The House of Samael was ready to go back to campus. After we parted ways with our newest member, my four girls prepared for a morning of mayhem. My mayhem. I’d never confess to them the screaming going on in my head when Lumi opened a portal from my apartment to the club. I was swimming in sweat in my uniform, thinking of all the way I could botch this assignment off. It was easy being confident before I got my hands dirty. Now that I was here, I couldn’t stop thinking about getting caught.

“You got this, sugar bun!” Lumi said, giving me a wet peck on my right cheek.

“Fake it till you make it!” Ruby said from my other side, giving me a peck on my left cheek.

“Expect demons in disguise on campus,” Wren said, taking the lead as she walked down the hallway. “Keep your airways open. You are the only one who could smell all types of demons. Sniff before you open a conversation with the wrong person. Got that?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be surveying you for today.”

“WHAT?!” Lumi cried, jumping in front of Wren and stopping her casual gait. “That’s two nights in a row, Wren! Two!”

“And? Your point?”

“Stop hogging sugar bun!”

“We weren’t complaining when you’re the one who made first contact.”

“Well, I was,” Ruby said sarcastically.

“Well, yeah. I’m his familiar!”

“Say that louder, why don’t you,” Wren hissed.

“I don’t mind,” I said, boldly grabbing Wren by her waist and pulling her closer to me. “Besides, we need a little more bonding time, don’t we, Wren?”

She gave me an irked look behind that subtle blush. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I liked it better when you hated his guts!” Lumi cried.

“We’ll meet up around noon for lunch,” I said, waving at my girls behind me. “See you later!”

Wren huffed, crossing her arms under her breasts. “I hope you weren’t planning on bleeding my ears out with more of your unorthodox rules.”

“I didn’t pull you aside to discipline you if that’s what you’re thinking. Besides, you’re the one who wanted some alone time with me. Lumi, Ruby, or Trista were perfectly capable of doing that.”

“I’m a better teacher.”

“I can’t imagine signing demon deals being hard.”

“Then why are your hands so sweaty?”

I flustered up, moving to pull my hand away from her waist before she stopped me.

“You’re fine where you are, I was only messing with you.”

I chuckled. “Well, that’s a good sign. I figured at some point my face would stop irking you.”

“There was nothing wrong with your face. It was your ability to protect your nest that made me wary. But you’re proving that you are up for the challenge.”

“Is that your way of saying thank you?”

“As close to my gratitude as you’re going to get.”

I smiled.

“You’ve dealt with Bishop back there well. But Ava… I don’t trust her. Even if she has good intentions, nothing good would come out of her being in your harem. She’s a magnet for the church. I like to keep out of angel radio.”

“Once she gets the intel that I need, then I’ll tell her to pull back.”

“And what intel is that?”

“Finding out how those angels are extracting demons from human vessels without harming the vessel.”

“So, that’s the plan? Trapping Persallus?”

“Yeah. I just hope it’s doable.”

“The lengths you’d go to save this flower girl… I’m a little jealous.”

I laughed. “Now I know you’re pulling my leg.”

“We’ll see how useful this priestess is, for now. As for your objective, get to your first class. Then meet me by the front yard fountain so we can go to work.”

Wren planned on observing me. She wasn’t going to get involved. After my Calc 2 class, I met up with her at our rendezvous point and we went hunting. First rule to signing demon deals was keeping an eye out for distressed souls. Anyone who seemed really out of it was the perfect candidate. Whether they were lost, upset, confused, grieving, or horny. An unsatisfied soul was a vulnerable soul.

“How about that girl?” Wren said as we lurked along the façade of the building, standing around like the cool kids on campus. “Sounds like her douchebag boyfriend just broke up with her.”

“Michelle?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s a bit of a bitch.”

Wren smirked. “Then this should be easy.” She reached into her pocket and gave me a pact coin. “Every demon house has special coins. Along the coin’s edge is a spell that is activated when someone holds it and thinks about their deepest desire. Sell the business. Don’t botch it up.”

“Any tips for this novice demon?”

“Yeah, make sure to seal the deal.”

I deadpanned her. “What kind of tip is that?”

“Go in raw, then I’ll give you tips depending on what I notice.”

“We’re still talking about demon deals, right?” I smiled, making her blush.

“Just go over there and score.”

I braced myself and went over to the bench where Michelle was crying her eyes out. Michelle fit the bill of cheerleader to a T. Silky blond hair, green eyes, rolled up skirt, freshly manicured nails, and caked up foundation on her face that was two shades darker than the rest of her fair skin tone. She didn’t say anything to me as I took a seat next to her and looked over my shoulders like some criminal. Wren was right, my hands were sweaty, and I looked like a stereotype as I nervously wiped them down my dark trousers.

Come on, it’s not like you’re not going to murder the chick in broad daylight! It’s a demon pact. A simple deal. You can do this! You have demon blood running through your veins. This should feel natural.

“Hey!”

“Not interested,” she hissed at me right away, giving me her shoulder.

“Actually, I wasn’t trying to hit on you. Only trying to help out.”

“What can a loser like you do to help me out?”

She has this coming…

“See that girl over there?” I said, pointing my thumb toward Wren.

“Yeah. She looks kind of scary…”

“Nah, she’s a sweetheart! And she’s also my girlfriend.”

“You have a girlfriend?”

“I know, shocking, isn’t it? And it was all possible because of this coin.” I pulled it out and handed it to her.

“What the hell is this?”

“Think of it as a one wish wonder. You say the magic words, and a demon pops out to grant you one wish.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say a demon?”

“Yeah, you know demons are real, right? I mean, haven’t you seen the news?”

“You’re sick! How dare you just nonchalantly come over here and give me this?!”

“Because I know you’re not a bimbo who would pass down a great offer.”

“Excuse me?”

“Trent is sleeping with Margo.”

“What?!”

“It’s true. He has been for months now. Dickhead talks about it all the time in the cafeteria,” I lied. “Now, I could have sworn Margo is your best friend. And Trent was the guy you swore you’d marry in two years. While you’re over here crying your eyes out, you could be getting even. Trent’s best friend Yousef is available, and filthy fucking rich. Just broke up with Beth. If you want to make an impression, make a wish. Get even. With this, you can get the guy to do just about anything.”

“Can I make him fall madly in love with me?” she said excitedly.

“Sure!”

“Holy shit, you’re not fucking around!” She turned to me skeptically. “Wait a minute, what’s the catch?”

“How about you talk to the demon and find out?” I grinned. “When you’re ready to make a wish, just hold onto the coin nice and tight, think about your deepest desire, and the demon will come to you.”

“That’s it.”

“Simple, right?”

“Where did you even get this? Are you part of some cult or something?”

“I have my secrets.” I got up, hoping she brought it. Giving her the details now would make her change her mind. As long as she’s considering it, I had a higher chance of sealing the deal. Once the bait was on the hook, then the details of the contract could be explained. And that was after she summoned a demon. A classic marketing strat I learned from Business 101. “If you’re happy with the results, you can find me for more coins for your friends.”

“Wait, why can’t I just find you for more wishes?”

“One wish per person. That’s how it works. Would be pretty broken otherwise, don’t you think?”

She smiled and closed her eyes, squeezing the coin tight. “Okay!”

“Wait, hold on! You can’t summon a demon out in the open! You have to be discreet about it!”

“Oh, yeah, right!” she snickered. “Duh!” She got up, wiped the tears from her face and waved me goodbye. “Thanks, Patrick!”

“It’s Isaac…” I whispered under my breath. You’d think she’d remember my name by now. We only shared three classes together…

“You did all right, all things considered,” Wren said behind my shoulder. I pivoted to the girl in the black fishnets, black skirt, and metal band t-shirt with a smile. “I don’t have classes today, so I could wait for you in the library again until your next deal.”

“Actually, I’m planning on skipping my 10 o’clock. I want to practice some more.”

“All right.”

“Hey, I have a good feeling that she’s going to rush to somewhere nice and quiet and summon a demon. Who is going to satisfy it while I’m here? I can’t be at two places at once.”

“If any one of your members in your domain makes a deal, it counts as your deal as well. So Lumi, Ruby, or Trista may come when she summons a demon. Clearly Ava isn’t a demon, so she doesn’t count even if she is in your domain.”

“How would they know?”

“You feel it. Like a spidey sense.”

“So let’s just say that I was free. How do I make my way to Michelle? On foot?”

“You open a local portal.”

“I don’t know how to do that yet.”

“It’s really not that hard. Let’s find an empty classroom. I can teach you.”