Page 16 of Magic and Mayhem

“Well, ask your questions, my dear.”

“How do you make things appear out of thin air like that?”

He lifts his palms, looking at his hands.

“I could go into fifth-dimensional physics, and the human science of how I can use my mind to affect my environment. I think the best way to explain it is that demons are one with the earth. We can manipulate it and craft technology with our minds. The elements bend themselves to our will because of our connection to them. In return, we feed them souls so that the circle of life can continue.”

I nod, appreciative that he didn’t give me a science lesson while also trying to grasp the enormity of what he just said.

“Can you make living things?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

He shakes his head. “That ability is reserved for God and very few others. I can procreate with a woman or a man, but I assume you didn't mean that.”

I blush before looking down. I guess if demons are real, God must be too. Religion was always something I questioned but never quite grasped.

The idea of serving the one who created you isbeautiful, but organized religion has caused so much strife in the world.

But before I go into a deep dive of who God is, I decide to figure out more about the demon I’m apparently connected to through this new mark.

And a deal sealed with our lips. Just the thought of that kiss has me lifting my hand to my mouth, tracking the outline of my lip where I swear I can still feel his touch.

“Do all demons look like you?”

He props his chin up on his fist and grins, revealing perfectly white teeth, but his canines look longer and pointier than I’m used to.

“Devilishly handsome?”

Laughing, I spread my hands over the bubbles, loving the scent coming off of them. My body is slowly relaxing, and for the first time I can recall, I feel at peace.

“No,” I say, smiling as he pretends to be offended. “I just thought that if demons were real that they’d have horns or something.”

Eryx leans in, hovering close to me with a dark look in his eyes. “Oh, I have horns, my dear. They are some of the most impressive of my kind.”

Biting my lip, I try to picture him with horns coming out of his head, but I can’t see it. He looks too proper, too polished.

“Show me.”

“Clean yourself up and I will show you when you’re out of the water.”

“Why?”

His smile turns almost…shy. But that can’t be right. Not for Eryx, a man who exudes confidence and poise and strength like Lucifer himself. Or what I assume Lucifer would in my mind.

“When humans see our true forms, they often faint. If you didn’t wish for me to look at you while you were naked, I believe it’s safe to assume you would feel violated if I were to touch you.”

He’s right, I would. And I don’t want to pass out in here.

“Alright, what kinds of magic do you have then?”

His hand stretches in front of him and a ball of violet mist is summoned, hovering inches above his hand. “This is ether. I can control it and other inanimate objects, twisting them to my will. It is part of my act.”

The ether turns to a roiling flame and quickly snuffs out when I gasp.

“That is the flame of my father with the temper of my mother. It’s volatile and I rarely allow it to take shape.”

I blink, settling my racing heart, and his body shifts from the stool to suddenly across the room. “I can teleport, but only to places I know and only short distances.”

My mouth falls open, and before I know it, he’s in front of me, leaning over to lift my chin up so that it no longer gapes.

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