I Got A Blank Space For You

Synopsis:

All humans received a Guardian Angel and a Guardian Demon. After awakening in Hell, we could choose between rehabilitation or becoming a Guardian Demon.

I chose the latter, gambling on a better life in Hell.

Previously on The Wicked Doesn't Rest - The Devil May Care Chapter Three...

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Disclaimer: Contains mature content. This is a paranormal romance.

Trigger warning: This chapter includes and/or implies sex, death, and violence. Please note that every thing here is FICTIONAL and in no way does it glorify or promote these themes.

Reader discretion is HIGHLY advised.

Chapter Four: I Got A Blank Space For You

Who would have thought that I did not have to fake my interest today?

I didn't.

Hearing Hunter talk about his work ignited curiosity inside me. He was mostly monotone since he was trying not to fall asleep while he showed me around. However, seeing how his eyes darkened as he talked about his research had me digging into his past more.

And so, when he took a nap on the couch in his office, I copied his “journal files” into my USB to see what juicy material I could blackmail him with later. Despite his big brain, he was not intelligent enough to encrypt his files.

His level of trust in me was incomprehensible that it made me want to sit him down and ask: haven’t your parents taught you not to trust strangers? If not, let me be your prime example of why you should not.

You might say, Oh, Eve! How dare you?! That is evil!

Which part did you miss that my goal was to be an Archdemon? Clearly, you haven’t been paying attention and this is the fourth chapter.

I took a deep breath as I eyed the USB in my hand. Even though I have been planning to go through what was inside it, a part of me hesitated. Guilt was foreign to me, so I was unsure if that was what I felt.

Maybe I was afraid that I would lose interest once I found out that the “journal files” were not as epic as I pictured them to be. I clicked my tongue and groaned.

What was I waiting for? Why was this so difficult? Would burning my eyeballs from staring at my fluorescent kitchen light be enough to motivate me?

Or maybe, I should just deal with the half-dead human on my kitchen wooden floor and go through the journal files tomorrow instead.

After my “work orientation,” I decided to indulge myself with a snack.

A human named Dennis was giving his all while he flirted with the receptionist, Anna, at the front desk. She had been rolling his eyes every time he dropped the infamous pick-up lines that surprisingly just got worse. After an eternity in Hell, I have never met someone as pathetic as he.

Anna was my first friend when I got here. She was a welcoming face and had a clear aura around her. I was immediately enamoured, and I knew that Sorath had strategically placed her as the first person that everyone would meet. Her soul was genuinely pure and a loser like Dennis was not even worthy of her presence.

You see, I had been starving since I got to Earth and even though I acquired a finer taste in souls, seeing Anna cringe had me make some exceptions. So, without giving myself a chance to retreat and rethink my choices, I confidently strode to the front desk with a winning smile on my face before Dennis could lay his sweaty hands on Anna’s shoulders.

“Anna!” I beamed, which caught both of their attention. Anna stood up and met me halfway, thankful for my presence while Dennis scowled in frustration. However, after eyeing me for a few seconds, he straightened his shoulders and transferred his predatory attitude toward me instead.

His funeral.

“Dr. De la Cruz! How did your orientation go?” She asked enthusiastically. Anything would be much more interesting than hearing Dennis buzzing in your ear like a fly.

“Please! I told you to call me Eve.” I handed her the folder that contained a bunch of legal stuff that I had to fill out. Not like human laws would ever apply to me. Unless I was contracted with blood and a proper ritual, I was untouchable. However, Sorath was insistent on keeping appearances because “the Celestial Council insists.”

“Dr. Eve,” she said, uncertain and uncomfortable with dropping formalities. “Anyway, how did it go?”

“Oh, lovely! Thank you for giving me the map of the building because I would have gotten lost!” I wouldn’t have. I had the building’s blueprint memorized before I got here but of course, I was all about keeping appearances. “I owe you coffee.”

“Oh, you don’t have to!” She giggled and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t like the sound of her voice. Dennis grossly coughed, irritated that neither of us acknowledged his presence. Anna rolled her eyes again.

“My, my, do you have something in your throat? If so, you should get that checked.” I feigned concern which had Anna giggling even more.

His ears turned red, but he tried to keep his composure. “Is that how you show respect to your superior?”

“Oh.” I covered my mouth. “I apologize, and you are?”

His cheeks turned crimson, offended that the new girl who was not even under his jurisdiction did not know all-mighty-he¬! Director of Finance Dennis, who had been embezzling money to fund his gambling and sex addiction, and who was known for harassing employees.

How dare I!

Before he could scream and throw the tantrum he was known for, he took a deep breath and rethought his strategy. If he were to do that now, he would lose all his chances of getting me to warm his bed, right?

He grinned but it didn’t reach his flat blue eyes. He reached out his hand to me as if that would pardon his previous actions. “I should be the one apologizing. It had been a hard day and I took it out on you. I am Dennis Smith, Director of Finance of this well-established and most trusted research facility in the world, Lux et Obscurum Incorporated.”

It was a wonder how I did not throw up in my mouth and was able to keep my façade. I shook his hand and returned his smile. “Dr. Evette De la Cruz. Research assistant of Dr. Hunter Apollyon.”

He raised his brow. “Oh. So, you’re that new girl that everyone was talking about.”

I heard Anna groan behind me, and it took all my focus not to do the same.

“I am not sure what that meant.” I kept my tone pleasant, and he took that as a hint to lure me in. Oh, if he only knew what he was about to get into.

“Well, why don’t we go for a nice dinner tonight? I would like to get to know more about you and how I can help you reach your goals.”

“Sure. Why not? I’m interested in picking your brain.” I mused. Literally.

Anna gave me a worried look, but I gave her a reassuring smile. “Anna, thank you again for today! I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes.” She responded and in a low whisper, she added, “Please be safe. Please.”

I nodded and without further ado, I let Dennis lead the way, letting him think that he was under control the whole time.

He took me to an Italian Restaurant in the downtown area of Hamilton called La Cantina. It had a pleasant atmosphere, and the food was delicious enough to distract me from Dennis’ incessant chattering about how he had saved the company from the brink of bankruptcy by proposing that they should invest in crypto.

It was all bullsh*t, but I nodded like I was absorbing his words with much gusto. Once he was done with his food, he immediately snapped for the bill without even asking if I was done with my meal. He paid for both of us as he emphasized that “this is what real men do.” Meanwhile, he complained the whole time about tipping and how money should be earned with hard work.

When he wasn’t paying attention, I slipped our waiter $100. He appreciatively nodded his head as I made a mental note to visit the restaurant again by myself because I refused to let Dennis taint my experience of the restaurant and their food.

Then as expected, Dennis cornered me outside of the restaurant and asked me if I would like to end our night with fun. I grinned and with a breathy whisper in his ear, I asked, “Why not do that at my place instead?”

So, that concluded why I have a soulless body on my kitchen floor while I pondered if I had the mental capacity to go through Hunter’s files.

You see, Dennis was technically not dead. He was still breathing but there was no guarantee how long a bag of flesh would last without a soul. He didn’t taste great but the thrill of ending an incel like him was enough to keep me satiated for a week.

And Anna should be safe from now on.

My doorbell rang and I hid the USB into my laptop sleeve before I answered the door. I guess, I could wait until tomorrow to go through those files. Upon opening the oak door, Sorath stood outside with his arms crossed. He was mentally prepared to give me a lecture but as soon as he saw how I was dressed or lack thereof, he shut his mouth.

I forgot to put on pants. Oh well. Boxer underwear should do.

“Come on in.” I let him inside and locked the door behind us. After removing his shoes, he entered the kitchen like he owned the place and stopped as soon as he saw Dennis staring lifelessly up my ceiling.

“I hope you won’t miss him.” I leaned on my counter aisle. “He is incompetent for the job title he held.”

Sorath sighed. “I was planning to get rid of him but not this way.”

I laughed. “Oh. Was this too evil for you?”

“Believe me, no. You did the company and me a favour.” He took out his phone as his thumb flew across the screen to send a text message. “I just don’t want to hear it from the Director again.”

“The Director?”

But my question was immediately answered when a 5-foot-2 woman who was about in her late twenties, transported herself into my condo with ease as if I didn’t have any barriers that would prevent strangers from doing so. She had short dark hair, obsidian eyes that had dark shadows underneath as if she had opted out of sleep for more than a decade, and full pink lips that were pressed into a thin line.

“Eve, meet Eliza Villa Guerra. She is also a Canadian who used to live in Montreal but since the office got moved to Toronto, she now stays here in Hamilton as well. She hates crowded places and Toronto is. Anyway, she is the Director who oversees pretty much everything in this realm and the one who is responsible for keeping the Immortals a secret from humanity.” Sorath introduced and Eliza eyed me like I was a child she needed to reprimand as well. “Eliza, this is Eve. Dr. Apollyon’s Guardian Demon.”

She returned her attention to Sorath as she aggressively gestured at Dennis who was oblivious to the situation. “How many times do I have to tell you that I am too busy for this b.s.?! Do you know what mess Vladymyr left for me? I just got back doing damage control because l’imbécile [the fool] set a motel on fire just outside of Southern California which turned into a massive forest fire because oh, je ne sais pas [I don’t know], the draught!

To top it all off, he went Live on TikTok while he killed trois Chasseurs de Vampires [three Vampyre Hunters]! Why can’t you Immortals get your sh*t together?! Do I look like I get to sleep? I need f*cking sleep. Mais non [But no]!”

Before Sorath could defend himself, Eliza began yelling again. Clearly, she had a rough couple of days…heck, possibly years, and tonight was just the night to set her off.

“And oh! You had to kill the Director of Finance right before the actual human detectives get to interview him for money embezzlement and drug involvement. Do you know how suspicious you would look? How does this make Lux et Obscurum look? Have you told Li?!

Savez-vous combien de peparasse cela implique [Do you know how much paperwork this involves]? Do you know how much more work me and my staff don’t need? Dammit, Sorath! VOUS DEVRIEZ SAVOIR MIEUX [YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER]!”

I kept my mouth shut and so did Sorath. Truthfully, I was too afraid to say anything else. She took a long shaky breath as she clapped her hands and looked up at the ceiling to summon more patience. After a few minutes of silence, I finally asked, “Would you care for coffee?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “S’il te plaît [Please].”

Her tone was softer this time as the storm finally passed. Sorath took care of her black jacket that had a silver insignia on the sleeve, a snake wrapped around a sword, as he pulled out a chair for her to sit on.

Looking back at Dennis on the floor, she said, “Sorath. You’re going to owe me ramen. I hope you know that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He quietly responded. It was out of character to see him shaken, but I felt the same way.

“And I want the interdimensional one. Not some cheap one.”

“Anything for you, Eliza.” He complied. “I appreciate you. We all do.”

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “If you all do, then let me get some f*cking sleep.”

What a scary woman. I thought as I made coffee.

“Anyway,” she continued as she met my eyes. “Welcome to Earth. I have heard of your arrival. I apologize for not properly introducing myself. As you have heard, I was dealing with crap. I hope I did not scare you off. But other than getting rid of that scum bag that I’m guessing you ate, I seriously pray that you don’t get indigestion from him, I am here to give you the overview of do’s and don’ts while you stay in this realm.”

I opened my mouth to protest but she put up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. You are under Lucifer’s jurisdiction. But I hate to break it to you, mon amie. While you are here in my domain, you are under mine. And since I am under the Celestial Council, you are technically under theirs.

So, if you want to reach whatever goals you have in mind, then you need to adhere to the rules. You don’t? I have the power to send you back to wherever you came from by whatever means. Vous comprenez [You understand]?”

“Uhm…oui [yes]?” I hesitated but I knew that arguing with her was not the hill I wanted to die on yet. Satisfied with my answer, she took a sip of her black coffee.

“Good, good.” She muttered, unsure if she was talking about the coffee or my answer. “Well, let’s start, shall we?”

I glanced at Sorath for help, but he shook his head. My job was about to get much more difficult than I expected it to be.

Eliza meant business. And neither Sorath nor I could do anything about it.

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Hi, I'm CyCy!

Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate it!

Note: the chapter name is based on Blank Space by Taylor Swift.

Fun Facts:

• Eliza is from House of Trials! There are four chapters out that you can read.

• Vladymyr is from Life as a Vampyre Influencer. There is one chapter out right now.

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