Page 11 of Midnight with the Devil

“I thought crosses only worked on vampires?”

The woman laughed. “Child, crosses do not work on vampires. Vampires are not demons.”

Diana blinked. “Are you saying vampires are real?”

“You made a deal with the devil, and you don’t believe in vampires?” The woman laughed softly. “Child, the dark is full of monsters, human and other.”

“Vampires…” She didn’t know what to say. Her world, or what she knew of it, was vanishing overnight. She slipped the cross over her neck and tucked it beneath her sweater.

“How much do I owe you for the reading and the cross?”

The woman held out a hand. “Nothing. My name is Amara. You may come back anytime you need me.”

“Really?” Diana wanted to hug Amara and did so, ignoring the woman’s outstretched hand. Amara patted her back before they broke apart, but her eyes were serious as she looked at Diana.

“You must be careful. The more you surrender to the dark, to him, the more you will lose yourself. You must find the light inside you and hold on to it. Do not go into his darkness—it will destroy you.”

“Thank you.” Diana touched the cross hidden beneath her sweater and waved goodbye to Amara before she exited the shop.

A bitter wind curled around her, icy fingers teasing her hair and digging into her clothes, making her shiver. She rushed to her car and got inside. She turned on the lights and thought—for just one second only—that someone was in the back seat. She spun, gasping, but the back seat was empty. She turned back to the steering wheel, her heart pounding and her blood roaring in her ears. She would have sworn there’d been a flash of light, like the yellow of an animal’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

“I’m going crazy. I just need to go home and rest.”

“Rest.”A deep voice laughed in the back of her mind.“You’ll need it.”

Diana closed her eyes, breathing in slowly.

Stay calm. You have to stay rational. I will face this devil and the deal and save my dad. I won’t let him break me.

When she opened her eyes again she felt better, more clearheaded, until she heard the voice one last time.

“I will have you in every way I desire.”

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Chained on the burning lake, nor even thence had risen or heaved his head, but that the will and high permission of all-ruling Heaven left him at large to his own dark designs. - John Milton, Paradise Lost

Amara Dimka locked the door to her shop and flipped the Open sign to Closed. After reading that poor girl’s palm and tea leaves, she didn’t want to face any more customers. She needed to recover from the rush of premonitions. Touching the other side always took a toll on her. She’d caught a glimpse of a shining city, heard a flutter of wings in the dark, and then her stomach had dropped to her feet as she’d sensed theend. The end of everything. Amara paused and leaned against the counter for a minute, catching her breath.

That young woman was in danger, but there was no way to help her. One did not simply defy the dark one.

She put a few books back on the shelves, then fetched a broom from the storage closet and made a quick pass through the shop, collecting a small amount of dust. She leaned the broom against the counter and bent to retrieve a dustpan on a shelf away from where customers could see it. She gripped the handle and froze.Somethingwas in her shop.

A chill trickled down her spine, and she suppressed a shiver. She stood slowly, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to flinch when she found herself face-to-face with one of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. He wore a tailored black suit and a red tie. His dark hair was a little long, and it gleamed as if lit by sunlight although the sun had already set. His eyes were obsidian and eerily unreadable of any emotion.

“Can I help you?” she asked carefully. There was no doubt who this man was.

“I think you can, Amara.” His voice was silky and low, like a lover’s voice.

She waited, her heart racing.

“You can stay out of my business.” His dark eyes flashed with red fire.

“With the girl, Diana?” Amara’s heartbeat felt heavy in her chest because she knew her words might sound like a challenge. She didn’t want to bow down to him. She was a white witch, not one who followed him. She believed in helping people.

“Yes.” The dark one trailed a finger along the counter as though checking for dust, but his finger left a burning path on the counter with a charred black line in the wood.

“I don’t hear aboutyoumaking any deals these days.” She couldn’t help but wonder what had changed for him that he would make this deal personally. “People usually visit me after signing up with a crossroads demon. What’s so special about this one that you did the deal yourself?” Amara tried to act casual, as though she wasn’t having a conversation with the king of hell. She bent down to retrieve the dustpan and picked up her broom. Then she finished sweeping up the dirt and dust bunnies.

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