Page 49 of The Demon's Pet

“I can feel her tiredness,” Griffin said. “We can’t go farther unless you’re going to tie her down.”

“Not a bad idea,” Sam said mockingly. “There are… This is not the place I would recommend we stop.”

“It’s beautiful,” Griffin said.

“I want to stay here,” I murmured.

“Frustrating, stupid pets,” Sam said. But then he looked at me and seemed to understand I was truly too tired to go farther. “Fine, we’ll go down and tie you onto the creature and resume our journey.”

“But where are we even going?” I asked.

“That’s not for a pet to know,” he snapped.

Then he dove downward, pinning his wings and then unfurling them just above the ground to catch himself, flapping a few times as he made purchase in the soft, thick grass.

Griffin landed soon after, and Sam walked over to put his hands up to catch me as I leaned over and fell off into his arms.

To my surprise, he held me closer for a moment, and I could feel his breath on me as I lay there, seconds from sleeping.

“I should tie you onto this beast,” he said. “I really should.” He looked around him. “This isn’t safe.”

I forced my eyes open and looked around. “What are you talking about? It’s beautiful.”

I could hear the babble of a brook nearby. There were wildflowers in the grass.

Sam set me down, and I stumbled slightly, then sat down in the grass.

“I’m just going to rest here,” I said. “Just like… an hour or two.”

Sam glared at me, then at Griffin, who just shrugged.

“It seems like she’s been through a lot, bro,” Griffin said. “Have mercy, come on.”

“I’m not your bro,” Sam snapped, eyes blazing, biceps flexing as he folded his massive arms and retracted his wings until they disappeared. “Fine, I’ll just have to protect all three of us until morning. In minotaur country. No problem!” He threw his hands up and stomped away to study the stream.

“Minotaurs?” Griffin asked. “Seriously?”

A sharp glare from Sam over his shoulder was the only answer Griffin got.

“Come on, aren’t you a god?” Griffin asked, walking over to Sam. Apparently, he had no fear for his life at all. “Make her a house. Let her sleep properly.”

Sam glared at him, then nodded. “Fine. But if you’re going to be bossy, then I might change my mind about this execution after all.”

“I don’t think you will,” Griffin said, glaring down at him. “I don’t think you’re as bad as you say you are.”

Sam breathed in very slowly, then let it out. “I could kill you in less than a second, and I would feel nothing about it. So think that over before you question me again.”

Griffin froze, then nodded, stepping back with his hands up. “I’m just saying I could feel her exhaustion when we were flying. You need her for something, or you wouldn’t be protecting her.”

“I’m not protecting her. I’m—”

“You need her,” Griffin said. “And she won’t be able to do jack shit if she doesn’t get time to recover. I could feel her heartbeat through my fur. It felt weak, and—”

“Fine!” Sam said, waving his arms as wood came flying from nowhere, spinning around as other objects appeared. He was creating them from out of thin air.

Slowly, wood became walls and floors and a roof, and a small, perfectly formed house settled down with a thud, shaking the grassy ground beneath our feet.

It was just small enough for two.

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