I stared in disgust at the human pig on the floor and I knew why Lucy Adams was so mean. How could she not be, if she lived with this on a daily basis? People thought Hell was bad? It was nothing compared to what I’d seen on Earth.
I gave a last fleeting glance to the pile of shit on the floor, turned and left.
Chapter 21
I really wanted to go home. At least evil was defined in Hell. Bad was bad and good was good. The lines didn’t cross like they did on Earth and you didn’t get away with it in Hell. True evil was punished. On Earth? From what I’d seen, not so much. Lucy Adam’s dad just beat her and would probably get away with it. It did not seem like an isolated incident. I didn’t like her, but I needed to find Lucy. She needed a hospital. I ran out of the shop and tripped over a big pile of fur.
A dog lay bloody and whimpering in front of the candle shop. What in the Hell was wrong with this town? Fathers beat their daughters and people hit dogs with their cars and drove away? His battered body lay half on the bricked sidewalk and half in the street. I quickly shed my invisibility and knelt down next to the poor creature. His breathing was labored. Looking up and down Main Street for an owner, a person or a car proved futile. The town was deserted. How was it that nobody was out and about at four in the afternoon?
I ran my hands through the fur that wasn’t bloody. The animal’s body was tense. It didn’t trust me. “Dear Satan, what are you?” I couldn’t tell if it was a dog or a wolf. It kind of looked like both. Even through the blood I could tell the animal had a beautiful golden coat. It had to be a dog.
The dog-wolf thing wagged its long tail and gasped from the effort. His body was still coiled tight, but he seemed to understand I wanted to help. Although there was no collar he didn’t look mangy or flea bitten.
“Okay, big doggie or wolfie, I need to find you a vet. My powers are getting better, but I don’t think I can fix this. Plus, I just used a buttload of magic to put a daughter-beating asshole into agony.” He looked pathetic lying bloody and mangled on the ground. “You sure picked a Hell of a place to live,” I told him. “Full of child abusers and animal killers.”
The dog-wolf stared into my eyes for an unusually long moment and then relaxed his body. A spurt of delight shot through me at his acceptance. I wasn’t sure what I said or what tone of voice made him happy, but I didn’t care. So many people on Earth didn’t like me—I wasn’t sure if I could take animals not liking me either.
I tried to examine his wounds to figure out the extent of his injuries, but there was too much blood and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Even if I did know how to fix him, I really had temporarily depleted my magic on Lucy Adam’s abomination of a father. And I didn’t think this animal had the time for me to go find some evil or angry people to refuel.
“Okay buddy, I’m going to pick you up and find a vet.”
He sighed and closed his one good eye. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that but it worried me. Was he close to death? I moved in closer. Most people wouldn’t go near a bloody injured dog-wolf, but most people weren’t immortal Demons. Short of the thing taking my entire head off, a few bites and scratches might sting but they wouldn’t kill me.
As I bent to pick him up my body locked and I was paralyzed with a vision. Oh shit no, please tell me Black Magic didn't include visions. Sloth's life was a living Hell with her visions. . .Knowing fighting was futile, I closed my eyes and went with it.
In a hazy stream of light Hayden appeared. My breath caught in my throat and I reached out to touch his beautiful face, but my hand went right through him.
He wore all black and his face was sad.
"Hayden? Are you here or have I truly lost it?"
"I'm here, Dixie."
"Why?" I asked. "I thought everyone was forbidden."
"It's not a social call."
I shook my head in confusion.
"The wolf, Dixie. I'm here to take the wolf."
"No," I said, realizing he was acting as the Angel of Death. "No, absolutely not. You can't seriously tell me you take animals to wherever animals go when they die."
"That's correct. I don't."
"Then leave," I yelled. "This is my wolf. He's an animal and I'm keeping him." Why was he being such an asshole? If this was his way of getting around my father's rules to see me it was stupid.
"This one is my gift to you," he said. "Because I love you I will not take the wolf."#p#分页标题#e#
"Good," I snapped. He began to fade away and I wanted to scream. "Will you come back? As just Hayden?" I pleaded as he faded farther and farther away.