Page 21 of Summoning Mr. Wrong (Hotter than Hell #1)

Morning came too quickly. I called in sick to work, unwilling to risk being absent when the enforcer arrived. Deus was unnaturally quiet, his usual banter and teasing absent as he made breakfast neither of us had the appetite to eat.

“When will they come?” I asked, pushing eggs around my plate.

“They don’t exactly keep appointment schedules,” Deus said, attempting a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Could be anytime. Could be—” Deus’s words cut off abruptly as the air in the apartment thickened, pressure building like the moment before a thunderstorm.

“Now,” he finished, standing quickly. “They’re coming now.”

The lights flickered, then went out completely. The temperature dropped several degrees, my breath suddenly visible in the air. A sound like tearing fabric filled the room, followed by a sensation of displacement, as if the air itself was being pushed aside.

Where our coffee table had been moments before, a figure now stood.

Tall and unnaturally thin, dressed in what looked like a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, the enforcer resembled a human only in the most basic sense.

Their skin was paper-white, their features too symmetrical to be natural.

Instead of tattoos, they had what looked like text scrolling continuously beneath their skin, lines of that same angular script I’d seen on Deus’s phone.

Most disturbing were their eyes—completely black, with no whites or pupils, like holes cut into the fabric of reality.

“Asmodeus,” the enforcer said, their voice oddly flat and layered, as if multiple people were speaking in perfect unison. “Contract verification proceeding as scheduled.”

Deus straightened, all traces of the relaxed, playful person I’d come to know vanishing behind a mask of formal deference.

“Enforcer Kobaamoch,” he acknowledged with a slight bow. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The enforcer’s black eyes shifted to me, and I fought the urge to step behind Deus. There was something profoundly wrong about that gaze, like being observed by something that fundamentally did not understand or value human life.

“The summoner,” Kobaamoch said, those eyes cataloging me with clinical detachment. “Approach.”

Deus gave me a small nod of encouragement. I stepped forward on legs that felt like jelly, stopping a few feet from the enforcer.

“State your name and the purpose of your summoning,” Kobaamoch instructed.

“Julian Moore,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected. “And I didn’t mean to summon anyone. It was an accident.”

The enforcer’s head tilted at an angle that shouldn’t have been physically possible. “Elaborate on this accident.”

I explained the TikTok ritual, the blood drop, how I’d been trying to manifest financial abundance, not summon a demon. Throughout my explanation, the text beneath Kobaamoch’s skin moved faster, as if taking notes.

“Interesting,” they said when I finished. “Accidental summoning through corrupted ritual. Uncommon but not unprecedented.” They turned to Deus. “Asmodeus, detail the favor you were contracted to perform.”

Deus shifted uncomfortably. “That’s part of the complication, Enforcer. The contract was non-specific due to the accidental nature of the summoning. I’ve been attempting to determine the exact parameters of the favor required.”

“Unacceptable,” Kobaamoch said, the temperature dropping further with their displeasure. “All contracts, regardless of summoning method, contain specific favor parameters. Access your contract memory.”

Deus closed his eyes briefly, his tattoos moving more rapidly.

“The favor appears to be related to the summoner’s desire for abundance, but not in the material sense he consciously intended.

My analysis suggests the contract requires me to fulfill an emotional lack—specifically, to help the summoner recognize his own worth and capacity for connection. ”

Kobaamoch was silent for a long moment, the text beneath their skin moving so quickly it was just a blur. “Unusual,” they finally said. “But consistent with the summoning conditions. Confirmation required.”

They turned those black eyes back to me. “Human. Has Asmodeus fulfilled this emotional function? Do you feel your worth has been validated? Your capacity for connection realized?”

The directness of the question caught me off guard. Had Deus fulfilled that function? In many ways, yes. He’d shown me I was worthy of care, of attention, of… love. He’d connected with me in ways I’d never experienced with anyone else.

But did I fully believe it? Did I trust that I deserved those things, that I could maintain them without him?

“I…” I hesitated, knowing the wrong answer could doom us both but unable to lie. “He’s helped me enormously. I feel more confident, more worthy than I did before he came. But I’m still… learning. Still growing into that belief.”

Kobaamoch’s expression didn’t change—couldn’t change, I realized, given the rigidity of their features. But the text beneath their skin slowed, then settled into a steady rhythm.

“Partial fulfillment detected,” they announced. “Insufficient for contract completion.”

Deus stepped forward. “Enforcer, I request an extension. The progress is clear, but the nature of emotional growth in humans is gradual. With additional time—”

“Extensions are not standard protocol,” Kobaamoch interrupted. “Particularly for contracts resulting from accidental summoning.”

“Please,” I said, surprising myself with my boldness. “This isn’t Deus’s fault. I’m the one who’s slow to change, to believe. If anyone should be punished, it’s me.”

Kobaamoch turned those unsettling eyes to me again. “Your willingness to accept consequences is noted, human. However, contract enforcement follows established procedures regardless of fault.”

They pulled what looked like an old-fashioned pocket watch from their suit jacket, consulting it briefly. “Standard resolution in cases of partial fulfillment is immediate recall of the contracted demon and implementation of the forgetting protocol for the human summoner.”

“No!” The word burst from me before I could stop it. “Please, you can’t make me forget him. I love him.”

The moment the words left my mouth, something strange happened. The air in the apartment seemed to vibrate, a high, clear note that wasn’t quite a sound but more a feeling. Deus gasped, his tattoos suddenly glowing with the same intensity they did during our most intimate moments.

Kobaamoch went completely still, the text beneath their skin freezing mid-scroll. “What was that?” they demanded, an actual emotion—surprise—breaking through their monotone.

Deus looked as shocked as I felt. “I think… I think that was the contract responding,” he said slowly. “Julian, say it again.”

“I love him,” I repeated, more confidently this time. “I love Deus.”

The vibration happened again, stronger this time. Deus’s tattoos blazed like the sun, so bright I had to squint. Even Kobaamoch took a step back, their perfect composure disturbed.

“Unexpected development,” they said, the layered voices in slight discord for the first time. “Reciprocal emotional bond detected. This alters the contract parameters.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, looking between Deus and the enforcer.

“It means,” Deus said, a note of wonder in his voice, “that the favor wasn’t just for me to help you recognize your worth and capacity for connection. It was for both of us to form a genuine bond.”

Kobaamoch consulted their strange watch again, then reached into another pocket and withdrew what looked like a small scroll. It unrolled itself in midair, text glowing and rearranging itself as they read.

“According to precedent,” they announced, “when a demon and human form a genuine reciprocal emotional bond—colloquially termed ‘love’ by humans—this constitutes a special class of favor fulfillment. The demon has provided the human with a connection beyond normal human experience, thus fulfilling the abundance of connection implied in the original summoning.”

Hope surged through me. “So the contract is fulfilled?”

“Not precisely,” Kobaamoch said, and my hope dimmed. “The fulfillment is conditional on the bond’s authenticity and durability. Testing is required.”

Before either of us could ask what that meant, Kobaamoch made a sharp gesture with one too-long hand. The air split open beside them, creating what looked like a tear in reality. Through it, I could see swirling colors and shapes that hurt my eyes to look at directly.

“Asmodeus,” Kobaamoch said formally. “You are hereby offered choice of resolution. Option one: return to The Between, contract marked as partially fulfilled, with standard penalties waived due to the unusual circumstances. The human will retain memories but with diminished emotional impact.”

Deus tensed beside me, his eyes fixed on the portal.

“Option two,” Kobaamoch continued, “remain in the human realm, contract marked as conditionally fulfilled pending review in one human year. During this period, you will retain most powers but be bound to within one hundred miles of the summoner. If the emotional bond dissolves before the review, maximum penalties will apply to both parties.”

I held my breath, hardly daring to believe what I was hearing. Deus could stay? For a year at least, possibly longer?

“I choose option two,” Deus said without hesitation. “I wish to remain.”

Kobaamoch turned those black eyes to me. “Human. You must also choose. Be aware that option two carries significant risk. If the bond proves false or temporary, the consequences will be severe for both you and Asmodeus.”

I didn’t need to think about it. “Option two,” I said firmly. “I want him to stay.”

“Very well.” Kobaamoch made another gesture, and the portal closed. They withdrew yet another object from their seemingly bottomless pockets—a small silver pin shaped like a figure-eight. “Asmodeus, your binding token. Keep it on your person at all times during the probationary period.”

Deus accepted the pin, attaching it to his shirt collar. The moment it touched him, it seemed to melt into his skin, becoming another tattoo among the many covering his body.

“The binding is set,” Kobaamoch announced. “Contract status updated to conditionally fulfilled. I will return in one human year for final evaluation.” They fixed those black eyes on us one last time. “Be advised: this arrangement is highly unusual. Many will be watching with interest.”

With that ominous statement, they simply… folded. There was no other way to describe it. Like paper being creased and folded smaller and smaller until they disappeared entirely, leaving no trace they had ever been there.

For a moment, Deus and I stood frozen, hardly daring to believe what had just happened. Then the lights flickered back on, the temperature returned to normal, and the spell was broken.

“Did that really just happen?” I asked, my voice sounding strange in the sudden quiet of the apartment. “You can stay?”

Deus looked as stunned as I felt. “It appears so,” he said, touching the new tattoo on his collar. “For a year at least. Possibly longer if…” He trailed off, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

“If we still love each other in a year,” I finished for him. “If this is real.”

“Is it?” he asked quietly. “Real, I mean. What you said—”

“I meant it,” I interrupted, stepping closer to him. “I love you. I didn’t realize it until I was faced with forgetting you, but it’s true. I love you, Deus.”

The vibration happened again, subtler this time but definitely there. Deus’s tattoos glowed briefly in response.

“That’s the contract magic,” he explained, wonder in his voice.

“It responds to truth. To genuine emotion.” He took my hands in his, those amber eyes more intense than I’d ever seen them.

“I love you too, Julian. I think I have almost since the beginning, though I didn’t want to admit it even to myself.

Demons aren’t supposed to fall in love with humans. It complicates everything.”

I laughed, the sound slightly hysterical with relief and lingering adrenaline. “I’d say things are already pretty complicated.”

“True.” His smile was brighter than I’d ever seen it. “But now we have a year to figure it out. Together.”

He pulled me into his arms, and I went willingly, fitting against him like I was made to be there. His kiss tasted like hope and promise and a future I hadn’t dared imagine.

When we finally broke apart, both breathless, a thought occurred to me. “Wait, Kobaamoch said you’d retain ‘most powers.’ What does that mean? What did you lose?”

Deus frowned slightly, concentrating. He waved a hand toward the kitchen, presumably attempting to telekinetically retrieve something. Nothing happened.

“Hmm,” he said, looking more amused than concerned. “Telekinesis is out. Let me try…”

He closed his eyes briefly, and his appearance shifted—the horns disappeared, his eyes changed to that normal hazel color he’d used around my parents. “Glamour still works, good.” He shifted back to his true appearance with a blink.

“What about the tattoos?” I asked, touching one that swirled lazily on his forearm. “And the… energy thing?”

A slow, wicked smile spread across his face. “Only one way to find out, isn’t there?”