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“Did I say you could speak?” he said, proving I was right.

Poe squeezed my arm tighter, telling me without words to shut the hell up. I did, snapping my mouth shut and biting my lips together. Whoever this demon was, I didn’t want to be on his bad side, at least not more than I already was.

He turned his entire body slowly, oddly, as if his joints worked in a different way than any other creature who stood on two legs, before moving toward me with weird, gliding strides that lifted goose bumps all over my body.

He didn’t stop until he was mere inches away.

Looking down at me, with those hate-filled eyes, he smiled.

The sight was utterly chilling.

“We’ll get right to the point, shall we?”

I was too scared to answer, so I bit my lips harder and nodded.

He grinned wider, obviously pleased that I’d learned my lesson.

“Very good,” he said. “Perhaps we can come to an arrangement after all?” He lifted a hand, and I flinched as he took my jaw in his cold, clammy fingers, tilting my head from side to side, taking in my demonic transformation.

His gaze slid to my mouth, then back up, holding my eyes captive in his dead-man’s stare.

“I had been prepared to retrieve what was owed to me in…other ways, but I see now that you’re a very smart little…

” He flashed his teeth. “Demon. Maybe we won’t have to go to such extremes quite yet? ”

For once, the way I looked might have actually helped me.

No one had mentioned Luke’s name, but I knew that’s why I was here, but what this creep thought I could do to help, I didn’t know.

“I hear you are a very gifted healer, Miss Ellis?”

I flinched at the sound of my surname. I didn’t use it, I hadn’t used that name since I was kicked out. It was clear he knew about me. He knew everything about me.

“You taught our young Luke everything he knows,” he said, finally saying his name. “But I think we’d be much better off dealing with the teacher rather than the student. What do you think, Miss Ellis?”

He stood over me, waiting for me to answer, I assumed, so I forced myself to open my mouth and speak. “If you could… If you could just give me a few days, I can get the money Luke owes you. I can pay you back, and it will be like none of this ever happened.”

The demon chuckled, the sound grating through me.

“Well, now, aren’t you delightfully amusing.

Sadly, that’s not how this is going to play out.

Luke has inconvenienced me a great deal.

I had suppliers waiting for the product he stole, but then no one wants product that can kill their customers.

This has gone past just money, Miss Ellis, this is about my reputation in this city.

If I let Luke get away with this disrespect so easily, then everyone will think they can lie and steal from me. We can’t have that, now can we?”

“I’m not sure what you expect me to do?” I had a feeling I knew, though, and the only way to leave this place and get home in one piece was to agree to whatever it was he was about to ask. He held all the cards in the situation, all of them.

He slid his thumb along the side of my jaw. “You, my dear, will fulfill the orders Luke failed to deliver, and then you will do the same again, and again, and you will keep on doing it until I feel his debt has been paid.”

“I can’t… I can’t do that,” I said, the words slipping free before I could stop them.

The terrifying male’s gaze slid to Poe, and he nodded.

“Lars,” Poe called.

A moment later, another demon, Lars, I assumed, walked in, dragging Luke with him. He was bruised and freaked out, his gaze wildly searching the room before it landed on me.

“Sutton,” he groaned. “I’m so sorry. I—I fucked up, I?—”

“He went back to his girlfriend’s house, didn’t you, Luke?” the demon in charge said. “Silly boy. Now look what you’ve done.”

Oh gods. “What are you going to do with him?”

“Nothing…as long as you do as you’re told.”

He was forcing me to be his manufacturer. There was no way I could refuse. There was no way of getting out of this. My life was over. My life now belonged to this demon staring down at me.

“You will keep this arrangement between me and you, and if you tell anyone else, I will know, and your friend here, and your precious coven, will pay for your indiscretion. Do you understand?”

I was suddenly relieved that I hadn’t told Phoebe anything about Luke and what he’d gotten himself into. Whoever this guy was, he was powerful, he had connections, and he had money. Not only did he have Luke, but he could get to me, and anyone else in my coven. I didn’t doubt that for a second.

“I understand,” I choked out.

His hand dropped from my jaw, and I dragged in a desperate breath when he took several steps back.

“You have one week to deliver what Luke owes us. Poe will give you the details and be in touch with a time and location for delivery,” he said, then strode to the window and stared out at the night.

He turned to me one last time, his eyes locking on mine again.

“Do not disappoint me, Miss Ellis. I don’t like to be disappointed.

” Then he turned back to the window, dismissing me.

My legs trembled as Poe handed me a folded piece of paper—the order, I assumed—before I was frog-marched back through that creepy freaking mansion, away from Luke, then dragged out the door, and shoved down the stairs toward my car.

I rushed for the driver’s side.

“Looking forward to the next time we meet,” Poe said, tossing me my car keys.

Catching them, I got in my car, fired it up, and tore out of there so fast, gravel spat from under my tires.

I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. “Fucking fuck . Motherfucking, fucking assholes .”

I had just become a manufacturer of illegal magical drugs for some twisted demon drug lord—and there was no escaping it.

Not if I didn’t want anyone I loved to get hurt.