Milton Avenue didn’t get a lot of traffic. Almost none. I knew because I’d parked there, beyond the point where I thought I could be seen from the house. The dog was in the seat next to me, standing up as if this were some grand adventure, drool dripping from her mouth to the seat every couple of minutes.

“I’m sure he’s a dog person,” I told her.

The dog looked at me with beady eyes.

“You did really well by the way. Thanks for saving me. It’s the no pet rule. If it weren’t for that, I’d take you. He has a big garden though. You’ll like it there.”

She growled, not so much a threat, more her normal state of being. I could appreciate that. There were days when I wished I could communicate with only growls.

“Here’s what we’ll do. If you don’t like it…you can’t call me if you don’t like it because you don’t have fucking thumbs. But there’s no reason why you wouldn’t like it. I’m not a dog person, you know.”

She stepped forward, putting her front paws on the dash as if she’d seen something out there that she didn’t like.

“He has good shoulders. I bet he’ll carry you around. Wouldn’t that be nice? To be carried places?”

She barked. Not a real bark but this muffled sound. Perhaps there was a squirrel there, and she was establishing that it needed to be afraid of her.

“The one thing you cannot do is bite people. That’s really important. Especially not the Devil. He’s too sexy to get bitten. Although maybe one could nibble—no. Immortals are trouble. I shall not engage with trouble. I shall not think about engaging with trouble.”

The dog looked at me as if she’d understood every word.

“What? Trouble for me I mean. Not for you. You’re going to be fine staying with the Devil. Be a nice dog, don’t bite him, and be sure to escape if he treats you badly. Although, it’s probably fine to bite his ass if he treats you badly.”

The dog looked away from me and huffed. Had I offended her? Unlikely. Dogs didn’t speak human.

I reached out and petted the fluffy hair on her head. “I have to see Dr. Lily again. Isn’t that just unfair? You saved me, and nothing really bad happened. Dr. Lily is going to ask me why I brought you here, and she’s going to say it’s because I want to get laid. By a certain someone. Which is categorically false. I mean, who’d want that, am I right?”

She huffed, giving me side-eye.

“You’re almost as bad as Dr. Lily, just saying.” I took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”

I started the car and drove a little further until I could see the drive and the front door. Once the car was in park, I picked up the dog and headed toward the door.

Lucifer answered the doorbell pretty quickly, and because life was fundamentally unjust, he looked like he’d just stepped off the set of some fashion shoot. I probably had lint in my hair.

“Nelly. Are you here to sell girl scout cookies to me?”

He grinned, leaned against the doorframe.

“Do I look like a girl scout to you? Don’t answer that.” I stroked the dog’s back and braced. “I need you to take this.”

“This dog?”

“Yes.”

He frowned. “I am not taking this.”

That was not an acceptable outcome. I’d been shivering on and off ever since the dog had saved my life, and the thought of what would happen to her if she didn’t find a place…

I lifted my chin and did my best to emulate Christine when she was talking to someone who was hindering an investigation.

“Look, Lucy, this poodle is fucking cursed. The curse kills whomever it touches, and the damn poodle loves biting people and spreading it. And my place has a no pets rule.”

I considered whether there was something I could offer the Devil for taking this innocent dog, but I didn’t know what I had that he wanted. I couldn’t give him too much, couldn’t give him a magical hold over me. On top of that, I was starting to feel the weight of the day settle into my bones. I needed to get some rest.

Lucy looked at me with this smug expression on his face that made me wish I was a more violent person. Or someone who always had a good comeback at the ready.

Straight-faced, he said, “I will loan you a blade if you don’t want to break the poodle’s neck.”

“Fucking son of a bigot, I’m done with this diarrhetic puke stain of a day. Just do me a fucking favor, stop bitching, and take in the damn poodle, will you?”

The Devil raised his left eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth softened.

“Very well. I will take charge of this small creature. Hand her over.”

I didn’t. I couldn’t. “You’re…I mean, you’re not going to, uh, hurt her?”

He cocked his head. “I will feed her treats.”

“She can always stay in your garden, just…make sure she’s inside when it gets too cold, okay?”

“I will care for her as best as I know how, but if you want me to do so, you will have to give her here. Otherwise, perhaps you want to keep her after all?”

I shook my head, scratching her head one last time. “No. Can’t. No pets. Here.”

The dog let herself be picked up, and given that she seemed calm enough in the Devil’s arms, I relaxed a little bit. This was good. This was the right decision.

“Did you want to stay, Nelly? Come inside, and we can—”

“No, thank you. I should go. Take care, bye.”

I turned on my heel and headed towards my car. Behind me, the dog growled. It seemed to be the only thing she could really do. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t my problem anymore. I’d made sure she was safe, that she wouldn’t have to meet an untimely end.

There wasn’t anything else I could do for her, and during the drive back to my place, I told myself over and over that her owner—Liza—was probably happy the dog was safe even if the drooling canine hadn’t managed to get at the mailman before he’d hurt Liza.

“Wouldn’t she have protected her owner though? Or maybe the dog saw what the mailman did and wanted revenge.”

I decided it didn’t matter. What mattered was the dog had prevented the worst happening to me, and in turn I had done the same for her. Perhaps, in a way, this day hadn’t been too bad after all.

Really, the day could only be improved if it happened to be the last time the Devil crossed my path. A necromancer could hope.