Page 107 of Mortis

I stared at him.

Wasn’t he scared?

Was he not concerned that I might hurt him?

Then again, Teddy hadn’t been scared either.

What were they feeding the men in Blackthorn?

“I . . .” I flexed my claws, uncertain where to begin. “I’m not human.”

“No fucking shit, you overgrown goat. What are you?”

“A demon.”

Arlo blinked. “As in horns, Hell, eternal damnation, that kind of demon?”

I glanced down at myself. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

“Sorry, give me a fucking minute. My best friend’s boyfriend just turned into Satan’s fursona.”

I didn’t understand what that meant. But judging by his expression, I decided now wasn’t the time to ask.

Arlo dragged both hands down his face. “Jesus fucking Christ. A demon.” He paused. “Actually, can I say Jesus Christ around you? Is that offensive?”

“Why would I care?”

“I don’t fucking know, Kael. Five minutes ago I thought you were a weirdly massive bloke with a meat addiction, and for some bizarre reason, called yourself a vegetarian.”

“The meat is related.”

Arlo slowly lowered his hands. “What do you mean?”

I immediately regretted speaking. But now that I’d started, it was too late to stop. “The meat Teddy cooks for me isn’t from animals.”

Arlo stared at me, and I stared back. His gaze slowly drifted towards Mr Simpson, then back to me. “Nooo.” He shook his head in disbelief, while I could only grimace. “You’re eating the fucking clients?”

“Only the pieces Teddy removes during preparation.”

Arlo’s mouth hung open as he gawked at me. “That clarification did absolutely nothing to make it better.”

I released a slow exhale, and said, “I require human flesh to survive.”

Arlo opened his mouth, then closed it. “You know what? Fine. Whatever. Corpse buffet. We’ll unpack that nightmare later.” He jabbed a finger towards me. “Why are you a demon, why are you here, and what the fuck does any of this have to do with Teds disappearing?”

Arlo’s question dragged me back to the reason we were having this conversation in the first place.

Teddy.

My treasure.

Taken, while I stood here wasting precious time explaining my dietary requirements.

“I was summoned from Hell by a cult devoted to my master, Mammon.”

Arlo frowned. “Who the fuck is Mammal?”

“Mammon.”