Page 78 of My Demon Neighbor
Twenty-Seven
Pythor
It'd been a weeksince Mammon killed those witches, since I killed the four men and 'punished' the fifth.
Somehow, he'd made it a week without dying, though it was clear his end was very near. Maximus had promised me he'd take the bastard's soul to the Chasm himself, and I was glad. Not that I thought another soul collector would make a mistake, but I still wanted to know for sure he made it.
Codie had insisted he be there for it, and while I'd tried to convince him he didn't have to, something in him wanted to watch it happen, wanted to know the bastard was truly gone, and I couldn't begrudge him that.
So here we sat in an abandoned building at the edge of town, watching the bastard wallow on the floor. I'd made it so we could see him but not hear him, because I didn't want him saying shit to Codie. I was afraid I'd kill him with one blow ifhe hurt Codie in any way, and his words were the only weapons he could use now, so I'd make sure Codie didn't hear them.
"You okay?" I asked as Codie leaned into me, and he nodded, speaking without looking at me.
"I feel like I should feel bad for him, or at the very least guilty about what we're doing, but I don't. Does that make me as bad as him?"
I squeezed him to me, pressing a kiss into his curls. "No, it doesn't. You aren't doing this for some sick pleasure, Codie. This is punishment for his own actions. If humans didn't enjoy punishing evil, there would be no death sentences in this world. This is nothing like what they did to you. This is justice," I promised him, and he nodded.
"I suppose."
"Oh, that reminds me, Xin wanted me to tell you that you don't have to worry about the people he hurt." I nodded toward the bastard, and Codie gave me a confused look.
"Huh?"
"I sent the pictures of the other victims to Xin, and they tracked them down. Then they hacked into his accounts and emptied it, splitting the money equally between them all. Money won't heal what he did to them, but it'll hopefully give them the means to get the things that will help."
Codie looked stunned, and he shook his head. "That's... wow. Tell them I said thank you."
"I will."
"Won't the cops get suspicious? His body will show he'd been starved, wouldn't it? How will we frame this as suicide?"
"I can use my magic to make it look like he killed himself," I assured him, and he nodded.
When the bastard finally took his last breath, neither of us actually noticed. It was a few minutes later that Codie noticedhis still chest, and it only took me a few minutes to 'set the scene,' and text Maximus before we left. I'd made sure the body was in a place where it would be spotted within a few days.
"I..." Codie mumbled as he looked around the room, as if he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Hella hurried up to greet him, and he smiled as he gave her a few pets.
"You wanna sit down?" I asked, and he nodded before slumping on the couch. I joined him, and he instantly curled into me, straining to be as close as physically possible.
"I'm glad it's finally over," he said after a few minutes, and I squeezed him tighter.
"Me too."
I'd moved in with Codie the day after he asked me, and instead of selling my place, I'd gifted it to Vanessa since she'd been wanting to move to a safer neighborhood.
Of course, my intentions hadn't been entirely selfless because Codie loved having his best friend across the street, and I'd do anything to make my mate happy.
Case in point, rapid knocks sounded from the front door, and I sighed as Codie chuckled, loosening his hold on me so I could go open the door.
Alia raced inside, bypassing me completely as she ran to the living room and leaped onto the couch.
Vanessa waved at me from across the street, then said, "Thank you for babysitting! I'll take her back in a few hours. Mama needs a break."
The last of her stuff had been moved in today, and I assumed she wanted to unpack in peace.
Unsure when either of us agreed to babysit, I closed the door and returned to the living room to find my place hijacked by the little terror.
"Excuse me, miss, I believe that's my seat," I said, and she giggled.
