Page 139 of The Demon's Pet

“I don’t trust him, Cleo,” Griffin said. “This Cayne guy. I’ve heard he associates with vampires.”

I shuddered. “Perhaps. They live in the mid-realm. But the guy is giving us shelter. We should give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“I don’t know,” Griffin said. “This feels like some kind of trap.” He glanced around the room. “This place is creepy.”

“Well, you used to live in the most gorgeous place ever,” I said, thinking of the lush-forested mountains where the cougars roamed.

“So did you,” he said. “The first thing I noticed flying down here was the pollution. In the havens, everything is green, and the air is so clean.” He let out a sigh. “I bet it’s even better in the sky kingdoms, where the celestials live.”

“It probably is,” I agreed. “But I’d rather be here, personally, given how the celestials feel about demons.”

“Me too, given how they feel about my friend,” Griffin said, putting his hand on my arm and giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. “And don’t worry. If this Cayne person shows up before Sam does and causes trouble, I’ll protect you. I promise.”

“I’ll protect you too,” I shot back, making him grimace.

“Again, I didn’t mean it wrong.” He looked up at the canopy again. “Os gets mad at me too. I’m just a protective person. I always have been.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” I said. “As long as you accept it when someone wants to protect themselves.”

“Of course.”

We were quiet for a moment, and I truly was glad to have Griffin by my side. It felt odd to be away from Sam, to know he wasn’t even close.

He could be anywhere.

“Do you know anything about this Cayne guy?” I asked. “You said you’d heard of the sanctuary.”

Griffin scratched the side of his neck. “I mean, I know what most people do. We get more news of the mid-realm than you wolves do, I suppose. All I know is there’s this notorious slayer no one wants to mess with, and he set up a safe zone for creatures no one else would want. So many hybrids popped up after the great divide, and a lot of communities reject anything that isn’t pure. Someone passing through my village told me about it, since he’d noticed I wasn’t like the other cougars. He said creatures like me, who don’t quite fit in, can come here. And there are few who would risk Cayne’s ire.”

“A slayer,” I said. “I’ve heard them mentioned. They’re demons, right?”

“Right,” Griffin said. “You’ll usually not see them above the abyssal realms. If they’re in the mid-realm, it’s near lesser demon settlements that need protection. Slayers are like the—”

“Like the archangels are to the celestials, right?”

“Right,” Griffin said. “They protect demons for free and others for pay. They’re killers. Trained for years with the best of the best to murder anything. You typically don’t want to meet one. But I hear Cayne is benevolent to anyone not trying to harm demons.”

“He better be,” I said. “I’m not in the mood to see anyone gutted.”

“You think Sam could beat a slayer?” Griffin asked.

I looked over at Griffin. “He has two slayer swords already.”

Griffin grunted. “I knew that guy was crazy.” He let out a pouting sigh. “I miss Os. He isn’t practically insane.”

I laughed. “Right. Tell me how things have been going between the two of you. I need a distraction.”

“I’m not ready yet,” Griffin said. “I mean, Os doesn’t really even like having me around. I’m not sure he’ll even come to get me. He tolerates me as a pet, but you can tell he’s bothered at having to drag me around. Sam will probably be the only one to come here, and I’ll just be another one of Cayne’s lost creatures.”

I swallowed. “Cayne does seem to help them find homes, according to Orpheus.”

“I’ll stay with you and Sam,” Griffin said, frowning. “I don’t like you being alone with him.”

I snorted. “I don’t think I’m in any danger from Sam. I know I should be, and I’ve seen what he can do. But at this point, I’ve accepted that he needs me for something. Until that time, I’ll survive.”

“So odd, a celestial so obsessed with a half demon,” Griffin said. “Do you know what type you are?”

I shook my head.

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