Gabe looked mortified. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I’ve been keeping a demon hostage fortwenty years.”
Beel ribbited again, and Az assured Gabe, “He does not at all feel like he’s been taken hostage, and he has had a blast living with you—aww, that’s sweet, Beel—and he has no desire to be sent back yet, so he said don’t you dare use his true name to do a revocation.”
Gabe looked slightly less panicked, and Az stared hard at Beel, adding, “In fact, I don’t even sense the summoning spell on him anymore. It would’ve worn off once his primary purpose was achieved, so he literally could have gone back to hell at any time. He’s chosen to stay with you. Isn’t that adorable?”
Gabe just rolled his eyes and Beel croaked grumpily. Az couldn’t help laughing again. “You guys are two peas in a pod. No wonder he didn’t leave.”
“I can’t believe I’ve had a demon for a pet for twenty years. Although with Grams you’d think I would’ve guessed it wasn’t a normal frog,” Gabe grumbled. The timer went off, and Gabe turned back toward the stove, grumbling under his breath some more.
Az smiled and walked Beel back to his aquarium in the bedroom. “Unless you’d like to join us for dinner?” Az asked as he walked.
Beel ribbited, and Az replied, “Yes, it is decorated very nicely, and I could tell it was hot and humid when I put my hand in to get you out. You always were a lazy demon; I’m sure this whole foray into the human world as a pet has been right up your alley. I’ll leave you to it then,” Az said, placing the demon back into the aquarium.
He put the top on, and as he was walking out of the bedroom, he heard a distinctly female voice coming from the kitchen. If he had to guess, he’d say the wild, fun sibling had just dropped in to check out Gabe’s newest demonic acquisition.
Although he was vaguely sexually frustrated, Az had to admit that this was probably the best time he’s had in eons. He couldn’t wait to see what other surprises this delightful family was going to bring his way.
Chapter7
Gabriel
Gabe was beyond mortified. Mr. Frog was a demon? He watched movies with Mr. Frog and pet his little back with a finger and talked to him. Mr. Frog knew most of his secrets and inner thoughts, because wasn’t that what you did when you had a pet? Poured your heart out to them? So, Mr. Frog wasn’t the best with cuddles, but ever since Gabe was a kid he’d always felt like Mr. Frog was listening to him, especially since he seemed to ribbit and croak in all the right places.
Well, apparently Mr. Froghadbeen listening. Gabe tried not to be horrified thinking about what he’d told his pet demon. And oh god, what Mr. Frog had seen over the years. He thought that he might need to move the aquarium into the living room. He didn’t mind being naked so much—Gabe wasn’t ashamed of his body or particularly shy—but he’d masturbated in his bedroom. In front of Mr. Frog.
He turned red just thinking about it, and of course that was when his pain in the ass sister sauntered into the kitchen. He’d been so distracted he hadn’t even heard the door open.
“You know,” he grouched, “that spare key I gave you is foremergencies only.”
“Well, you having a lust demon in your apartment is certainly an emergency. He could be taking advantage of you and I might’ve burst in just in time to save you,” she sassed as she came over to the stove to hug him hello. His sister was drama he did not need right now, and he just sighed.
Az walked into the room at that moment, and when Seraphina saw him she literally squealed, smacking Gabe’s arm while looking the demon up and down. He tried not to flinch (she could hit pretty damn hard) or be pissed that she was essentially eye-fucking his demon.
“Ser, maybe stop drooling, hmm?” he snapped, grabbing oven mitts and draining the pasta.
“Oh man, you arehot,” she said to Az. She still didn’t turn away from him when she replied to Gabe. “And big brother, I hope you hit that, because damn, he is smoking.” She then started to giggle. “Smoking. Get it? Because he’s a demon?”
Az just kind of stared at her, and Gabe proceeded to give her a dirty look, which was totally wasted because she was still staring at Az.
“Get your own lust demon, you harlot, and stop eye-fucking mine,” Gabe grouched, shaking the colander to drain any excess water, perhaps a bit aggressively since some pasta flew out onto the counter.
Ser finally turned to look at him, raising one eyebrow—a skill he had never mastered and was rather jealous of, to be honest. He brought out the dirty look again so she could appreciate his ire.
“Ohhhh, is big brother jealous that I might steal his lust demon? And are you readingThe Crucibleor Shakespeare with your students right now?” she asked, chuckling.
So Gabe sometimes fell into using the language of the literature he was teaching. His students found it amusing. He just shrugged at his sister though, transferring the pasta back into the pot along with some olive oil. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right. He was too annoyed with her.
“Why are you here?” he asked. “You aren’t staying for dinner. You’ve seen the hot lust demon. Isn’t it time for you to head out?” Gabe could hope, anyway.
Ser sighed at him. “You know, I am thebestlittle sister.” Gabe snorted at that, but she kept going. “I was coming to see, for real, if you wanted me to babysit your demon tomorrow while you work.”
Gabe stared at her, thinking. He knew she was serious, and she wasn’t stripping her clothes in his kitchen, so sheprobablycould be trusted to babysit him, but it just didn’t sit right with Gabe. Maybe it was because he had technically summoned the demon (even if it was under duress and totally by accident), but he felt a sort of… responsibility for Az. It was like there was a tether tying the two of them together. He had no clue what Grams had done, but he didn’t need to leave Az behind and end up with one or both of them suffering some weird adverse effects.
He wouldn’t put anything past his meddling grandmother.
“I just don’t think that’s smart. I don’t know what Grams did with this spell. I don’t even know if Icanleave him behind.” He huffed in annoyance as he turned to the sauce, taking a taste before continuing. “Although I can’t imagine what the hell I’m gonna do with him tomorrow. I really can’t miss school.”
Gabe heard a throat clearing behind him, and both he and Ser turned to Az. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry about me at school tomorrow. I am a demon, after all. It won’t be so hard to arrange a few things so that I’m an expected presence,” he said, staring hard at Seraphina and looking slightly puzzled. He then asked her, “Do you, ah, want anything in particular?”
