He’d definitely lost his appetite.
SIX
After he left Eden to her busy office-workings, Darrak was a bit surprised to see Stanley sitting at a table at Hot Stuff. Although it did make sense. After all, his brand-new fiancee worked behind the counter.
Two words: free coffee.
Stanley spotted Darrak and immediately turned to study the wall as if looking for a crack to crawl into.
“Relax,” Darrak said as he approached the nervous-looking man. Other than Stanley there were a half dozen other customers in the small, delicious-smelling cafe. “I come in peace.”
“Sure. Great.” Stanley ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Glad to hear it. Hey, Darrak, how are tricks?”
“Tricks are for kids. Or wizards.”
“Oh, right. You — you saw Maksim earlier, didn’t you?”
“I did indeed. Believe it or not, he helped us. More than I even thought possible.”
“Thank God.”
“Or whomever.” Darrak cast a glance over at Nancy behind the glass counter filled with pastries, who in turn was sending a look of love and devotion toward Stanley. “So you and Nancy are tying the knot, huh?”
Stanley gripped his coffee mug tighter and leaned back in his seat. “We are.”
“Your idea or hers?”
“Mine.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were that into her.”
“Things change quickly. I love her. I know it’s crazy and fast, but that’s just the way it is. I’m an old- fashioned guy.”
“I never would have thought it.”
“Maybe you should do the same with Eden.”
Darrak frowned. “What?”
Stanley shrugged. “Ask her to marry you. Why not? I get the feeling you’re into each other.”
That was a thought. A completely insane — if vaguely intriguing — thought. Ask Eden to marry him? Stanley had been drinking one too many espressos today.
“Not so sure about that, but thanks for your opinion.”
“When I found the right girl, I knew I’d want to spend the rest of my life with her. Whammo. That girl is Nancy. And here we are.”
“Here we are.”
“I’m going to leave.” Stanley cast a plaintive look toward the exit.
“Don’t go on my account.”
“Oh, no. This has nothing to do with you. I, uh, have a bunch of things I need to take care of.”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Stanley. Seriously. Just chill. What’s your problem, anyway?” Darrak was starting to get a complex. If he wanted someone to be scared of him, then that was one thing. A flash of talon or horn from his demonic visage usually did the trick. But this was… weird.
So much for making friends and influencing people without even trying. This was more like terrorizing and traumatizing.
“I don’t want to go to Hell,” Stanley blurted out. “I’ve done some bad things in my life, but now that I’ve found Nancy, I’ve found a reason to redeem myself. Spending time with… well, with
Darrak took a seat across from him. “You think I have any pull down there anymore?”
“You’re a demon.”
“Uh… yeah. And your point?”
“I know you’re not dragging anyone’s ass to Hell at the moment, but that might change at any time.”
Interesting point. There was a time, not so long ago, that Darrak had been convinced that this was temporary, this humanity that infused him, making him feel guilty about anything remotely demonic he did. He’d been certain once the curse that destroyed his original form was broken, when he was able to reform himself on a permanent basis, his old ways would return in full force.
But that wasn’t going to happen. He had it on very good authority.
Darrak was a changed man. A demon with morals.
Which obviously sucked for way too many reasons to count.
He tried not to think about it. Accepting it was not something he was ready to do yet, but he’d have to eventually.
The main problem was that morals got in the way when it came to life in the proverbial basement. It wasn’t such a nice place, depending on how you looked at it, but from a normal demon’s eyes, it was business as usual. If Darrak returned to the pit with his new outlook on life, he might start trying to rescue the damned souls who’d been sent there. The ones that screamed the loudest, anyway. That sound wouldn’t be quite as melodic anymore. It would actually bother him to hear anyone in agony like that, whether they deserved it or not.
Maybe he’d just try to steer clear of the main hot spots. So to speak.
As if going back to Hell was even an option for him. What a laugh. As soon as he stepped foot anywhere within the Netherworld, he’d be exposed for what he was — a freak of nature. He was now an outcast, a hybrid, a demon with humanity and a bit too much celestial energy he’d digested, thanks to Eden, that he needed to burn off before he could go anywhere near Hell again undetected.
What a mess.
Quite honestly, the only thing keeping him from gnashing his teeth, or whatever, about this situation was Eden.
He knew the love he felt for her weakened him, made him less of a demon. And the craziest thing was he really couldn’t care less. He’d never experienced something like this before. Ever. And it made him… happy.
At least, when it wasn’t making him completely miserable.
Hmm. That might be a good idea, actually.
He heard somebody whimpering. He looked up from his thoughts and realized he had Stanley’s wrist in a death grip. He let go immediately, no harm done.
“Hey, baby!” Nancy called over from the counter. “Everything okay over there?”
“Oh… yeah. No problem. Just chatting with Darrak.”
“Cool! Darrak you want another donut?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Darrak said.
Nancy sent another shiny smile their way before she moved to answer the phone.
Darrak cast a look at the man tensely sitting across from him. “Look, Stanley, listen to me and I want you to hear the words coming out of my mouth. I’m not going to hurt you, maim you, eviscerate you, or otherwise bother you. I am not going to kill you and drag your soul to Hell. I do not like green eggs and ham. Et cetera. Get it through your head.”
Stanley frowned. “So you’re being totally serious with me. The rumors are true that you’ve changed.”
“Uh-huh. Wait, you’ve heard rumors?”
He shrugged. “A few from, uh,
Darrak grimaced. Another mark against him that made him feel like less than his once-powerful self. “Perfect timing.”
