Page 2 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
The thunder boomed. The reverberation wobbled her shelves, causing books and pictures to fall off. A gust sent papers flying, blowing out the candles. Moon now covered with clouds, she was left in darkness.
Kat shivered, glancing around. “That was weird.” She looked for the open window that sent everything flying. The chill she’d almost gotten rid of returned with a vengeance when she saw a figure by the window. Inside her house.
She clambered away and knocked into the blown-out candles, spilling wax on the floor. “Who are you?” She fumbled for the flashlight.
The figure moved from the window with abrupt, inhuman movements.The dark’s playing tricks on me. She looked around, but it wasn’t light enough to see much. Creaking from the left made her attention snap that way.
“Stay away!” She found the flashlight and shone it toward the person. They moved, leaving a trail of dark mist. “Who are you?” She backed away, searching for the stranger.
“I am that which you called for. The spirit you summoned with your blood.” He appeared in several places at once, leaving Kat jolting the flashlight. “Death-bringer, shadow of violence, blood fiend, slayer, and torturer of souls. The name you call me does not matter. The only question I have for you is . . . ” He paused in front of her, finally in the light.
He had pale skin, teeth that were a little too sharp, eyes red as blood, hair so black it blended into the shadows. His clothes were from another time—a doublet colored black and red. Kat froze as he leaned in close.
“Who is it you want killed?”
She stared, wide-eyed. He waited for an answer. Reaching behind her, Kat grabbed the first thing she found.
Then she hit him on the head with a polka-dot umbrella.
Chapter 2
An Accident
Katslammedtheumbrellaon the intruder’s head, but all it did was shock him. He didn’t move, just narrowed his unnatural eyes at her.
“Get out!” She shoved him back and smacked him with the umbrella again. “Out! This is a seriously messed-up Friday the thirteenth prank! What’s wrong with you? Who is your mother?” Her frantic tone increased in pitch with every blow she landed. “You have five seconds to get out of my house before I call the police!”
The stranger moved back more out of confusion than anything. He regarded her with a raised eyebrow. Tiring of the hits, he snatched the umbrella. The candles relit, and Kat gasped. He was more terrifying in the light. She hesitated, then lunged for the umbrella. The intruder scowled, and the umbrella crumbled to ashes in his hands.
“What are you doing?” he asked, catching her hand when she swung to hit him.
“What areyoudoing? How did you break my umbrella? Get out of my house!”
She tried to hit him with her other hand, but he caught that as well, pinning both behind her back. The action pressed their bodies together.
“That’s enough.” He glared, stilling her. “I’m here because you summoned me, human. Now, tell me who you want killed so I can leave this pathetic realm.”
“Killed? I don’t want anyone killed. This prank has gone too far. Get out!”
He was about to growl, but her knee smashed between his legs, leaving him wheezing and cupping himself. Kat slapped him across the face, ran to her room, and locked the door. She dialed 911 and leaned against the door, listening for movement.
“Nine one one, what’s your emergency?”
“Someone broke into my house,” Kat answered with a quivering voice. “A man. A man broke into my house, and he won’t leave, and he’s talking about killing people.”
It was quiet on the other side of the door. The house was old and creaky; if he headed her way, she’d hear it. She gave the authorities her address and was about to answer another question, but the stranger appeared in front of her, eyes glowing red.
He snatched the phone and crushed it in his hand. Spinning her around, he pinned her wrists behind her back. “That wasn’t nice.” He pressed her into the door with his body. “What’s your problem, human? You’re the one who summoned me. You think I wanted to be torn away from my hounds for this shit? Stop playing games, and tell me who you want dead.”
Kat squirmed under his hold. “How—how did you get in here?”
“I’m a demon. A locked door doesn’t mean shit to me. What the fuck is your deal? I haven’t been summoned in decades, and this is the shit I get,” he muttered.
“Please, leave me alone.” Tears filled her eyes while she struggled to break free. “I don’t know who you are, but please don’t hurt me. Take whatever you want, but let me go.”
Balls still aching, he was ready for her next attack. When she braced on the door, he let her push back. Instead of slamming into him, he moved, and she flailed back towards the floor. She expected pain, but he caught her before she hit the ground, then pushed her against it, straddling her and constricting her hands above her head.
“I’m not here to hurt you.” His brows furrowed. “Youcalledme. Not the other way around. Why are you crying?”
