Page 14 of Letters to Satan

He scoffs, refusing my logic. “They should realize anything with… candy stripes and, and…heartswould not be coming to me.”

“What is the other option, then? Would you rather the letters be opened before delivered?”

Horror flashes across his face. “Absolutely not!”

“Why not, Damien?” I ask, teasing my fingers over his thigh. “What sort of letters are you getting that you’d be so afraid of others reading? Weekly deliveries from World of Porn?”

Despite his best efforts, he can’t conceal the grin trying to overtake his lips. “Don’t judge me when I’m ordering holiday specials for the occasion. ‘Tits a Wonderful Life’ and ‘I’ll Be Homo For Christmas,’ and my personal favorite…”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” I mutter.

“Ho ho ho, Santa’s Gonna Blow.”

I snort a laugh and he lets his grin spread, shoulders shaking as he laughs with me. “Are those classics by CharlesDickens?”

He whirls to face me, a thrilled expression on his face as my hand tenses on his leg. “Look at that! He jokes… heactuallyjokes.”

“I’ll have you know I’m hilarious when I choose to be.”

“You just never choose to be?”

“Insolent little shit,” I mutter, and his smile twists to a smirk as my fingers drift up his spine, stopping at the nape of his neck. “Has anyone ever put you in your place?”

“Oh, please, like they could tame me.” His chin tilts up in an obvious challenge, and my tongue slides between my lips as his eyes dart to watch. “But I’dloveto see you try.”

His hand presses against my chest as he leans in, his face so close I could count the constellation of maroon freckles that speckle his cheeks. Breath dancing over my lips, he freezes just a millimeter away, and my inhibitions disappear when his eyes flutter closed. My fingers flex around his neck as I draw him in, and then a sudden, booming knock causes us to pop apart.

Xalreth charges into my office, furious as he stares at Damien perched on my lap. “What the fuck is going on in here?” he bellows. Cadbury is directly behind him with wide eyes, like he followed him with absolutely no clue how to intervene.

My back straightens as I sit taller, but Damien remains lazily slouched against me as I narrow my eyes. “Not that it is any of your business,demon,but we were brainstorming this issue with the mail.”

His lip pulls into a sneer, gesturing at the highly inappropriate way we’re cozied up in my chair. I tighten my grip on the back of Damien’s neck, my fingers grazing the sensitive spot behind his ear,and Xalreth’s snarl rips up further as Damien tilts his head up, exposing his throat to me.

A tiny smirk plays on my lips at the show of jealousy, wondering what he’d do if I dragged my tongue up that slender neck while he watched. “Would you like to join us for this conversation, Xalreth? I’m sure you’d have some very helpful input.”

For a few tense seconds, he fumes in the doorway, before he wipes away his frustration and enters the room. Poised and in control, he smooths his hands over his pants and takes a seat opposite me. His eerie black eyes stay fixed on Damien. “Care to join me,sir?” He emphasizes the last word, glaring at his leader.

Damien stills in my lap and my fingers tense around his neck as I inch forward. “You may go sit,” I murmur in his ear, and he shivers against my touch before swallowing and rising from his perch on top of me. He takes a seat next to Xalreth, who hasn’t blinked once during our interaction.

My smile is more of a baring of my teeth as I lean on my elbows. “Now, gentlemen, where were we?”

Chapter 6

Damien

“What are we doing here, and why do we have to whisper?” Jujube asks, crossing his arms over his narrow chest as he hikes a brow at me. Unlike the other elves, he doesn’t shy away from maintaining eye contact with me. They’re terrified while he’s bored.

He must be half demon, I’ve decided.

I gesture around at the empty production room we’re standing in. The lights are off, making it hard to distinguish the faces of those gathered here. It increases the risk of a spy, or someonechanging their mind and running to tattle, but it can’t be helped.

Aside from myself, Xalreth, and Jujube, there’s a small grouping of elves who Jujube swears can be trusted to keep our secret. “We’re whispering because if Nik—” Xalreth’s black glare darts to me with a sneer, and I roll my eyes but rephrase. “If The Santa finds us here, he’s going to bePIZZAZZED.” The elves giggle and I narrow my eyes until they are quiet. “Unless we can use magic to shield this room from light and noise, we’ll have to work quietly in the dark.”

A particularly small female elf with blonde hair raises her hand from the rear of the group. I nod in her direction, and she clears her throat before speaking in her squeaky, high-pitched voice. “There are magical workers that could cast a dampening spell on the room, Mister Lucifer, sir.”

Thathas definitely caught my attention. “Intriguing… go on.”

“Well, er… it wouldn’t eliminate light and sound, but it would dampen it enough that during a normal day in the workshop, I don’t think anyone would notice.”

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