Saturday morning. 8:00am
It all started with a Pinterest DIY.
You know those aesthetic witchy boards? Crystals, candles, "summon positive energy" quotes? Yeah. I thought, Why not? My life was falling apart - my boyfriend dumped me, my rent was overdue, and my cat, Mr. Pudding, hated me. A little "manifestation" couldn't hurt.
Spoiler: it hurt.
And I really needed a distraction. Anything could count as that right now. So universe, please bless me this time.
I lit the candles, drew the chalk circle, and muttered some dusty Latin I found on a Tumblr blog. I expected vibes, maybe a whiff of lavender. Instead, my apartment filled with black smoke and a man appeared - shirtless, six-foot-something, tattoos that moved like shadows on his skin, and eyes like they'd stolen light from a fire. In one word...
Hot. Hawt. Fineee. Sexy. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Mouth watering. Jaw dropping.
I know I said one word but could you really blame me? I was so turned on just looking at him.
"Who dares summon the High Lord of the demon realm?" he growled.
I blinked. "Uh... me?"
He looked around my tiny apartment, spotted the pile of laundry, the half-eaten pizza box, and my cat giving him death stares. His face went from menacing to... confused. "This isn't the Blood Citadel."
"Nope," I said. "It's a one-bedroom in New York City. Shoes off at the door. And dude. Put some clothes on. Please?"
Rule number one of demon summoning: Don't sass the demon.
But he wasn't mad. In fact, he looked weirdly pleased.
"You summoned me," he said slowly. "That means you're my summoner. And my... mate. Little witch, you have summoned your mate."
I laughed so hard Mr. Pudding jumped off the couch. "Mate? Witch? Sir, I think you've got the wrong girl. I can't even keep a houseplant alive talk less of being an actual witch. If one of those exists."
He stepped closer, heat rolling off him like a furnace. "You called me here. I am bound to protect you, provide for you, and-"
"Oh, hell no." I grabbed the chalk, ready to draw a banishment sigil. I just needed to find out how to.
"-and," he continued, ignoring me completely, "court you until you accept me."
"Hehehehe. Mr demon? I appreciate the offer but I'll skip. The last thing I need is to have a demon following me here and there. And you doing whatever it is that demons do. Kill people? Suck souls?"
"My love- I promise to obey whatever it is you say as long as it doesn't jeopardize your safety. You can call me Raze. What's your name love?"
"Okay.. Rule one. Until I figure out how to return you back to where you came from, do not call me love. Don't follow me. And if anyone asks; You're my cousin. Understand?"
"Okay, no my love. How about baby? Or sweetheart? Or my little witch?"
"Raze!! Did you listen to any other thing I said?"
"Baby, if you yell my name like that again. I won't be able to control myself. It's hard already."
I have to admit that what he just said turned me on more. I was soo confused. Weren't demons supposed to be you know demons?
"Baby the air smells beautiful. And don't worry. You don't have to be shy. You can have me anytime you want. I'm all yours."
I think he can read minds. I have to remember that.
The next week was hell. Not fire-and-brimstone hell - demon boyfriend hell.
He followed me everywhere. To class? Yup. Stood outside the lecture hall glaring at every guy who looked at me. At the grocery store? He carried my basket but also intimidated the cashier into giving me a discount. Laundry day? He folded my underwear while making unsettling eye contact. Imagine taking your underwear and stretching it, testing the bra and saying how badly he wants to see me in one.
The worst part? My friends loved him.
"He's hot," my best friend Kemi whispered.
"He's dangerous, he just hasn't shown it yet." I hissed back.
"Hmm? Then dangerously hot," she said.
I considered faking my own death.
One night, I woke up to find him sitting at the edge of my bed, staring at me like I was the last slice of pizza.
"You talk in your sleep," he said.
"Cool. I'll buy you noise-cancelling headphones."
"You said my name."
"Yeah, because you keep haunting my life."
He smirked, and I hated how unfairly attractive it was. "You like me. And you just called me attractive. I've read your thoughts all week and baby I had to control myself from taking you....."
I threw a pillow at his face. "Stop reading my mind. That's an order. And get out of my bed!!"
He smirked and teleported to the floor still staring at me with those grey red sexy eyes of his.
"Thank you. I will keep staring at you. You have my whole body."
"Raaazzzeee!!!"
Then came the fire incident.
I was cooking noodles (don't judge me, it was exam week) when my phone buzzed. I turned around for five seconds, and boom - kitchen ablaze. Demon Boyfriend snapped his fingers, fire gone.
"See? I protect you," he said, smug.
"You started the fire," I accused.
"I was cold."
"You live in a human body! Buy a sweater!"
It was exhausting. And confusing. And... okay, maybe a little flattering. No one had ever looked at me the way he did - like I was both chaos and the cure for it.
Then, one evening, he cornered me on the balcony. The city lights painted him gold and shadow.
"I can leave," he said softly, "if you want me to. All you have to do is say it. You will say 'I, Zoey Kelly reject Raze as my mate and protector and wish for him to return back to hell."
And for some reason, the words stuck in my throat. I just couldn't.
He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat of him. "Or... you can keep me. I'll make you laugh, I'll keep you safe, and I'll burn the world if it hurts you. And I'll teach you how to control your powers."
"That's... terrifying, and sweet and confusing. And what powers are you talking about. We've been over this... And..." I whispered.
"And?" His smirk was pure sin.
I swallowed. "And... I guess I don't hate it, only the part of you leaving."
We kissed. And maybe it was the magic, maybe it was the months of bad dates and worse boyfriends, but it felt like catching fire without burning. Or maybe it's this mate thing he's referring to.
When we pulled back, he grinned. "So... what's for dinner, mate?"
I sighed. "Indomie. Again. But no setting my kitchen on fire this time."
"No promises.sugarcakes..." I glared at him
"No promises, but I'll try." he repeated, that wicked smirk still painted on his face.
I rolled my eyes and went back into the kitchen. But just as I reached for the kettle, something strange happened - the air... shifted. Like someone had cracked open a freezer door in the middle of August.
"Uh... Raze?" I called.
He was at my side in half a second, eyes flashing brighter than I'd ever seen them. "Stay behind me."
The lights in my apartment flickered, then went out completely. Darkness pressed in from all sides, thicker than normal night.
My chest tightened. "Okay... this is new."
"Not new," Raze said, voice low and tense. "It's a summoning echo. Someone else... called something here."
Before I could ask what he meant, a screech tore through the room - high, sharp, unnatural. And then it stepped into the light of the still-burning candle on my counter.
Tall. Slender. Skin stretched too tight over its bones, with glowing blue veins and eyes like black pits.
"Friend of yours?" I whispered.
"Enemy," Raze growled. "A soul-hunter. They track unbound witches and feed on their energy."
"Unbound... witches? What does that even mean?" I squeaked.
"Later, baby," he said, stepping forward. "Close your eyes."
I didn't. Which meant I saw everything. Raze's tattoos lit up like molten gold, and in an instant, fire spiraled out from his hands, wrapping around the creature. It screamed, twisting and thrashing - but then it lunged straight through the fire, heading for me.
I stumbled backward, hitting the counter hard. The creature's cold claws scraped my arm before Raze tackled it, slamming it into the wall so hard the plaster cracked.
"Zoey, the salt circle!" he barked.
I didn't think - I just grabbed the container of sea salt from the cupboard and poured a ring around us. The creature slammed into it, shrieking as smoke rose from its skin.
For a moment, I thought we were safe. Then it laughed - low and raspy - and whispered something in a language I didn't understand. My apartment walls pulsed once, twice... and then split open.
Beyond the cracks? Not brick. Not insulation. A yawning darkness, and whispers curling out like smoke.
Raze cursed. "They've opened a gate."
The creature darted through the rift, but not before looking back at me - and smiling. Like it knew me. Like it wanted me.
I clutched my arm, my heart still pounding. "What the hell was that?"
Raze didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed fixed on the rift, fire still burning in his hands. Finally, he turned to me.
"That," he said grimly, "was a warning. And it means whoever sent it knows what you are."
My breath caught. "What... I am?"
"You're a witch Zoey. It's what I've been trying to tell you all this----"
The rift pulsed again, wider this time. A low, echoing voice rolled out:
"Bring her to me."
Raze stepped in front of me, fire flaring hotter. "Over my dead body."
The floor shuddered under our feet. The darkness reached for us.
And then-
TO BE CONTINUED....