“I need help,” she admitted.
Her phone rang from the kitchen at that moment, coinciding with the puppy’s yips and Grimalkin’s hissing. Iris wanted to rush to his aid, but really, the silly dog needed to learn not to mess with Grim. Nobody messed with Grim.
“Is everything okay?” Lily asked without preamble when Iris answered the call.
She emptied the dustpan with the pillow’s remains in the bin. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. Call me crazy, but I just had this weird urge to call you. I’ve been practicing obeying my instincts, so here we are. What’s up?”
“Um... I got a dog. Or rather, I found a dog. Or the dog found me?” Iris quickly told Lily everything about her new puppy, including how she’d found him on her doorstep. “I’m in way over my head, Lil. He’s adorable, but he’s like a tornado of destruction.”
“I’ll come over right now and help you! We’ll stop at the pet store on our way and grab some food, a leash, and a couple of chew toys.”
“You’re my hero.”
“Anything for my baby sister,” Lily teased and hung up.
Iris dropped into a chair and slouched forward onto the table, burying her head in her hands. She had all of five minutes to sit in that power position before another series of yips and hisses came from her bedroom, and she was forced to rush in and play referee to the animals once more.
The doorbell rang half an hour later. It felt like salvation.
She scooped up the puppy, interrupting his play/battle with Grim, and rushed to answer it. “Hey, guys, come in.”
She stood back and made way for Lily and Mist, currently in human form. His skin was deeply tanned instead of dark gray, his eyes a soft amber instead of yellow, but his black hair was still the same messy tumble that brushed his shoulders.
The minute he stepped inside, the ward over her door lit up like a beacon. It bothered Iris that she almost didn’t react to it at all. Overriding those fear instincts still felt like a betrayal of who she was.
“Oh my god, he’s adorable!” Lily said, reaching for the puppy.
Mist closed the door behind him and then turned around. He went perfectly still when he saw the creature in Iris’s arms.
Lily scooped him up and petted his soft black fur and then turned to show him to Mist. “Isn’t he the cutest little thing?”
“That is not a dog,” Mist said tonelessly.
They both stared at him.
“What?” Lily glanced at the puppy and then back at Mist. “Of course he is. He’s—”
“That is a hellhound.”
The silence that fell felt like it lasted an hour.
3
BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
NOT LONG AFTER THAT STARTLING REVELATION, IRISfound herself back in the very place she’d so hastily vacated that morning. She, Lily, Mist, and Raum were gathered in Belial’s spotless kitchen—thankfully absent of Belial himself for the moment.
There was also no sign of Meph. Not that Iris cared.
Eva and Asmodeus appeared shortly after their arrival, and Ash had taken one look at the dog before asking how they’d gotten their hands on a hellhound. If Iris had held onto any doubts that Mist was wrong, that dispelled them.
Raum had taken on the role of puppy holder. Apparently, Raum was like a demon Dr. Doolittle or something, because the previously squirming dog now slept peacefully in his arms while Eva’s cat, Thelonious, wound around his legs, purring loudly.
It was common knowledge among witches that most animals had a strong aversion to demons—with the exception of Raum, evidently. Cats, in particular, hated them, which made the behavior of Eva’s cat all the more remarkable. It was part of the job of a witch’s familiar to act as a warning system in the presence of supernatural beings, which was why cats were a popular choice.
Mist had explained on the walk over that hellhounds didn’t feel the same hostility toward demons as other animals since they were also creatures of Hell. As such, the puppy looked right at home in the kitchen full of demons. And since Thelonious was soothed by Raum’s presence, it appeared Iris was the only one out of her element.
