Snippets from Demon Fire

The Demon Lord looked like he’d spent way too much time in Hell. His wings were almost entirely leather now, with only a few charcoal feathers left. The ebony black horns on his head would rival Lucifer’s, and his glowing red eyes, when he turned them on me, were not happy.

He cursed in a demon language I didn’t understand and sent a stream of his molecules through the computer monitor, out into the real world. By force of will, he pulled the three escaped Fallen back, along with Mr. Ferraro, who’d been caught up in the energy stream. The insurance agent, still in his underwear, quivered in terror as Max sent his Fallen brethren back into their computer prison, and then turned his attention to the only semi-threat left in the room.

“I’m sorry.” The half-naked man threw himself at me. “I really didn’t think you were married.” His gaze flew in panic from me to Maxiel and back again. “But it’s okay. I don’t care. I’ll give you the money. Here; take it.” He pressed the check into my hands.

Hell and damnation. I was back to looking like a succubus. “This isn’t what it looks like.” I said in my own defense, scrambling for lies the Demon Lord might believe. What did it say about my life when a plausible lie would be better than the truth?

Maxiel sketched an evil looking glyph in the air, burned a hole in the ether and pulled three half-furled scrolls out of the darkness. Smoke rose from the edges and the ink on them still glowed with blood-red heat. Uttering a word in demon speak, he transformed the scrolls into official looking documents, complete with what appeared to be the state seal of Texas.

“I believe this completes your missing paperwork, including marriage and death certificates.” He held the documents, one at a time, in front of the insurance investigator’s face. “They merely need to be filed, and I believe you can do that. In order, if you will.”

“I…I…I don’t…” Ferraro stuttered in alarm as he inspected the documents, nearly jumping out of his skin as Slate slid in closer. The little gargoyle scrabbly clicked his six inch teeth together at the scent of fear and the anticipation of a meal.

“Please tell me you’re not having further problems with the documents, Mr. Ferraro.” The Demon Lord breathed, his voice layered in brimstone. “Because I would very much like Mrs. Malcolm’s problems to go away. But if you’re still having doubts as to the legitimacy of her documentation, I can put time, you, and the demons back exactly as I found you, and all your problems will be over in a matter of seconds. Let me be clear. I don’t need you to file the forms. I’m merely giving you one last opportunity to redeem yourself in my eyes.”

Ferraro’s face paled at the lack of emotion in the Demon Lord’s. “I can file them, and attest to her, uh, marital status, and whatever else you want me to. Send me back, alone, and I’ll do it right now.”

“Work fast, Ferraro. My patience for obstructionism is thin.” Sending him back to his office, Max watched in satisfaction as the half-dressed man scanned all three documents, entered his digital stamp of approval and hit send in record time.

The Demon Lord closed his eyes, following the electronic paper trail until it had reached its destination. When he opened them again, he closed the Zoom link and refocused his attention back on me.

“I am not Lucifer to assume the worst, and the insurance investigator holds no appeal to you, nor likely to anyone but a desperately hungry succubus.” A flash of humor flared in his once-again-sapphire eyes as he skimmed through my earlier thoughts. "But you are hiding something from me, and you will tell me what it is."