Chapter 24 The Savior of Heck
THE SAVIOR OF HECK
Ozirax
“Idid not come to this decision lightly,” Harrox said, hands folded on his desk.
Next to Ozirax, Diaran looked perfectly poised despite their informal attire. The message had arrived mid-training, instructions to come immediately, and there was no denying the Horn of the Guard, even if they were sweaty.
His hand moved over to a stack of papers in various states of disorder, from ripped corners, stains, and illegible handwriting, to the neatest script Ozirax had ever seen. That was Tonomoch’s.
“After the… events,” the commander said, clearing his throat. He’d yet to broach anything further about his former assistant, who now had a permanent residence in the barracks, just like he’d wanted.
Only, his room was a small cell in their prison basement with an uncomfortable cot, a public toilet, and runes to stifle any magic he thought to use.
Harrox patted the stack of papers again, as if he were grappling internally with their contents. “I received quite a large stack of these… informal, but very convincing, letters of recommendation.”
Ozirax had to hide his smile as Diaran shifted in her seat, confusion marring her brow as Harrox turned to her.
“Congratulations, Captain. Your heroics during the battle, and your efforts with your squad, are undeniable. You kept Heck safe from the worst attack it has seen in years. It seems the entire guard is in agreement.”
He uttered the last words like they were physically painful, and perhaps for the grizzled commander, they were. But with a damning stack of nominations in support of Diaran as their next captain, there wasn’t much the bastard could do.
Ozirax knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he looked forward to the Horn finally bowing to the real leader of Heck’s guard.
Diaran, stuttering momentarily, composed herself quickly. “Thank you, sir. It is an honor.”
Harrox flicked his fingers in dismissal. “I will have my assistant…” His jaw clenched, then he started again. “Shadow your new position for now, find a replacement for your squad leader, and I will be sure the promotion ceremony is scheduled.”
Now Oz really had to hide his smile as Harrox seemed to realize all of those tasks would fall to him, the demon’s shoulders deflating and brow furrowing with each word.
Served the fucker right.
The Horn of the Guard seemed to catch his frown, offering Ozirax a tight smile and a lethal glare. “I appreciate your application and your continued service in the guard as squad leader. Should anything happen where—”
“Kindly shred that application, sir,” Ozirax added at the last second. “I’m content serving Captain Diaran.”
Harrox grunted, this time dismissing them with a full wave of his hand.
Ozirax followed on Diaran’s heels as they left his office, making it an impressive three minutes before she finally whirled on him.
“Did you orchestrate that?”
Annoyed, Ozirax whacked her pointing claw away from him. “Of course not.”
Something like vulnerability flashed in her eyes, but that would be ridiculous. Diaran was not vulnerable. She was more vicious than Kaly and Oz combined, only stoic instead of chaotic.
Ozirax softened his shoulders, an attempt to keep his natural defenses from flaring. “Diaran, you won fair and square. I didn’t withdraw my application. I didn’t write one of those letters—though, I would have if I’d known. Now I look like an asshole.”
“You are an asshole.”
“And a pain in the ass,” came another voice. Kaly sauntered out of a hallway, looking like a fucking wet dream in her sweaty, grass-stained cropped top and leggings. The sliver of skin at her torso revealed a hint of her rune-breaking tattoo.
Another wet dream—her cleverness.
The human flicked her hair over her shoulder before coming to stand next to Diaran, folding her arms and cocking her hip as she stared at him. “But we all knew that.”
Diaran narrowed her eyes on Kalypso. “You are responsible?”
Now Spicy’s glare turned to the female, and Ozirax did not want to be Diaran right now.
“Dia, I’m going to be perfectly fucking clear,” Kaly said, and Oz had never seen the red demon look so unsettled.
“The only one responsible for your promotion is you. Your actions. Your leadership. Your work to keep your squad and Heck’s citizens safe.
The guard submitted those recommendations on their own after following your direction dealing with those summoned monsters. ”
Ozirax felt pride well in his chest, and not just because she’d started regularly calling their city Heck.
“So do not. For one second. Think you did not earn this on your own.” Kalypso punctuated the statement with consecutive jabs of her finger just shy of the red demon’s nose. “Got it?”
Diaran stared at the finger in her face, blinked, then said, “I do not like you sometimes.”
Kalypso grinned like that was the greatest fucking compliment she’d ever received.
Stoic mask back in place, Diaran gave Ozirax a nod and then walked off.
“Heck, huh?”
Spicy’s grin fell right off. “Bye.”
She’d barely turned away when his hands were at her hips, spinning her and throwing her back against the wall. He caged her in, fangs hovering within snapping distance of her neck.
Some demon’s assistant squeaked and scurried away, others sitting at their desks or in their offices made a concerted effort to look anywhere but at them.
Kaly only glared up at him, though she couldn’t hide the darkening of her pupils.
“Say it,” he growled.
Say emotional attachments aren’t a weakness.
Her returning snarl was just as sharp. “Not even if they were my last words.”
Alright, he was absolutely still paying for that mistake.
Every day. Multiple times a day. Whenever they didn’t have business, which they were officially finished with now that the meeting with Harrox was over.
So he supposed it was time to get back on his knees and beg for Kaly’s forgiveness again.
Still, he only smirked at her, proved his hunger with a grind of his hips, then stepped away.
But this was his spicy human, the other half of his soul in human form, and her hand immediately found his as they exited the building. As vicious as she was, as stubbornly as she denied it, she felt, and there wasn’t a moment since the attack that she’d spent away from him. Touching him.
Spending the night with him.
Granted, she’d made him sleep on the floor for three days, despite his hip still healing, but she’d dangled her hand over the edge for him to hold. That was more than he deserved.
They stepped out into the afternoon, the streets bustling with friendly chatter and leashed pets and rich food smells wafting from shops. Kaly didn’t hesitate like before, but he could still feel her stiffness whenever a wide-eyed demon stared too long as they passed.
“They’re only in awe,” Ozirax whispered into her ear as they walked. “The Savior of Heck.”
She snorted. “I saved your sorry ass. Not Heck.”
“The medals and honors you received say otherwise.”
In bronze, despite the argument that awards should be in gold. But Ozirax had been adamant that when he fucked her and marked her with his cum while she wore nothing but the medals, Tonomoch would not get any ideas of being involved.
The metalworker didn’t argue after that.
“Well, you got a few, too. Sort of lessens their value when I have to share them, and all you did was fall through a portal.”
Oz slapped a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded by her words, but then she was holding a folded paper between her fingers and presenting it to him.
“What’s this?” he asked carefully.
“An invitation.”
“From?”
“My sister.”
Ozirax stopped walking, dragging her to a stop. “Kaly, that’s—”
“It’s for both of us,” she said dismissively. “Some event at a greenhouse, and the humans were all invited.”
He eyed her warily. “That’s all she sent?”
“No.” Kalypso gnawed on her lower lip. “She slipped in another note for me.” Oz waited as she exhaled audibly. “She sounded different, but… I think Heck has been good for her. And maybe some distance between us to figure out our own shit was good too.”
He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’m proud of you.” When he stepped back again, her shoulders had softened, like a weight of worry had been lifted. “Want to talk more about it?”
Kaly shook her head softly. “Another time. I think that’s going to be her story to tell. When she’s ready.”
“And what’s your story?” Ozirax prodded, tugging her back into a walk. “What comes next for you, Kalypso?”
Her eyes met his, that mismatched blue and green sparkling with starlight as she smiled wide.
“Happiness.”