“Can’t you use your magic to do something about him?” Caleb nodded toward the stink demon who was currently snoring in her lap. With its ears flattened against its head, the thing reminded her of a teddy bear. A stinky, scaly teddy bear. An empty bottle of whisky sat on the table—beside it, a half-empty jar of street-grade moonshine. Candles dotted every bare surface, their flames making the shadows on the walls dance, but not even the scents of lavender, sandalwood, and cloves combined could smoother the odor of the creature, or “Smellicious,” as Caleb had named him.
“You know as well as I do that I can only summon.”
“Then summon something up to eat that thing. Problem solved.”
“Caleb!” She kicked him. “You are a heartless bastard. Plus, it’s against the law. He was registered the moment I summoned him; therefore, he is now considered a civil resident with the same rights as you or I. Trust me, I looked into it.”
“And you call me heartless.”
“No, I call you my gay bestie. The fact you’re a heartless bastard is an observation.”
Caleb clutched a hand over his heart. “How dare you call me gay. That does not do me justice. I am deeply hurt.”
“Is there another term for I’ll sleep with anything that breathes, as long as it’s not female?”
“Yes, it’s all-male-sexual. And at least I don’t sleep with shapeshifters, unlike someone I know. At least I know what type of demon I’m really sleeping with.” He grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. She dodged it, waking Smellicious in the process. The demon jumped off her lap and attacked the pillow, clenching it between its wide jaws.
“That was five years ago,” she said, cringing. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Not as long as I still have the memory of waking up to a Gigorian beetle in my kitchen, making a cup of coffee with one of its six arms.”
Azrael grimaced and poured them both another glass. Good thing she didn’t have to work in the morning because she was sure to have the hangover from hell. Still, a best friend drinking night was exactly what she needed.
“Here.” She handed him his glass. “Speaking of exes, I saw Garrin today.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes. “Jesus, baby girl, you have had a bad day. What was that sick bastard doing? Did he talk to you? He better not have.”
“He came by the office, big bosomed redhead hanging on his shoulder, asking people for interviews. Of course, he didn’t ask me but stopped to snap a pic right as I was trying to summon the demon. He’s the reason I messed up the spell. Fricking bastard is always ruining my life,” she said, her voice slurred.
“He took a picture of you? He did that crap just to rub it in. I’ll kick his damn ass.”
“He’s not worth it. I’m over it. Everyone in the world has seen me naked by now, so what’s the point?”
Azrael shrugged and cast her eyes down. She knew Caleb meant it. When the magazine had come out with her naked picture on the centerfold, Caleb did everything he could to leave the apartment, fully intending to kill Garrin. When she’d found him in the hallway, crying and clutching the walls, she begged him to stop and told him that seeing him suffer was worse than anything Garrin could have done.
Caleb leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “If it’s any consolation, you look sexy as hell in that picture. That dark red hair spilling over your perfect porcelain skin damn near made me wish I liked women.”
Azrael wrinkled her nose. “Don’t be gross. I just wish we could have afforded a lawyer. Promise me that when your online matchmaking company takes off, we’re gonna sue the hell out of that bastard and win this time.”
“Damn right we are.”
She sat her empty glass on the table and stood. The room spun, causing her to lose her balance. Caleb chuckled, and she gave him a dirty look before walking away.
She was halfway to the bathroom when a knock came from the front door. Azrael ran back into the living room, looked at Caleb, then down at the stink demon, who was strewing cotton from the shredded pillow all over the room. At the same time, they both raced toward Smellicious, who, sensing he was the center of unwanted attention, bolted across the room.
Azrael managed to grab his legs, but he squirmed out of her grasp, climbing onto the top of the couch. She ran to one end, blocking him, while Caleb snuck up from behind. The stink demon tried to jump over the back of the couch, but Caleb dived, wrapping his arms around the wiggling creature.
The knock came again, right before they heard Lance bark, “It’s the landlord, open up.”
“Oh shit,” Caleb whispered, his eyes wide. “What are we going to do?”
Azrael looked toward the door, then back to Smellicious. She thrust out her arms. “Here, give me him. I’ll pretend to shower. Just hold him off for a few minutes.”
Caleb shoved the demon in her hands, and she ran to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. She tossed Smellicious down as she heard Caleb greet Lance. There was no way the landlord wouldn’t notice the smell or see the mess Smellicious made, but they’d used this tactic many times before to avoid him. All she could do was pray it worked this time. She threw back the shower curtain and turned on the faucet.
Ripping her clothes off, she tossed them on the floor.
She heard Lance’s voice. “I don’t care that she’s taking a shower if she really is. There is some kind of septic problem on this floor, and the smell has everyone complaining. I have to turn off the main to work on it, and it is located in that bathroom. Now step aside.”
Oh shit. Azrael glanced at the sewer main. It was the reason they got the apartment cheaper than the other units. Now, it would be the end of them.
“You can’t just barge in there! That’s against our leasing rights.”
“I can if it’s an emergency situation.”
She heard a key being slid into the lock. Azrael grabbed Smellicious and jumped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her. Cold water hit her naked body, and she broke into goosebumps. She struggled with the slippery demon before deciding to set him down, holding him between her ankles as he lapped up water from the bottom of the tub.
The door opened. She held her breath, squeezed her ankles tighter. Smellicious squirmed. This can’t be happening, she thought. That asshole actually has the nerve to come in here. She clenched her fists as her heart pumped faster. She no longer felt the cold water piercing her skin because inside, her blood was boiling. Payback was a bitch, and she was going to deliver it to Lance on a silver platter.
She took a deep breath and shoved back the curtain, exposing her bare breasts. “Caleb, can you hand me…oh!”
Azrael pulled the curtain back around her, covering her chest. Heat set fire to her cheeks, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Lance stood right inside the door, his turquoise eyes wide and fearful. Above the collar of his T-shirt, his skin took on a rosy tone. For the first time since she’d met him, the snarky confidence he always exuded was gone.
“What are you doing here?” she accused.
“I…um….” He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, diverting his eyes. “I came to turn off the septic main. It’ll just take a second if….”
He cut his eyes to her, but he looked away just as quickly. Not waiting for a response, Lance strolled over to the sewer main. Azrael didn’t argue, didn’t trust herself to speak. If it wasn’t for the stink demon squirming between her ankles, she could almost find this situation amusing. For the second time that day, she felt in charge, a feeling she wasn’t used to when it came to Lance.
He pulled a thin, cylindrical key out of his pocket and shoved it into the box beside the main. Azrael’s drunken gaze slid from his muscular back down to his tight jeans.
If only he wasn’t such a jerk, she mused.
The landlord placed the key back inside his pocket and stomped out, keeping his face turned the other way. Caleb, who had been standing at the door the whole time, gave her a wink before shutting it.
Azrael released the stink demon from between her ankles and leaned back against the shower wall, shutting her eyes. Vindication quickly became replaced by mortification.
I just exposed myself to a man who not only hates me but one I have to beg for a job. By tomorrow, he’ll have regained enough confidence to laugh in my face.
Her eyes popped open. It wasn’t tomorrow yet. When you have the upper hand, use it to your advantage. Wasn’t that what Caleb always told her? She could still hear them talking, but the voices were further away, close to the front door. Jumping out of the shower, she grabbed a thin towel and wrapped it around herself as she raced out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
“Mr. Jacobs,” she yelled, running through the hallway, water dripping down her body.
She turned, rounding the corner, and slammed into something hard. Her mind barely registered the solid wall she’d hit was Lance before her feet slipped, and she stumbled backward. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into him. Azrael found herself face to face with Lance, her wet body pressed against his warm one, his hand lying on the sensitive curve right above her buttocks. He looked down at her, eyes dark and hooded. Azrael’s chest hitched.
“You okay?” he asked.
His voice was deeper than normal. Sexier. It rumbled through her, a gentle purr forcing its way beneath her skin. She nodded, tried to speak, but the only noise that came out was a sound similar to that of a cat in heat.
Lance let her go and stepped back.
“Then do you want to explain to me what the hell you want?” Although his words were brisk, his tone was soft. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking anywhere but at her.
I’d love to tell you what I want, she thought. The words nearly slipped past her lips before she stopped them.
Focus, Azrael.
“I need a job,” she blurted out, her voice slurring slightly.
“What?” Lance stopped staring at the wall and looked at her. His eyes narrowed.
“I need a job, and you need a maid. Just for a few months.” Azrael took a deep breath to calm herself. “You see, I got laid off work today—”
“You what?” he asked.
“Laid off, and there’s no sense in asking me about the rent if you don’t hire me because we won’t have it. It would benefit us both if you hired me.”
“No,” he said, his tone that of a parent speaking to a disobedient child.
If there was one thing that sent her from angry to supreme bitch, it was being treated like she was beneath someone’s notice. Especially by a man who managed a bunch of crummy, run-down apartments. She poked a finger at his chest. “Look here. I’ve put up with your crappy ass attitude since we’ve moved in. I don’t know what your issue with witches is, and I don’t care, but I need a damn job so I can pay our rent. You’ve had that sign up for months, so I know the position still needs to be filled. If you don’t give me the job, you’ll have to kick us out, and when you do, I will tell the apartment owners’ board how you not only barged in on me naked, but you then refused to hire me when my credentials and background made me a qualified candidate. Sexual harassment and discrimination typically don’t go over well with them. Do you understand me?”
Lance held his fists clenched at his sides. Azrael crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “Fine then. Meet me at six a.m. Don’t be late, and you better as hell be sober.”
He stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Azrael let out a long breath.
Caleb shook his head. “Baby girl, I don’t know whether to be proud of you or scared for you. Either way, holy smokes, that was awesome. I wasn’t sure if you were about to throw him on the floor and do him or rip his eyes out.”
“Shut up,” she said, walking off to fill her glass with moonshine.
Tomorrow would be living hell whether she was hung over or not.