Chapter 17: Chapter 16

It was a demon. A living, breathing demon. The light red skin, short blood red maroon hair, black horns, a mouth filled with sharpened fangs, and thin tail that came to a sharp point drifting lazily behind it. All of those details were frightening enough on their own, but what scared Jason the most was something else entirely. The demon was a woman. She wore a black crop top who’s straps formed a cultish star across her collarbone. Her tantalizing midriff was exposed and Jason felt powerless to stop his eyes from following the gentle curve of her soft stomach down to the black short shorts that graced her lower half. Her legs weren’t nearly as defined as Jessica’s were, but they were similarly long and shapely. Jason’s gaze finally met the demon’s gaze and what he saw sent a new wave of shivers down his spine. The demon had one completely black eye while the other was a deep shade of red. Both of which had white pupils that studied Jason curiously.

“So.” The woman’s voice sounded like velvet, sultry and smooth. “Shall we get down to business?”

A smirk appeared on her lips and she placed a single hand on her left hip.

“Um.” Jason unconsciously took a step backwards and bumped into one of his kitchen’s counters.

“Oh, a shy one are we?” The demon giggled and spun in place. “Shall we become better acquainted?”

Her eyes focused on Jason with an intensity that reminded him of a predator hunting its next meal. The demon sauntered over to Jason, her hips swaying from side to side, and she attempted to wrap her hands around Jason’s shoulders. Jason ducked under the embrace and skirted away. The smirk on the demon’s face faltered.

“Why are you playing hard to get?” She asked with slight perplexion. “Didn’t you call me here?”

Jason swallowed and nodded. “I did… but you see, I have a slight… condition… and I don’t know if it affects you at all but I’m not intending to find out.”

The demon frowned and her eyebrows scrunched together.

“A condition?” She placed a pondering finger on her chin.

“Oh! I get it!” The demon snapped her fingers and pointed at Jason excitedly. “You’re impotent! That’s why you want to make a deal!”

Jason’s face flushed a similar color to the demon’s own.

“No!” He shouted furiously.

The demon cocked her head to the side. “Oh. I really thought that was it.”

Jason studied the demon’s face carefully, now that she was busy trying to guess his real reason for summoning her. Though she had initially appeared to be much older, sophisticated, and… well, sexy, Jason now saw that she was much closer to his maturity level than he had originally thought. Though, he couldn’t really be sure, since he didn’t know if demons even aged.

“I called you here for information.” Jason explained.

The demon girl perked up. “Information? You don’t want to make a deal for power or anything?”

Her multicolored eyes appraised him up and down.

“You could probably do with a new look. You must have a hard time getting a girlfriend as you are.”

“Okay, first off, ow.” Jason folded his arms across his chest. “Second, should you really be insulting the person you want to make a deal with? That’s not a good business tactic.”

The demon’s eyes widened slightly and she brought a hand up to rub the back of her head.

“Ehehe.” She let out a hollow, embarrassed laugh. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“So.” The demon coughed slightly. “What’s this condition you’re so worried about?”

“I have… this ability, over women.” Jason explained.

The demon snorted but tried to hide it as another cough. Jason frowned. She pulled her hand away from her face but Jason noted the corners of her lips quivering slightly.

“Go on.” She prompted with a straight face.

Jason stared at her hard for a few moments before continuing. “For a few years now, if I ever come in physical contact with a girl. She becomes obsessed over me. They are driven insane and I don’t-”

“Ha!” The demon began laughing uncontrollably.

“I’m trying to explain my situation to you and I would appreciate it if you were a little more open minded!” Jason ground his teeth together. “Isn’t this something you could make a deal and grant someone? Why is it so funny!”

The demon wiped a tear from her black eye.

“Sorry. Sorry.” She continued to hold back her laughter. “It’s just, if someone like you really had this power, what are you talking to me for?”

She made a broad sweeping gesture towards the front door. “Why aren’t you out there, drowning in women throwing themselves at your feet?”

“As I was saying.” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Girls I come into contact with are driven insane. Like full on psychopath insane. They will kill each other, anyone who comes near me, and, given enough time, me.”

“Ah. I see.” The demon hopped up and sat on the counter across from Jason. “Wouldn’t it be fun though?”

Jason shook his head. “I’d like to live a full life with someone who genuinely likes me for who I am and doesn’t want to carve out my heart. I don’t want to live a life constantly asking myself if my girlfriend or wife is only with me because magic, or whatever you creatures use, is keeping her there.”

The demon girl rolled her eyes. “Well. That’s just boring.”

“Maybe for you.” Jason snapped. “But I for one would like nothing more than to find genuine love. Not this artificial, maniacal obsession.”

“Well, let’s see what you’re suffering from then.” The demon hopped down from the counter and sauntered over to Jason once more.

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“What are you doing?” Jason asked, backing away.

“You really think I would fall for something my colleagues placed on you?” She laughed and lifted hand towards him.

The demon wagged her finger and made exaggerated noises with her mouth. “Oh no! Here it comes!”

Jason stopped, took a deep breath, and let her finger make contact with his forehead. She was probably right. It would make sense that whatever power drove humans to pursue him wouldn’t affect another demon. Jason winced when he felt the warm prodding finger land on his skin. The demon smirked at his reaction and opened her mouth to make another remark when Jason watched her freeze. The broad confident grin slowly sank from her face and a troubled expression replaced it. The demon brought her entire hand up to his forehead, like she was checking his temperature, and held it there.

“What is it?” Jason felt a bead of sweat form on the back of his neck.

“I, um…” She faltered. “I guess you weren’t lying.”

Her eyes fell to the floor and she brought her other hand to her chin as she fell silent. Jason expected her to pull her hand away but she kept it in place.

“This… complicates things.” She sighed. “What you were given is far more powerful than anything I am capable of. If my hunch is right, which I’m almost certain it is, the person who gave you this gift was none other than the boss man himself.”

Jason felt his eyes widen. “Boss man? You don’t mean…”

The demon nodded. “Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to remove something this powerful.”

“I see.” Jason paused for a moment. “Do you still need your hand there?”

The demon blinked in confusion. She looked up and realized her hand was still planted firmly against Jason’s forehead. Her already red skin went a shade darker.

“I-i-idiot!” She pulled away quickly. “I was just sensing your gift. That’s all. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Right…” Jason’s eyes narrowed at her flustered reaction.

The demon humphed and turned the other direction.

“So can you take me to him?” Jason leaned around the demon’s shoulder. “Your boss?”

“You really think someone like me can request an audience with him?” The demon snorted. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble but I’m a low demon on the sacrificial pike.”

“Is that right?” Jason asked smugly. “You sure sounded confident earlier.”

The demon scowled and bared her sharp teeth. “Should you really be insulting the person you have to make a deal with? That’s not a good business tactic.”

Jason blinked. “You can’t remove my curse and you can’t take me to your boss. What deal are we going to make?”

The demon shrugged. “That’s up to you, but the summoning is very specific. Once I’m here, I can’t leave until a deal is made.”

“What?” Jason pulled out his phone and frantically scanned the picture he took of the summoning research. “I never read anything about that!”

The demon turned away again, clearly annoyed. “Well, people don’t really summon demons unless they’re going to bargain. Why go through all of that effort for nothing.”

“What’s the price of a deal?” Jason asked.

She merely turned and shot him a knowing look.

“Right.” Jason sunk down against the kitchen counter. “My soul.”

For a fraction of a second, Jason thought he saw concern enter the demon’s eyes. It left so fast that he suspected he had simply misinterpreted the glare he was now receiving.

“I don’t want to make a deal like that.” Jason let out an empty laugh. “That would kind of defeat the purpose.”

The red shoulders rose and fell. “Well then. I guess I’ll have to stick around until you change your mind.”

Jason looked up in alarm. “What do you mean?”

The demon laughed and crouched down in front of him, her black and red eyes sparkling with glee.

“I’m Azremir.” She tilted her head to one side and smiled. “We’re going to get to know each other very well.”

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In a parked car a few blocks away, a phone buzzed with the arrival of a text message. The owner of the phone reached down and read the short paragraph of instructions.

The situation is approaching its critical phase. This is when things grow extremely dangerous. I don’t care what happens to anyone else. You keep him safe. If you can accomplish that without being seen, all the better, but his safety is paramount. Just remember what’s on the line and do your job. This will all be over soon. Don’t contact me unless absolutely necessary.