Page 11 of Dating the Dealing Demon

“We?” She slowly backs into the bookshelves, trying to flatten herself against them and failing. “You’re a demon?”

“You’re missing the bigger point. I lured you here to open the portals and send your friends through to their matches.” My chest goes tight with how terribly fucked up today has gone. Iwas supposed to send the women on their way and then collect my Bonetti who’s even more alluring in person than on screen. It should’ve been easy and done.

I would be one simple seduction away from levelling up my magic enough to keep the throne even after my father’s mental slips become public. Or after the rest of hell realizes we’ve kept quiet the fact that portals have been opening—no demon royal necessary. What’s our purpose if anyone can bridge the dimensions? Royal blood would mean nothing. The crown would be worthless. Without a monarch, hell would descend into chaos.

Speaking of chaos, Val moves in a wide circle around me, and light glints off the metal that shakes in her hand. “All right, I listened to your insane story. Now, you’re letting me go find my friends and get out of here. Hand over any footage and tell my mom we never made it to the pretend tour. Or I’ll ruin any chance you have of making it in show biz.”

“I’ve no interest in your human entertainment.” I block her path—again. Stubborn woman. “I told you it isn’t safe. If one portal could open in this house, more can. I’ll figure out what happened to your friends, but first, I need to get you to safety.”

“To ship me off to my fated mate? Some stranger?” Sarcasm laces her tone, and the bitterness pisses me off. Worse, the idea of another taking her? Of another touching her? It makes my pulse race until I can barely hear over the rush of blood in my ears.

“You’remine.” The honesty rips from me on a snarl. “I’m done arguing.” I drop my glamour, revealing my true demon form.

She spritzes the hand sanitizer toward my eyes, then lunges at me with the letter opener, damn near stabbing me in the dicks. I wrap my tail around her wrist and force her arm back.

“That’s enough,” I snap. “You’re coming with me.” I teleport us, ripping through the dimensions to my home. “Welcome to hell.”

CHAPTER SIX

Val

Not only is Theo arrogant, insufferable, and rude, he’s also delusional and fits right in with my family’s brand of theatrical crazy. He’s completely controlling, has no respect for boundaries, and, with that pissed-off, alpha-male declaration ofyou’re minethat shouldn’t have made my skin heat and my nipples stand at attention as if saluting him, he’s obviously possessive.

He's the worst kind of sexy, dominating bastard.

Of course I’m attracted to him.

Or at least I was before he real-time CGI’d himself into a giant, scarlet-skinned demon with red eyes, horns, and wings. Okay, fine. Yes, in this form, he reminds me of a really hot villain in my favorite superhero action series, and I’m still staring at his muscles and the tiny scrap of fabric that covers his manhood, wondering if that got enhanced in size as much of the rest of him with the special effects transformation.

Maybe I’ll check. Or maybe I’ll clear my system of whatever hallucinogens must’ve been pumping through the library’svents. Or I will as soon as I get rid of this pounding headache, sudden vertigo, and nausea that has my stomach revolting.

What trippy awfulness did the show’s producers expose me to this time? Airborne LSD? Powdered scopolamine or Devil’s Breath? So I’m shit at brewing pretty lotions and I kill plants when I look at them, but I aced chemistry and forensic sciences so I know my psychedelics.

Nonna would’ve broken out the horned hand, burning sage, and pilfered holy water at the first sight of his red contacts or whatever the effects people used on his eyes.

“Now do you believe me?” Theo’s voice sounds the same. The identical gruff baritone of moneyed privilege and ivy league fantasies.

Don’t enable the psycho Hollywood wannabe, I remind myself.

“I believe you’rewaytoo deep into your method acting.” I stumble away from him, needing to clear my head of the spinning. How the heck did the show pull off a set change so fast? Did I black out and miss a few seconds of consciousness? “Nice digs,” I slur, attempting normalcy when dizziness crashes through me in a sickening spiral.

We stand—or rather he stands and I stagger about—in a beautiful living space that opens into a kitchen. Both could’ve been designed by a set decorator with an endless budget from the stainless-steel appliances to the spotless marble countertops and the museum-quality artwork. Then there are the plush couches that invite lounging. In fact, I think I’ll take a second and sit to see if the room will stop spinning. I sink into the butter-soft leather and pull a velvet throw blanket close.

I need to get a grip. For years, I’ve dealt with high-handed, overbearing assholes in Hollywood. A little charm and manipulation go a long way. But Theo? He brings out the absolute worst of my temper. I don’t even bother checking myviolent tendencies. Never before today have I almost stabbed a man. Damn, what was I thinking?

Theo looms over me, still not giving up this banana-pants charade. “I yank you through an interdimensional portal and you still don’t believe me?”

“Nope.” I pop thepto keep the upper hand in the situation. And the nachos I ate earlier down.

He growls at me. An honest-to-god growl—holy shit, the man would make millions of panties drop if he hit social media with that sound—before hevanishes.

“Okay.” I stagger toward the illusion and swipe my fist where he stood, expecting to find a green screen background. But there’s nothing. Dropping the letter opener and hand sanitizer spray I’ve been clutching like lifelines, I go to my knees and search the floor for a trap door. No luck. “What the actual f?—”

Theo blinks back into existence, wings and all. Except this time, he brought a she-demon along. Or at least I assume she’s ashegiven the breasts beneath the heavy cream smeared on her neck, the sheet mask covering her face, and the messy bun between the horns on her head.

She shrieks likeI’mthe scariest one in the room. The next instant, a petite woman with light brown skin, perfect brows, and shiny purple hair in a chic pixie cut replaces her. “Oh my purgatories and puppies, Theo.” She smacks him in the arm with the back of her hand. “You teleported me here without my glamour to meettheVal Bonetti. You are the worst brother in the entire universe.” She bounces on her toes. “Or the best becauseahh! Val Bonetti! In person!”

I glance from the woman’s sparkling sneakers to Theo who’s still rocking the wings, claws, and is that a tail? Reality hits and sobers me. “You honestly brought me to hell?”

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