Page 72 of Interior Design for Demons
“Fine.” His lips seal over mine and he inhales through the kiss, a blissful suction that makes me want to tug him back down into the sheets with me. But we can’t.
“Go,” I whisper. “Go, go!”
With a final brilliant smile, he vanishes.
Rath shows up to get me ten minutes later. He’s not pleased at having to wait while I finish swiping on mascara.
“We’re going to be late,” he growls.
“Such a terrible sin,” I retort. “Your Earthly mission must not have gone well.”
“Not at all,” he grumbles. “I’m working on this woman who reminds me far too much of you. Rebellious, annoying, confusing—she thinks she’s smarter thanme.”
“Maybe she is.”
He scoffs. “I’m a demon.”
“Yeah, you’re apridedemon, which makes it extra tough to admit that anyone is better at something than you.”
“She’s just sofrustrating. She says these cutting things that wound my pride, and then shesmilesall warm and sweet, and I don’t know what to do with that.” He slams a broad palm against the wall.
I eye him in the mirror. “Wait a second—do you like her?”
“No!” he bellows. “I likeyou, remember?”
“I know, but it’s never really worked between us. Mostly because you’ve been violent with me, and I can’t forgive that.” My voice hardens as I remember his hand to my face, and the shattered glass. “You can’t do that with her. Not ever. That kind of abuse is a deal-breaker. And I know you’re a demon, and violent reactions are part of your nature—but you have to learn to resist that urge if you’re ever going to be happy with someone.”
“I can’t be happy with a human,” he grumbles. “There are rules about it—”
“Rules that other demons twist and bend and break.” I pause to add a bit of lip gloss. “You know, I like this arrangement better. You and I, as friends. Without those confusing extra benefits. I think we should leave it this way.”
Rath meets my gaze in the mirror. He’s got this keen look in his eyes, like he’s reading my soul. “I thought I smelled him in here,” he says slowly. “And you seem—different. Lighter, happier. There’s less fear and pain in your aura now.”
I turn away from the mirror and look my sponsor in the eyes. Cologne god, teacher’s assistant, my kidnapper, sponsor, protector. The weird conflicted emotions between us are settling, finding the grooves where they were always meant to lie. Rath and I are not a love match, but we could be friends. If he’s willing to change.
He might not deserve the truth from me, but he’s getting it, once and for all. I’m going to say the words aloud, and he’ll be the first to hear them.
“I love Apollyon,” I tell him. “Can’t help it, can’t resist it. I know there’s not going to be a happy ending here, so we don’t have to talk about it again. But I thought you should know. And I’m sorry for stringing you along. It wasn’t fair of me. I used you.”
Rath nods, a penitent look suffusing his handsome face. “And I abused you. I—I don’t apologize for the things I do, ever, but—in your case, you deserve my sorrow and regret.”
There’s a hollowness to his words, a forced emptiness. He lacks something Apollyon has—a soul capable of true emotion. But Rath istrying. He’s trying so hard. I can’t even imagine being in his position, without much of a conscience, with only the echoes of emotion. Can someone like him deepen his capacity for love and compassion? Could he develop something like a soul, grow in it the dark soil of his being?
“You’re not forgiven, exactly,” I tell him. “But I’m willing to be your friend, for real, as long as you don’t hurt me again. No claws in my shoulder, no kicking me, no hitting me. Consider yourself on probation.”
He nods. “And now, little rebel, I really must insist that we leave for the meeting.”
All the contestants assemble in the orientation room again for the announcement of the Round 6 challenge. There are only seven of us left: me, Amanda, Hisae, Aghilas, Maksim, Zade, and a guy named Negasi.
Apollyon welcomes us all with wide arms and an equally wide smile. He looks fairly polished, considering what he went through last night. “Due to some responsibilities in the Earthly plane, I’ve been less involved in the planning of this round,” he says. “So the theme will be just as much of a surprise to me as it is to all of you. Please welcome the mastermind of Round 6, the mighty Dagon!”
Dagon is in his rocky troll-like demon aspect, and I can’t help staring at the granite seams of his body, the way the chunks of it grind together as he moves, and the orange glow that sometimes seeps from deep with him, shining through thread-thin cracks.
“Since there are seven of you, the theme of this round will be the ‘Seven Deadly Sins,’” he rumbles. “Each of you will be assigned the private suite of a high-ranking demon to redesign. Every demon specializes in a different type of sin, and your design for their quarters should reflect something of that specialty. We’ve assembled profiles for each demon you’ll be designing for. Your job is to please the demon whose suite you’re designing, as well as the judges and the audience.”
Dagon gives us all a curt nod and lumbers away from the podium. Apollyon sweeps back in to fill the void. He carries a black goblet in his hand. “In this cup I have the names of the demons whose suites are up for redesign,” he says. “I’ll ask each of you to stand, and I’ll draw the name of the demon you’ll be working for this round. Kanda Hisae, please stand.”
Hisae is assigned the suite for a demon specializing in sloth. I’m curious to see what she’ll do with that.
