4. Leith

4

LEITH

" H ow'd the deposition go?" Stan, Leith's office assistant and sole employee, asked.

A lanky, cheerful white guy in his late 30s, Stan ditched a high-paying tech job in Charlotte a few years back and moved to Stonyburn to take advantage of the hiking trails and other outdoor activities in the area. Though it had nothing to do with his expertise and the pay was less than half of his tech salary, Stan had happily taken the job of office assistant in Leith's law firm of one.

When Leith asked why he wanted the job, Stan said, "Just need something that pays the bills. Plus, thirty-five hour weeks, Fridays off, and a month of PTO, all without burning myself out? I'm in." Then he'd given Leith a serious look. "I want to live life my way, and the corporate world doesn't fit my vibe, you know?"

He did indeed know. His reasons for moving Earthside and away from the pressures of the demon realm were similar. Of course, Stan wasn't a demon, just a plain vanilla human. But it showed how similar they all were.

Leith leaned into his office and tossed his messenger bag on the floor by his desk before turning to Stan with a smug grin. "Went even better than expected. Guy flat-out lied about those assets he thought he'd so sneakily stashed away. Thanks for that."

An unexpected benefit of having a trained computer nerd on staff was Stan's ability to sniff out even the most carefully hidden secrets, including property purchased through a series of shell companies. They were going to take his client's cheating soon-to-be ex-husband to the cleaners after that stunt.

"Hey, no problemo, boss. You know I get a kick out of helping expose those scumbags, especially since my hard work comes with both a bonus and extra paid time off." He glanced at the schedule on his computer. "Speaking of, you mind if I take off a little early or you want me to wait until your new client, one Rowan Burnay, arrives? You know, give her a good impression, prove you've got a thriving business that can afford an assistant?" He smirked.

"Funny." Riding high on the thrill of the win for his divorce client, he'd almost forgotten about the meeting he'd scheduled with the lovely Rowan. Almost. The woman herself had left quite an impression, one he'd never be able to erase, not even if he wanted to. The nascent mate bond might be fragile, the connection tenuous, but it was still there, a shining silver thread connecting his soul to hers. "No, you can go. See you Monday," he said absently, his brain racing as he considered the best approach to take with his reluctant new client.

"Bright and early," Stan said with a cheeky salute. He grabbed his backpack and insulated cup and bolted for the door before Leith realized it was only Wednesday, and Stan weaseled an extra half-day out of him. "Good luck with Ms. Burnay."

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Leith alone in the empty office.

An unexpected and rather unwelcome burst of nervousness swept through him. She was coming here. Into his space. He had a home — the quaint two-bedroom apartment above his office was his temporary abode, though he had his eye on a gorgeous Victorian with a wraparound porch in need of restoration that was about to come on the market — technically, he spent more time and energy here.

It was a well-appointed office, if he did say so himself. He, like most demons, enjoyed the finer things in life and had the funds to acquire exactly what he wanted.

Large frosted windows flooded the reception area with light while providing a modicum of privacy from anyone walking down the street. Thick, blue-patterned area rugs softened but didn't hide the wide, hundred-year-old pine floorboards. Stan's desk was a smaller version of his, both handmade creations of reclaimed burled wood and recycled metals, complete with ergonomic chairs. Comfortable seating in shades of blues and greens and an oval coffee table that always held a bouquet from the weekend farmer's market rounded out the reception area.

Leith's office also had a long wall of shelves filled with the requisite legal tomes as well as a collection of books of all genres. Any title or subject that caught his interest, really. A long, deep ocean-blue sofa resided beneath another large frosted window, dark blue velvet drapes pulled to the side.

At the moment, stacks of files and loose papers, printed photos from the private detective he'd hired, crumpled documents destined for the shredder, empty pizza boxes and water bottles, and other detritus from a week of intense preparation for the case and this morning's deposition spilled across every available surface.

"Well, shit," he said, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he took in the mess. He checked the time. Less than thirty minutes until their appointment. If she came. With a shake of his head, he dismissed the doubt. She'd come. If nothing else, she'd be too curious to skip an important meeting, even if she didn't remember setting it.

But it wasn't enough time for him to return his office to the level of clean it needed to be. He tugged at a horn, his glamour flickering. He didn't really want to do this, but since his office was an unacceptable pigsty, he needed help. A growl rumbled in his chest.

"Erwin, I summon thee," he said, snapping his fingers three times.

A very naked, wet imp popped into being in front of Leith, carrying a sharp tang of brimstone in his wake. About the size of a chubby corgi, Erwin looked like a goth cherub, complete with maroon skin, curly black hair, and tiny black wings that struggled to keep him aloft.

"Who the actual f… uh, Leith," the imp stammered, his coal black eyes widening when he realized who summoned him. He glanced at the back scrubber he was holding and tossed it away. It disappeared into the aether. "What can I do for you this fine day?"

Leaning a hip against the edge of his desk, Leith raised an eyebrow. "Bad time?"

The imp blinked. "Depends on what you want." With a wave of his hand, he whisked away the water and summoned a green silk robe with pumpkins embroidered on the cuffs and along the hem.

"I'm calling in a favor."

Erwin brightened. "A favor? You've never called in one from me before." He pursed his lips, studying Leith. "You're not joking, are you? Because it's not nice if you are."

"No, not joking." He waved a hand at the mess that was his office. "I need this entire place to be sparkling, everything where it belongs in ten minutes."

"Eh, it's not even that bad. Looks like a half-day rager, at best. You could have this cleaned up in a couple of hours, tops. Why the rush?" Erwin fluttered closer to Leith's face, his eyes narrowing. "What's so important?"

Leith steeled himself, unwilling to give the nosy imp even a scrap of information that it would then gleefully rush back to the Underworld with and sell to the highest bidder. "That's not any of your concern. I just need it done. Do we have a deal?"

"You erase one of the favors I owe you in return for a sparkling clean office?" With a flutter of his wings, he pretended to lean back in a chair, crossing one stubby leg over the other and lacing his fingers behind his head. "I'd be a fool not to take that deal, and I'm no fool."

"Deal," Leith said. In his soul, he felt the weight of the favors Erwin owed him lighten by one. "Clean in less than ten minutes."

"Yeah, yeah," the imp grumbled, hooking a thumb towards the door. "It'll go faster if you're not here."

"Fine." He should have enough time to run down to the coffee shop for refreshments. "And it better not smell like brimstone when you're done."

"Lemon-fresh. Got it. Now leave so I can do my job."

Leaving Erwin to his task, Leith locked the office behind him, anticipation of his upcoming meeting with the woman who made his withered heart sing.