3. AMADEUS

Chapter three

AMADEUS

H ow adorable .

Undeterred by the interruption, I allowed my grin to widen, revealing my fangs. The human's breath hitched. "You summoned me , pet. I should be the one asking questions."

My initial reaction to being summoned had bordered on murderous, not only because of the forced submission issue, but because travelling through the planes never failed to do a number on my hair. Though, that feeling seemed to lessen the more details I absorbed.

Those soft cheeks and charming freckles .

It had occurred to me, albeit briefly, to reach into the human's chest and yank out his heart, but I'd since calmed down. It wouldn't do to act hastily in such a complex situation, and it would've been such a waste. Yes, he'd tied my soul to his, effectively anchoring me to his realm, which was not ideal, but the pretty creature reeked of sadness and desperation, a truly heady cocktail that could prove very pleasing to exploit.

And oh, how I wanted to.

It wasn't quite the direction I'd imagined for my foreseeable future, but despite the inconvenience of being ripped from my manor, there could yet be some fun in this little venture. I supposed it was the ‘something different' I'd wished for, a wrench in my otherwise dull routine, and it wasn't as if I were engaged in anything else.

Or really had a choice .

"Are you a genie?"

Fear made for a chatty little thing, it seemed. "No, I'm a demon. That was what you expected, was it not?"

He blinked up at me, confused. "I didn't expect anyone, if I'm being honest."

I studied the uneven circle of bone ash that had conjured me, and with a snap of my fingers the card and phoenix feather appeared in my open palm.

The human flinched.

"Who gave you this spell?" I asked, twirling the feather between my fingers before bringing it to my nose.

Yes, it was one of mine.

How is that possible?

I turned the card over, checking for a symbol or signature to reveal its origin. There was nothing bar the sunflower on the front that mocked me with its cheer, though that was hardly a decal of its owner. Only a powerful entity could cast a binding spell, especially on someone of my station. The human was no such being, but whoever had given him the instructions and ingredients obviously was. They clearly also had an ulterior motive, since they'd stolen one of my own feathers—without my knowledge—to bring me here, specifically.

Now, I could have dug through a mental list of everyone I'd ever pissed off to work out who would be so bold as to seek revenge, but that would take centuries.

The human telling me their name would be much quicker.

"What are you?"

Or not.

"I already—" I exhaled deeply and plastered on a polite smile. "I'm a demon with phoenix blood. Who gave—"

"Aren't those birds?" His eyes flicked briefly to my horns, clearly puzzled by their presence. Fair, given the fact that his assumption was correct.

"I can take a bird form, yes, but that isn't import—"

"Birds don't have horns."

I dismissed the items in my hands so I could massage my temples. Was this creature really worth the wrinkles he'd undoubtably give me? "This one does," I said, curtly. "Now, if you'll just let me—"

"Why are you here?"

My patience had waned.

I pointed aggressively at the circle. "Because you summoned me, you foolish creature! "

"No, I…" He trailed off as he stared at the evidence, and after a frankly ridiculously long pause, realisation finally dawned.

Thank Hades.

He threw up his hands. "Okay, to be fair, I was told it would bring me success, not a demon, so I don't think I'm at fault here."

"You want riches?" I offered dryly, infinitely unimpressed. Was that seriously what my life had come to? A cash cow for the ignorant and downtrodden?

Dull .

The human shrugged. "I mean, it would delay my business going down the pan, so yeah. Would be nice."

"Well, I cannot give you riches. But since I'm here and I cannot leave, I can aid in your success and contentment, which may lead to wealth. If that is the path destined for you, of course."

The human perked up at that, and I couldn't deny that the way his eyes lit up with a little sparkle of hope kick-started a new addiction for me. "Really?"

"I'm sensing you do not understand the significance of what you have done."

His shoulders slumped and he scrubbed at the cropped hair above his nape. "Shit. Will I have to sell you my firstborn? Is that what the shop guy meant by ‘learning a lesson?'"

Lesson? Interesting. I would have to revisit that later. "You must give me something," I said as I admired my armoured fingertips, feigning nonchalance. "But not a child. "

"What, then?"

I flicked my gaze to his, lips curling back into the smirk that had wavered during the drivel. Time for the real fun to begin.

"Your seed."

"My what ?! I have to—" He made a crude gesture that may or may not have been an indication of sex as he floundered like a…. well, a virgin. It was delightful. "I've changed my mind. You can go back from whence you came or whatever. I don't need you."

"I do not please you?" I pouted. I wasn't familiar with being rejected, though from the way the human's eyes couldn't seem to stop roaming over me, that streak, mercifully, wouldn't be ending now. "I could send for another, but it will cost extra."

I couldn't, actually. Not without expending a level of power that I had no possession of right then, especially since he had already piqued my curiosity, but he didn't need to know that.

In his head, he could be in charge for a little longer.

"Huh?" His eyes snapped up from where they'd been lingering on my legs. "No! I mean, you're gorgeous, but I don't want to use you like that."

"It would be no hardship, I assure you," I purred, making his pale cheeks flush a pretty pink. "Besides, I am a demon. Morals are not really my forte."

"Still. If I'd known…"

Persuasion, it seemed, might prove trickier than I had anticipated. Ah, well, I do so relish a challenge.

And I had the time .

"Regardless, you have used a binding ritual. I am to be tethered to your side until the day you die or until your needs are fulfilled." I released an aggrieved sigh, though it was all for show. "Whichever comes first is entirely your decision."

"Shitting hell. None of that was in the fine print."

As he indulged in a momentary malfunction, stuttering about ‘cryptic fucking wizards' and ‘stupid joke shops,' I took in more of the room. There wasn't much of it, or anything truly noteworthy to comment on, but it was enlightening, all the same. Interior design hadn't improved since my last visit, that was obvious. The human obsession with beige truly was a mystery.

"Wait…" he said, and I turned back to him, gesturing for him to carry on. "What if I don't pay? No transaction, no sex, no binding magic or whatever. You'll be free to go, right?"

"The ritual is a contract," I said clearly. "It is a soul bind , but its only purpose is summoning me here and tying me to you until death us do part, or the fulfilment of your greatest desire. Nothing more. We may have been forced together, but that does not mean I am obligated to help you. That part is totally at my discretion."

I swept out my arms, grinning wide at his confused stare, before adding, "I am a demon, pet. I do not work for free, and I get to choose the price for my time. If you don't pay, you won't get the benefits my presence brings, but I'll still be here—a shadow of no use, hanging over you until you wither away and I'm free to go. "

He frowned. "So, what you're saying is… the sex isn't actually a necessity? You're just taking something for yourself?"

"Exactly! See, I knew you were a clever boy," I cooed, chuckling at the blank stare he levelled me with in return. "Look, at least I'm offering an alternative. Not many would be so generous. I could just let you die." Or kill you myself . "Of course there's the option of helping you without payment—out of the goodness of my heart, as they say—but why should I? You summoned me against my will, and my time is very precious to me."

The delightful creature visibly reeled at that, opening his mouth, presumably to argue, only to have second thoughts. "Okay, that's kinda fair, but couldn't you have picked something else? Like a foot massage. Or… a gift card."

"My magic is more potent when it's fed by the fuel it recognises, my dear. And more potency means your dreams will come true quicker and I can leave you on your lonesome."

"And what? Sex is the only fuel it recognises?"

"That or blood," I responded airily, giving him a second to be horrified. "But a little creature like you? I'd have to drain you dry, so… sex it is."

"Gee. Thanks."

While his grumbling huffs were cute, this whole interaction was growing tedious. I loathed explaining myself—it was much more time effective throwing caution to the wind and skipping straight to the fun part, but watching how he recoiled didn't bode well for that plan.

"I will not force or rush you, human. I'm not a complete heathen," I assured him, glad when he relaxed somewhat. "But just to be perfectly clear, you will be no further ahead until you give what is required."

He swallowed thickly, and I traced the action with my gaze. "So, if I sleep with you once, you can leave me in peace and my shop won't be in ruins?"

Sweet. Tartarus.

I had never met someone so reluctant to bend me over and fuck me, and it was giving my ego the pounding that my arse craved. It had me debating whether the end result would even be worth the blow to my dignity, but I had to remain positive. I'd dug my heels in thus far, ‘committed to the bit' as they said, and despite his difficult nature, I still wanted to ruin the stubborn creature, to see his mouth put to uses other than yapping himself in boring circles. Call me a glutton for punishment.

Besides, wasn't it known that the reward was infinitely more thrilling after a chase?

"Since I can only assist in your success, and not supply instant luck or fortune, it may take time for my presence to yield its desired effect," I explained. "The exact time frame alternates case by case."

"Right." For a beat, he fell silent, his gaze zeroing in on the far wall. I didn't disturb him—he clearly thought the offer required a full analysis, so I distracted myself by studying his intricacies, greedily taking him in.

He was… attractive, in an angelic sort of way, and that was a joke at my expense if I'd ever heard one. With his perfect blond curls, bright blue eyes, and best of all, those flushed, cherubic cheeks. I couldn't tell if it was a permanent blush or a result of his mild distress. Not that it mattered. I found it endearing, and I wagered it would only grow fiercer as I took him apart, deepening into a splotchy, tear-streaked mess while I brought him to heights he could never even dream of.

Involuntarily, my eyes traced the sharp points of his cupid's bow, over the downward curve of those luscious, pouty lips that had never tasted true debauchery. Hades' taint , but how enchanting they would look parted and spit-slicked, moaning in reverence as I rode his—

"Okay," he announced, stealing my attention, "I've decided what I'm going to do."

I clapped my hands once, smiling brightly. "Excellent news."

With all the determination of Cerberus with a bone, he said, "I'm going to sleep on it, and tomorrow, I'm going back to that magic shop to get a refund."

My grin faltered.

Fifteen minutes I had been in this realm, and I'd already been subjected to a level of disrespect I'd never known before. He had no reason to fear me, or the consequences of rejecting me, but it was clear that he didn't , and that was just plain rude. He was face to face with a demon , a powerful being of fire and ash, and had barely regarded me with appropriate awe—not after his initial panic at my entrance, at least. I could have stripped the meat from his bones in mere seconds, but there he was, making decisions and talking of sleep as if he believed otherwise.

Either he had balls of steel or he was even more depressed than I'd originally thought.

Or had I lost my touch?

"You didn't pay," I finally said, and he smoothed his hands over the covers in his lap, getting comfortable.

"Well then, I'll just have to offer him my firstborn."

"You must really hate your child," I replied absently, my eyes glued to him, trying to decide if his audacity deserved a death sentence or not.

"What? No, I don't have—" He huffed and waved a hand. "Never mind. What matters is, I'm not going to take advantage of you, and I don't fancy having a posh-as-fuck demon haunting my flat until I die. No offence." He gave me a look, and I nodded—he had acknowledged my elegance, so that was a point in his favour.

"So, I'm going to send you home, or try to, but in the meantime, there's a room down the hall if you want to sleep. Don't steal anything, but do help yourself to whatever food's in the fridge. If you're real and I'm not hallucinating, I'll see you in the morning."

With that, he snatched the floral-print quilt and boldly dragged it over his head, effectively ending the conversation .

I had made my decision.

He could live.

For now .

"As you wish," I said, clasping my hands behind my back. "Out of curiosity, will you be freeing me? Or am I to stand here all evening?"

"What?" he mumbled from under his blanket fort before peeking out the top to ask, "How do I do that?"

"Break the circle." I was powerful, yes, but not so much that I could free myself from a summoning circle of this calibre—a weakness that I wouldn't be admitting out loud.

With only minimal grumbling, he threw the covers aside and crawled towards the end of the bed, but before proceeding further, he peered down at the ash, then back to me.

He bit his lip as he hesitated.

"You won't hurt me, right?" he asked.

Ah, finally, some self-preservation. It was better late than never, I supposed.

"Only if you beg for it."

He laughed nervously at my show of fang. "Yeah, no."

I shrugged in a ‘suit yourself' motion, and with one last wary look, he leaned over the edge, and blessed me with a lovely view of his arse in the air.

He swiped a hand through the ashes before rising again quickly, his face pink from the angle. "That work?"

I stretched out my arms and nodded in appreciation, the invisible shackles around my wrists and ankles falling away instantly, no longer rooting me to the spot. Our tether still pulsed strongly in my chest, but I was no longer confined to just two feet of carpet, at least.

"I do not need much sleep, so I shall watch over you," I declared, wandering over to the drab off-white armchair in the corner. There was a green pillow with embroidered leaves on it, so it wasn't all doom and gloom.

"Fine, whatever," the human muttered as he settled back into bed with an unintelligible gripe, but before he could hide away again, I had an imperative question to ask.

"Not to sound insensitive, my dear, and the state of your floors may be answer enough, but do you not have servants? Or a maid?"

He shot me a dry look that wasn't strictly necessary or justified coming from someone who used their furniture as a laundry basket. "Do you honestly think I'd have resorted to joke shop magic spells if I had servants?"

"Hmm." My enthusiasm wavered as I picked up an article of dirty clothing that I didn't want to give too much consideration to, and threw it on the floor to make space. I felt the human's eyes still boring into me like daggers, so I turned, smiling wider, and finally settled myself on the cushions. "Do sleep well, won't you," I said sweetly, lowering my voice to tack on, "As well as can be expected on that lumpy mattress."

The creature did not dignify that with a response, he just rolled over, reburied himself in his paper-thin covers, and fell asleep. It was almost impressive that despite all the excitement—and having a stranger in his bedroom—his breathing evened out fairly quickly. The soft, muffled snores rising from the pillows weren't as irritating as they should have been, so I crossed one leg over the other and relaxed, my gaze fixed on the sleeping mound.

Recalling what the human had said earlier, the spell had brought me here for a reason. The need for wealth and success was but a minor part of some greater intention, and whether I liked it or not, our fates were aligned. I didn't yet know why that ‘wizard' had given him such potent magic, but the reason would no doubt make itself known in due course.

I'd just have to sit back, enjoy the fruits of my imprisonment, and offer his colourless life a little sparkle.

Even if he didn't agree to the terms, I wouldn't deny myself the chance to play with my new toy in other, increasingly creative ways. Perhaps I'd even be charitable and allow him a few freebies, if only to see those pretty eyes light up with awe.

And really, was there anything in the universe more entertaining than capturing the devotion of pretty things?

We'll see.