Page 108 of The Misfit Mage and His Devilish Desires

When close to him, like now, I found this humanity crawling beneath my skin. Not the same as the way I’d always felt when stuffed inside a mortal body. That sensation came with a gloved touch.

I went to the sparring room in the back of the store and trained these new feelings.

Now, everything carried this extra layer of vibrance. A breath inhaled. A stretch of my back. A flex of my muscles. Everything hit deeper, grounding me here and now. When I sniffed and the metallic odor of my fitness equipment made my nostrils flare. When I wiped the sweat pooling on my brow. When I swallowedthe piece of caramel-coated panko popcorn that’d finally wiggled loose from my teeth. The human form was no longer a mere guise to gleam the mortal realm but a true extension of my being through and through.

That came from Wally.

This essence came from Wally, it linked me to Wally, but it was mine entirely. I couldn’t explain it. All the same, I understood it. At least I understood something about this essence.

Part of me contemplated calling Wally out of his study and shaking his stiff bones loose to spar with me. But since our last training match ended with Wally besting me in more than one way, I didn’t need him exploiting his advantage and understanding of the essence we shared. I decided to hold off on calling him in lest I end up pinned and pounded out again by a wicked, devilish mortal with an insatiable appetite.

I needed to work through the learning curve of this essence. It didn’t work the same way as Beelzebub’s had when connected to me. It altered how I used my own essence. It’d take time to adjust, but I looked forward to the journey.

Having eased into a nice warm-up with the basics, I decided to move into something more advanced. Summoning primal elements in an enclosed space wasn’t Wally’s favorite thing. He worried too much about dusty old trinkets people had long forgotten about, but since he’d already warded the room with countless incantations just in case my training ever got a bit too destructive, I took full advantage and let loose a cascade of primal passion.

Once I’d unleashed a frenzy of elements, I let loose with my speed and zipped around, evading my own casual destruction as sigils popped with defenses meant to absorb or eradicate my attacks. It added an extra layer of training, endurance, education. I had to outsmart Wally’s wards and best my ownchaotic casting while not actually ruining the sparring room or my host body.

After a few rounds, I worked on summoning my Diabolic features and maintaining them during my training. My tails flicked without snapping apart. My wings flapped furiously without losing feathers to the gale force I summoned. My claws slashed through every obstacle I encountered without retreating back into the cuticles of my mortal nails.

It seemed the devil essence had fully restored my own, rejuvenating me beyond measure, and every bit of training helped me cultivate a small understanding of what life had in store.

The day escaped me, training nonstop with no breaks and no need to stop, but when the setting sun hit the gem I kept on display, it created an irritating glare during my last round of cardio.

“How’d I do, old friend?” I panted, allowing the endorphins post-workout to course through this body. My body.

Remington’s ruby didn’t respond, though the shadows of deep crimson adjusted ever so, altering the lighting. I’d kept him close, placed upon a mantle for no one to view except me.

“I’d love to stick around, testing my limitations, but I’ve got a dinner to make.” I winked at Abe.

There was a satisfaction like none other, knowing his spirit found no peace as he dwelled there in the same way he’d imprisoned me. Forgotten.

“Hope you enjoyed this show as much as the one I put on for you last time.” I slapped my ass cheek. “I’ll be sure to give you all the deets on this evening. I’m enjoying dabbling in versatility, but I plan on railing the ever-living Hell out of Walter tonight.”

And step one came with the perfect dinner.

I excused myself from the store, which neither Wally nor Kell objected to, each lost in their own projects and incapable of tearing their eyes away to even acknowledge my comment.

After a casual flight home, I began to prep dinner. I’d done my best to pick something incredibly flavorful and very mortal-y, which seemed like such a waste of good ingredients. Still, this was a dish Wally rambled about regularly, and as far as mortal dishes went, I supposed it had some nice textures and tastes.

I kept the dish simmering a little longer than anticipated. I’d assumed I left room for Wally’s “just one more minute and then I’ll leave” antics, but he must’ve found himself entranced in a particularly exciting artifact this evening.

Finally, the loud clanks of the front gate unlocking indicated Wally’s arrival. I zipped around the table, setting everything up and casually taking a seat when he came inside holding a half dozen bags of trinkets to work on if he found the time.

He wouldn’t be finding the time tonight.

Antoninus hopped out of Wally’s hair and scuttled away to join Weather away from the dining room as agreed upon. He was even polite enough to whisk away Wally’s bags.

The aromas of tonight’s meal made Wally’s face light up with excitement.

“You got takeout.” He nodded approvingly. “And you made it fancy.”

“I didn’t get takeout. There isn’t a place outside of Seattle that makes these fritter thingys.” I pointed to a crispy fried squid Wally loved—bizarre since they tasted much better raw and covered in chocolate as opposed to grease, but to each their own.

My recipe came from some of Wally’s favorite takeout dinners he had longed for since leaving his home to be with me.

“You made Pad Thai and red curry from scratch?”

“And so much more.”

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