Page 26 of Demon Dating Service

Why did this feel like a bad idea?

His plan was brilliant in its simplicity. If he wanted to scare Luke, all he needed to do was reveal his true nature to the human. Show him the awesome and horrific power of an upper-level demon. Of course, Luke was going to be scared out of his mind.

Easy. He was going to win their competition and bragging rights.

So why did this feel like a mistake?

It couldn’t be because Luke was a nice guy that everyone in the house adored.

It couldn’t be that he was always helpful, regardless of how many hours he’d already worked or how little sleep he had.

And it couldn’t be because he was inventive, creative, and fun.

They were demons, Satan, dammit!

They were supposed to be hard, ruthless, and cruel. Going soft on a human was disgraceful. Scaring Luke tonight was acritical step in reminding them all who they were supposed to be. Put this entire house back on track.

Azroth sat in a tall, throne-like chair in the library, grinding his teeth while listening for Luke’s arrival after work. He’d sent the other demons to their rooms, where he was sure they were all pouting. Most of them had pleaded with him not to go forward with his plan. It wasn’t that they didn’t want him to win, but they were afraid of Luke moving out.

Nonsense.

If Luke moved out, they’d rent the room to another college student and begin the game again. Who cared if this human ran off crying?

Sure, he knew it was impossible for them to find another tenant who was as thoughtful, accepting, and fun as Luke.

Not to mention, he was pretty cute with his messy brown hair, enormous eyes, and crooked smile.

Whatever. None of that mattered. It was imperative that he scare Luke and remind them all that they weredemons!

A little whimper whispered through the room followed by the drip, drip, drip of water hitting the hardwood somewhere in the library. Books shuffled and jostled on the shelves.

Fuck me. The library is crying again.

“Enough!” Azroth snarled. “I don’t care if Luke was extra careful with your books and always dusted your shelves. You can’t keep him! That wasn’t part of the deal.”

The front door creaked open, and Azroth’s heart skipped a beat. His hand tightened on the arms of the chair, and he willed his excitement back down. Yes, excitement. Not panic.

“Stop your sniveling,” Azroth hissed between clenched teeth. “All your tears will ruin the books.”

The library finally ceased its crying, but there was a deep sense of melancholy hanging in the air as if the damn room was depressed about the coming loss of its favorite patron.

Luke’s footsteps echoed off the hardwood floor as he crossed the foyer and headed to the staircase that would take him up to the second floor and eventually his room in the attic.

Azroth clamped on his irritation with the library and the other demons. He cleared his throat and called out, “Luke? Could you join me in the library for a moment?”

“Az? Yeah, sure. Of course.”

The demon clenched his teeth at Luke’s eager and helpful tone. He undoubtedly thought Azroth wanted him to help with something around the house, even though he’d attended three classes that day and worked a six-hour shift at his fast-food job.

The scent of french fries wafted into the room a moment before Luke crossed the threshold.

“Az?”

With a flick of his fingers, the double doors slammed shut behind Luke, and the lights went out. Luke’s gasp cut through the darkness. Flames burst into existence at the end of the thirteen candles spread throughout the room. The shelves holding mountains of books creaked, and the floor groaned as the library protested Azroth’s initial onslaught.

“Silence!” he bellowed.

“I-I didn’t say anything,” Luke stammered.