Page 19 of Corrupt Shadows

“Fuck this,” a student with a brown man bun says, shaking his head. “Bye, Aiden! Hope you don’t die!” He sprints out the door.

Several of the men shriek, tripping on each other as they flee.

“Boooooo!” Aiden calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. “We were just fuckin’ around. There’s nooooooo demon,” he slurs. His legs shake as he stands, then stumbles toward the bed, but his feet cross and he crashes into the desk instead. His hands slap the wooden surface, barely saving his nose from connecting with it. “Shit, that was close.”

He peeks over his shoulder, then turns rapidly before his hands slip off the desk, and his hip cracks against the floor. His hat rolls under the desk, leaving his sweaty blond hair on display. Whatever pain he might’ve felt must be numbed by the alcohol in his system. I grin and slide the planchette to yes. His eyes widen as he scrambles to his knees by the board.

“Th-the fuck?”

I use the opportunity to spell “LOOK UP.” Aiden jumps back and covers his hands over his eyes.

“Nope. Nuh-uh. You drunk, Aiden; this isn’t real.”

“Oh, but I assure you it is,” I say into his unprotected mind.

Aiden screams and curls into the fetal position. This human needs to be taught a lesson in self-preservation. I glower at him, my lip curling as he cowers and his body trembles. I need a human I can train to be my physical presence in the Human Realm.

Inevitably his curiosity gets the better of him, and he rolls, his body now facing the mirror. He peeks between his fingers. I don’t want to risk spooking him, so I remain silent. Slowly he lowers his hands and sits up.

“You’re a demon?”

I roll my eyes, then sigh. “Is it that obvious?”

“Kinda,” he says, tipping his head to the side. “You’re not as scary as those indigenous. No, religenous. Religious,” he giggles, then smacks himself in the forehead. “Yea, religious people say you are. Wait! Are you in my head? Why are you here?”

“To make a bargain. I heard you wanted to sell your soul and give me head. Am I remembering that correctly?”

Aiden’s jaw slackens, and his eyebrows reach toward his hairline. “Wha—? No. I, uh…” His eyes dart around the room, then zero in on me. His straight white teeth nearly blind me when he grins like a fool. Oh, this should be good.

He climbs to his feet and sways, then leans on the oak dresser. “I do want to sell my soul,” Aiden whisper-shouts, “but not for a blowie.” He shrugs and blows out a breath sharply from between his lips, causing them to vibrate obnoxiously.

“Do tell,” I growl.

“Yea, I could really use…” He taps his finger on his chin, pursing his lips. “A Mustang. The car, not the animal. I know a lot of bros confuse the two, but they are very fuckin’ different.” Aiden nods to himself, then his gaze finds me again.

Honestly, he’s rather unimpressive, but he should be fairly easy to manipulate. “Then it’s a deal,” I declare patiently. “Your soul in exchange for a Mustang. Any particular color?”

“Ummm, blue! No, red!” His eyes gleam, and his right leg bounces quickly.

I sigh, digging my claws into my palms. Let’s get this over and done with. “We have a bargain. Congratulations. Now, recite these words clearly.”

“Recite these words clearly,” he says, parroting me like a fucking imbecile.

A bolt of pain shoots through my jaw as I grind my molars. “No. I will tell you what words to say and when to say them.”

He nods but loses focus as a fly buzzes near his ear.

“Aiden.”

“Hm? Shit. Sorry, bro. Demon bro? Bro demon.”

For fuck’s sake. I run both my hands through my hair, then cross my arms in front of my chest.

“You will repeat the following phrases—and truly mean them,” I order. “I wish to enter into an eternal binding contract. My soul in exchange for a red Mustang.” I gesture my hand toward him.

Aiden swallows and squares his shoulders as his body tilts slightly to his left. “I…” His face crumples, but he clears his throat and tries again. “I wish to enter into an eternal binding contract. M-my soul in exchange for a red”—he lifts his chin—“Mustang.”

I bring my palms together once, and Aiden flinches. “Very good. Now, the real fun begins.” I close my eyes and shed any trace of humanity cloaking my person. I dig deeper into his mind, concentrating on manipulating the necessary wavelength of his brain to create the desired pattern.

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