Page 1 of Cuddly Demon

PROLOGUE

Onyx

It starts with a tingle in my spine.

I crack my neck, my head shifting in the hard clay of the Etruscan mausoleum my last master trapped me in three thousand years ago. He didn’t like the price I charged for my services, and locking me up was his way of avoiding payment.

This isn’t the coziest of prisons. The mausoleum has long been abandoned, and the only company I have are the other blue demons painted on the walls.

Today, something is different.

I can feel it in the air.

My eyes adjust to the dim light that filters in from the cracks in the ceiling above. The ancient space reeks of must and decay. My mind drifts back to the day I was sealed in this tomb. The memory fills me with intense anger, an unparalleled desire for revenge.

I flex my fingers, testing their strength after all these years of inactivity. The magic that binds me to this place weakens with each passing moment. My power is returning, slowly but surely.

A snarl escapes me as I pry myself to my feet. I stand up and look around, wondering when the portal will open. It should happen any second.

All at once, a blazing sapphire light illuminates the room. Embers dance before my vision, the telltale sign that I've been... summoned.

A vision of the perfect angel who called me flickers before me.

I see a young man, a college student slumped over a stack of textbooks in a library in New York. His baggy, oversized sweater hides his lean frame, and his unruly chestnut curls fall haphazardly over his forehead. He looks up from his desk, his eyes tired and strained from hours of reading. His name is Saint, and he’s the one who needs me.

A smile crosses my face. It's been far too long since I've been called upon to do someone's bidding. I stretch my limbs, reveling in the feeling of my power returning to me.

Why this young man summoned me when no others have in three thousand years, I’m not sure. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that after so long, I’m free.

With a burst of energy, I step through the portal and soar across the Atlantic to help him.

ONE

SAINT

I sit in the library, biting one of my curls as my vision blurs. I've been studying obscure English grammar constructions for hours, ones no self-respecting sophomore should ever have to know.

Why did I choose to study English of all majors? I should've gone with something simple like management. Or pottery.

A sigh escapes me, and I blink hard to focus my tired eyes.

At that moment, a blinding light fills my vision.

A presence forms in front of me, and when I look up, I see a demon.

My heart races in my chest. What... the hell?

I never thought the summoning ritual I found on TikTok would actually work. I discovered it last night when I was fed up with my course load, and I waited until this afternoon to try it. The instructions said that I'd find the demon to help solve all my problems exactly one hour after I recited the magical chant.

My tall, blue, and very handsome demon savior stands before me, a wicked grin on his face. Giant sapphire horns sprout from his head, which look like they'd be great to grip while you're… oh, god.

My eyes drop down, and I groan when I lay eyes on his toned, beautiful body and bulging muscles. Some might think it's impossible to be this strong, but this demon proves them wrong.

He's the type who'd be able to beat my childhood bullies up with a single punch and then cuddle me all night. The type to hold me close, read me bedtime stories in a beautiful voice, and never let me go.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice trembling.

He chuckles, his eyes scanning my form. "I'm Onyx. Pleasure to meet you. First, I need to say thank you for freeing me."