Page 16

If anyone told me a couple of weeks ago that I would be falling for a demon-turned-human girl who was responsible for my best friend’s early demise, I would have either laughed myself to death or punched them in the face. But here we are.

Life with Daphne has been strangely comfortable. I spend my days slogging away at the office and coming home to her and her daily cuisine experiments, which have been, for the most part, culinary marvels. She definitely has a knack.

We spend the evenings sipping wine and talking over movies, blissfully procrastinating the research we need to do about my contract. Most nights, we go to bed around eleven but don’t sleep for close to an hour. That’s our fun time, and man, is it fun.

I’m exhausted, though, not the young buck I once was. She wants to go out tomorrow and see more of the city, so I’m trying to come up with a plan as we sip wine on the couch.

“You look stressed,” Daphne says, setting her glass on the coffee table. “Is everything alright?”

I run my hand through my hair. “Don’t mind me. I’m usually pretty burned out by Friday night. But I’m fine. I was just trying to figure out where to take you tomorrow.”

She claps her hands, bouncing like a schoolgirl. “I’d really love to see Central Park if that could happen. And maybe eat lunch at Brechon Fire? I’ve read that it’s one of the best restaurants in the city, and I'm dying to try their foie gras.”

She really cracks me up. “Foie gras at Brechon Fire?”

She nods excitedly, with a wide, cheesy grin on her face and her hands clasped together as if in prayer.

Reaching to snatch my cell off the table, I chuckle at her enthusiasm. “I’ll call them now and see if we can even get a table. Might be impossible, for a Saturday lunch on such short notice, but I will try.”

“Thanks, Max,” she almost shouts as she crosses her fingers, dramatically waving them in the air as I look up the number.

“Found it,” I say, but then my eye catches a sudden flickering orange glow on the floor in front of the television. “What the…”

Daphne and I pop to our feet and watch in horror as the glow spreads into a perfect circle of dancing flames.

My mind fights to rationalize what I am seeing.

It doesn’t seem possible for a perfect ring of fire to form on my floor.

I don’t see or smell any smoke either, which is adding to my bewilderment.

I shake my head, snapping myself into action.

“I’ll get the extinguisher, and you call 9-1-1! ”

“No,” Daphne says calmly, “we aren’t in any danger.”

“What the hell are you talking about? The damn building is on fire!”

“Just watch,” she says, nodding toward the flame circle, and I reluctantly obey. “We are about to get an out–of–this–world visitor. And it’s not a good thing.”

I move beside her and take her hand as we watch a spiral of the blackest smoke form in the center of the ring, turning and growing, until the circle is filled completely with solid darkness.

My heart threatens to break out of my chest, and I feel like I should do something, but I don’t know what. “What’s going to happen, Daph?”

Just as my words escape, a vortex of red flame blasts straight up from the blackness, slightly scorching my face, as I raise my hand to shield my eyes from the extreme brightness and heat. But the tower of flame drops back down onto the circle, leaving something of nightmares behind as it descends.

Standing before us is a creature shaped like a tall, bony man.

His skin is charred and filled with cracks of molten lava, like he’s been made from hot coals.

His eyes burn with fire, and his mouth is a gaping black hole.

This thing can only be a demon from hell.

The air feels like it’s been sucked out of the room and I struggle to breath.

My stomach churns and my legs wobble, like all of the strength has run out of me.

“Shax,” Daphne says, squeezing my hand tighter. “I humbly request you present in human form.”

The creature releases a deep vibrational groan, which only makes my head spin more.

“Please,” Daphne pleads. “You will give him a damn heart attack.”

With a dizzying swoosh, a human man is standing where the demon was just a moment before, and my body returns to a normal state of equilibrium, although my heart still pounds with anxiety about what may be coming.

The uninvited man is average-looking in every way. He’s a touch shorter than I am, slightly pudgy, with thinning brown hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. His new appearance is about as intimidating as your average insurance salesman, but I still feel very threatened by his presence.

“Sit down, the two of you,” he snaps in a surprising Brooklyn accent that only bewilders me further. “You’ve caused a heap of shit with the Legion, Daphneus. I haven’t seen things so chaotic in the Council Hall since WWII.”

“I didn’t break any rules,” she says. “I just bargained my way out of…

“You stupid fool,” he interrupts, spitting in anger. “Did you think Lucifer would take lightly to being outsmarted by a common scum? Asmodeus is in a rage, too. As Captain, he’s being held responsible for your stupid escapade.”

“So why are you here?” Daphne asks, surprising me with her brave demeanor. “If I didn’t break the rules, I don’t understand what you have come for.”

They glare at each other, and I am still too frazzled to speak, which is fine because I am beyond confused by this whole mess.

“That’s the thing about hell,” Shax says, an evil grin playing at the corners of his lips. “New laws and amendments can be made within the will of Lucifer and the great Council.”

“New rules wouldn’t apply to me,” Daphne says, sounding strong, but her eyes flicker with doubt.

“That is where you are wrong,” he says, bobbing his head like a patronizing jerk. “The council has agreed to make the new laws…oh what’s that word again… retroactive .”

“What!” Daphne yells and jumps to her feet as dread fills my guts while I helplessly watch as everything comes undone for her. “You can’t make me go back!”

“Oh, but we can,” he teases, examining his fingernails as if he’s no longer interested in the situation. “And you will restart your hundred-year commitment as punishment.”

“No,” Daphne wines and crumbles to the floor. “Please, let me stay. Please help them reconsider.”

“Oh for fuck sake, stop groveling,” he snaps.

“It won’t help you. You should be grateful they are being so lenient on you.

If it were up to me, you'd be in the trenches for eternity.

Lucky for you, they believe you did a decent job as the American crossroads demon, so they think it's best if you resume your old post.”

She is sobbing now, clawing at his feet. “There has to be a way to change this.” Her pleading breaks my heart into tiny pieces, and I wish I knew how I could help instead of just sitting here. I am mortified as he kicks her hands away.

“I guess there is one bit of silver lining for you,” he says as she sits up and drags her sleeve across her face.

“What’s that?”

“Your little man here,” he says, pointing at me, “is out of his deal.”

“What?” I ask, shocked by his unexpected announcement.

“Yup, cupcake. Null and Void. Like it never happened. But don’t get any ideas of trying this shit again. There is only one way to free a crossroads demon. That, according to Lucifer, is of the oldest magic and will never change.”

“What is the one way?” I ask, slowly finding my courage.

He laughs in an obnoxious tune. “There’s not a cold chance in home, I would tell you that. Think I want to be demoted to the trenches. Took me three centuries to be as important as I am now. I’ve got thirty demons under my command. I won’t risk that by helping you. You’re nothing to me.”

I nod and glance over at Daphne. Her head is down, but the way her shoulders are shaking, I know she is crying. This is another crossroads I wasn’t expecting.

Shax clears his throat loudly. “The new retroactive law goes into effect in a fortnight, under the highest point of the next full moon. I suggest you are at the crossroads portal then. If we have to send someone for you, I suspect you will have home to pay. You understand?”

Daphne raises her head and catches my eye before turning back to face him. “I understa…

In another sudden rush of hot flame, he is gone.

I move to Daphne and wrap my arms around her as she silently sobs. “We still have time. We can find a way.”

“I doubt it,” she stammers. “We barely have two weeks.”

I shift myself in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders and stare firmly into her pooling eyes. “We'd better start on the research right now, then. I’ll get the papers. You put on some coffee.”

She takes a deep breath and nods. “Okay. But can you still try to get us a lunch reservation for tomorrow?”

She is something else. “Sure. I can try.”

“Good,” she says, pushing to her feet. “If I have to go back to hell, there are a few things I’d like to do before I go.”

“And eating foie gras is one of them?” I can’t help but chuckle, despite my emotional exhaustion.

“At Brechon Fire? Yes.”

I guess this is very important to her. Hopefully, I can get us a table.