Chapter 7
Release the hound
Zach had the briefest moment of panic as he saw the urco lunge for Drew, and then Andras was there, shoving him to safety.
The fact that this put him in the path of the gaping maw and snapping teeth of the beast instead was of no consequence.
Zach would gladly be the one in harm’s way if it meant Drew was safe.
He hit the ground with a thump, the weight of the massive hound pinning him.
Before he could even get an arm up in defence, the urco had locked its jaw around his throat.
There was no way Zach could pry the teeth from his flesh before it snapped his neck, so he did the only thing he could think of.
Grabbing the beast with both hands, he channelled every iota of power he had and sent it coursing into the urco in one powerful blast.
With a yelp of pain, the hound staggered back, and Zach immediately rolled out of its reach and onto his feet.
His wings snapped open, and he took up a defensive stance, even as the great beast staggered backwards, shaking its head.
While technically a hound, it didn’t bear a close resemblance to the canines on Earth.
It was much larger, for one, easily as big as a lion or pony.
The massive head was furless, the skin stretched thin over a bony skull.
Two pointed, leathery ears sat atop its head, one of which had been torn sometime in the past. Above its squat muzzle were two black eyes, and its jaw was akin to that of a thylacine, able to open much wider than usual for a canine.
The body was solid muscle, covered by short, coarse black fur.
Zach glanced to his right, happy to see that Andras had ushered Drew away from the urco and was standing in front of him.
It went a long way in restoring the demon to Zach’s good graces.
The urco chose that moment to attack, and one thrust of Zach’s powerful wings had him shooting into the air to avoid the lunge.
The urco skidded to a halt and spun around, a deadly growl tearing from its throat.
It didn’t hesitate to charge again, but this time, Zach wasn’t quite quick enough to get off the ground, and it took hold of his boot.
With a single shake of its head, the urco slammed Zach onto the ground, leaving him dazed.
With a shout, Andras jumped into the fray, distracting the urco with a kick to its head.
Zach climbed to his feet, clutching at his side, pretty sure he’d cracked at least one rib.
He winced as he caught his breath, the sharp pain lancing through him as his lungs expanded, but as much as it hurt, he had to ignore it for now, otherwise they’d end up as a three course meal for the urco.
He’d suffered unimaginable torture for centuries after he was first banished to Hell.
A cracked rib was nothing in comparison.
Joining Andras, they attacked the urco with renewed vigor.
They simply couldn’t allow it to gain the upper hand or it would be all over, red rover.
Using every bit of strength he had, Zach punched, kicked, and jabbed at the beast. Andras pulled free the knife he’d stolen from Lucifer, the bespelled blade glowing faintly in the darkness.
As the beast turned to snap at Zach, he slid it between two of its ribs.
The urco howled, and Zach rushed in to press their advantage.
“Andras!” he called, holding out his hand.
Immediately, Andras flipped him the knife. Zach caught the hilt, then spun on his feet to get into a position where he could deliver a fatal blow. Andras wrestled the urco from behind, drawing its attention once again away from Zach and he lunged.
Only to find himself missing entirely.
“No!” Drew cried out, the urco staggering to the side as the concussive force of his magic hit it. “Don’t kill it!”
“What the fuck?” Andras asked, looking over at where the deadly hound had dropped to its belly and was whining up at Drew.
Drew approached the urco, his hand held out in front of him. “Hey there, buddy,” he said in a soft voice. “It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He made some cooing noises as he slowly got closer, and although the urco looked wary, it didn’t retreat or attack.
“Drew, sweetness. What are you doing?” Zach asked, trying to keep any judgement out of his voice. He loved that his boyfriend was such a softie, but at times such as this, it could be detrimental to his health.
“It’s just hungry,” Drew said quietly, not taking his eyes off the beast. “There’s no need to kill the poor thing because it’s doing what hungry animals do best.”
“Last I checked, we haven’t got any food to give it,” Zach pointed out. “So, this isn’t really solving anything.”
“Then I’ll convince it to go and find food elsewhere,” Drew replied nonchalantly, as if that was the easiest thing in the world.
Zach wondered if he could respectfully explain to Drew that if it was possible to make the urco hunt something else instead of them, he would have done that himself hours ago when the hunt began.
He had a feeling Drew wouldn’t take too kindly to that, though, so he stayed silent.
To Zach’s immense surprise, Drew wasn’t eaten in one gulp when he reached the urco, and he placed his hand gently on its head.
“Shhh, it’s okay,” Drew crooned to the urco, who allowed him to scratch around its ears.
“We’re gonna get you fixed up and then let you be on your way, okay? No one is going to die today.”
“I wouldn’t be too fucking sure of that,” Andras muttered. Luckily, Drew didn’t hear him.
There was a fluttering of wings and Leila landed on Drew’s shoulder.
Her feathers were ruffled, and she was growling low in her throat at the urco, but she seemed content to let Drew handle matters.
Familiar or not, Zach didn’t think she’d be much of a match for the hound, so it was the best outcome for all.
The urco had cocked its head to one side and was now drooling as Drew scratched all over its neck and shoulders.
“Who’s a good doggie?” Drew asked in the babyish tone most people took when speaking to animals.
It normally annoyed the shit out of Zach, but when Drew did it, he just found it adorable.
“You are! Yes you are! Oh, does that feel good? Does it? Are you having a nice scratch?”
Andras came and stood next to Zach. “Is he . . . is he really taming a fucking urco?” he asked.
“It appears so.”
Drew dropped to his knees, putting Leila at muzzle height with the urco, but it didn’t seem at all interested in snacking now, enjoying the petting too much.
Drew continued to stroke the beast with one hand, and cupped the other over the wound on its ribs.
Zach’s ears popped as Drew accessed his magic, whispering quietly as he activated it.
“He can heal?” Andras asked, surprised.
“Um, I don’t think he’s done it before,” Zach admitted.
Healing was extremely advanced magic, only something that some upper-management angels and very powerful magic users, such as the Grand Masters of old, were known for.
Zach had never heard of a demon, even one as powerful as Lucifer, being able to wield such magic.
It certainly wasn’t something he could do, nor Kensington.
Though they had speculated it would possibly be within Drew’s capabilities when fully trained, Kensington only knew of one person in the world who could do it, and that Grand Master was in New Zealand.
Getting them together would take some planning.
Andras gaped at him. “He’s winging it?”
“Looks like.”
“But that’s impossible!” Andras objected. “I’ve heard that for those with the ability it takes years of training just to heal a paper cut!”
Zach shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Andras. Drew’s one of a kind.”
A long moment passed, then Zach’s ears popped once more, and Drew let his hand fall from the urco’s side.
It flopped down onto the ground, rolling over until it was presenting its belly to Drew.
“Is that better?” he asked, even as he began to rub the hound’s stomach.
“Is the pain all gone? You’re a good doggie, yes you are. ”
“Now that you’ve restored it to full health, shall we start running right away?” Andras drawled. “Or wait until it’s finished having belly rubs?”
“We’re not in any danger anymore,” Drew assured him. “Trust me.”
“Forgive me if I don’t,” the demon said bluntly.
As much as Zach trusted Drew, he couldn’t say he was one hundred percent confident Drew could keep the urco from trying to eat them.
Sure, it was submitting for pets now, but it was still hungry.
Once the pamper session was over, he was sure its appetite would make a resounding comeback.
Deciding to take one for the team, he pointed that out.
“Drew, are you entirely sure you’ve got it under control?
Because that thing is still hungry and we’re still a gourmet feast in its eyes. ”
Instead of answering, Drew looked down at Leila.
A long moment passed, and Zach was pretty sure they were somehow communicating.
Eventually, Leila inclined her midnight-black head in a small nod, and Drew nodded back.
“So, here’s the thing. Even if I send the urco away, he’s still going to be hungry.
” He’d changed to male pronouns as it was now abundantly clear that the beast was in fact a boy urco.
A very well-endowed boy urco. Absurdly so.
Zach wasn’t going to be jealous of a dog, he really wasn’t.
But maybe next time he shifted into Noodle, he’d keep his dangly bits off display, lest his boyfriend start making comparisons.
“You have a stunning grasp of the reality of the situation,” Andras said in a snippy tone.
Drew ignored him. “Instead of taking the risk, I’m just going to get him some food,” he said.
“Uh, from where, exactly?” Zach asked, gesturing around once more. “There’s not a corner store anywhere near.”
“Well, I’m not going to wiggle my nose or wear a racist harem outfit, but I’m pretty sure I can magic him up some dinner,” Drew replied.
“Look, I get that you’re kinda new to the whole magic thing,” Andras snapped. “But the laws of physics still apply. You can’t just magic up something from nothing.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve read The Belgariad,” Drew muttered, waving him off.
Andras turned to Zach. “What the ever-loving fuck is he on about?”
Zach just shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Throwing his arms in the air, Andras glared at him. “How are you so calm about all of this? Your boy toy is playing with forces he doesn’t fully understand. If he’s not careful, he’ll rip a fucking hole in the universe!”
“First of all, he’s not my ‘boy toy,’ and you’ll show him some damn respect or I’ll rip your head off,” Zach growled.
“Secondly, Drew has been under the tutelage of a Grand Master for the past year. He might not be entirely experienced, but he’s skilled enough with the basics that he’s not going to cause irreparable harm.
I have faith in him. I get it’s asking too much for you to trust Drew since you don’t know him, but you know me, Andras. Will you trust me?”
Andras stared at Zach for a long time. In the dim light, his porcelain skin seemed to almost glow, and his beauty was breathtaking.
Yet it did nothing for Zach. Once upon a time, he had loved Andras, but it hadn’t been the deep, all-consuming love that he felt for Drew.
They’d been together for two centuries, but he already felt more for his clumsy human after one short year together.
Yet they had a history. They’d not only shared a close connection, but they’d had each other’s backs.
Andras may have been a demon, but he’d been targeted almost as much as Zach had been.
Together, they’d kept each other safe. They’d trusted one another.
Zach just hoped that Andras would still trust him.
The demon sighed. “Fine. Just don’t come crying to me when we’re all obliterated by a black hole opening up under our feet.”
“Luckily for you, we’d all be obliterated, so I wouldn’t be able to cry about it anyway,” Zach said archly.
“Oh, fuck off,” Andras muttered before stalking off and finding a rock to sit on.
Drew was ignoring the entire conversation and had closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
The urco was lying at his feet, staring up at him with adoring eyes.
Zach felt the change in atmospheric pressure as Drew once again began to draw upon his magic.
He then whispered under his breath, “me paenitet ius tuum subreptum est1,” before lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating a large pot of what looked to be gathra stew, which had appeared in front of him.
Drew opened his eyes, looked down at the stew, then across at Zach. “It worked!” he cried, his mouth stretching into a grin.
Zach didn’t even get a chance to congratulate him before armed demons emerged from behind rocks on the slope of the outcrop.
“By the decree of Lucifer, Prince of Hell, you are under arrest!”
1. 'Sorry for stealing your stew'