Page 20 of The Misfit Mage and His Devilish Desires

“Tony can totally watch Weather for a few hours. He could watch him for a few days.” He turned to his familiar. “Isn’t that right?”

The bug clacked his annoying little claws.

“Okay.” I shrugged. “Is he fine watching the mongrel for the next six months or six years?”

“What?” Wally’s eyes widened.

“It’s a Devil’s Banquet,” I said. “It’s gonna be a long trip.”

“But it’s a banquet. It’s a party.” Wally blinked with this dumbfounded confusion. “I’ve been to like a thousand. It’s…”

Watching him go speechless as his brain processed the information was priceless and a rarity.

“You have been to zero devil parties,” I replied. “I’ve been to plenty, and most last at least a year. The decent events go for a decade or more. Beelzebub refused to attend a gala that didn’t come with blood sports and the guarantee of a timely commitment.”

“That’s absurd,” Wally said, muttering a dozen other half-thoughts. “How is this a thing?”

“We can still run,” I said with a sly smile. “Pack up the pets, light the house on fire, and kiss this world goodbye.”

“No,” Wally said glumly, defeated, persistent, yet confused.

“Don’t worry.” I patted his free shoulder. “Lilith will definitely keep the event short since you’re a no-name devil unworthy of her time. This is all a formality.”

I hoped. I desperately hoped.

Wally insisted on riding atop Weather’s back across the city, claiming the pup needed to get some of his energy out. Weather wasn’t a pup. He certainly was a baby, but that had more to do with Walter’s need to cave to all the demands the tyrant of a beast made. More food. More playtime. More walks. More affection. More fire. More. More. More.

“Good luck with that at Mora’s,” I whispered into Stormy’s pointed ear, which was met with a snarl.

The muscles of the beast flexed, and he bolted faster through the emptied back streets like he could actually outrun me.

Fine. I’d play the game. I flew alongside the Cerberus until I outpaced him by several leagues and awaited the sluggish arrival at the front entrance of Mora’s mansion. By far the grandest built and biggest residual space in the city, but despite my vocal protesting on the matter, size truly meant nothing to me. Location, location, location reigned superior. There were particular star alignments Wally enjoyed, so I ensured we had the best corner of the sky where he could revel in late-night research while pondering the infinite universe our tiny dimension gleamed when he stepped out onto the balcony.

Sunny panted; Cloudy yipped; Stormy growled. My feral overachiever was held back by the weakness of his personas. Part of me wanted to pet him, commemorate his achievements, but he’d find it insulting. As he should, something the clingy Sunny didn’t grasp as he brought his nose close to nudge me for affection.

“Indoor size.” I snapped my fingers and watched the gigantic Cerberus shrink down to a modest size like a black bear.

Wally nearly crashed until a black gust cushioned his fall, which was a comfort. The devil essence inside him continued to defend for the most minor threats. I could only hope it’d protect him in Hell. I could only hope we’d survive this voyage.

“Come on, Weather.” Wally hugged the hound as they walked through Mora’s guarded front gates together, Sunny licking, Cloudy nuzzling, and Stormy growling.

One look at us and the elite Mythics and mages on patrol quivered. It was nice knowing some people still feared my presence and the mischievous threats of my misfit mage of a boyfriend. Even if most of the rumors surrounding Wally were outlandish lies. I savored the anxiety his presence provided.

The front door swung open, and Mora immediately greeted us, a martini glass in one hand while she waved us inside with her other. “Come along now. You two can get settled in the study while waiting for Kell.”

“Where’s she at?” Wally asked, rifling through his satchel. “I’d like to show her Weather’s schedule while getting him settled for the night. He acclimatizes well to new environments, but it’s imperative that he sticks with his routines, especially since Bez and I will be…”

I nodded as Wally rambled. I tried to listen. Really. Truly. I even recalled a few things he’d said previously while we packed up Weather’s belongings. But Wally was stress chatting, and that meant there was no end to the nonsense.

He held up a laminated folder of papers and beamed pridefully over the schedule he’d tossed together this evening.

“It’s eight pages,” I said with wide eyes. “And color-coded.”

“Truthfully, it’s only fifty-two bullet points with a few subsections explaining the importance of said marker because while some of these seem trivial, it’s all important for Weather’s routine.” Wally finally paused for a breath. “It’s really not that long.”

“That’s what she said.” Mora chuckled.

Wally rolled his eyes. “Anyway, where’s Kell?”

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