Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Yes, we want to help you win Matteo and make him fall in love with you.”
It made no more sense hearing it a second time.
“But you’re all demons. From Hell. And…you want me and Matteo to fall in love with each other?” he asked. This had to be a joke.
“Yes.”
“And it’s a contest?”
“Yes.”
“Um…no offense, but have you and the others ever helped a human with love and romance before?”
“No!” Azroth shouted with a laugh. He clapped his hands, his nails clicking together softly. “But humans fall in love all the time. How hard can it be?”
Luke dropped his face into his hands and moaned. This was bad. He almost wished they’d go back to scaring him. He couldn’t imagine that demons understood anything about human dating habits and rituals.
On the other hand, they had been around for eons. They’d seen everything. Maybe they could help. It wasn’t like he was making any kind of progress with Matteo. There had been that one good encounter at the grocery store, but he’d not been able to work up the courage to text him. What was he supposed to say to him that didn’t sound stupid or sound like a line?
“Don’t worry, Luke. We won’t hurt Matteo or use magic on him. You’re the one who has to win his heart. We are only permitted to give you advice,” Azroth reassured him.
Luke lifted his head. “So, you and the other demons won’t try to kill me. The house won’t try to eat me. And you won’t try to hurt Matteo. Is that correct?”
Azroth regally nodded his head. “Yes.”
“And I can keep living here? Even if Matteo doesn’t fall in love with me?”
“Correct.”
“If Matteo falls in love with me, will I owe you and the demons some kind of payment?” It sounded too good to be true. There had to be some way they were angling for his life or soul.
“No, we ask for nothing from you other than an honest effort to woo Matteo.” Azroth waved his hands in front of him. “As you can see, no contract. You’re in the clear.”
That all seemed fair. It wasn’t like the demons were going to appear to Matteo and whisper in his ear. They were leaving all that to Luke. It meant that he had to pull his courage together and talk to him.
Luke shoved to his feet and closed the distance between him and the demon with his hand extended. Azroth stared at the hand for a second, his eyes widening in what looked like surprise. Very slowly, the demon wrapped his hand around Luke’s. His skin was cool and smooth, like clasping a crystal.
“It’s a deal,” Luke said with a grin. “The important thing is that Matteo isn’t hurt. Even if he doesn’t want me, I don’t want him hurt.”
“I promise that the demons and I won’t physically or emotionally harm the young man.”
Azroth released his hand and stood. The chair he’d been sitting in disappeared in the blink of an eye. “Now, you should head to your class. You don’t want to be late.”
“Yes. Yes, you’re right.”
Luke swung about and grabbed his repaired bag, slinging it onto his shoulder. As he was about to reach the stairs, Azroth called out to him.
“Oh, and you don’t need to worry about paying rent any longer.”
The words locked up his brain, and Luke’s foot slipped on the first stair. As he was about to slide down the rest, a cushion of energy wrapped around him and lifted him into the air. It carried him to the base of the stairs and placed him right in front of the closed door. Behind him, Azroth’s footsteps thumped behind him as he made a tsking noise.
“This is why I must have you followed by the crows. You’re too much of a danger to yourself. You don’t need a demon threatening you. Left to your own devices, you’ll kill yourself by accident.”
Luke shook his head. Azroth wasn’t wrong. He just hadn’t expected to have a bunch of demons for fairy godmothers.
Chapter 14
Matteo Steals Another Chunk of Luke’s Heart
LUKE
School felt like a relief after the recent insanity at the house. He almost wished he could tell Harper everything he’d learned about the demons he was living with, but while Harper trusted him in a lot of things, he didn’t think she’d believe him when it came to his roommates being demons.
Not that he would blame her. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it either.
It did explain a lot of the weird shit that had happened around that place, though.
As he reached the campus, he found himself checking over his shoulder more than once to make sure he didn’t spot anything…strange. But as soon as he realized what he was doing, he smacked his own forehead. Azroth and the other demons had never given a hint that they followed him to class. Why would they start now?