Page 9 of Raising Hell

“Hot tub?” he cries, incredulously. “I’m over here having a goddamned existential breakdown, and you’re just skinny dipping in your fucking jets?”

My eyes widen at his outburst, and I dig my fingers deeper into the cat’s fur. This shit is calming. “Want to talk about it?”

For a few seconds, he breathes heavily, his chest rising and falling until his eyes slowly shift back towards me. “No, I don’t want to talk about it! Talking about it already made me cuss!” That’s… different. I cock my head at the statement, but he stomps his foot and distracts me again. “I want my cat.”

“Come get it,” I tease, hugging the rumbling creature to my chest.

“Give me mycat!”he screams, and the power zings through my body, hit with the compulsion to do as he commands. I fight it for just a split-second longer.

“Want me to bring it to you?”

Frustration gets the better of him and he scoffs, shaking his head as he takes the bait. “Yes, just… just bring her to me!”

The moment the words are out of his mouth, I feel the binds of the summoning circle release me, and I take a tentative step forward. Realization dawns on his face as soon as he sees me move, and then it’s replaced with terror.

I won’t lie—that shit stings a little.

Generally speaking, I’m a nice guy. Demons have feelings too, you know, and mine are now bruised.

I give the cat another head scratch before stepping directly in front of him. Tempted as I am to keep the purring creature, it’s the first direct command he’s given me, so I don’t fight the compulsion any longer.

I hand the cat over and he struggles to hold it along with the spell book, hugging both to his chest. For a long second, we just stare at each other, until a splitting grin tears across my face. “Freedom!” I bellow, turning and bolting down the stairs towards the daylight.

Chapter 5

Rory

Oh, no.

For a split second, I stare at that perky, toned ass as it flexes, and god above, that’s a beautiful sight. It’s like watching a marble carving run, except there’s giggling involved. My distraction dissipates at the cackles that ring up the stairwell, and reality hits me with the force of a sledgehammer as I grasp what’s happening.

He’s running away.

He’s…leaving.

The spellbook thuds to the ground as I yelp, Shadow’s claws digging into my skin as I sprint after the fleeing demon. He takes the steps two at a time, swinging his head back and forth in search of an escape when he reaches the bottom.

He’s so fast he’s almost a blur, and I’m no match for him in speed. Panic rolls through my body as his eyes land on the door, and I shriek, “DoNOTleave this house!”

I stumble off the stairs, skidding around the corner to find him standing in the open doorway with his hands on the frame. Light wraps around his fit,verynaked physique, streams of sunlight playfully dancing on his toned thighs and defined shoulders.

“Ahhh, sun,” he moans, tilting his face towards the sky as his entire body relaxes. “This feels even better than I imagined.”

My mouth hangs open as I stomp over, grabbing his forearm and trying to pull him back into the house, but he barely budges. “You can’t stand here with no clothes,” I hiss, tugging his arm again. He gives in, rotating to partially face me, his attention now split between me and the outside world.

Ceramic shatters as I jump and look through the door to see old Mrs. Hickory standing in her yard, gawking. “Oh, fudge monkeys,” I mutter, turning and slapping at the demon’s chest. “What did I just say?! You can’t stand there naked!”

“Why not?” He looks genuinely confused, while my neighbor looks like she’s in the midst of a heart attack.

“Because!” I shriek, reaching over and attempting to shield his ridiculously large penis with my hand. Why I thought it would help, I have no idea. It only covers half of him because he’s too big for my slender hands to be worth much, so I end up awkwardly twisting my wrist, searching for a better angle in vain. “It isn’t what we do up here!”

He shifts his hips, the weighty length of his cock thumping against my palm as I flush from the top of my scalp to the tips of my toes. “S-s-sorry, Mrs. Hickory, my… friend here isn’t, uh, feeling well.” Another swing of his hips has his dick slapping against my hand again, and he throws his head back in an obnoxious cackle.

She dips her glasses further down her nose and openly stares over the top of them. “Looks like he’s feeling pretty goodto me,” she says, and I’m ready for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

I whirl to face him, my anger reaching its breaking point. “Inside,now!” His smirk fades and his posture turns ramrod straight as he nods and backs into the house, allowing me to close the door behind us. He watches me in curiosity, likeI’mthe spectacle here, then leans against the counter and crosses his ankles, all calm and casual-like.

My traitorous gaze falls to his groin, where his half-erect cock rests against his thigh, and I suppress a frustrated sigh at my body’s response.

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