Blackout

Covenant

[noun] a binding agreement


I hesitated to approach the man… well demon, who was now standing before me. I’m sure I looked like a gaping idiot, but it’s not every day you attempt to summon a demon and it actually works.

“Are you really a demon?” I finally asked.

It was dark. There was one street light which was already dim, but had started flickering since the demon had appeared. I could see that he was smiling though, his white teeth easily visible through the lack of light.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” he said after a moment. “I assume you want to make a deal.”

I nodded, taking a few more shaky steps toward him. Now that I was closer, I could see his face a bit better, even if it was mostly covered in shadows. From what I could see he was quite handsome, his hair an inky black, his eyes an unsettling red.

“D-Do you have a name?” I wasn’t really sure why I was asking. Maybe I was stalling, maybe I was genuinely curious. He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

“Pete.”

I couldn’t help it—I snorted.

“You’re a demon and your name is Pete?” I asked incredulously. “I was expecting something more unheard of.”

He shrugged.

“I figure it would be easier for your small mind to handle,” he said, the smirk gone. “Now, what is it that you want?”

I took a breath, deciding how to word this. I should have worked out the specifics ahead of time so I wouldn’t feel so unprepared.

“I want my boss’ marriage to end,” I said. “And I want him to want me.”

“And your boss is…?”

“Seth Linwood.”

Pete nodded, taking a step toward me.

“And in exchange, I will come for your soul in ten years.”

I nodded my head.

“You’ll have to come a little closer so that we can seal the deal,” he said, and at the look of confusion on my face he added, “A kiss is how sign the contract, so to speak.”

I took a deep breath and moved closer to the demon. When I was close enough, his hand reached behind my head, fingers burying in my hair as he pulled my face to his, pressing our lips together. I was surprised at the cool temperature of his lips on mine. It wasn’t cold… just, not warm. I would have thought a demon would at least be warmer than me.

I felt Pete’s tongue swipe across my bottom lip before he pulled away. I stepped away from him, steadying myself.

“How will I know this will work?” I asked.

Pete just smirked and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

---

When I woke up the next morning to get ready for work, my eyelids heavy with sleep, I thought last night must have been some really weird dream. This is what I get for staying up late and having crazy ideas in my head.

I was almost late to work, but luckily one of the paralegal’s at Mr. Linwood’s office informed me that he hadn’t arrived yet. I knew that even if he had been there, he wouldn’t have been mad at me for being late. Despite Mr. Linwood’s status as a powerful defense lawyer, he was quite friendly and understanding.

Besides, I mostly just answered the phone and scheduled meetings. It wasn’t like my job was very hard for someone else to do if I was running a few minutes late. But of course, no one could do Mr. Linwood’s job for him, and it was very strange for him not to be in the office when I got there.

It was even stranger that he didn’t even turn up to work until 2:00 in the afternoon, his appearance slightly rumpled. He was normally a sharp dresser and I had never seen him come into the office in anything less than a full suit. Seriously. Casual Friday for him meant not wearing a tie.

But I wasn’t complaining—cause damn, did he always look good in a suit. And today was no exception even if his tie was a little sloppy and his shirt not completely tucked in.

“Sophie, my office please,” he said, moving by my desk without a second glance. Just like any other day. Maybe I had dreamed up the whole demon thing.

I got up with a legal pad and pen in hand and followed him into his office.

He sat down behind his desk and ran a hand over his face exhaling loudly.

“Were there any problems with my morning appointments?” he asked after a moment, looking at me. I shook my head.

“I rescheduled your appointments for tomorrow and Wednesday,” I said. “And you were supposed to have a meeting with Chad Davis today, but he had no problem with moving it to tomorrow afternoon instead.”

He nodded his head, seemingly in thought. He sat forward and moved the mouse of his computer to wake it up. He clicked on a few things, eyes scanning the screen.

“Could you call Mrs. Jones and see if she wouldn’t mind coming in an hour?” he asked, sitting back with a sigh. “She should be easy to take care of.”

I nodded my head, observing him carefully. I could see that he was tired—dark circles were clearly under his eyes. He just didn’t look the same.

“Are you alright, Mr. Linwood?”

He turned his eyes, his impossibly blue eyes, to me and the first time since I had started working here they flickered to my cleavage and then the high hem of my skirt before moving back up to meet my own gaze.

“I’ll be fine, Sophie,” he said. “Would you mind staying late tonight? I have some work to catch up on since I was late, and could really use your help.”

“Y-Yeah,” I stuttered. I actually fucking stuttered. “No problem, sir.”

“Thank you,” he said, smiling at me. But it definitely was not his usual friendly smile. That was definitely the smile of a man who wanted me.

I left his office, my cheeks definitely red and a grin on my face.

I guess that whole crossroads demon thing actually worked.
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Thank you so much to those that commented! I really appreciate it. I'm quite excited about this story and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

~Sally