Page 17 of All's Hell That Ends Well

Even with his mysterious cat ways, showing up here so soon couldn’t be a coincidence.

That clumsy hound of yours felt your presence.

My heart stopped beating, then stumbled into a staccato rhythm. “What?”

She started a hell-awful howling and tried to escape her enclosure,Mephisto said.And then your demon let her loose and requested I follow her to see where she would go. I trailed her for hours until we arrived here at the palace.

My mouth hung open in astonishment. I didn’t know which part of what he’d said I should process first. I settled on the most pressing issue. “She’s here? Venny is here, at the palace?”

Likely still trying to ram her way through the walls to get to you.

“Oh, my God!”

I pivoted and dashed to the door.

Where are you going?

“To find her!” I threw over my shoulder. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”

Why wouldn’t she be?

I only paused for a moment, my hand on the doorknob. “She’s a hellhound from another archdemon’s territory, and she came barreling over here and is now apparently trying to enter Lucifer’s palace by force. What do you think that looks like? If I don’t find her and claim her as mine, they might kill her!”

No, they won’t,was his calm answer.Like you said, she belongs to an archdemon. She is his property, and they may not kill her. Corral and subdue, yes. But they are not allowed to use lethal force.

Worrying my lip, I peered up at him. “Are you sure?”

Hounds get loose all the time.He blinked, the lights of the chandelier reflecting in his gorgeous eyes.It is understood as something that happens without ill intent on the owner’s part. When a hound is found, it is simply caught and returned to its master or mistress. They will make sure your hound finds its way back to Azazel, unharmed.

“Really? Just like that? Even when the hound destroys something in the other demon’s territory? I can’t believe they’d be so cavalier about this.”

The owner is liable to pay for the damages.Mephisto’s claws scratched over the beam he perched on.The demons came to this understanding after hundreds of wars had been fought over killed and injured hounds that had gotten loose. At one point, the archdemons had enough, and they decreed that no rogue hounds may be killed or harmed, but instead shall be returned to their owners, who will compensate the other party for the damages incurred.

Some of the tightness in my chest unraveled. “How do you know all this?”

I’m a cat.

I flailed. “You can’t use that as an answer to everything!”

Fine.He uttered a quintessentially feline sigh.I am hundreds of years old and have seen enough of this world to understand its many rules. Do not worry. Your hound is all right.He made a considering pause.Well, there is definitely something wrong with her mind, and her general coordinative abilities, not to mention the fact that she belongs to a species that is prone to excessive salivation and displays levels of adoration and submissiveness that are quite frankly repulsive, but she is in no immediate danger.

“You’re really not a dog person, are you?” I asked with a smirk.

Of course not.His voice sounded miffed.I am not a person.

I hung my head to hide my chuckle. One of these days, I’d get used to Mephisto’s complete inability to understand figures of speech or sarcasm. But it wasn’t today.

“Okay,” I said, turning to the door again, “but I still have to go and find her. Knowing her, she won’t take kindly to someonetrying to keep her from getting to me, and it will make it all the more difficult for them to subdue her without harm.”

Good luck.His tail swung languidly to and fro.Just remember that if you claim her as yours, you will be the one to pay for the damages she caused.

I froze.Shit. How would I pay for that? I didn’t have any wealth of my own—measured in souls down here. Then again, the damages caused would be to Lucifer’s palace, and seeing as he needed me to find Lilith, maybe he’d turn a blind eye?

Eh, I’d chance it.

“Oh!” I’d already opened the door when I paused again, struck by a thought. Looking up to where Mephisto lounged in the gloom, I asked, “You’ll be going back to Azazel, right? To report where Vengeance went? Please tell him I love him and I’m okay, and I’ll find a way to see him somehow.” I hesitated, unsure of how much I could get away with putting into a message to Azazel. “Lucifer claimed me because he wants me to do something for him. I’ll explain it all when we’re face-to-face, but it’s nothing bad or nefarious, you can tell him that much. No torture this time.” At least, that was what Lucifer had told me. I sure hoped that was true. “Sometime later today, I will have to go to Earth, and I’ll be back in three weeks. Lucifer is being a difficult little shit about allowing me to see Azazel, but I swear I’ll figure out something so we can meet up, okay?”

In the semidarkness, I could see how Mephisto licked his paw.And you expect me to remember all of that?

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