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“So, are you a professional cock block or is this just a hobby for you?” Ben asks, his voice thick with amusement.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Theo snarls back.

Ben just chuckles. “I’ve been told I have a very disarming personality. Forgive me if I use it todisarmthe fucking demon that’s possessing your body.”

There is a long pause before Theo responds, “You’re playing her?”

“Yes,” Ben hisses. “Do you think I’m that stupid? I figure if I can split her attention, distract her, it’ll buy us some time, and maybe we can even figure out a way to get rid of her without the exorcism.”

“Ok, well…just…don’t fall for your own con, please. I don’t need that.”

“Yes, sir,” Ben laughs. A minute later I hear some very strange noises from the office and then he emerges holding a piece of paper.

“Start withIron Manand work your way down the list,” he tells me, setting it on the coffee table and bending over to point to the film names. I lean forward so our faces are only a few inches apart. His breath hitches, so I press my arms into my chest, giving him a good, long look down the front of my t-shirt. He must have been lying to Theo about his true intentions with me. Sin is my job, and I know true lust when I see it. At least one part of this plan will be easier than I first imagined.

“This is perfect, thank you,” I say softly, turning my face up. He hovers there for a moment, his eyes darting down to my lips and back up.

“Fuck…you’re good,” he murmurs. I move even closer, letting him feel the heat of my breath on his mouth. For good measure, I let a few tendrils of shadow out too and twine them around his throat, then watch as his pupils grow wide. What others might mistake for fear, I know to be desire.

“You seem like an intelligent man, Ben,” I whisper. “A man who knows how to strike a good bargain. I can see that you want me, and you are not weighed down by so much ridiculous human morality, are you?”

“That’s open for debate,” he replies. “Are we talking about murder or breaking the speed limit?”

“Help me with Theo,” I whisper, “and I promise I will make itwellworth your while once I get control of him.”

Ben lets out a soft, breathy laugh. “Why would I trust you? What’s the promise of a demon worth? We’re just your little toys. What motivation is there for you to follow through after it’s done, hmm?”

“Pleasure,” I say softly, adding the edge of a moan to my voice. “I have never tasted a human man before, Ben. Never had one…inside me, and I have waitedcenturiesfor the chance. If you behave, I mayeven let you call me Annie while you fuck me.” I swear, his soul is about to leave his body as I tighten my shadows around his neck.

“That’s a hell of a deal,” he mutters, “but I don’t think either of us really want Theo involved in this, do we? That pesky moral compass of his just complicates everything. So, I’ll makeyoua deal, Annie,mi amor. Help me figure out a way to separate the two of you, get him on his feet, and out of the way, then you can have me instead. Body and soul, no resistance, no fuss. I’ll come quietly.”

I pull my shadows back and examine his face. A human offering themself to a demon is not unheard of, but Ben does not seem like the type. He could have some ulterior motive I cannot see yet. Then again, if I return to the Seventh Tower unsuccessful, I may not be given another opportunity at this. Helping Theo hardly seems like an appropriate use of my skills, but I win either way: if his emotional state improves, I may still be able to take him, particularly if I can continue playing this little game with Ben; if he does not, then I shall be free of him soon enough, and Ben will be mine instead.

“You have a deal, Father,” I say with a smile, “although you do not strike me as the type whocomes quietly.” Before he can reply, I place a hand on his chest, lean in, and kiss him.

It feels like burning, or falling. It is wrong, but not wrong enough for me to stop. He reaches around and grips the back of my neck, hard, so I tighten my shadows around his neck. That does not deter him. In fact, he kisses me harder, digging his teeth into my bottom lip until I experience a twinge of physical pain. When he releases me, he gives me a grin which is somehow both devious and sweet.

“Let me know when you want more,” he says. “Oh, and unless you want Theo finding out about this little deal of ours, you’re gonna let me call you Annie whenever I want. Alright?”

He walks away, and I am left alone on the couch, one hand on my lips and the other still holding the television remote. The vaguely-human heart in my chest leaps and glimmers like a spark freed from theflames as I wonder if I have met my match. Once he is gone, however, frustration surges through me. I must continue to bide my time and feign cooperation and this is not what I was built for. I was created to torment the souls of the damned, not to try and outwit these foolish, sentimental human men.

Closing my eyes, I allow myself a brief moment to relive the kiss. As much as I hate to admit it, Ben was right–I do want more from him. Only, I am not certain exactly what it is I want. Demons are not immune to experiencing lust. Were I back home in the Seventh Tower, getting what I need from one of my own kind would be all too simple. But this is a different sensation altogether. The burning inside me now is less of a raging inferno at my core and more of a glowing ember, sitting just behind my breastbone–soft, aching, and insistent that I be near him again.

After waiting as long as I can stand it, I slip off the couch and move silently down the hall. The door to the office is closed, so I dissolve my body into shadow and slip beneath it. Ben is asleep on an inflatable mattress, shirtless, his lips slightly parted and arms thrown above his head, moonlight illuminating the hard, muscular lines of his body. Theodidtell me to keep an eye on him. Battling the urge to brush my fingers over his exposed skin, I crouch beside the bed and use a shadow tendril to examine the small silver medallion around his neck. On the front is a bearded man holding a shepherd’s crook, identified by the text above his head as Saint Jude. The inscription on the back reads ‘Patron Saint of Lost Causes, Pray for Us’. Either someone’s idea of a joke, or Ben truly believes himself to be a lost cause.

My mind cannot help but run through the litany of awful things I could do to him right now. I could take out my frustration and my desire on his vulnerable human body. I could punish him for awakening something inside me that I do not understand and do not want. I could do all of these things. That is what I was made for. That is the very core of my nature. I hold back, however, and tell myself it is because I need him alive and intact to complete my mission. But in truth, it is because I desperately want another kiss.

15

Theo

When I wake upthe next day, I smell bacon cooking and am immediately confused, not to mention concerned. I pull a hoodie on and stumble out of my room to find Ben in the kitchen, blasting All-American Rejects from a Bluetooth speaker. Annoth is on the floor in front of the TV, enmeshed in a nest of blankets and pillows, still fixated on a Marvel movie.

“Where did you get bacon?” I ask Ben warily. He has on a t-shirt with the sleeves cut out, exposing his muscled arms and the sides of his torso.

“You know, in this modern world there are apps that let you order groceries for delivery,” he says, turning his music down and smirking. “How did you survive 2020?”

“Ros and I stayed at my parents’ house for a few months,” I admit sheepishly. “We were both working remotely and my nieces and nephews were there, so we all just pitched in with different stuff. I wasn’t in charge of groceries.”