Page 29 of Holy Hell

“Beez?”

Danny was lucky to keep his footing when Beez dropped him.

“Take the money, grab your shit, and get the fuck out,” Beez threatened. “And don’t come back here again. I won’t be so nice the next time.”

Danny averted his gaze and rushed into the bedroom Beez and Alcy had been sharing. When he came back out, he wouldn’t look at any of them.

“Don’t forget the money, dickwad.”

With a quick shake of his head, Danny opened the door and slammed it on his way out. Carter stepped away from Alcy, his eyes flicking toward the door.

“No, Carter,” Alcy said, pulling him close again.

“But...he seemed so hurt. I should check on him, make sure he’s okay.”

Andthiswas the person Danny claimed wasn’t a good Christian? He was far better than a lot of people Alcy had met.

“Let him go,” Beez rumbled. He came to where Carter and Alcy stood. “You okay?” he asked, as he stroked a hand over Carter’s back.

“I knew he was...but I never imagined...”

Beez chuckled. “Wanna know a secret? I can’t be sure he’s done any of that stuff,” Beez whispered. “But it rattled the fuck out of him, don’t you think?”

Carter’s eyes widened as he burst into laughter. A moment later, he dissolved into tears his face crinkled. Beez scooped him up and inclined his head toward the bedroom. Alcy understood and followed behind. When they got to the bed, Beez laid Carter in the middle, then he and Alcy crawled in, sandwiching Carter between them.

“Don’t let what he said get to you,” Alcy said, stroking a hand over Carter’s side.

Carter swallowed, wiping his eyes. “I knew he was hateful, but I guess I never saw the full brunt of it, especially when it was directed at me.”

Oh, how Alcy wished he could take Carter’s pain into himself. He hated for him to be so forlorn. He smiled when Beez nuzzled Carter’s neck, placing gentle kisses on the pale skin. He wondered if Beez was even aware of what he was doing.

What the fuck are you doing?Beez chastised himself.Throw his legs in the air and bury yourself in his tight little ass, make him get on his knees and suck your cock, or...something. You don’t cuddle. You don’t try to make people feel better—well, unless it’s sexual.That was more Alcy’s department.

“Beez?”

He stroked a hand over Carter’s hair. “Hm?”

“Would you... I mean, could you....”

As if he knew what Carter was going to ask, Beez slipped an arm over his stomach and pulled him close, spooning him. He noticed when Alcy slid closer and pressed himself against Carter too, following Beez’s lead and embracing Carter. When Alcy’s fingers brushed over Beez’s, he instinctively laced them together, completing the connection. Carter let out a sigh, deep and satisfied.

“It’s going to be okay,” Beez promised. “Alcy and I have you. We won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

Carter nodded, then snuggled in a bit more. There was a tremor through Carter’s body that Beez didn’t like. He wanted to track Danny down again and put the fear of Supreme into him, even though he knew Supreme was the ultimate ‘turn the other cheek’ guy. He tightened his grip on Alcy’s fingers, hoping to draw some of his angel’s strength. Never in his existence had he gone after someone. Despite their reputation, demons weren’t violent—well, at least not out of anger. He’d wanted to separate Danny’s head from his shoulders and toss it into the disposal, then puree it until it was nothing but a pulpy mass.

That scared him. When a soft snuffle slipped out of Carter, Beez peered down and found him clutching Beez’s and Alcy’s joined hands, asleep.

“You wouldn’t have hurt him,” Alcy whispered. “I know you wanted to, but you wouldn’t. You’re not made like that.”

Beez lifted his head and peered into Alcy’s eyes, unsurprised he would know what thoughts were consuming him. “How do you know?”

“Let me rephrase that. If he had done Carter physical harm? Yeah, you might have lashed out. He’s our charge, and we need to keep him safe. As for how I know? Because Carter wouldn’t have wanted you to.”

Beez let that thought roll around in his head. He would do anything within his power to make Carter happy, so it was unlikely he’d truly hurt Danny, even if the little prick deserved it.

“Close your eyes, get some rest, Alcindor.”

A soft smile. “You called me by my name.”

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