do anything. I just want to be close to you. I don't want to feel them on my skin anymore. Is that—is that okay?"
Pythor nodded, his dark eyes serious as he peered at me. "If at any point, you want me to leave, just say the word, okay? You won't hurt my feelings."
"Okay."
I took his hand in mine, and he turned back to his human form as I led him into the bathroom. While he would fit in his demon form, it would've been tight, so it made sense for him to shift back.
Sliding off my coat, I put it in the laundry basket before quickly removing the rest of my clothes.
"Can you destroy them? I don't think I'll want to wear them again," I said, waving at the crumpled pile of clothes.
Pythor nodded, and the clothes disappeared with a poof. Then he snapped a finger, and the clothes on his body also disappeared as he turned on the water.
"Still want me here?" he checked, and I nodded quickly as I closed the distance between us, pressing my front to his as I soaked in his warmth.
While Pythor was hot beyond belief, there was nothing sexual behind this moment, just intimate.
I wanted to be close to Pythor, and this was the closest I could physically get.