Page 34 of The Misfit Mage and His Darling Demon

“I’m not afraid of you,” I said with a squeak, one that gave away the obvious lie.

The monstrous silhouette burned bright blue and lunged from the shadows.

10

Beelzebub

My breathing hitched, heart racing, and my muscles tensed. Full-blown physical distress struck all at once. I dropped the stack of incantations I’d nearly finished putting together to ship the books off, sinking into this dread. Our link remained strong, undisturbed by dimensional planes separating us, though a snag in the bond hit as the doorway leading back to the villa vanished.

Wally.

I ground my teeth.

Fuck, I couldn’t leave Walter alone for five seconds without him finding a way to endanger himself. I bet he’d tinkered with the damn navigation system, touching things he shouldn’t. There could’ve been a hundred different security protocols set in place, and knowing Walter, he’d triggered every single one.

I took a sharp inhale, steadying the budding fear, and exhaled Wally’s emotions. I’d need my mind as my own if I intended to rescue him. The dimensional wavelengths dividing realms remained invisible to most, but I harnessed Diabolicessence, circulating it through my eyes. With clearer vision, I studied the various threads stringing together veils meant to keep worlds from falling in on each other.

I lacked the precision or expertise to tear holes through dimensional walls like the Fae, but I could also punch a path directly to Wally. I didn’t need to be delicate in the patchwork, and I didn’t bother stitching the road I paved by ripping through cosmic energy. Each step weighed heavy as I floated through the ether of space and time. A starry void with twinkling distractions. I ignored them and slashed shrouds along the original route to the villa. So long as the villa hadn’t changed course or frequency, I could retrace the steps.

One. By. One. I tore luminescent barriers asunder.

With the cloaking wards down, it didn’t take long to sniff out the direction of the villa. My connection to Wally served as an anchor, dragging me down to him. Dammit. If I sniffed out the drifting Fae residence, it would be easy enough for any Diabolic to find. Suppose the Fae could too, which probably meant one had. Sure, Wally believed Novus kept his work quiet, but there had to be another Fae he trusted, others as corrupt as him, as foolhardy to pick a war with the Diabolics by stealing our essence to fuel his endeavor.

War.

I shook my head and continued pressing forward.

That was the incorrect word. A one-sided slaughter was no war, and the second any devil, a true devil, discovered this, they’d lay waste to any and all involved. Hell, one might very well devour an entire Fae dimension as compensation. Might destroy our world as collateral. The only blessing about all-powerful god-kings was they often considered themselves above the trivialities of lower, lesser worlds with entities even more worthless than the muck under their feet—their demon subjects. If one deigned the actions Novus attempted as a threat, everyoneand everything would pay the price. It wouldn’t matter if someone learned my secret then; there wouldn’t be a single soul left to exploit it.

I wheezed, nearly collapsing through a void of empty space. Something pressed down on my chest—Wally’s chest—crushing my lungs. He must be fighting for his life this very second. I needed to move faster.

I reached the villa, barely noting the fine craftsmanship of the stone walls—that Wally would’ve gawked at given the opportunity—before landing on the terrace. Shattering the glass panel doors, I zipped inside and darted directly for Wally. The festering wound of fear had been replaced by bubbly excitement.

Had he turned the tables? Was I overreacting? No. This fleeting sensation had become weaved with anxiety. Wally needed me now!

It took only a few seconds to run through the upper floors and reach the wall adjoined to the corridor which led to the helm. No time to find an entrance, so I blasted a hole through the wall with black lightning.

Claw marks cut deep into the incantations lining the entryway, and the metal door was left ajar.

Blue flames lined three muscular necks; each fire carried a hint of purple at its core. Powerful paws pressed on Wally’s chest, pinning him to the ground. Jaws lined with fanged teeth hung wide, slobbering toxic saliva all over Wally. He struggled beneath the grasp, locked in combat against a foe who’d easily overpowered him. A disgusting tongue reached out, lapping and licking Wally, tasting the flesh of his face, most likely before biting off his head.

The Diabolic killing blade lay just out of Wally’s reach. His worthless familiar clicked his claws, protesting as Wally fought against the terrible beast that must’ve guarded this home despite the death of its master.

I conjured black flames, preparing to incinerate this foul creature and free my love.

“No. Wait. Stop. That tickles.” Wally giggled. Actually, fucking giggled when entrenched in the throes of combat.

His confidence was commendable, but this beast would not heed his warning. I needed to eliminate the threat.

“Die, you damn dirty hound of Hell.” I threw a fireball at the beast.

“Bez, no!” Wally waved a hand, redirecting the flame. All three heads of the monstrosity that’d attacked him turned their attention to the ball of fire bouncing around the helm.

“What are you doing, Walter?” I snapped.

“He’s harmless.”

“He is an attack hound.” I pointed to the three-headed beast. “He is attacking you right now!”

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