“Raum,” Ash said quietly, as the enormous, raging demon advanced on him with murderous intent. “Get the jug.”
Raum didn’t respond, but he heard the tap running and knew his request was being fulfilled. Without looking away from Belial, he stretched out a hand as Raum crept up behind Belial, reached around, and placed the jug in it.
Ash took it and threw it in Belial’s face. “Snap out of it!”
Instead, dead silence fell. Even the cat went quiet.
The flames around Bel’s head extinguished from the water. Of course, this was hellfire and could easily be reignited, but the water sometimes worked as the necessary distraction.
Or, it made himkillingmad.
But this time, they got lucky.
Bel squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head roughly, spraying droplets of water everywhere from his suddenly flowing locks. The rest of his body extinguished, and his white wings folded against his back and disappeared. He shrank substantially, though standing at seven feet tall in human form, he would never not be a giant.
Unfortunately for Bel, once his hair grew in a rage attack, he had to cut it to make it short again. The pale locks now hung past his broad shoulders to his chest, dating him back a few thousand years. He went from looking like a football player to a gladiator. It was a little bit hilarious.
Belial finally opened his eyes—blue again—and glared daggers at Asmodeus. “Iwillkill you.”
“Sorry, bro, but now isn’t the time for a temper tantrum.”
Belial kept up the cold stare, but it was somehow less effective with his wet hair dripping all over his shoulders. Sighing, he ripped the tattered remains of his T-shirt over his head and chucked them on the floor. “I just bought this fucking shirt. And I have to get another fucking haircut now, damn it.”
“Third one this month,” Raum said from behind him.
“I will kill you all,” Bel grumbled, shaking his sopping wet head.
“You need therapy, bro,” Meph said.
“Big time,” Raum agreed.
“Fuck you both. And fuck you, Asmodeus, for bringing a fucking human into our apartment!” He glanced at Eva who was still hiding behind Ash. “No offense.”
Eva made a sort of choking sound in response.
Ash passed the empty jug back to Raum, who set it on the kitchen counter.
“What happened with Mishetsu?” Bel rolled his eyes at Ash’s wary look. “You can tell me now. I won’t lose it again.”
“Can’t promise you’ll feel the same once I tell you,” Ash grumbled.
“That bad, huh?”
He dragged a hand through his hair. Or tried to—it was a tangled mess from the fight, and his fingers got stuck halfway over his skull, so he gave up and yanked them out. His other hand was still pressing his T-shirt into his wounded side. The fabric felt pretty wet now, but he ignored it.
“He said he was able to pick up my scent at Eva’s place from the first time I was there, and then he just waited around until I came back.”
“Fuck.” Belial ran his hands down his face. “It’s too easy. We should have left the city like I said.”
“He was bound to find us eventually,” Raum said, now leaning against the counter. “He’s called the Hunter for a reason. What I want to know is why you let him get away, Ash.”
“He escaped.” Ash replied, shooting him a glare. He’d like to see Raum try to catch a demon that could turn into mist. “But I injured him pretty badly in the fight, and it’ll take him time to heal. We have at least a few hours to come up with a game plan before we have to worry about him coming back.”
“We have to be out of this city before then,” Bel said, “because when he does, it’ll be with the whole cavalry.”
Everyone groaned. Except Eva, of course. Ash shot another glance over his shoulder. She stood there with those spooked eyes and stared at them like she was seeing ghosts. If only she was looking at something so harmless. He felt another twinge in his gut.
The Eva he knew was fierce and vibrant. She wasn’t scared and meek, and he didn’t like seeing her that way now. And his inability to change it was frustrating as hell. It made him want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she became the old Eva again, but something told him that wasn’t the right way to go about it.
