Cupcakes, Curves and Don't Forget Demons

Chapter 3

 Absolute silence. I had my eyes squeezed shut, my body still curled up and my hands still grasping my head. What the hell had just happened? That question repeated itself over and over again in my head. Who the hell was that guy, how the hell did he know my name and what in the fuck was that creature?! If that jackass was still alive, he better have some damn answers!

            "Acacia." That smooth as chocolate voice said. I slowly uncurled myself and lifted up enough to peek over the charred counter. The entire room was burned black, little fires still burning here and there. The fear instantly left and pure anger took its place. Using the counter to stabilize against, I stood up and glared at the man standing directly in the middle of the room, black jeans and t-shirt in burnt tatters on his well-muscled form. The creature was nowhere to be seen, which I assumed meant that it was now a pile of ash. Like all of my carefully chosen tables, chairs and décor were. Fuck.

            "You better start explaining now." My voice shook with the rage that built and built as I looked around at my lifelong dream that was now nothing but ash and charred wood. I drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down and continued to glare at him, waiting for his explanation.

            "Acacia..." He started. I held up a hand to stop him, "First question...How the hell do you even know my name. And why don't you start with your own?" I snapped.

            He turned his body towards me, giving me a glimpse of his well-defined six pack abs hidden somewhat beneath the tatters of his shirt. That same warmth from earlier began to climb its way up my body. I took another calming breath to fight it away. "Well?"

            "My name is Dominic. I know your name because I was sent after you on the premise that you were summoning demons onto this plane."

            "Sum-Summoning what? Is that what that creepy lizard dog was?"

  Dominic nodded, a couple strands falling loose from his brushed back hair and falling over his eyes. He began to walk towards me and I instinctively backed up, remembering how he'd grabbed me less than five minutes before. Noticing my reaction, he paused and looked me in the eyes, "I am not going to harm you."

 "Dude! You came in here, pretty much attacked me and then blew up my bakery! And now you're saying that I was supposedly summoning demons...Which I did not even know were real by the way. You expect me to believe you?"

 Reaching a hand up to brush the loose hair out of his face and back into position, he sighed. For the first time, I noticed that he looked worn out. I guess chasing a demon lizard dog and blowing up a bakery does that do you.

            "I know it all sounds unbelievable but it is reality. The good thing is that I now know that you are not the culprit, which in your case is good because you would be dead if you were. The bad thing is that if you are not the summoner, someone else is and it looks as though they are sending the demons after you. Which, if I do not find who that is, you're as good as dead anyways."

 Trying to process all that he had just told me, which was damn near impossible, I asked,  "So you're...what? Some kind of demon hunter?"

 "Yes and no."

 I looked at him questioningly, an eyebrow arching at his answer.

 "I, myself am a demon."

 My eyes nearly popped out of my head and I couldn't help but shriek, "What?!" I slid down to sit on the floor. "This is all too much. How the hell are you a demon and why is someone sending demons after me?" I looked up at him, "And what am I supposed to do about my damn bakery?"