Page 52 of Demon Dating Service
Luke was going on a date with Matteo!
Plans for chaos at the mall would have to wait. He could always torment the humans later.Theirhuman needed their help if he was going to have the perfect date.
Azroth hurried into the house, slamming the door behind him.
“Wake up! Stop your lollygagging in bed. I’m calling a household meeting in the library!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs as he stomped through the house.
To no one’s surprise, Ogos was already in there, the daily newspaper spread out in front of him. He lazily lifted his eyes to Azroth, looking utterly annoyed that their leader was making such a racket before sunset.
“What has your panties in a twist now?” Ogos asked. He pressed a glob of his body to the corner of the paper and turned the sheet, moving on to another story.
“The crows have brought news about Luke.”
Ogos paused and gazed up at Azroth again. “Good news? Or news that we get to kill other humans?” He shifted his body as if he were cocking his head to the side. “Which, in a way, could be seen as good news as well.”
“We’re not killing anyone…right now.”
“Torturing?”
“No.”
“Not even a little light torment? Paper cuts? Nightmares? Stealing all the fucking toilet paper?Something!You’ve got to give me something. We haven’t tortured a soul in so long.”
Azroth stopped his pacing and stared wide-eyed at Ogos. The demon was usually so composed, but he had a point. They hadn’t run amok for a while. Maybe they were overdue. After they got through their next mission with Luke, he would have to plan an outing. Possibly to an office building. Those dead-eyed drones could use some excitement in their lives, and it would help shake off some of their restlessness. Kill some computers before they had a chance to save their work. Steal all the coffee filters, break all the printers, and turn off the Internet. Petty tricks to break their spirits.
“I think we can arrange a field trip for everyone very soon,” Azroth murmured.
“We’re going to have an outing?” Bath’tuk asked as he entered the room, followed closely by Mullmag and Annod. Togshuffled in, with his meaty hands balled into fists, looking sulky and grumpy. Yes, an outing was definitely in order for them.
“Soon. The important thing is that I heard from the crows. Luke and Matteo have begun planning their first date together,” Azroth announced, fighting the urge to clap his hands in his excitement.
“Already?” Bath’tuk gasped.
“Of course, already! Luke is the best,” Tog sniped as he threw himself in a chair. The piece of wooden furniture creaked and groaned under his weight, but it held up thanks to stubborn determination and magic.
“It hasn’t been that long since their first kiss. Matteo obviously wants another, and the best way to get that is on a date,” Mullmag added.
“Kissing and a whole lot more,” Ogos chimed in, and Azroth couldn’t argue. The way things were going, it wasn’t hard to believe that Luke was about to claim his heart’s desire.
“I do have one concern,” Azroth admitted. He paced to the tall wingback chair that he usually sat in and gracefully draped his long, thin body over it. “Luke is very cautious by nature and moves slowly. I worry he might need a little…help…anudgeto keep things progressing in the right direction for him and Matteo. We wouldn’t want Matteo to suddenly question the depth of Luke’s feelings for him simply because Luke’s reluctant to put them into words.”
“Oh, fuck,” Ogos moaned. “You want to meddle with his date?”
“No! Not meddle.” Azroth paused and licked his lips as if trying to get a taste of the right word prior to speaking. “Help. We need tohelphim.”
“And did Luke ask you for this help?”
“Luke doesn’t need to ask for our help. We’re his friends. Of course, we’re going to jump in and assist him in this criticalhour of need.” Ogos opened his mouth to continue arguing, but Azroth whipped a hand up in the air, halting his words. “Were you not the demon complaining just minutes ago that you had nothing to occupy you?”
Ogos’s mouth snapped shut, and his gelatinous body shuddered in a series of green waves. “True. What kind of help did you have in mind?”
A smirk twisted the corners of Azroth’s thin lips higher. That was better. The other demons had taken up spots around the room, silently hanging on his every word, waiting to see how things would fall out.
“I have the crows following Luke and watching Matteo. If they make some official plans for a date, they will report back. The initial discussions are dinner and a movie. Ogos,” he snapped, pointing his finger at the green blog who’d abandoned his newspaper. “If they go to a nice restaurant, it will be your job to clear out the diners. You ensure Luke and Matteo have the very best, most romantic table in the entire restaurant.”
“How am I supposed to know what the best table is?”
“That’s easy. If the place is empty, they will choose where they wish to sit.” Obviously. There was no reason to make this more difficult than necessary.