Page 339 of Evil Hearts

“Yeah.”

“Does this happen a lot?”

The door opened, and he walked down the hall. “Not to me. I don’t work D and B anymore. Hate this shit.” He opened the conference room door and everyone was gathering their things to leave. There was no evidence that I had been here other than my purse in someone’s hand. They stopped and stared.

He snarled. “What I hate the worst is human sacrifices.”

“It’s the devil!”

“Not the devil.” Drazon waved his hand, and that person erupted in flames. The woman had the book in her hand, screaming words in another language. The book turned to flames, and she dropped it. Another person started praying. Drazon’s yellow eyes rolled. “You won’t get rid of me that way.”

Fire filled the room as Drazon incinerated every person who tried to sacrifice me for money and success. My heart raced as I stepped back into the hall. I slid down the wall while tears fell down my face as everything hit me at once. Moments later, Drazon stepped out of the room. My eyes drifted behind him, and I noticed the fires had been extinguished. He kneeled in front of me and touched my cheek.

“You probably need to eat. Let’s go. It will help the shock and trauma a bit.”

“Go where?” I whispered.

“My favorite restaurant.”

Drazon

Ipicked her upoff the ground and helped her stand. “They won’t hurt you anymore,” I whispered. “What state are we in?”

“Kentucky,” she whispered. “Can I go back to my place? I just want to get out of this outfit.”

As I stepped out of the elevator, I shimmered back into my human form. Her fingers tightened around mine as we walked back into the bright light of day. “It’s a sunny day.”

“My car is over there,” she whispered. “Tomorrow will probably be a dreary day. One bright day in oodles of haze and fog.”

“The sun in my world is more orange and red. Everything is awash in the colors of fire.”

“Weird. But it’s not hell?” she asked as she opened her car door.

“No, just a blip of a bubble universe where we live. There have been movements to take over your world. Probably more deals and bets to ensure your downfall.”

She stopped and looked at me as she buckled her seatbelt. “What?”

“Where do you think things like revelations come from?” I replied. “Where you fell was the Deals and Bets department. It’s the bureaucracy that means you humans can get what you want from us. I hate working there. I was there as a favor to a friend.”

“So the world will end?”

“Lucky for you, there are other demons who don’t want the world to end. Earth is a playground and humans are playthings. Deals and bets on top of others, constantly dueling. Everyone’s battling for their own space.”

We pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. My eyes drifted towards her and she was absentmindedly tapping her thigh. “I don’t think my roommate will be home. She’d probably flirt with you if she could. I mean, she could. It’s not like I own you or anything. I didn’t summon you or anything.”

I laughed as we parked, and she stepped out. “I feel like I need to burn this entire outfit. It’s not lucky anymore. It’s cursed,” she muttered, then sighed. “It was supposed to be a good job. We looked them up, and they looked decent. How was I supposed to know they were doing weird occult shit?” She opened the apartment door and led me inside.

“Humans are flawed,” I said as I sat on the couch. Vena walked past me and down the hallway.

“It’ll be a few minutes.”

“You don’t have to burn your outfit. It looks nice on you.”

“Too bad. I don’t want to think of this day ever again. What would have happened if your friend Venus had been there?” she asked from her room.

I paused before laughing at her error. She was right. I don’t know what Veux would have done, but she may not have killed the entire coven. “Veux—not Venus—would not have saved you. Today was your lucky day.”

“I almost died. Or was I sold into sex slavery?” She stepped out of the bedroom in leggings and an oversized red tee shirt. A few stray strands escaped her half-ponytail, brushing against her cheek as she moved. Her green eyes were wide with unshed tears as worry etched her face. “What would have happened to me?”

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