Wicked Wishes

Chapter Two

I blinked, yet he was still standing there, waiting for my answer. The playfulness in his eyes seemed to indicate that he was willing to stand there for however long it took me to answer.

Instead of answering, I turned away from him and took the throw blanket from the bottom of my bed and tossed it at him. "Can you please cover yourself?"

The corner of his lip turned up just a little before he carefully wrapped the blanket around his waist and secured it in a knot, blocking the view of those parts. "You still have yet to answer my question, little dove. Is this your first time doing something like this?"

First time summoning a naked demon to my bedroom? I could've laughed at the thought, but the longer he stood in my doorway, the more real all of this became. What was I going to tell him, I needed him to clean my tiny apartment for me? I hadn't really thought this through, hadn't imagined what my answer would be if a demon really appeared.

I sat at the edge of my bed, placing my hands together in my lap and squeezing them together. "I hadn't really thought that far," I admitted. It was hard to keep his gaze, those dark eyes almost piercing me the longer he stared at me. He didn't have the same difficulty as he stared me down from behind thick lashes.

His brows furrowed as he walked into my room and took a seat on my desk chair. "Let me get this straight – you summoned me by accident and have no idea what type of deal you want to broker?" There was amusement behind his gaze, and he rubbed the bottom of his chin with his palm as he started to think. "I haven't had this happen before."

"So, a first for both of us?" I tried to joke, to make light of the situation, but this was definitely not a good place to be in. And what would the coven think of me?! I was sure as shit was going to be in a ton of trouble. Maybe even exiled! My heart skipped as I thought this over some more. How was I supposed to know the spell in grandma's grimoire would legitimately summon a demon?

When I looked back up at him, he was leaning back in my chain, a tiny smirk on his lips. What the hell did he think was so funny?

So, I stared back, narrowing my eyes at him in the most menacing way I could muster. Which basically only entertained him more.

"Usually when someone does this, they ask for fame, fortune, or power. Sometimes they want to sleep with the supernatural." He held my gaze for a moment to gauge my reaction to that last statement before I quickly looked back at my hands. "What are you willing to exchange for what you want?"

He made this all sound so mechanical. I ask for something, give something, and he makes it come true. Wouldn't it be easier to just send him back to where he came from and act like this never happened? "Can we just say this was an accident and you go back to where you came from?"

He chuckled. "It's not so easy to return to Hell, little dove. Once I'm out, it's really difficult to make me want to go back," he murmured. He stood from the seat and walked to the edge of the bed, standing right in front of me. He abs were so close to my face that if I poked my tongue out I'd touch his soft skin. Shit, stop thinking like that, Stella.

He reached down, cupping my chin with the tip of my finger to force me to look up at him. "Make a decision, little dove. My patience is running thin. It's not often a witch as powerful as you summons me here, and I'd rather make use of my time instead of standing in this tiny room."

"First, my name is Stella," I said just above a whisper. The corner of his mouth upturned again and he tilted his head to the side as if he were weighing the name in his mind. "As powerful as me?"

He held back a laugh. "It's always this way. Covens keep secrets from their most powerful witches. They'd rather have them making protection jars or reading cards. Little dove, Stella, you can burn the entire world down if you wanted to." He leaned down, his lips at my ear, hot breath dancing across my skin. "And I'm more than willing to help you do that."

His fingers were still on my chin, sending tiny pulses of energy through my skull. The lull of his magic was almost intoxicating, and I was afraid the longer he stood here touching me, the more willing I'd be to give in to whatever it was he was planning.

"Tell me your name." My voice was tired.

"Ren," he whispered against my ear as he pulled back to meet my gaze.

"Ren," I breathed out, tasting his name on my tongue.

"Good girl," he purred. "You'll need to say it again when we seal the deal. I like the way it sounds when it comes out of these pretty lips of yours."

I shivered at his words. Holy fuck, he was making me feel things I didn't know I could feel. I gulped, and he dropped his hand.

There was no one to teach me the magic I had just discovered. No one who would be willing to, if what Ren was saying was true. I couldn't allow myself to rationalize what I was about to say, so instead I forced the words out.

"You will teach me the magic I was forbidden from being taught," I said. As the words escaped my mouth, a jolt of electricity buzzed through my veins, a soft hum that was begging to be released.

He smiled, this time showing his teeth. His K9s came to a point, smaller fangs that meant his bite would pack a punch. He took hold of my hands, forcing me to my feet in front of him. I was 5'8", yet he still towered over me. "Say it again, with my name, Stella," he murmured.

I cleared my throat to say it with a little more enthusiasm. "Ren, I have summoned you here to teach me the magic I was forbidden from being taught."

He bent down, his fingers running up the sides of my bare arms, sending that same jolt of power through my skin. His hands stopped at my neck before he cupped my jaw and turned my face up toward him. "My Stella," he started, "I accept your request. In exchange, when we are done with our fun, you will help me seal the gates of Hell."

I froze. Huh?! How could... no way. No, no way!

He didn't get me time to speak when he pressed his soft lips into mine. The power of the bargain seared through me from every point that we touched. It was as if both fire and ice were shooting through my nerves. I lifted my hands and pressed them into his stomach to push him away, but I couldn't get myself to be too dedicated to the idea of stopping whatever this was that was happening.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue swiping past my lips. He tasted sweet and inviting, and if I didn't step away, I could find myself getting lost in his touch.

Before I could pull myself away, he did first. One hand stayed on my chin, the other lowering to wrap around my back. My legs were shaky, as if I had just downed an entire bottle of liquor. My eyes were hazy, the shadows around him seeming to move. Holy shit, this amount of power was too much.

"It's time to rest now, Stella. We start tomorrow," he whispered. His voice was soft, caressing the back of my mind into obedience.

"Yes, rest," I whispered back as my eyes started to get heavy. "Rest. Good."

He chucked at my caveman talk as he loosened his grip a little to allowed me to sink back into my bed. "I will be back for you in the morning, little dove."

I was idly aware of him covering me with my comforter as my head hit my pillow. Moments later, there was a soft click of my bedroom door closing.

Kissing a demon hadn't been part of my plans for the day.