Page 18 of How Not to Date an Angel

The demon pulled out a… clipboard?—clearing his throat as he prepared to read it.

Oh god, was this what Julian had always looked like? How annoying. He snatched the clipboard from the demon, eyes scanning the ancient paper beneath the metal bar.

“What happened to the scrolls?” Julian asked. This was a new development.

“The Seventh Devil’s doing, sir.”

“Galen?”

The messenger nodded. “He claimed it would help us blend in.”

Julian missed Galen something fierce just then. Galen was a lucky bastard, getting his promotion, using it to meet Maeve, visiting Earth whenever he wanted.

His new boss, Carl, was an asshole, but the promotion in temptations hadn’t been in Galen’s territory. So even if it meant leaving his friend, Julian had taken it anyway.

And it had landed him… here.

The words embedded themselves on the page as he watched.

ATTN: Julian

It has been more than twelve hours since we assigned the angel Ramiel to your temptations. Have you any updates?

Julian rolled his eyes and spoke at the scroll. “Twelve hours is hardly enough to do much more than annoy the angel, which, it turns out, is going quite well.”

More words burned themselves into the paper.

Are you in position to continue the temptation?

Julian swallowed what he really wanted to say, hands tightening on the plastic board. “I’m in place, as we discussed. I can handle it from here.”

You will be the first demon to ever tempt this angel.

Yeah, Julian knew that. When had demons started tempting angels, anyway?

Julian kept his thoughts to himself. “Okay, and?”

Due to the difficulty of the mission, we will accept your resignation, if you so choose.

“But it’s only been twelve hours,” Julian hissed. “I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet!”

Twelve hours was hardly enough time to do anything, let alone tempt an apparentlypureangel.

Do you wish to continue?

“What happens if I return?”

You will be added to the waitlist for temptations.

He’d been on the list for decades before now. Only demons who were successful in their temptations got to do another, so the list rarely shuffled. His gaze flicked to the current messenger, patiently waiting a few steps away, content to watch the humans pass at the end of the alley.

Julian didn’t want to return to Hell yet. He didn’t want to be a messenger, only catching glimpses of humanity—of Earth—and living vicariously through the internet. He wanted toexperienceit. He’d only just gotten here.

“And what if I’d like to continue the temptation?”

That is your prerogative. However, if you choose to stay and fail in your temptations, you will be demoted.

Julian’s chest went tight. “To what?”

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