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)
“Soon. The important thing is that I heard from the crows. Luke and Matteo have begun planning their first date together,” Azroth announced, fighting the urge to clap his hands in his excitement.
“Already?” Bath’tuk gasped.
“Of course, already! Luke is the best,” Tog sniped as he threw himself in a chair. The piece of wooden furniture creaked and groaned under his weight, but it held up thanks to stubborn determination and magic.
“It hasn’t been that long since their first kiss. Matteo obviously wants another, and the best way to get that is on a date,” Mullmag added.
“Kissing and a whole lot more,” Ogos chimed in, and Azroth couldn’t argue. The way things were going, it wasn’t hard to believe that Luke was about to claim his heart’s desire.
“I do have one concern,” Azroth admitted. He paced to the tall wingback chair that he usually sat in and gracefully draped his long, thin body over it. “Luke is very cautious by nature and moves slowly. I worry he might need a little…help…a nudge to keep things progressing in the right direction for him and Matteo. We wouldn’t want Matteo to suddenly question the depth of Luke’s feelings for him simply because Luke’s reluctant to put them into words.”
“Oh, fuck,” Ogos moaned. “You want to meddle with his date?”
“No! Not meddle.” Azroth paused and licked his lips as if trying to get a taste of the right word prior to speaking. “Help. We need to help him.”
“And did Luke ask you for this help?”
“Luke doesn’t need to ask for our help. We’re his friends. Of course, we’re going to jump in and assist him in this critical hour of need.” Ogos opened his mouth to continue arguing, but Azroth whipped a hand up in the air, halting his words. “Were you not the demon complaining just minutes ago that you had nothing to occupy you?”
Ogos’s mouth snapped shut, and his gelatinous body shuddered in a series of green waves. “True. What kind of help did you have in mind?”
A smirk twisted the corners of Azroth’s thin lips higher. That was better. The other demons had taken up spots around the room, silently hanging on his every word, waiting to see how things would fall out.
“I have the crows following Luke and watching Matteo. If they make some official plans for a date, they will report back. The initial discussions are dinner and a movie. Ogos,” he snapped, pointing his finger at the green blog who’d abandoned his newspaper. “If they go to a nice restaurant, it will be your job to clear out the diners. You ensure Luke and Matteo have the very best, most romantic table in the entire restaurant.”
“How am I supposed to know what the best table is?”
“That’s easy. If the place is empty, they will choose where they wish to sit.” Obviously. There was no reason to make this more difficult than necessary.
Ogos grunted. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“What can I do?” Mullmag demanded, clapping all of his hands together. “I want to help too.”
“You will take Bath’tuk with you to the movie theater if they choose to see a picture. Your job will be to make sure that no one else is in the theater with them. You must use stealth and cunning. Luke and Matteo can’t know that you’re there, or Luke will become nervous.”
“What are we supposed to do with all the people who try to enter their movie theater?” Bath’tuk asked.
Azroth waved an absent hand. “Send them to a theater in another city. They won’t notice anything is amiss until after the movie is finished. Humans can always find their way home again. It’ll be fine.”
Bath’tuk and Mullmag gave a quiet cheer and immediately stuck their heads together. Their frantic, excited whispers filled their corner of the room as they plotted the best way to sneak into the theater and “dispose” of the other moviegoers without Luke or Matteo noticing.
“Be prepared!” Azroth cut in.
“We’re on it!” Mullmag agreed, giving Azroth a salute with two of his four arms.
“What about me?” Tog grumbled. He glared at Azroth as if daring the demon to forget about his existence.
“You and Annod are on decorating duty.”
“What?” Tog squawked. “What kind of bullshit task is that?”
“It’s absolutely critical bullshit.” Azroth launched himself out of his chair and stalked to where Tog was still seated, towering over the pouting demon. “If all goes well at dinner and the movie, Luke will bring Matteo here for a ‘nightcap,’ ” Azroth said, making the quotation marks with his long, bony fingers.
“A nightcap? Like a drink? Why do I have to decorate for that?”
Ogos groaned long and loud. “A nightcap is a human euphemism for sex. Azroth is confident that Luke will bring Matteo back here for sex.”
“Oh,” Tog murmured, brightening instantly.
“But do you really think that Luke is going to have sex with Matteo after just one date?” Annod asked in a low, hesitant voice.