Page 132 of Unbinding the Demon
Azathoth chuckled at the memory while pulling her closer to his side. “Yes, they sure got me good, didn’t they?” he joked with an amused grin.
“You surely had them believing that! Remember their victory dance once they thought you were dead!?” she exclaimed, snuggling further against him, brushing her cheek against the rough material of his jacket. Her finger continued to swipe, showing more images of their adventure.
“How could I ever forget?” he laughed.
His eyes glowed with love and adoration as he gazed down upon his wife, watching her joyfully reminisce about all the places they had traveled together. Autumn had come and gone twice now since they had wed, and with each passing season, their love only grew stronger. He had given her all the time she needed to allow her heart to heal and also to finish school.
Now, once again, the autumn winds were blowing over the shimmering lake. They danced through their hair and caught the colorful, changing leaves within their chilling grasp. But this time was different, because as summer’s warmth faded from the valley, so would they.
A few perching crows cawed above them, as Gwendolyn looked up and lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind Azathoth’s ear, feeling completely enamored with the demon beside her. The demon she loved and belonged with—Her husband.
“I’d like to visit Jodhpur again someday. It was so beautiful there, and really cool to see the ancient ruins from the kingdom you once loved.” She mentioned with a smile, as the pictures changed from their time in India to ones of them riding reindeer amongst a snowy landscape in Lapland, Finland.
Azathoth’s teleportation abilities had made it easy for them to travel in their spare time. They’d gone all over the world, beholding natural beauty after natural beauty, experiencing new cultures, trying new foods, and meeting all kinds of wonderful people. All while still being able to make it home in time to feed Pepper Paws his dinner.
“I would very much enjoy that, too.” He smiled. His thumb caressed her upper arm. He cherished the fact that he had all eternity to travel this world and many more with the woman he loved by his side.
A perfectly clean gray Nissan sped into the driveway. It kicked up a wave of gravel behind it, pulling their attention away from each other. Both Gwendolyn and Azathoth stood up. They turned just in time to see William jump out of the passenger seat as if it were on fire. He clutched a Pyrex container in his hand and looked ready to kiss the ground. Darrell shook his head with a smile as he calmly got out after him.
William sprinted through the peacefully swaying field of tall grass and bright autumn flowers, flailing his arms and shouting like a madman. His high ponytail and silver hoop earrings bounced around his face, while his glossy cherry-red jacket glistened in the low light.
“Woo! We’re here! We made it!”Red Converse sneakers crunched over the stony beach. Then he tackled Gwendolyn with an attack hug, causing her to make a little“Oof”noise. “I thought we weren’t going to make it in time to watch the sunset with you guys!” he said with a laugh as he squeezed the life out of her lungs. He recklessly twirled her around, almost dropping the container and nearly causing them to fall into the lake.
“Ahh! William!”Her face flushed a scarlet hue from both her gleeful laughter and lack of oxygen.
Curious what all the hullabaloo was about and tantalized by the smell of food, Belzar appeared beside them with a poof. He jumped and barked with enthusiasm, wagging his fluffy tail and panting with his tongue hanging out to the side like a big, old dopey dog.
“Azathoth! Tell him to open that container! It smells delicious!”Belzar’s voice rang with excitement in the demon’s mind.
Darrell briskly jogged over, not too far behind William. Car keys rattled in his navy blue and light gray letterman jacket pocket, while a few crispy dead leaves crushed beneath his black boots. The descending sun painted the amused smile on his face as he watched William playfully grapple with Gwendolyn in a strangling hug.
“Jeez, William, you’re both gonna end up splashing around in the lake and ruining the chimichangas if you don’t calm down.” He laughed, then ruffled Belzar’s furry cheeks.
Azathoth, who was also laughing, shifted his amused gaze to meet Darrell’s twinkling eyes. “Chimichangas, you say?” He raised an excited, questioning brow. “No wonder Belzar’s so thrilled.”
Initially, Darrell had resisted the truth of what happened to Lacey and Azathoth’s origins. Her death had broken him, and it was way too much for him to handle at the time. But given a few months to dwell on things, he eventually came around and re-entered their lives. Now, over the years, he and Azathoth had formed a close friendship.
Along with Gwendolyn, Azathoth had also taken the time to teach both Darrell and William many things about sorcery. Both men had taken very well to it and were inching their way up to warlock status. Darrell developed a keen interest in necromancy, while William uncovered his passion for vitamancy.
“You heard me right, my man!” Darrell said while holding up his hand for an informal, rough handshake and hearty bro hug. “I can’t believe you two are actually leaving!” His once twisted black curls had grown out and now draped down to his chin in micro braids. They dangled over his face as the two men embraced.
“Yes, well, like I said, we’ll visit often and you’ll both have my sigil to call upon me whenever you want.” They broke away from the hug. “Speaking of which...” Azathoth pulled two black envelopes out of his jacket pocket and handed one to each of them. “There’s a spare key to the house along with my sigil in each of those.” He looped his arm around Gwendolyn’s shoulders and pulled her into his side with a rough shake.
Gwendolyn flailed her arms a bit as she stumbled into his overpowering embrace. “What is with you guys and trying to fucking kill me tonight?” she grumbled, then a powerful gust of wind abruptly blew through Azathoth’s hair, causing it to smack her in the face.“Blech!”
Not minding his wife’s silly antics, Azathoth continued to speak. “We’re planning to use this place as our vacation home, but you two are more than welcome to stay here whenever you’d like.” He gestured to the house with the hand that wasn’t busy constricting Gwendolyn.
“Yeah, and you guys are also welcome to come visit us in Hell!” Gwendolyn added while swatting the last remaining strands of tickly black hair from her face. “Just pack up your bags, call upon this big, scary old oaf...” She pointed to Azathoth with her thumb. “And he’ll come pick you right up!”
“Only as long as you bring us more chimichangas, though,” Azathoth added with a laugh while pointing at the container.
“I’m down if I get to poke anguishing souls with a pitchfork while wearing a red hooded unitard,” William jested while placing his free hand on his hip.
“William, you know that’s a complete myth,” Azathoth replied while smirking. “There are no human souls being tortured in Hell, and no one, and I mean absolutelyno one, wears red unitards there!” He chuckled in amusement while a look of pseudo-disappointment fell across William’s face.
“Will we even be able to survive there if we go? I mean, with all the fire and brimstone and stuff?” Darrell asked. The envelope crinkled in his hand as he fidgeted with it to center the key inside.
“Yes, I’m sure. All the fire and brimstone is within the fiery pits.” He shrugged. “We’ll probably settle down in one of the many other biomes in Hell. Most of them are very habitable for humans, and some even sort of resemble places you’d find here on Earth.” He and Gwendolyn smiled at one another as he squeezed her a little tighter.
