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Devil Kissed
Chapter 29: Demi Must deliver

Chapter 29: Demi Must deliver

The devil's lair seethed with barely contained fury as Demi entered. The air crackled with malevolent energy, and the devil's form flickered between human and monstrous. Demi felt a familiar tightness in her chest, a mixture of fear and something else she couldn't quite name. As a succubus, she was supposed to be immune to human emotions, especially love. Yet, lately, she found herself experiencing unfamiliar sensations whenever she thought about Phoenix.

"Demi," the devil growled, "the situation has become intolerable."

Demi swallowed hard, pushing aside her conflicting emotions. "What's wrong, my lord?"

"Phoenix and that reporter... their bond is growing too strong. When they're together, I can't reach him. It's interfering with my work, just like with Jack and Sarah."

Demi's eyes widened, memories of her past failure with Jack flooding back. "But how is that possible? The contract—"

"The contract means nothing if their souls become entwined!" the devil roared, his voice shaking the very foundations of the lair. "You must separate them, Demi. Keep them apart at all costs."

"At all costs?" Demi asked hesitantly, a strange ache forming in her chest at the thought of hurting Phoenix. "Even if it means risking Phoenix's life?"

The devil's eyes glowed with hellfire, and Demi felt herself shrinking under his gaze. "Do whatever it takes. I won't lose another soul because of your incompetence."

Demi kept her expression cool, though a faint unrest lingered beneath. Phoenix stirred something in her—a memory of warmth she thought she’d left behind. For an instant, a question surfaced: Had the Devil himself ever felt this? She brushed it away quickly, nodding in answer.

Demi nodded, a grim determination settling over her, even as part of her rebelled against the idea. "I understand, my lord. I won't fail you again."

"See that you don't," the devil hissed. "Now go. Time is running out."

As Demi turned to leave, the devil's voice stopped her. "And Demi? Remember what awaits you if you disappoint me again."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Demi shuddered, then hurried from the lair, her mind in turmoil.

Once outside, Demi leaned against a stone wall, her breath coming in short gasps. She shouldn’t be feeling this way. As a succubus, she was supposed to be above human emotions, especially love—her job was to seduce and manipulate, not to form attachments. But her task felt weighted with something she couldn’t name, something dangerously close to guilt. The thought of harming Phoenix filled her with a dread she’d never experienced before. She thought of Catherine’s pregnancy, the secret she’d kept even from the devil. Part of her knew it was strategic, but another part—a part she could barely admit to herself—felt strangely protective of it, as though it was something fragile and uniquely theirs.

She thought back to her human life, before she'd sold her soul. The memories were hazy, but she remembered the warmth of human connection, the joy of true friendship. Working with Phoenix over the years had awakened something in her she thought long dead. His kindness, his struggle against the curse, had touched her in ways she never expected.

Demi shook her head, trying to clear these dangerous thoughts. She had a job to do, and failure wasn't an option. The devil's threat hung over her like a sword, ready to fall at any moment. She couldn't afford to let her newfound emotions cloud her judgment.

Later that night, Demi stood in the shadows outside Phoenix's home, her phone to her ear. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to stop, to find another way, but she pushed forward.

"Everything's in place," a voice crackled through the speaker. "The brake lines have been cut. It'll look like an accident."

"Good," Demi replied, her voice cold despite the turmoil in her heart. "Make sure he survives... barely. I need him in a coma, not dead."

The line clicked off, and Demi pulled out a plane ticket to London. As she walked away, she muttered to herself, “Time to pay an old friend a visit. I think Catherine’s ex will be thrilled to reconnect… with a little magical persuasion.”

A cruel smile played on her lips, though a faint tension coiled within her chest. Beneath the smile, Demi questioned herself, troubled by the growing ache each time she pictured Phoenix’s face, the way he looked at Catherine with that impossible tenderness. For a moment, a flash of guilt nearly cracked her resolve, but she quickly crushed the feeling. She was a servant of the devil; love was never meant for her.

As she boarded the plane to London, Demi couldn’t shake the feeling she was making a terrible mistake. The thought of Phoenix lying broken in a hospital bed, Catherine’s heart shattering at the news, filled her with a hollow dread. The devil’s orders burned bright in her mind, but something deep within her rebelled.

Staring out the window, she felt the stirrings of something she’d thought long dead—a yearning to belong, to be seen, to feel something other than emptiness. But she pushed it away, her mind hardening as the city below shrank into a blur of lights. For now, she would follow orders. Yet, as the plane lifted, Demi found herself wishing, for the first time, that her plan would fail.