Page 20 of Raising Hell

Eyes sealed shut, a thick baritone chuckle rings out, an instinctual awareness rooting me in place, holding perfectly still as it grows in volume. It coats the room in its malevolence, an evil, wicked thing, lacking the joyful humor found in Cas’s laughter.

Fear causes my breathing to turn choppy, and as the light fades beyond my eyelids, I force myself to peek out of one eye to find…

Averymuscular pair of ass cheeks.

I mean, those things could crush my skull between them, and I’d say thank you for the opportunity.

“Amon!” Cas calls from behind my back, and as the body before me whips around, an absolutely enormous penis smacks right into the side of my head, slapping against my cheek.

Horror lines my face as I gasp and dart backwards, falling onto my ass as I scramble away, looking like some sort of demented crab trying to walk on its back. “Oh… my god…” Cas breathes, the shock in his voice causing it to tremble. The surprise changes to something almost giddy as I gawk, unable to do anything but stare.

“Oh... my…GOD!” His explosive laugh is a foghorn. “Bullseye! Your face! Oh, fuck, your…face!” Cas cries, nothing more than a wheeze as he doubles over, every bit of his breath shooting out in a long, drawn-out laugh. “You should have seen the look on your face!Rory!” His inhale is so violent it’s more of a gasping shout, tears glistening down his cheeks.

Still sprawled on my back, dust flying around us, I crane my head to stare at Cas, open-mouthed. “What… what… Cas, what thefuckis…”

“Hispenis!” Cas’s skin has turned tomato red, the lack of oxygen and the force of his laughter causing veins to pop from his neck. “His penis hit yourface! It hit…” Another loud wheeze. “Your…FACE!”

Realization hits me like a bolt of lightning. “You did this on purpose!” I shout, barely making an impact over his raucous laughter. “You… you… you had me summonhim!” I gesture over my shoulder, not yet ready to acknowledge the demon elephant in the room. “On purpose! You…” My eyes flare as I scramble to my feet, jabbing a finger into Cas’s chest. “You had me get on my knees onpurpose!Youknew!”

Cas’s hands scrub over his face as he nods, still laughing hysterically. “Rory, you should have seen your face… it was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Anger burns my cheeks as I shove at his chest, and his crippling laughter is the only thing that allows me to actually move him. My palms slam against his stupidly firm pecs, and his shoulders and head slam against the wall as he swipes at the gleeful tears that are streaking his skin.

“Not to interrupt,” a voice so deep it rumbles into the very marrow of my bones says from behind me, “but I’m guessing you had something to do with this, my dear Casimir?”

Cas’s face lights up as he grins over my shoulder. “Perhaps.” He smartly holds me at arm’s length, so I can’t test my theories on how to murder a demon.

A presence at my back has my hair standing on end as the voice gets closer. “A warlock… how interesting. He is lovely, isn’t he?” He’s so close now that his breath blows across my skin, and fear grips my chest as I freeze. “So innocent… so very…” Inching forward, his lips land right beside my ear. “… corruptible.”

Finally, I swallow past the giant lump in my throat, every nerve ending in my body on high alert as I turn. The demon behind me steps back just enough to keep our bodies fromtouching as he smirks, tilting his chin up in a move that screams confidence. He’s at the top of the food chain, and well aware of his position.

The apex predator.

His skin is darker than Cas’s, his hair the same raven black, but long and billowing over his shoulders. Dark lashes frame his equally black eyes that have a slight upward turn, but his horns are what catch my eye.

Where Cas’s are relatively straight and not overly long, the newcomer’s horns are enormous and thick, curled like a ram. I wonder if there’s any correlation to age or power, and the wave of oppressive air that tightens around me makes me suspect there is. His eyes lock on mine, and the oxygen traps in my lungs as my skin stretches too tight, constricting my insides.

“Amon, let up on the intensity. Rory’s cool.” Immediately, the atmosphere in the room relaxes and I’m able to take a deep breath again. My hand lands on my heaving chest as I continue to stare, trying and failing to get my pulse to calm.

No, it continues to thunder inside my ribcage even as the new demon—Amon—pulls his focus from me, watching Cas walk around me. His lips tug into a different sort of smirk—less condescension and more cockiness—as his eyes soften, and Cas’s smile is blinding as he approaches the naked demon.

“You always have been a tricky devil,” Amon muses as Cas huffs a laugh, and their arms fly around each other, lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

Nothing could stop my mouth from falling open in shock.

Chapter 9

Amon

My attention is torn from the adorably flustered fiery-haired man as Cas walks around him, his familiar sneaky, sultry grin on his face. My gaze darts down to the obscene pants he’s wearing, and I give him a tiny eyeroll as I quirk my brow at him. He flashes his teeth in a smile, and I shake my head, huffing a quiet laugh as he steps into my space.

“Hey, A,” he murmurs, wrapping his hands around my waist and gripping my ass with a squeeze.

“Cas,” I rumble as he leans in and presses his mouth to mine, moving with a familiar, intimate pressure. I know these lips—know the pleasure they bring and the mindless, ecstatic cries that fly from between them. My fingernails trace up his spine, and he shivers as he draws closer, understanding the command of my touch.

Gods, he’s such a perfect, needy thing.

He groans into my kiss as his tongue sweeps through my mouth, twisting with mine, until a squeak makes both of us freeze.

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