The Demon in Me

“That’s right. I summoned the demon you call ‘Darrak’ and he helped turn me into a black witch. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“So he helped you,” Eden tried to reason.

Selina laughed. “Oh, that’s a very naive way to put what he did to me, but I think it’s kind of cute, actually. Helped me. Sure. Let me guess… he’s told you things about himself, hasn’t he? Maybe that he’s harmless? That he’s decent and respectful to humans? An all-around wonderful guy?”

Eden really didn’t like the condescending way she said it. “It was his job to hunt down those who escaped from Hell and bring them back so they wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

That earned another humorless laugh. “Oh, that’s priceless. Yes, there are demons who are given such assignments, but trust me, your Darrak wasn’t one of them.”

Eden felt weak and light-headed as if she was about to faint at any moment and fall to the floor, taking a pyramid of Curse That Creep hardcovers with her.

“I’m not trying to be cruel,” Selina continued, noting her stricken expression. “Not too much, anyhow. And I’m not evil like I’m sure he’s told you I am. I want to help you. You’re in a bad place right now. I’d have to be blind not to see that.”

“You have to break the curse and free him.”

She shook her head. “He’s too dangerous.”

“That’s funny. He said the same thing about you.”

Selina’s lips twisted. “Yeah, I bet he did. Poor thing. I know he can be very charming when he wants to be, can’t he? Did he happen to tell you how he has to break the curse if I won’t do it of my own free will?”

“No.”

Selina’s cheek twitched. “He would have to kill me with his bare hands and tear out my heart. Not exactly a walk in the park, is it? Although, since he’s incorporeal I don’t know how he plans to do that.”

“I need to sit down.”

Selina helped Eden back behind the table where she sat down on the chair. “I would understand if you don’t believe me right away, but what I’m telling you is the truth. Darrak’s an archdemon. Do you know what that is?”

Eden shook her head. “It doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s a demon of high rank and great power who answers to Lucifer himself. The archdemons gain their power from one of the four elements: earth, wind, fire, or water.”

“Isn’t that an R&B band from the 1970s?”

“Trust me. Not the same thing.”

“Fire,” Eden said then. “His eyes… when he’s mad they seem to be made of fire.”

“His eyes?” Selina repeated with confusion. “How can you see him? I destroyed his body.”

She looked up at the witch. “He… he can take solid form during the day.”

“That’s not good.” Selina slumped down in a spare chair next to Eden as if her own legs had given out. “And he looks like a man? Dark hair, blue eyes, tall, and…”

“Really hot?”

“That’s him.”

Eden nodded. “I asked him if that was his true form or if he used a glamour, but he wouldn’t answer me.”

“That should have been your tip-off that he was hiding a lot.”

“His first impulse is self-protection. He can’t control that.”

Selina shook her head. “He can control whatever he wants to. But he doesn’t want to. He’s selfish. All demons are.”

“An archdemon.” Eden rolled the word over in her mouth. It tasted as bad as it sounded.

Selina nodded. “Before he was promoted to archdemon, he was a lower-ranking demon — an incubus. That’s one of the reasons I chose to summon him. Incubi prey on women, stealing their energy to increase their own power. With a spell I cast, I was able to have him give me power instead. That’s what made me into a black witch.”

Eden didn’t want to hear anything else. She didn’t want to believe it, but she couldn’t block it out. Everything the witch said felt like the truth.

Darrak was a demon. And he was a bad one.

Because, duh, there weren’t any good demons, of course.

No. She still didn’t want to believe it. Selina could be lying to her. Even though it felt like the truth, it could still be lies.

“Darrak…” Eden managed after a minute. “He said if we don’t break the curse that keeps him bound to me then in a year I’m going to die.”

Selina’s eyebrows went up. “What do you know? He told you one truth. That’s got to be a record. You have a year — at the very most. He will drain your energy slowly but surely. That’s what demons do and why they need to be destroyed when they get too close to humans.”

Eden’s head was stuck in a cloud of confusion and denial. “But I don’t understand. If you summoned him and you got what you wanted, then why would you try to destroy him?”

Selina pulled one of her books off the pile and clutched it tightly as if it was a life preserver. “Defending myself against a dangerous demon who wanted me dead, mostly. Also because I realized what I did was wrong. That nothing I did, magical or not, would bring back my sister. Destroying an archdemon who’d stepped foot on human soil was to be my self-appointed penance. I tried. I failed.” She blinked. “And now you’re here with him during my signing. It’s been such a great week up until now.”

“Sorry to ruin it for you.”

Selina touched Eden’s hand. She tried not to flinch away. “You must let me destroy him for you. Since I’m the one who cursed him, I can do it while he’s dampened. There’s no other way.”

Eden moved away from her. “No.”

The witch’s eyes widened. “No? Haven’t I convinced you that I want to help you?”

Eden exhaled shakily. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. But… I’m not ready. Not right now. Not like this.”

“Then when?”

“I need to think.”

“Fine. But think fast.” Selina opened the book she’d been clutching and scribbled down a phone number on the title page. “I can’t force you to let him go. You need to do it of your own free will, otherwise it will probably kill you as well. I don’t want to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.” She touched her gray pendant. “Black magic isn’t my thing anymore. At all. And killing humans with magic would turn my soul completely black. Call me tomorrow. If not, I’m leaving and I won’t be returning.”

She pushed the book toward Eden. She took it.

“I don’t know…”

“You said he wouldn’t tell you the truth about his appearance,” Selina said.

“That’s right. And he wouldn’t tell me his true name, either.”

“Just like a man. Wouldn’t want to give his power to someone else. Might come back to bite him in the ass.” Selina smiled thinly. “It’s Darrakayiis.”

Eden was surprised. “What?”

“His true name. And a further reason to trust me because I’m sensing that you’re fighting that. I’m giving you this as a favor to show that I want to help you.”

It sounded like Dare-ah-KAI-iss.

She memorized it and tucked it away in her head. “Can I dampen him with this name?”

“Yes, but that would be overkill. Using his name will give you power over him, especially if he’s weakened. With the amount of psychic energy I feel from you, and his ties to you, you should be able to dampen his presence with a well-placed commanding thought. It’s really not that hard.” Selina ran her hands over her hair as if to neaten it. “I can’t hold this camouflage spell much longer. I’m a bit rusty using any higher level magic. So if you’ll excuse me.”