Page 27 of My Demon Neighbor
"And what do demons look like?" I asked, making him wince.
"Another stereotype?"
I shrugged. "Our true forms are very different from humans, but each demon has a different form."
"What do you look like?" he asked curiously, and I made a face.
"Probably terrifying to you," I admitted, and he pursed his lips in thought.
"Can I be the judge of that?"
He wanted to see my true form?
"I'm not sure..."
"Pythor," he murmured, his brown eyes earnest as they gazed into mine. "I've met men who are monsters hiding behind a pretty face. Trust me, if I was going to be afraid of you, this form of yours would've been plenty for me to do that. You don't scare me."
I couldn't argue with that. From the few clues Codie had dropped in conversations, I'd surmised a few things: the person who'd attacked him had been a man, and he hadn't been alone. Codie hadn't gone into detail, and I hadn't pushedfor more, mostly because I wasn't sure what I'd do if I knew everything.
Hella snuggled up to us, and an idea popped in my head.
"How about we start with Hella?"
Codie squinted, then glanced at the dog happily dancing away in front of us. "Start what with Hella?"
Oh, right. I hadn't explained her yet.
"Sorry, I got ahead of myself. Hella isn't a normal dog. She's a demonhound."
Hella barked, and as if she understood exactly what I'd said, she dropped the camouflage she'd learned to use around humans.
"Oh my God!" Codie exclaimed, and I wasn't sure if he was scared or just surprised.
While Hella remained the same size and shape, her black fur had an iridescent shine in this form, while the tips of her ears and her tail was covered in soft white flames. They used to be red, but ever since the Burning Chasm's fire had changed to a white, purifying flame, it'd turned white as well.
"She's beautiful," Codie murmured, his finger hovering an inch away from her ear.
"You can touch it. It won't burn you."
Codie glanced at me, then back at Hella as he hesitantly touched her ear, making a sound of surprise when the flame caressed his skin.
He didn't have a lick of darkness in his soul, so of course the fire didn't hurt him.
"I'm guessing that bit about her being a shelter dog was a lie?"
I gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah. I didn't think the truth would go over well."
"Why did you give her to me, anyway?"
I ruffled Hella's ears, and she gave an excited bark before racing across the room. She stopped, glanced back at us, then ran toward us.
"You looked like you could use a friend," I said simply, which made him smile.
"Well, I got two, and one of them seems to think he can sidetrack me by showing off his cool dog."
I laughed at that, which made him smile.
"If you want to see my true form, I'll show you. But if you get scared, just tell me, and I'll shift back or leave if that's what you need. Okay?"
