Page 9 of Raising the Sun

Fear made for a chatty little thing, it seemed. “No, I’m a demon. That was what you expected, was it not?”

He blinked up at me, confused. “I didn’t expect anyone, if I’m being honest.”

I studied the uneven circle of bone ash that had conjured me, and with a snap of my fingers the card and phoenix feather appeared in my open palm.

The human flinched.

“Who gave you this spell?” I asked, twirling the feather between my fingers before bringing it to my nose.

Yes, it was one of mine.

How is that possible?

I turned the card over, checking for a symbol or signature to reveal its origin. There was nothing bar the sunflower on the front that mocked me with its cheer, though that was hardly a decal of its owner. Only a powerful entity could cast a bindingspell, especially on someone of my station. The human was no such being, but whoever had given him the instructions and ingredients obviously was. They clearly also had an ulterior motive, since they’d stolen one of my own feathers—without my knowledge—to bringmehere, specifically.

Now, I could have dug through a mental list of everyone I’d ever pissed off to work out who would be so bold as to seek revenge, but that would take centuries.

The human telling me their name would be much quicker.

“What are you?”

Or not.

“I already—” I exhaled deeply and plastered on a polite smile. “I’m a demon with phoenix blood. Who gave—”

“Aren’t those birds?” His eyes flicked briefly to my horns, clearly puzzled by their presence.Fair, given the fact that his assumption was correct.

“I can take a bird form, yes, but that isn’t import—”

“Birds don’t have horns.”

I dismissed the items in my hands so I could massage my temples. Was this creature really worth the wrinkles he’d undoubtably give me? “This one does,” I said, curtly. “Now, if you’ll just let me—”

“Why are you here?”

My patience had waned.

I pointed aggressively at the circle. “Because you summoned me, you foolish creature!”

“No, I…” He trailed off as he stared at the evidence, and after a frankly ridiculously long pause, realisation finally dawned.

Thank Hades.

He threw up his hands. “Okay, to be fair, I was told it would bring me success, not a demon, so I don’tthinkI’m at fault here.”

“You want riches?” I offered dryly, infinitely unimpressed. Was that seriously what my life had come to? A cash cow for the ignorant and downtrodden?

Dull.

The human shrugged. “I mean, it would delay my business going down the pan, so yeah. Would be nice.”

“Well, I cannot give you riches. But since I’mhereand I cannot leave, I can aid in your success and contentment, whichmaylead to wealth. If that is the path destined for you, of course.”

The human perked up at that, and I couldn’t deny that the way his eyes lit up with a little sparkle of hope kick-started a new addiction for me. “Really?”

“I’m sensing you do not understand the significance of what you have done.”

His shoulders slumped and he scrubbed at the cropped hair above his nape. “Shit. Will I have to sell you my firstborn? Is that what the shop guy meant by ‘learning a lesson?’”

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