Chapter 34 #2
“I’m sorry, this was a mistake,” Kendric started to choke as blood ran from his mouth. Whatever magic the demonic hand had given him had clearly abandoned him when he lost connection to it.
Blood began to seep from the countless arrows peppering his body, and he slumped to his knees. “I’ll do anything. I’ll repay—” Kendric cried out as Elena grabbed an arrow jutting from his stomach and twisted it.
“You owe us more than you can ever repay,” Naerith said grimly. He dug his fingers into a gash in Kendric’s shoulder made by a sword strike.
“But we’ll allow you to try to repay us in blood,” Elena finished for her husband. “But first, I’ll have my arrows back.”
Clayton watched dispassionately as his mother brutally tore her arrows free one by one and his father ripped Kendric’s body open with his bare hands.
Kendric’s screams were ear-piercing at first, but they weakened quickly into pathetic squeaks and gurgles as he choked on his own blood.
Clayton kept an eye on his boat while his parents got their revenge, making sure his own kids were safe. None of the fae soldiers stirred from their hiding places, only making their presence known by cries of pain and whimpers of fear.
The portal the fae soldiers had come from closed up as Kendric died. The demon portal was unchanged, and Clayton watched his lover feasting happily as he pondered his options.
His gaze fell on the demon hand still wiggling on the ground, and he got an idea.
“Darling, beloved, love of my life,” Clayton called out to Mal, and he stopped when Naerith put a bloody hand on his shoulder.
“Son, I don’t think that’s your mate anymore.” Naerith’s face was streaked with blood and held a serious expression.
“Pfft,” Clayton scoffed. “He’s fine. He’s just having fun.”
“Carwyn, I know what it looks like when your mate has gone off the rails and needs space.” He gestured to Elena, still tearing arrow after arrow out of what Clayton was pretty sure was now Kendric’s corpse. “I wouldn’t go near her for all the gold in the kingdom’s treasury right now.”
His mother’s eyes were fierce and crazed, and she snarled and screamed curses as she destroyed Kendric’s body. She was dripping in blood and looked like a goddess of war and revenge.
“Fair point,” Clayton conceded. “But we need to close the portal, and since Mal is halfway in it, he needs a heads-up.”
Against Naerith’s advice, he drew closer to Mal, now fully scaled and filling a quarter of the cavern.
Clayton threw a rock at Mal’s foot to get his attention. “Mal! Knock it off. How are you supposed to fit on the boat when you’re this size?”
Naerith hissed, “Carwyn, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
Clayton waved him away. “Don’t worry, Dad. I have probability magic and can do anything.”
“That’s not how it works…” Naerith said weakly, but Clayton ignored him. Negativity like that would only disrupt his flow.
Clayton had gotten Mal’s attention with his rock, and Mal was regarding him quietly. He’d partially withdrawn from the portal and held demons in several tentacles. He’d stopped biting off heads, but Clayton could see the demons slowly dissolving in Mal’s grasp.
“Love,” Clayton began, “I definitely have a thing for tentacles now.” He pretended like he didn’t hear Naerith choking in the background and continued. “But those are too big. If you want to fuck me with them, you’re going to have to be smaller, okay?”
The burning humiliation of the very public announcement had Clayton’s dick hardening, and, like a dog smelling treats, Mal pulled fully out of the portal and reached out a tentacle to pick Clayton up.
“Son,” Naerith called out in alarm.
“Don’t worry, Dad, he won’t hurt me. Just destroy the hand, and I’ll take care of Mal.”
Clayton stopped paying attention to Naerith and stroked Mal’s massive muzzle as he was pressed against it. Mal sniffed Clayton and gave a happy snort of recognition.
“You look a bit like a dragon and an octopus right now. Is this your real form?” Clayton admired his lover, running his hands over shiny black scales and making mental notes to jot down later. He was going to study the shit out of Mal as soon as he got a minute.
Mal gave a low hum of agreement.
“Well, you’re beautiful.”
Mal made a happy growl.
“I think I like you like this, love. You give me way less sass. It would be nice if you were smaller, though. I’d prefer if my entire family could be on my boat at the same time. Can you shrink down for me?”
Mal growled, less happy now. He sounded like a dog who was about to have a treat taken from him.
“I promise I’ll make it worth your while later,” Clayton said softly before kissing Mal’s chin.
Mal’s body turned to black smoke, and Clayton found himself being lowered to the floor. He waited patiently while Mal worked to contain his essence enough to create a smaller form.
It took much longer than it had the last time Clayton saw him do it, and the results were different.
Once Mal had condensed into his humanoid form, he was taller and bulkier than before, now dwarfing Clayton’s not inconsiderable height. His skin was black and scaled around his temples, and his clawed hands were now scaly and black as well.
“There he is, smaller but just as handsome,” Clayton praised.
Mal bent down and licked Clayton’s cheek with a long black tongue. “I killed a lot of monsters for you,” he said with a voice deeper and raspier than before.
“You did an amazing job protecting our family, my love.”
Naerith was several yards away and giving them both a look of impressed surprise. “Nice job, son. I think I’m going to give your mother a few more minutes, though.” He pointed behind him where the wet sound of rending flesh was still going strong.
Clayton made the mistake of glancing at Elena and quickly averted his gaze with a shudder. “Yes, of course. Good idea. Did you get the hand?”
Naerith held it up triumphantly by the arrows embedded in it, and it was still squirming away. He held out his sword, ignited it, and made to set the offending appendage on fire, but at the last second, Mal’s tongue darted out and snatched the hand off the arrows.
Clayton shuddered as the hand vanished into Mal’s mouth. “You are not kissing me until you brush your teeth and gargle a bottle of mouthwash. No. Two bottles.”
Mal grinned at him unrepentantly and rubbed his face against Clayton’s hair. “Whatever you say, Red.”
With a violent pop, the portal to the demon realm vanished.