“He’s probably hungry,” said Andromalius, Great Earl of Hell.
“She,” said Erin, absently. “Nancy Drew.”
He stared at her for a very long moment. “So, she’s Nancy Drew, you’re Erin, and I’m—”
“From hell.”
“Just call me Andy.”
“Andy. And you’re the devil,” she said.
“Not the devil. A demon. Can I get you a chair? You look a bit peaky.”
Erin glanced down at herself. Her pajamas and slippers were soaked in red wine. She was probably puffy-faced, too, from the wine of the night before. She pressed one hand to her throbbing head.
“Fear not, a demon is here to help you out!” He gently removed the wine bottle from her hand and steered her into a chair next to the kitchen table. Then he made jazz hands, as if to say “Ta-da!”
“But demons don’t really exist. And if they do, they’re evil. They make people do bad things.”
“Wrong! Humans don’t need any help doing bad things. How about that coffee?” said Andy.
“I don’t want your demon coffee.”
Andy examined the coffee bag. “It’s not my fault you buy pre-ground. And anyway, you summoned me.”
“I did not,” Erin said.
“You did so. When you cursed your lover.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Erin picked up the wine bottle from the table and pointed it at him. “Ugh. Don’t call him that.”
“Your beau? Yourinamorato?”
“Are you insane?”
“I don’t socialize much,” admitted Andy.
“So, I called up a demon to curse my ex-husband and now he’s here in my kitchen and won’t leave.” She set the wine bottle down with a bang.
“In a nutshell. What were you thinking about in terms of the devil taking him? I’m assuming something really big and splashy. Hang on, let me get my notebook.” He reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out an expensive-looking notepad and an old-fashioned pen. He flipped open the notebook. “Okay, go.”
“I don’t want demon help, Mr. Demon.”
“It’s Andy. Or Andromalius if you’re feeling formal. And of course you want help, you laid the curse in the first place. What type of revenge shall we start with? Boils? An unscratchable itch? That’s always a good one.” He looked at her hopefully.
“I’ll pray you away.”
“Go ahead and try,” he said cheerfully.
Erin eyed him skeptically. She folded her hands and closed her eyes. “Dear Lord, please remove this demon from my kitchen. Amen.” She opened her eyes and gazed upon the very much still-present demon.
Andy cleared his throat. “Sorry about that.”
“Why didn’t it work?”
He poured water into the coffee machine. “There’s a part of you that wants me to fulfill my duty.”
“Your duty? Demon duty?” Erin laughed with a hysterical edge.
