24. CHAPTER
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Indy wasn’t sure what to expect.
It was going to be gross, that was for sure.
How gross…?
Well, it wouldn’t be long now.
He felt Dill’s mass around him expanding and twisting, but he couldn’t see a damn thing because obviously there were no lights inside a dragon’s stomach. He grunted in pain as another wave of acid washed over him, and he had no idea how much longer this was going to—
Pop.
Like a fucking balloon being poked with a needle, the side of Murray’s abdomen split open as Dill burst right out of it. Indy hit the ground in a flood of various fluids, fleshy chunks, and a thick coating of gummy, half-dissolved greenery.
Indy immediately hurled.
Strong arms wrapped around Indy’s middle, dragging him out of the muck. “Indy! You absolute fucking moron!”
“Oh! Hey, baby.” Indy groaned, and his legs wobbled as he struggled to stand. He turned his head to throw up again. Once he was done heaving, he wiped off his mouth and grinned up at Mr. Heiss. “Miss me? Wanna make out?”
Mr. Heiss had reverted to his normal demon body, though a few of the strange eyes lingered in his skin as he pulled Indy in for a tight hug. He cradled him against his chest, his voice strained as he whispered, “You are so, so fucking stupid.”
“God, I love how you talk dirty to me.”
“You smell awful.”
Indy actually laughed. “So, no tongue?”
“Explain to me why you didn’t tell Dill to jump down Murray’s throat on his own. Why did you have to be inside him too? Only one of you is already dead, you beautiful little idiot.”
“Okay, uh…” Indy paused, and then his grin turned sheepish. “So, first of all, fuck you. Maybe I wanted to be heroic, and yes, maybe I didn’t think about that in the heat of the moment. And second of all, jealous of me being inside another man? Really?”
“Shut up.” Mr. Heiss grunted and gave Indy another firm squeeze.
“Ugh, careful. I might puke.”
“I don’t care. I am holding you.”
“Is that a new kink? ’Cause I do have some nopes we should discuss.” Indy managed a weak laugh, closing his eyes.
“Shut up,” Mr. Heiss said sweetly.
“You already know what I’m going to say. If you want me to shut up, you have to put something in my mouth—”
Mr. Heiss kissed him.
Okay, fine.
That worked too.
The ground shook as Murray finally collapsed, letting out a weak whimper of pain.
The hole in his side was gushing blood like a fountain, though he tried to hold the wound closed even as the chains on his legs glowed and sizzled.
The sides of the ragged opening were trying to pull together, no doubt some magical dragon healing, but it opened right back up as he tried to stand.
The chains glowed brighter, and he roared, broken and miserable. “I… I can’t stop! I have to…!”
“Fuck.” Indy stared at the chains. “Gammy. Where’s Gammy? Gammy! We need—”
“You stupid, stupid boy!” Gammy tackled Indy, fully physical to take him down to the ground from the force of her pounce. “You are an idiot! The biggest idiot in the world!”
“Gammy!” Indy gurgled as his stomach sloshed. He waved over at Murray. “Can you please… help…?”
“I’m going to help my foot right up your ass, sweetie cakes!
” Gammy snapped before realizing what Indy was trying to tell her.
“Oh! Goodness! Yes!” She wagged a finger at him.
“I’m not done with you! But later! I am going to go help that poor creature!
” She rushed over to Murray, her sights set on the chains.
“Poor creature who thoroughly kicked all our asses,” Indy grumbled. “Ugh.”
“Come here, Sonnenschein.” Mr. Heiss rubbed Indy’s back. “I’ve got you.”
“Hi. Can we go now? Pretty please?”
“Soon.”
“Grow?” Dill asked, his chin dropping on Indy’s shoulder.
“Hi, Dill. Thank you for helping me bust open a dragon.” Indy managed a tired smile. “You okay, baby? Aodnait too?”
Dill smiled brightly. “Yes.” He took a step back so Indy could see Aodnait resting in his hand as a tiny little flame. “Hurt.” He pointed at Murray, whining low.
“Oh, you wanna go fix him?” Indy laughed. “Even after he kicked your ass?”
“Hurt.”
“Go on. Try not to get eaten again. He might still be hungry.”
Dill beamed and then lumbered over to Murray.
Murray growled but didn’t resist any of the assistance from Dill or Gammy, though his large body still struggled to stand in spite of the obvious agony he was in. “No… No! You need to stay back. Stay away from me—”
“Don’t worry! They’re both dead.” Indy snorted. “You can’t actually hurt them.” He dropped his head on Mr. Heiss’s chest. “Where is that fuck face demon at?”
Mr. Heiss chuckled. “I’m right here.”
“No, Mr. Mitternacht.”
“Lou and the others are handling—what the fuck?” Mr. Heiss gasped.
Indy moaned in frustration. “Oh, for the love of all that is holy and Cher, what is it now?”
Mr. Heiss stared off across the parking lot, his eyes wide. “I can see them.”
“See who?”
“The… spirits.”
Indy lifted his head to see what Mr. Heiss was talking about. “Okay, so, uh, what exactly do you see right now?”
“I see a hellhound chewing on Mr. Mitternacht’s leg, a princess with her tongue wrapped around his throat, and… what I think is a clown? Bouncing up and down on his head?”
“How the fuck?” Indy laughed. “You can see the spirits.”
“I literally just said that.”
“This is crazy.”
“This should not be possible.”
“I let a dragon swallow me down inside a leshy hamster ball like the most demented magical pill pocket of all time. Anything is fucking possible.”
“Hey!” a familiar voice shouted. “Is anyone gonna get me the fuck down?”
Indy stared off at what remained of the club. “Oh shit. Neil is still up there!”
The ground rumbled and the remnants of the first story of the club lumbered that way, words swirling across the shadows of the parking lot.
I WILL GET HIM
I PUT HIM THERE
Murray suddenly roared, and Indy was ready to attack—but it was a sound of relief.
The chains fell away from Murray’s legs as Gammy clapped her hands, and he finally let himself collapse fully, obviously exhausted. The giant wound in his side was halfway closed now, and he shut his eyes, murmuring, “Thank you.”
Dill nodded firmly.
Even though Murray was not an active threat, Mr. Heiss still eyed him warily for a long moment. He turned his attention back to Indy and snapped his fingers. “There.”
Indy found himself clean, dry, and dressed in a soft pink sweater, hot pink capris, and a new pair of pink combat boots. “Wow.”
“What? Surprised I could pick out something so fashionable?”
“Surprised that you waited this long to degunk me.”
“I needed a moment to recover my strength. I have been a bit busy.”
“What you should have summoned is a breath mint because all I want right now is to—”
Mr. Heiss kissed him.
Firm, passionate, and definitely close mouthed.
“Can you summon Tic Tacs? Is that a thing?” Indy mumbled.
“Soon.” Mr. Heiss smiled. “Because once I begin to kiss you with any amount of purpose, I do not intend to stop until you’re a dripping, twitching puddle whose singular function is to scream my name as the sun comes up.”
“Fuck, you’re so hot.”
“I know.” Mr. Heiss took Indy’s hand, leading him to where Lou and the spirits were holding Mr. Mitternacht.
Lou was human once more, standing naked—damn, good for Neil!—and growling in annoyance. “You’re done, demon. It’s over. Funny how none of your little friends came to help you. What a shame. My spirits are still hungry.”
“No, we’re not,” Flanders griped. “I’m tired and I want a nap.”
Mr. Heiss stared at Flanders, snorted, and then snapped his fingers. The chains that had been on Murray were now wrapped around Mr. Mitternacht. Mr. Heiss smirked, watching him struggle with immense satisfaction.
Lou dismissed the spirits since they were no longer needed, though Flanders remained. He eyed Mr. Heiss curiously, glancing between him and Lou, but he said nothing. He flopped flat on his belly, legs spread out so he resembled a fiery frog.
Mr. Heiss gave no other indication that he could see the absolutely giant hellhound, saying firmly, “Mr. Mitternacht, you’re now under arrest by the authority of the Mostro Family.”
“What?” Mr. Mitternacht grunted, staring up at Mr. Heiss. “That’s it?” He scoffed. “No telling me how I’m going to pay for everything I’ve done? No threats? No screaming?”
“Oh, there will be no threats, but you will be screaming.” Mr. Heiss smiled darkly. “Very soon.”
Tanze and Underwood each grabbed one of Mr. Mitternacht’s arms, and Azazel grabbed a handful of Mr. Mitternacht’s hair.
Azazel jerked Mr. Mitternacht’s head back, grinning savagely as he asked, “Shall we?”
“Yes.” Mr. Heiss barely contained a growl. “I’ll be along once everything here is settled. Make sure he’s comfortable.”
“Yes, sir,” Tanze cooed. “Very comfortable.”
“One sec.” Indy stepped forward.
Mr. Heiss arched a curious brow. “Indy…?”
“I just have a few things I really need to say to him.”
Tanze, Underwood, and Azazel looked to Mr. Heiss for permission. Once he nodded, they held Mr. Mitternacht firmly in place for whatever Indy was going to do.
Mr. Mitternacht scoffed, glaring up at Indy. “What do you want, flesh bag?”
“Hey, only the hot demon who dicks me down gets to call me that.” Indy batted his lashes. “It’s his special bestest pet name for me. Not you, you busted ass bitch.”
Mr. Mitternacht sighed. “Someone cut off my head. Right now. Or—”
“Hey! Asshole! You have kidnapped me and tried to kill me repeatedly. You’ve used my Gammy against me, and she’s literally the most important person in the entire world to me.
You are responsible for hurting a lot of people, a lot of monsters, too, and oh yeah, ruining at least one pair of my favorite shoes.
You are a total and absolute cunt.” Indy adjusted his sweater, flicked his hair back, and then kicked Mr. Mitternacht in the groin as hard as he could.
He could be wrong, but he swore he felt a little magical push from Mr. Heiss.
Regardless, watching Mr. Mitternacht double over and whimper was awesome.