The Red Eyed Favor Part III

“Of all the names you could have called yourself, you went with ‘Daddy’?”

“Would you have preferred that I refer to myself as Master, instead? I know I am new to modern day colloquialisms, but I’m under the impression that the two can be interchangeable.”

She gave him an unamused stare and crossed her arms, despite the urge she had to run screaming like the man with the sports car just had. However, something about his juvenile humor irked her enough to push the instinctive terror away.

Mr. Demon just shrugged at her scolding look, not the least bit sorry.

“A bit cringe, I know, but it had the desired effect, no? Poor Little Witch”, he looked down at her-his devious expression turning solemn in an instant. “You look more lost than the last time I saw you.”

She stared at him blankly, “You mean less than 12 hours ago?”

He wrinkled his nose and his brows twitched in surprise, “Is that all it’s been? Wow” His feet shifted, and his eyes took on a look of wonder. “The world has truly become more corrupt. Caught up on my personal itinerary by 250 years in less than a day…” he trailed off, awestruck at his own success.

“Yeah...good for you…”

“Oh, I assure you, it is.” His quick grin was viciously sharp. “Business is booming, Little Witch. Made four deals in the first ten minutes.”

“Erm...congrats, I guess?”

The last thing she wanted was to offend a demon, but come on, he should see how the taking of people’s souls would make a gal uncomfortable, right?

To Katie’s surprise, he seemed to preen at her lackluster approval; chest puffing out and that sharp smile broadening. And...was that a blush creeping up his neck?

When he paused long enough to notice her unresponsiveness at his peacocking, he deflated somewhat.

“I’m not so important after all, it seems.” he tapped the hood of her car where his hand still rested next to her before removing it swiftly, rounding the vehicle, and opening the passenger side door.

“What are you doing?” she asked, ire turning to trepidation, as she watched him allocating the items she had on the passenger seat to other places. It didn’t matter that he was arranging the items neatly with the rest of her things. All she saw was that he was clearing a spot as if for him to sit.

“I thought your power of observation would be a little bit stronger than that,” Seat cleared, he started to fold his long frame into the car. It looked like a damned spider tucking itself into the corner of a ceiling.

“Oh, no you don’t.”

“What?” he glanced up with a blank look. Such a sick joke to have a demon look so innocently up at her. That boyish naivete had to be a ruse, right?

“You are not coming with me. Absolutely not. No way, no how.”

His frown deepened, and it was hard to deny that his confusion looked genuine. ‘What do you mean? How else am I going to repay you? By Contract, I’m obligated to-”

“You have helped me! You’re not obligated to do shit.”

“Your statement is only half correct. I have not helped you near enough.”

“What do you mean ‘near enough’!? 20K is more than enough! We had a deal right?!” Katie didn’t like that she was starting to sound a bit hysterical. The longer she was in his presence, the more she felt like she had just triggered a trap that was snapping closed around her. No escape.

Oh God, he was going to try to take her soul.

“Hey, easy, Little Witch,” his confused tone turned worried, “You’re going to have a fit if you don’t breathe. Humans can’t just turn off that function, you know.”

“You’re not coming with me!” she repeated a little too loudly. She couldn’t seem to get enough air in her lungs. Would someone come to help if she screamed? Would they even be able to? She took a few steps away from her car then, completely missing the soft click of the gas nozzle beside her.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Little Witch; if that’s what you’re worried about. The Contract forbids it, even if I wanted to-which I don’t. Besides, it’s far more entertaining to fluster you.” His eyes glittered. Katie didn’t know if he thought he was giving her a comforting look or not, but it just made him look demented. The soft jest also did little to help the rising anxiety bubbling up her throat.

“Does that clause apply at all times, or just to people whose soul you plan on stealing?”

He snorted. “Demons have never stolen a human’s soul, nor can we. My race only retains souls through legal means.”

“Legal? Demons follow the human concept of legality for soul trading? I’ll give you three guesses as to why I don’t believe you, and the first two don’t count.”

If he rolled his eyes any harder, they’d get stuck. “Where, pray tell, do you think you humans got the idea for contracts and deals in the first place?”

“No” she gaped.

“Oh, yes. Before Demons, humans bartered like simpletons; just a verbal agreement and a handshake. The only thing keeping both parties honest and not tapping into the infinite amount of loopholes that system created was the pitiful excuse for honor your kind claim to have. It was absolutely barbaric. A sea sponge has more honor than your race, I’m afraid.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “I’m excluding you from the general population. For now.” His odd, heavy accent made that last bit incredibly ominous.

“Again, thanks...but just because you claim you can’t hurt me doesn’t mean you're telling the truth about any of this. How can I trust anything a demon says?”

“Simple. You don’t.”

Those words made goosebumps rise on her flesh.

“However, think on this: if I had wanted to hurt you, I would have done so already. If I had wanted your soul, I would have already tried to strike a bargain with you in that shabby hovel you lived in back in New Orleans.”

“I wouldn’t have called it shabby”, she muttered.

He smiled triumphantly. “Ah, so you do have common sense, after all. Honestly, Little Witch, I simply feel you are owed more for releasing me from that damned book than what I was able to give you. I’m honor-bound to fulfill my side of this unspoken Contract whether you like it or not.”

“But you have fulfilled it!”

“Be reasonable, Little Witch. Remember what I told you about Contracts? It’s embarrassing; the paltry amount I gave you. If I’d Contracted with you for your soul, you could have unlimited wealth. For just one soul. And what, pray tell, did I say releasing me was worth?”

Katie stared woodenly at him. “Three souls.”

He clapped his hands once and pointed at her like she was the smartest in the class as he exclaimed, “Exactly! See, you understand!”

“So...what, you're saying that you want to travel with me in order to pay me proper for releasing you? Why not just set up the funds like you did the first time? Surely that would be easier. I wasn’t kidding when I said I didn’t want to see you again.”

A crestfallen look fell over his elven features that looked suspiciously like his feelings had just been hurt. It must have been a trick of the light, because it was gone in a blink. A smarmy mask took its place as he said, “I’m saying that a usual Contract would be much more straightforward. The power is almost infinite, and not to mention, most of the power isn’t even my own. The Contract is its own entity. Not sentient, mind you. If it was, it would have no use for demons like me.

Anyway, this deal is anything but normal. There is no official Contract. Our deal is completely verbal so it has to come from my own personal power rather than from the Contract, and I’m still very weak.” He looked down at his hands before looking back at her, face brightening. “So, I’ve decided to tag along for the time being while I ‘charge up’, so to speak. The more deals I make, the more I’m able to give you since a demon’s power is based on the ‘finder’s fee’ clause of the Contract. Besides,” he arched a brow at her pointedly, “it seems like you need extra supervision anyway. What kind of demon let’s the mortal they owed a debt to be allowed to be put into any danger until the Contract is complete?”

“You mean ‘complete’ as in when you get my soul, right? Which I didn’t sell you. Because that sounds exactly like your precious Contract.” He was too fast talking for her liking. She was trying to pick apart every word he spoke to try and find something about his wording that would confirm her suspicions that he just wanted her soul.

He rolled his eyes again and reached down to edge the seat back. It only gave him a few extra inches for his knees.

“Of course, Little Witch. If you had, the Contract would protect you from all forms of harm until the demon collected the soul as payment but the principle remains. It’s like I’ve received the profit of the deal, the soul, before you received the exchange. Even if it was my freedom rather than your soul that was the payment. A demon who can’t stand good doesn’t get to stay on Earth for very long if they are sloppy and have to renege on deals.”

“But. I. Did. Not. Sell. My. Soul.” she stood there with gritted teeth as she spoke.

“Are you being deliberately obtuse, or did you have a stroke? I know you didn’t sell me your soul. I think I would have remembered that.” he rolled his eyes. Again. “Just imagine the Contract for souls reworked as an exchange of all benefits of a soul exchange, but the price is freeing me, not your soul.”

“Sounds like I need to read the fine print. Also, you talk too much.”

Never in a million years would she have thought to compare a demon making deals like a used car salesman, but that’s exactly what he was sounding like. His ‘loss’ being her gain, somehow. Telling her that he was practically doing her a favor out of the goodness of his little ol’ demon heart, not even asking for the one thing demons asked for in exchange for their version of a miracle.

“I’m fine with the 20K. Honest, this isn’t necessary…”

“Clearly. It’s not like you’re at a truck stop in the middle of the night with no clue as to your next step. I bet you weren't even standing in there wondering how long you could make that 20 grand last.”

“Are you reading my mind?”

He laughed at her narrowed eyes. “Hardly. I’m just really observant. Comes with the job.”

“So you were spying on me.”

He shrugged, unrepentant. “Only a little. Besides, aren't you happy I chased the fat little man away? I know women are much more liberated in these times than in the past, but even you must be smart enough to know traveling alone is still rife with danger.”

When she didn’t respond right away, he continued, “Look, I don’t see how my presence could be anything but positive to you. Just be a good Little Witch, and be happy. You’re getting the deal of eternity; plus a guard dog...well,” he red eyes glowed, “maybe more of a hellhound, but still.”

Just like before, she knew she was an idiot if she fully trusted his motives. Was he just hanging around her until he had enough power to just…’steal’ her soul away? Sans a real Contract?

“Wouldn’t you, I don’t know, be able to get more strength/power if you focused on making deals rather than hanging out with me?”

He rubbed his chin. “Honestly? Possibly. But you are forgetting something I get from this arrangement that I wouldn’t get with doing the usual ‘rise and grind’ that you suggested.”

“And just what is that?”

“Why, Little Witch, annoying you, of course. It’s the most fun I’ve had since the Spanish Inquisition.”

He laughed at her horrified expression. “It’s not what you think. The Monarchy sold their souls, along with a few key prominent Papal members, for more power. They killed all those people on their own. However, I gained immense satisfaction from meting out the punishments once they went downstairs. Also, incidentally, I had a blast explaining that their actions would lead to Napoleon conquering Spain-”

She put a hand up to silence his tangent. “That’s all well and good, but I don’t remember saying you could.”

The hurt puppy look crossed his features once more. “Am I so horrible of a companion that you would rather still travel alone? Risk being out in the world with men like Baldy? Do I smell or something?” he sniffed under one of his arms to check himself.

“Men like him were there before you showed up and I’ve handled it just fine, thank you.”

“Have you?”, was all he said to her prim response. He wasn't being cruel, she didn't think. He was genuinely asking.

She could have dealt with cruelty. Genuine concern was too much.

She looked away. Of course she wasn’t handling herself very well, and he knew it, damn him. Still, the fact remained that he was still a frickin’ demon. He was theoretically so much worse than Baldy with the crappy sports car…

Katie looked back at him when the thought of how much money she could still get from him flitted greedily in her mind, and she would still be able to keep her soul. Financial security in this life without the eternal damnation in the next was a heady thought.

“Little Witch, what is making you hesitate more? The fact that I’m a demon, or the fact that you want to be able to do this on your own?”

She didn't answer. Just continued to chew at her bottom lip. The thought hadn’t occurred to her until he’d mentioned it. She did want to do this on her own, she realized. But she was still scared that she would screw up this second chance he’d thrown in her lap. It would be so easy to fuck it up…

And what did that say about her? That the help of a literal demon wasn’t enough for her to get her shit together?

“Little Witch?”

“Ugh! Fine, but no digs on my music. Don’t eat my snacks, and absolutely no soul deals on the road.”

“Oh, now, that’s just cruel-”

“Nuh-uh. If you need to make Contracts, stick with the ones that will deserve it. I don’t want to witness some hapless traveler at a crossroads getting swindled. Get the souls of child predators or something.”

He sniffed in righteous indignation. “I never swindle, but fine. I agree to your terms.” he stuck a hand out across the driver’s seat. His limbs were so long that his hand was extended out of her tiny car. When she stared at it suspiciously, wondering if it was some official ritualistic part of the Contract, he sighed and muttered, “So mistrustful…”