Page 31 of Demon Dating Service

Luke dug his elbow into his knee and dropped his forehead into his hand. Why was he even wondering about something like that? What did it matter how they appeared? He needed to get out of there, right?

Right?

Except what he’d said to Azroth was the truth. They had been nice to him. They were the best roommates he’d ever had. Each of them had been thoughtful and funny. No one had threatened him or made him feel unsafe. Azroth even sent those crows to watch over him. Did leaving the house mean he would never see Atticus and the rest of the murder again?

Okay, the crows had been spying on him for the demons, but that didn’t mean they’d had to protect him.

What should he do now?

Well, the important thing was leaving his room and going to school. His first class of the day wasn’t for nearly two hours, but he was afraid to leave his room because that meant he could encounter one of the demons. It was a long walk from the top of the house to the front door. He wasn’t too proud to admit that he’d checked out his window to see if there was a way to climb to the ground using the different roofs, but with his luck, he’d break his neck climbing out his window.

No, he had to be brave.

They hadn’t tried to kill him, and he’d been living in the house for several weeks. It wasn’t likely they’d try now. Besides, if he moved quickly and quietly, he might be able to escape without anyone noticing him. Demons were like vampires, right? They probably slept during the day and were awake at night.

After telling himself that ridiculous lie, Luke slung his bag onto his shoulder and stood up on trembling legs. His breathing was ragged as he crossed the room and tiptoed down the stairs, skipping the one that creaked the worst. He clenched his teeth, pulled his door open, and screamed when he was greeted by the sight of Azroth on the other side.

Luke fell backward on the stairs, hitting his elbow on the railing and knocking his head on one of the steps. Stars explodedin front of his eyes, but after his vision cleared, he found the demon was still standing there with a weary frown on his lips.

“I even came here in my human form so I wouldn’t scare you,” Azroth stated in a disgusted voice.

“S-sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to be there. I thought the hallway would be empty.”

Azroth’s frown eased a bit. “Oh. That’s a good point. Forgive me.”

Luke blinked at him for a second, his brain still trying to comprehend that the demon had apologized to him. “Um…last night…you…you told me you’re a demon, right? I didn’t dream that.”

“Correct.”

Luke swallowed hard. “And the others…”

“Demons as well.” Azroth took a deep breath and released it. “That’s what I’ve come to discuss with you. Do you have a few minutes to chat before you leave for class?”

“I…um…” Luke stammered. He wasn’t sure his heart or brain could take another “chat” with the demon. His thoughts were shattered glass already, and he was sure he’d never be able to piece them together. Was Azroth trying to grind what remained to powder?

Sadly, the demon didn’t wait for an answer.

“Let’s talk in your room.” He took a step forward, and Luke loudly clambered to his feet. As he tried to adjust his bag on his shoulder, the strap ripped, but it didn’t tumble to the ground. Azroth’s hand shot out, and he caught it, pulling it the rest of the way from Luke.

“Hm. This ripped. I’ll mend it while we talk,” he announced, and Luke’s brain tapped out. The demon was scary and threatening, but also he was fixing Luke’s backpack. Nothing in this world would ever make sense again.

All he could do was climb the stairs with the demon trailing behind him. When he reached the attic, he stepped aside, allowing the demon to enter. Azroth’s attention was on the battered bag as a glowing black thread darted here and there across the thing. He wasn’t just mending the torn strap, but also the spot where the zipper was tearing from the bag and the hole that was steadily growing in the bag’s bottom. After less than a minute, Azroth handed the bag to Luke, and the thing looked brand-new.

“Whoa…” He exhaled. He stumbled to the bed and sat heavily on the edge of the mattress as he inspected the bag. “Th-thank you. That’s amazing.”

“It was nothing. I startled you, causing you to rip the bag. It was only fitting that I repair it.” Azroth replied. Luke looked up in time to see Azroth wave a hand at the empty spot across from the bed. A black leather high-back chair similar to what was in the library appeared in a curl of black and red smoke.

With a regal air, the demon sat in the chair and crossed his left leg over his right knee. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair, and he folded his hands in his lap. “I wish to discuss our living arrangement.”

Gulp…

“Do I need to leave today?”

“Not as long as we can come to an amicable living arrangement.”

“Oh.”

Azroth lifted a hand and motioned to Luke. “The point of renting a room to you was to relieve some boredom.”