Page 3

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, still trying to process everything that had happened yesterday. The dark circles under my eyes were a testament to my restless night, spent tossing and turning as I replayed every moment with Aldaine.

"You summoned a demon," I told my reflection. "An actual demon. With a dollar store spell book." A hysterical laugh bubbled up from my chest. "And then you sold him your soul for a date to Stephany's engagement party. Way to go, Rosie."

The platinum credit card on my bathroom counter gleamed mockingly. Aldaine had pressed it into my hand before leaving, telling me to "dress appropriately" for the week ahead. I hadn't even looked at the credit limit, too scared of what I might find.

My phone buzzed on the counter, making me jump. Charlie’s face lit up my screen, and guilt immediately twisted my stomach. She'd been offering to let me move in with her for months now but my pride kept getting in the way.

"Hey Charlie," I answered, trying to sound more normal than I felt.

"Rosie Marie Thompson," Charlie's voice cracked through the speaker. "I just drove by your apartment building and saw the eviction notice on the door. Why didn't you tell me it had gotten this bad?"

I winced. "It's not that bad." Crap. The eviction notice? I hadn't even seen that yet.

"Not that bad? Rosie, you're about to be homeless! That's pretty fucking bad in my book. Pack your shit, you're moving in with me. No arguments."

"Actually," I picked up the credit card, running my thumb over the raised numbers. "I got a new job. And an advance on my salary."

The silence on the other end was deafening.

"What kind of job?" Charlie asked slowly. "Because if this is another sketchy Craig's List posting, I swear to all that is holy I will come and smack you."

"It's not!" I protested, then paused. Was selling my soul to a demon lord better or worse than that time I almost fell for a pyramid scheme? "It's complicated. But legitimate. Very legitimate." Right?

"Uh-huh." I could practically hear her brow raising. "And does this legitimate job have anything to do with the mysterious date you're bringing to Stephany's engagement party?"

Oh god. How was I going to explain Aldaine to Charlie? 'Hey, remember that demon-summoning spell we joked about last month? Well, funny story..'

"Sort of?" I squeaked. "He's, uh, my boss."

"Rosie!" Charlie screeched. "You're dating your boss? After what happened at your last job? "

"No! Well, not exactly. We're not really dating. He's just pretending. For the engagement party. It's complicated."

"Everything with you is complicated," Charlie sighed. "At least tell me he's hot."

The memory of Aldaine's demon form sent a shiver down my spine.

His skin, an unusual shade of dark magenta, was a stark contrast to the bright horns that adorned his head.

His sharp angles and fierce expression were enough to make anyone cower in fear, yet there was something oddly captivating about him.

His human form also left me breathless. With skin that seemed to soak in the light around him and eyes that were a deep, mesmerizing brown, he looked like he'd been sculpted to perfection. Just thinking about him made my mouth go dry and my heart race.

I shook my head, trying to clear the image from my mind. This wasn't the time to be daydreaming about a demon, no matter how attractive he might be.

"Rosie, are you still there?" Charlie's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry," I felt my cheeks flush. "I was just thinking." I managed to clear my throat. "He's hot." Sizzle baby, sizzle.

"Good. You deserve some eye candy after dealing with Stephany's bullshit. But this doesn't get you out of explaining everything to me. Dinner tonight?"

I looked at the credit card again. "I need to go shopping for the engagement party. Want to help me spend my boss's money?"

Charlie's squeal nearly deafened me. "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes. And you're telling me everything over lunch."

After hanging up, I leaned against the bathroom counter and closed my eyes. How the hell was I going to explain any of this to Charlie? 'Sorry bestie, can't tell you about my new job because my boss is literally from hell' ?

At least I wouldn't have to lie about one thing. Aldaine was definitely hot as hell. Pun absolutely intended.

I had just finished getting dressed when Charlie's signature horn blast, three quick honks, echoed from the parking lot.

"Coming!" I yelled out my window, though I knew she couldn't hear me. I grabbed my purse, the credit card burning a hole in my wallet, and took a deep breath. Charlie was my best friend. If anyone would understand summoning a demon out of desperation, it would be her.

Right?

Right.

I locked my apartment door, wincing at the bright orange eviction notice that was indeed plastered across it. Wonderful. Nothing says "I've got my life together" quite like being kicked out of my home.

Charlie was leaning against her old Volkswagen Beetle, her blue-streaked black hair pulled into a messy bun. She took one look at my face and crossed her arms.

"Spill it, Thompson. What's really going on?"

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward my apartment. "Inside. You need to be sitting down for this."

"Okay, now I'm worried," Charlie followed me up the stairs. "Did you join a cult? Because I love you, but I am not wearing a robe and dancing under the moon."

"No cult," I unlocked my door again. "But you have to swear on your entire hair products that what I'm about to tell you stays between us."

Charlie's eyes widened. We both knew her hair products were her most prized possession. "Holy shit, this is serious."

"Swear it, Charlie." I closed the door behind us and faced her. "To the grave."

"I swear that whatever you're about to tell me dies with me." She plopped down on my worn couch. "Now tell me before I explode."

I paced in front of her, wringing my hands. "Remember that spell book we found at the dollar book store last month? The one about summoning demons?"

"Yeah, we joked about it. " Charlie's jaw dropped. "No. Fucking. Way."

"I was desperate!" I threw my hands up. "The eviction notice was coming, I couldn't find a job, and Stephany called about this stupid engagement party!"

"You tried to summon a demon?" Charlie interrupted, leaning forward. "Did it work?"

I stopped pacing and faced her. "That's the crazy part. It shouldn't have worked. He said it was impossible without knowing his true name, but somehow I managed to drag him here anyway and got a job out of it."

"He?" Charlie's brows shot up. "Your mysterious hot boss is a demon? An actual demon from hell?"

I nodded, sinking into the armchair across from her. "His name is Aldaine. He's some kinda demon lord? And I may have sold him my soul in exchange for being my date to Stephany's engagement party and helping me with my financial situation."

Charlie stared at me in silence for a full minute. I started to worry.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Only you," she wheezed between laughs, "would accidentally summon a demon lord and convince him to be your fake boyfriend."

"It's not funny!" But I was fighting back a smile. When she put it that way, it did sound ridiculous. "I sold my soul, Charlie!"

"To a hot demon who's going to help you show up Stephany at her own engagement party," Charlie wiped tears from her eyes. "Honestly? Worth it."

"You believe me?" I asked softly. "You don't think I'm crazy?"

Charlie reached over and squeezed my hand. "Rosie, I've known you were crazy since freshman year when you put purple dye in Stephany's shampoo for stealing your boyfriend. But this?" She gestured around. "This is a whole new level of crazy, even for you. And I'm here for it."

Relief flooded through me. "So you'll help me shop for appropriate 'demon lord's fake girlfriend' clothing?"

"Are you kidding?" Charlie jumped up, pulling me with her. "This is the best thing that's ever happened! We're going to make you look so hot, your demon boy won't know what hit him."