Page 4 of His Infernal Purr
“Whoa! What’s gotten into you?” Finn looks genuinely startled, quickly steadying the nervous dog. “Sorry about that, Mrs. Hendricks. My cat is having some kind of moment.”
This is not a MOMENT, you oblivious human! This is a DEMONIC THREAT!
The bell above the clinic door jingles, and I hear Josie’s voice rise in confusion. “Um, can I help you gentlemen?”
I hiss, clawing at Finn’s arm, trying to communicate the danger.
“Ouch! Seriously, what—”
The exam room door slams open. Three men stand in the doorway—or rather, three entities wearing human disguises that don’t quite fit right. Their skin has an ashen quality, their movements too fluid, eyes gleaming with unnatural light.
“Well, well,” the tallest one says, voice grating like metal on stone. “What a charming little… veterinarian.”
Finn steps in front of his elderly client protectively. “The clinic is closing early today. You’ll need to leave.”
Run, you fool! These aren’t clients!
“We’re not here for pet care,” the second creature says, grinning to reveal teeth just slightly too sharp. “We’re here for the Duke.”
They all look directly at me, and I flatten my ears, hissing with all the demonic fury I can channel through this ridiculous form.
Finn glances between me and the intruders, confusion evident. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to leave. Now.”
“The human doesn’t know,” the third one laughs, the sound like breaking glass. “How precious. Valefar will be delighted.”
They move with supernatural speed. Two grab Finn, pinning him against the wall while the third reaches for me. Mrs. Hendricks screams, clutching her dog.
“Get out of here, Mrs. Hendricks!” Finn shouts, struggling against his captors.
I do the only thing I can—I launch myself at the demon reaching for me, claws extended, teeth bared. I may be small, but I am still Morax, and I will not be taken without a fight.
My claws connect with the demon’s face, drawing black ichor that sizzles where it hits the floor. He howls, swatting me away with enough force to send me crashing into the wall.
Pain lances through my small body. One of my wings hangs at an odd angle. Through blurred vision, I see Finn’s expression shift from confusion to rage.
“Get your hands off my cat!” With unexpected strength, he twists free of one captor, grabbing a syringe from the counter and plunging it into the arm of the other. Whatever medication it contained makes the demon screech, his human disguise flickering.
The third demon lunges for me again, but Finn intercepts him, tackling him to the ground with a ferocity I wouldn’t have thought possible from the gentle vet.
“Run!” he shouts to his client, who finally flees with her dog.
You should be the one running, you idiotic human!
Instead, Finn places himself between me and the demons, arms spread protectively. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you’re not touching him.”
“Him?” The lead demon laughs. “You protect a Duke of Hell like a common pet?”
Finn doesn’t waver. “I don’t care if he’s the Queen of England. He’s under my care, and you’re not taking him.”
Something warm and unfamiliar blooms in my chest at his words. Even knowing what I might be, he’s still protecting me?
The demons exchange glances, momentarily thrown by this unexpected development.
“Valefar said nothing about the human being a fighter,” one mutters.
Taking advantage of their hesitation, Finn grabs a fire extinguisher from the wall and discharges it directly into their faces. The chemical spray seems to disrupt their concentration, their human disguises flickering more violently.
While they’re disoriented, Finn scoops me up gently, mindful of my injured wing, and backs toward the emergency exit.
