The reluctant demon Pt2 END

Story by TheFieldmarshall on SoFurry

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#2 of Hell Afterlife Services

One does not simply walk free from an employee contract in Hell Afterlife Services


Crikey! She definitely needed a drink after all that talking. Raising her eyes from the page she watched as Anar took two cautious steps towards the circle perimeter. He tentatively lifted a shiny black shoe up and across the threshold. If she'd messed up royally they would soon find out. His foot landed on the wooden floorboards with a soft tap. They both sighed in relief. They'd done it! He gave a shiver and his wings, tail and horns vanished as he left the confines of the pentagram completely.

She took his offered hand and found herself being pulled to him, his warm body pressing against hers and a hand at her waist as he dipped his head for a kiss. She eagerly accepted the embrace, her pulse racing as a thick tongue explored her mouth and her hands explored his backside. She could feel his breath across her cheeks from his large nostrils, could taste mint in his mouth from gum or toothpaste. Her tongue ran across curiously shaped teeth. He'd never actually told her what kind of creature he was had he? Her groping hands squeezed harder and he kissed tighter in return, the grip around her waist disappearing as he ran a large grey hand up and down her side. She wanted to know how he felt under that top, tugging it from his waistband and slipping a hand inside the soft cotton to stroke at his bare flesh. Smooth and firm. Mmmm.

"Oh yeah?" he murmured, "it's like that is it?" and he stroked a thumb over the edge of her blouse, letting it brush over her chest as he resumed kissing her delicate lips.

She felt an ache deep down as his rubbing thumb worked it's way inside her clothing and his fingers slipped inside her bra. Her little noises encouraged him. It's been so long since I last felt excitement like this!

He moved his head away, kissing at her neck, his other hand pulling her skirt up and moving in to her thigh. He played with the lace hem of her panties, teasing her by pulling on it and letting it snap back into place. He hummed contentedly as his mouth moved over her pale skin.

She grabbed at his lovely body some more, every contour of his body appreciated, all her previous worries ebbing away at his playful touch. Tilting her head she planted tiny kisses along a slender ear. He had a scent that filled her within, an earthy sweet fragrance like the finest cologne. Fuck, he's delicious! His mouth moved onto her breast now and she gasped aloud, lost in the thrill of it all. She pressed her fingers to the front of his trousers and wasn't disappointed at what she found.

He lifted his head and she felt hot breath at her elven ear, "I think we should get that coffee before we try and break your bed, hmm?"

She blushed as embarrassment washed over her, was she really so desperate? She should be ashamed of herself. He smiled at her. Was he enjoying her inner turmoil? He'd wound her up and now that she was ready to go he'd put a pause on things. Like a cat playing with a mouse only... sexier. And without the intent to kill. Maybe. Every time I remember that he's a powerful demon warlock who shouldn't be trusted he pays me compliments or flirts with me and I'm back to being putty in his hands. But why? If he only wants me for sex, we'd be going at it like the clappers right now. I wasn't resisting him in any way whatsoever. How could I? He's amazing.

They stepped out into the cool evening air and walked through the town square, past the fountain and into the shopping arcade. They got barely a glance thanks to his more interesting features being hidden for the moment, though she had liked the wings it had to be said. They cosied up into a far corner of the coffee shop, steam wafting from their hot drinks and swiftly resumed tasting each other eagerly. She felt that she had his body almost memorised now because she'd felt it up so much; his bony bits at the top of his shoulders, his strong arms, the little ridged muscles at his sides, the way his chest expanded when he breathed, the squidgy flesh at his inner thighs. Her hand travelled round his curiously shaped head, feeling the fuzzy bit at the back between his ears before his forward sweep of dark hair, his long barrel snout that ended in snuffly nostrils that blew air over her cheeks as they smooched and as for those long slender ears well, they were just the cutest thing about him. Expressive too. I've never been attracted to anyone like him before, I've usually just gone for other half-elves. Am I weird for wanting to shag someone that's half animal? I am, aren't I?

"What are you thinking about?" he teased, pausing his affections.

"Our coffee's getting cold," she blurted, thinking quickly.

He gave a small laugh, as though he knew what her thoughts had actually been.

"Can you read my mind?"

"Maybe a little. You're an open book it has to be said," he grinned, "and I'm flattered at your thoughts. I've never regarded my ears as 'cute' before. Oh, don't go getting shy on me now sweetheart. Come here," he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and drew her back into his embrace, kissing at her neck and fiddling with her bra cups, "you're so freaking sexy, I'm doing my damnedest to behave," he breathed, "but in my head I've cum in you about five times already you little vixen. I could have thrown you on that bed and buried myself deep in your sopping mound, and I am looking forward to doing just that don't you worry. Has anyone ever told you how sweet and lovely you are Ember?"

"No," she whispered, "never."

He grazed his snout at her cheek, "You have a warmth in your soul, I can feel it when you touch me. There's so much more to you than what's on the outside. Just like me."

"You're really not very demonic, are you?"

Another soft laugh, "no, I'm really not. You're perfectly safe with me, sweetheart, though I do understand your trepidations. I just want to spend more time in the mortal realm, that's all. With these roaming privileges I can. Anything to get out of having to do some work," he winked.

She allowed him to kiss her some more before pressing further, "if you don't want to be a demon, why go through the hassle of attending the Infernal Holy College? I hear it's almost impossible for mortals to get into."

He closed his mouth and sucked his cheeks. "This conversation is for another day," he replied after a pause, "we'd better drink up and go have some fun, if that's what you want."

Her face fell a little. So many questions unanswered.

"Oh, I meant to show you my flatmates," he whipped out his phone and began scrolling, "here you go, look."

She peered at the screen, not quite believing her eyes, "lizards? Your flatmates are big lizards?"

"Actually they're what's known as dinosaurs. On second Earth - my Earth, we had dinosaurs wandering around way back in history. A portal popped up out of nowhere and brought them to the forest at the back of my house one day. We've been friends ever since. Well," he screwed his snout up, "one of them's my friend. The other's a royal pain in the arse. That's Rap, the smaller lighter one. He's nice. The big dark brute is Rave, can't trust him as far as you could throw him. He tried to eat me you know. I don't think he ever forgave himself for failing."

She drank her coffee while he talked. Eventually she asked, "how come they're in the underworld with you?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders, "they go where I go I suppose. Followed me through the abyssal gate and made themselves at home."

"Wow. I wish I had loyal friends like that. My best mate speaks to me about twice a month if I'm lucky and even then she only wants to tell me about all the dates she's been on and how all men are bastards. I can't get a word in edgeways."

He wiped coffee foam from his lips and stood up, holding out his hand, "I'll listen to you. Tell me anything you want. You won't believe the boring shite I have to listen to from upper management, it's enough to make you slip into a coma."

"You can read my mind, though, you already know everything," she sulked, walking back to the house arm in arm with him, "you said I'm an open book."

"I haven't probed that deeply, Ember. All I know is that you're lonely and you regret learning demonology. Oh and that tosspot still hasn't noticed you but it's ok because you've, er, found someone else..." he trailed off.

She tightened her grip around his hand. "Yeah, I have."

"This one's not a tosspot, then?"

She stifled a giggle, "I hope not. He's exotic, and a little dark and mysterious and very, very sexy."

"Ohh, I bet he thinks you're hot stuff too."

They stood bathed in the fountain lights, the mist touching their skin as they started to kiss again. Her heart pounded, no guy had ever made her feel like this; she felt so alive, like she could do anything.. That exam was going to be a walk in the park, she was so ready for the test tomorrow. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing. Her head buzzed. She felt weightless, like she had no cares in the world, the only thing that mattered right here and now was this fiend pushing his tongue deep into her delicate mouth, sighing and humming with contentment as he tasted her. His hands wrapped so tight around her like she were his treasured possession. The clock tower struck out in the evening air. They didn't have long left. She hadn't read through the paper as well as she should, and mortal minutes had caught her off guard, so he only had about another forty with her until the incantation expired and he would immediately be sent back to the underworld. She couldn't summon him again until the cooltime period had run its course neither as Hell didn't like its minions being inconvenienced by overzealous demonologists.

"How did I manage to summon you, Anar?" she asked, the question once more surfacing in her mind, "I used the summoning scroll correctly, I'm sure, and I said Amaimon's name. I'd done everything by the instructions and yet... I got you."

He looked a little sheepish, "oh, well, er, you see, I have this thing... it's difficult to explain." A blush spread across his face, "It's like an ability to make things happen that benefit me. I don't do it on purpose, don't get me wrong, I wasnt trying to mess things up for you. I just... needed you. So I found you. Like I found my friends all those years ago. And my cat."

"You found a cat because you needed it?" Ok, now he sounds crazy.

He huffed a little and turned away, "please don't say it like that. I've had to live with stupid random stuff happening to me all my life, all because one of my ancestors managed to get himself stabbed with a Tricorn horn by some rat warlord. I really don't have time to go into that story today! Magick in the blood is a pain in the ass let me tell you that. I'm like one seventy eighth dragon or some shit. So yeah, I needed you and poof! I found you. Are we going back to your place to fuck or what?"

She stood slightly open-mouthed. All the words he'd used were understandable on their own but put them together and he'd just spewed utter nonsense. The fuck bit sounded good though. "I'm sorry," she apologised, "I didn't mean to upset you, I've never met anyone naturally magical before. Everyone uses amulets or stones or fancy staffs these days. Or demons. I'm flattered that you needed me," she smiled, "I think I needed you too."

They reached the small town house in silence, climbed the steps to her room where the pentagram still lay glowing slightly on the wooden floorboards, the candles cold and solid and set about undressing each other hastily. With urgent kisses their hands rubbed, pulled and grabbed at the garments that stood in their way of intimate fun. Anar pulled at his polo shirt buttons and with one swift pull it was discarded onto the floor, his hands reaching for soft lacy bra cups. Yes! Oh yes! She ran her tongue over his skin as he fumbled with her bra clasp, she could taste sweat and soap. Kissing and nibbling at his strong neck she heard his loud breathing as she yanked his trousers down his thighs. He shuffled them off turning his attention to the hem of her panties, bunching up her skirt in a fist. Clamping his mouth around a nipple he slipped his fingers in against her intimate space, stroking her smooth sensitive mound. I need this so fucking badly! Spreading her legs wide she arched her back, his fingertip nudging at her moist pearl, sending throbs and aches coursing through her body. She moaned in encouragement, her deep red hair tumbling about the pillow as her head fell down into it, her demon's tight grey body following, nestling himself between her thighs, his hips rubbing against hers. He lifted his head and pressed his mouth against her blush lips, deep hungry kisses accompanied with throaty growls of desire as he grabbed at her hands and put them where he wanted them. With jerking wriggles they rolled down each others underwear and she traced her fingers along his length, beads of precum feeling slick and warm.

"You know what I want, right?" he rasped, his arms holding himself up above her, poised and ready.

She nodded, "yes!"

He lunged to lock his lips to hers and his body dipped and nudged, she felt herself being filled by him, the sensation so intense and overwhelming that she cried out against his kisses. Holding him tight to her they found themselves a rhythm and played it out over and over, their hips clashing, her body sliding over the bedsheet, each push of his thick cock inside her creaming welcoming cunt bringing her closer to a euphoria never before experienced. This creature, this fiend, this animal had claimed her as his own and was having his way with her, fulfilling all their lust and desires. This is the kind of sex I should have been having! she thought, not whatever that rubbish was I'd been subjected to before. This is what proper fucking is! Her legs were bouncing in the air as his arse swept to and fro over her, her moans getting louder, his grunts becoming more urgent, his cock piling in harder and deeper as she gripped his firm biceps so tightly she would leave marks. "Fuck yes!" Her breasts shook with the force of his performance, catching his eye and inviting him to run his agile and very long thick tongue over them. Christ, that's longer than his dick! He circled over her rigid nipples, sending fresh jolts through her already bombarded sexual orifice, "you can keep that up!" she squeaked.

He hummed, clearly amused, giving a stiff pink nub an extra rough nudge and pricking his ears at the dirty sounds it brought forth from her.

She felt herself tense up deep inside, clamping around him, close to climax thanks to the extra attention he was giving her body. She was so close. She just needed an extra push. I'll just give my clit a small rub, that'll do it.

"No!" he growled, swiftly pulling her hand away, "I'll do that."

She wailed and thrashed as his fingers dug down into her hood, stimulating her already excited area, her orgasm beating like a roaring fire in her ears. His body tensed around her vice-like grip, his voice snarling against her flesh, incomprehensible but happy. He held himself deep, his shoulders shuddered. Must've been good for him too, then. Warm dribbly cum leaked down her slit as his breath came hot, hard and laboured onto her tit. She was having a good gasp herself. They lay fused together, chests heaving, hearts hammering, blood rushing, just savoring the moment. The clock ticked, reminding them that time moved ever forward.

"I better get dressed," he murmured, "if I turn up to the apartment like this I'll never hear the end of it."

"Can we do this again tomorrow?" she asked quickly, watching him pull on his shorts, feeling sad that the show was over and hoping for a repeat performance. "I've got my exam and it would be great to have a reward for passing. Or a commiseration for failing."

He grinned, hopping on one foot his trousers half on, "you'll breeze through it, sweetheart. Amaimon looks like a bag of angry noodles but I'll let you in on a secret; he's a sucker for sweets. Flash him a bag of Haribo and he'll be nice as pie."

"Haribo. Right. Gotcha."

He steadied himself on the nightstand, pulling on his shoes and then... he wasn't there.

Mopping up the mess they had left behind, she felt that warm glow of contentment that came from bedroom activities. He'd certainly not held back, the tops of her thighs were aching from being stretched and pummeled like that. He hadn't answered that last question though. I hope we do get to do that again. For longer. Such an idiot not checking my minutes, this is why you have to be so careful when dealing with spells. Her eyes swept over the room. Speaking of spells... where was it? She'd put it down by the bed, hadn't she? Just there, on the little table. Had it been dropped on the floor and gone under the bed? God, she couldn't go through all that hassle to copy it again. She had to find it! On her hands and knees she grabbed with her fingers under the frame, stretching into the darkness for the piece of photocopied paper. Nope. Can't feel it. Oh for crying out loud! She needed light. The ceiling bulb wasn't very helpful. Candles were too risky, she'd set the place on fire or drip wax on the incantation and she wasn't about to recite the damned thing by heart, she'd have to use some magick. Not having Anar's advantage of having natural magick meant she had to use her amulet for power. It was a grade 3 specification stone and it was nearly empty, she'd have to register it for recharging soon. That was a pain. Magick users weren't allowed to just use power items willy nilly - everyone had to sign forms and carry licences for them and they all contained only a set quantity of energy.

The room lit up bright as day. No roaming privileges. But... where did it go? Was it a one-time only spell? Did it self-destruct upon use? Did he take it?! He did, didn't he? He had his hand on the table right where she left it. What was he playing at? What possible use could it be to him?Just wait til I see him again!

She was still feeling cross about it the next day as she entered the demonology classroom. Anar had not wished her goodnight, hadn't texted her at all in fact and the message she had sent to him hadn't been read. She had a sneaking suspicion that she had been used and it was not a nice feeling. She couldn't even fathom why he'd have taken the flipping spell.

Professor Epsom passed along the written exam papers. It was practical after lunch. Today summoning class - tomorrow fiend mastery. There was one fiend she'd like to get her hands on alright, right round his strong grey neck! Maybe I should just forget about him, she thought in a huff_, so what if the sex was good? He's just trouble with a capital T_. As she read through the questions she shifted in her seat. The portable circle that she'd popped in her pocket earlier that morning pressed into her leg. He'd given me a gift. He'd shared some of his life story with me. Why would he do that if he was just going to disappear? He'd been so affectionate. Fuck, I can't stay mad at him, I'm sure he has a perfectly adequate explanation. Existence as a demon must be complicated sometimes. Yeah. I'll call him up later and we'll chat about it.

She sharpened her pencil; piece of cake. The clock ticked loudly as she filled out the lined paper and completed diagrams with precise detail. A smile spread on her lips as she answered question 12: name all classes of demon. I wonder who else here has put 'turned' in their answers? In brackets next to 'succubus' she wrote Female Only (it might get her an extra half mark). Her mind wandered absently to the exciting event of the previous evening, replaying her demon warlock's affections thrust by thrust. She'd never felt so... wanted. Desired. One last flick through her answers and the professor rose from his chair to gather them in. She clocked a pair of eyes looking right at her. The tosspot! Why did he have to notice me now, after all this time? As Epsom dismissed them for a tea break he approached her smoothly, "want to get a sandwich with me? It's Ember, isn't it?"

"Um, I'm good, thanks," awkward!

His face fell, "oh, alright then. I thought we could chat about the test. You're really smart, smarter than the others in class that's for sure. We could teach each other things. I've got a lot of advanced knowledge written out here in my bag-"

"That's very sweet, but, no thanks. I'm good for advanced lore."

"It's very powerful stuff," he insisted, trying to stop her leaving by blocking the doorway. He dashed a look at the professor, saw he had begun reading through the exam papers, and turned back to hiss in her ear, "trust me, you want to see what I've learned. Amazing cosmic power - at your command!"

"I said no," she repeated firmly. Guys didn't like no, did they?

His face darkened, "fine." It was a tight phrase, heavy with threat. What was this guys problem?! 'Tosspot' had been worryingly accurate. He turned tail and left the classroom for the cafeteria. She shook her head and sighed. What had that been all about? Time for a cup of tea.

"Oh, are you still here, Ember? I was wondering if I could have a word."

No cup of tea for me."Certainly professor."

He sat frowning, her paper in front of him. He was an older dark elf, ebony skin and shocking white hair that he tied up in a high bun. His green eyes always had a twinkle of amusement in them. Well, not now they didn't. She gulped. What was she in trouble for? Her test answers? Had she done that badly? Surely not, she was one of the only students who paid attention! Her pulse began to thump.

He adjusted his spectacles. "I just wanted a nice little chat before we entered into the practical exam," he began, "as you know, here in the demonology department, safety is our number one priority. We have many rules and restrictions set in place to ensure everyone can learn together without having to worry about coming to harm, because I'd hate for anything unfortunate to happen to one of my students. Not least because of the paperwork involved."

She felt a little dizzy, what was going on? Oh no, please no...

He continued, "you are a very bright student, Ember, with an advanced magick pass or so I'm told," he shuffled the papers, "so imagine my surprise when I check in with our level 1 basic teaching demons and discover that you've never successfully summoned Amaimon even once-"

OH FUCK

"-even worse, the demon you have been summoning is unavailable for access on the database. Do you realise how dangerous a demon of that level can be? Mind control, temptation -"

This is it, I've been found out! I've fucked up, knew it would happen sooner or later. Trouble, that's what I said he was, and oh boy was he! She tried to rescue the situation, "I must have mispronounced the name!" she squeaked, think fast or bye bye fiend mastery! "the demon I summoned was perfectly compliant, I had them complete all my tasks without issue," her tone was pleading now, "I encountered no defiance or trickery." Or did I?

Epsom cleared his throat, "well I'm rather relieved about that. We've had instances of mis-summoning before that have ended rather... messily. Drawing demons from the inner circle and being vaporised for their trouble, that sort of thing. Temptation by succubi is always a danger with the boys," he checked her sheet, "nice detail with the gender by the way, that's an extra half mark. So, you summoned an incredibly powerful fiend by error, didn't tell me about it and then carried on summoning them?"

AW SHIT, STILL IN TROUBLE. "The demon I summoned wasn't as scary as Amaimon, sir." she had to give it a try, didn't she? Frightened female and all that.

He didn't look convinced, "For your practical I will request that you summon this mysterious demon of yours for me. Now go and finish your break."

Her head was full of panicked shrieking, she was in so much trouble! And Anar wasn't even answering her texts! She paced the corridor, punching in the letters on her phone keypad, begging for him to help her. Sorry for being cross! Professor pissed, need to summon you for my test. Please help me! Tears stung at her eyes, how embarrassing to be thrown off a course she didn't even want to be a part of anyway! It would be a mark on her name, she wouldn't be able to take high magick at the college if she was disgraced. It was the end of her adventures in sorcery and conjuring. She'd be stuck in a stupid job at the centaur ranch or something. Come on, come on you bastard, read my message! I'm going to summon you anyway, least I can do is warn you so you don't turn up in front of the class half dressed or something. What if he straight up refused to follow her commands? She had sent him an angry text late last night after all. He could really show her up in front of everyone if he felt malicious. She'd be a laughing stock. I'm going to have a heart attack! She could hardly breathe. Her hands shook. All she'd had to do was summon Amaimon! It had all gone so, so wrong_._ She'd royally cocked up. Worse, she'd cocked up, known she had and carried on cocking up regardless!

The bell rang. NO! READ MY FUCKING MESSAGE! Argh...

The rest of the class appeared, lining up at the door. She tried her best to not look absolutely traumatised. As if in a dream she took her place in the practical area, the floor shiny from years of drippy candles and tall smoke marks rose like clouds on the painted walls. They would go round the students one by one; each would create a pentagram, summon their demon and have them complete a task. There was a locked box full of cursed amulets at the front of the class, they were required to have their fiend take one, remove the curse, give it to the student and they could keep it. The amulets were infused with a little magick for their reward. The issues with this were numerous: there were three things that the demon had to do and all instructions needed to be clear and concise, demons didn't like surrendering magical artifacts and they also knew if they didn't remove the curse properly they would harm the student and they liked harming people. That was why the roaming privileges had had so many rules to it for the demon to abide by on threat of file deletion. She concentrated on her breathing. This was easy, no need to stay worked up, just complete the task and it would all be over.

The first student lit their candles. No-one liked going first did they? All eyes were on them as they drew their chalk across the floor. Well that's wobbly for starters, there's a mark off. Now they're struggling to remember the summoning scroll incantation - we've only done it every class for five flipping weeks! Nerves have probably got to them. Ooh, he's a big ugly pile of pudding! Izrion, that's it's name, doesn't look like it's paying attention. Oh there we go, they've got it under control now. If I just concentrate on what everyone is doing, I won't pass out. Locket, yes, curse off, yes, will it give the amulet back? Oh yes, that was disappointing. There was a polite clap and they moved on.

Her backpack vibrated with a ding! OH FUUUCK! That was Anar's ring tone. Her heart began trying to leap out of her chest again. She couldn't pick it up, they were in an exam! I HATE MY LIFE! The next student did fine up until convincing the demon to give the amulet back. It tried to eat it and needed a little encouragement to hand it over. Polite clap and move on. There was a little excitement as the next student summoned the wrong demon completely. The class was tittering, amused by it all until Epsom banished it with a wave of his sceptre, "It's easily done," he stated loudly, "however we must never work with an unfamiliar demon."

Ouch. That was directed at me. The pupil got a second try and everything went well. Polite clap, move on. Candles. Circle. Demon. Box. Amulet. Clap. Move on.

Oh, it's his turn now is it? She struggled to think of his name. Brandon? Brody? Bradley? Whatever. He grinned widely, loving the attention. Tosspot. As soon as his demon was summoned though it was clear something was not right. The candles started flickering rapidly, the ceiling lights began dimming and a high pitched whine spread out from the circle. Epsom shouted some unfamiliar commands but the massive great blackened twisted thing that was now inside the circle simply screeched and flung the old elf into the chalkboard with a thud. He was pinned. Students screamed, rushing for the door but they were dragged back by the fiends numerous smoky tendrils of darkness and they were tossed together in a corner also pinned by the demons powers.. A flaming red eye turned to meet Ember's terrified gaze as she froze to the spot at the back of the class, not daring to move. Brian or whatever his name was started to laugh maniacially. He's lost it.

"Explain this madness!" Epsom roared as a sorcerous wind whipped up from nowhere, scattering workbooks and exam papers. He was still struggling against the invisible force holding him back.

"Oh I will!" Whatsisname squeaked excitedly, "when I have the undivided attention of all of you!"

OH SHIT, THAT'S ME! She cowered, covering her face defensively as a snake-like whip of abyssal black struck out towards her. A low hum sounded out. More screeching rang in her delicate ears. The tendril hadn't reached her. She peeked bravely between fingers; a protective barrier had sprung up, bathing her body with a bright light, saving her from the demon's reach.

Thingy wasn't happy, "no! I promised you all to him! He demands sacrifices! How are you doing this?"

But she didn't know herself. She made a desperate dash for the door to call for help but after three leaps the demon clocked on and vanished it away. The other students lay groaning in a heap on the floor, unable to move or do anything. Epsom gave her a desperate look; she was the only free moving individual who hadn't gone cuckoo. Whatever this foul creature was, the professor was powerless against it. Again and again her shield was struck, the demon was very upset at not being able to control her like the others. It roared. THINK EMBER, THINK! Doodah was screaming about promised souls for his dark master. Everything had one hundred percent gone to hell in a handbasket.

And then. An idea! A crazy what-the-fuck idea, but an idea nonetheless. "Professor, if I can get us out of this, can I get a pass?" she blurted, reaching into her pocket.

"Of course!" he replied, "just help us for goodness sakes!"

The other students, still trapped by the soot black tendrils waving menacingly in front of them, enthusiastically encouraged her to come to their aid. This was it! This was his moment to shine. Oh crap this could go so wrong! The demon howled anew as she drew the pocket circle out from her jeans. It glowed like the sun. A sigil she hadn't seen before was burning on the back. As the curious device moved, so did her protective shield. Neat! An inbuilt defence mechanism!

"What is that? How are you doing this?" Idiot boy was frothing at the mouth now, backing away from her, not looking so cocky.

She began the summoning incantation and the room filled with the digital pentagram. More black mist appeared. Ember's heart thudded. Every pair of eyes in the room was watching now as a pair of grey wings unfurled.

"Who's that?!" Boris shrieked, trying to climb a bookcase.

Anar blinked, taking it all in. He looked up at the other demon, he looked at the class crammed together in the corner and the professor still stuck to the blackboard, "what kind of test is this?!" he asked, alarmed.

"Forget the stupid test, just get rid of that thing!" she begged, "please!"

The blood red glowing eye turned to the grey demon. Tendrils slinked towards him threateningly.

"Things not gone to plan, huh?" Anar mused.

"No! Bob or whatever his name is has promised this thing our souls in return for a lot of cosmic knowledge or something." she explained, hurriedly.

"That's not very nice of him," he snorted. "Ahhh, this will be the guy we've been locked into an eighteen hour emergency meeting over, then?" He nodded at her hand, "I see your present came in useful."

She was practically jumping up and down, "Anar, we don't have time for this! Send that sodding thing back where it came from or so help me-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's good to see you too." He planted his feet firmly, "if you're not holding onto something, it might be a good time to start."

Like what? She grabbed a worktop for all the good it would do.

Anar began tracing curious squiggles into the air around him, throbs of dull noise and brief flashes of eerie lights emanating from them as he did so. This was high magick! Slowly a sickeningly sharp green beam of light began to split the air, turning to a great swirling vortex that grew larger and larger. The light breeze in the room changed to a howling gust, pulling everything in the room towards the new feature like a magnet. Anar spread his dark leathery wings and braced himself. The demon howled again, fighting against the vacuum that was dragging at its smokey tentacles. It's fiery single eye widened; it hadn't been expecting this! Books flew into the green whirling disc. She felt her feet slip and panicked; wherever that portal led to, she did not want to find out! Still it grew, rushing and swirling, consuming the demon's wisps piece by piece. Anar's eyes were shut, his clawed hands shaking as he kept the portal open.

The counter she was grasping lurched dangerously across the floor and she clung on tighter, "is this going to take long?!" she demanded, her voice cracking with fear.

Then there was an almighty roar. A primal sound of endless hunger and promised pain, a deep rumbling animalistic snarl that brought dread and fear to all those who heard it. The demon was visibly distressed now as a huge furry clawed paw gripped the portal's boundary, ivory talons curled around its very edge. It darted forwards grabbing at the strands of the fiend's ethereal body, like a housecat playing with a mouse. A black velvet muzzle crept out followed by the most beautiful panther that Ember had ever dreamed of; the magical animal's fur shining with a million stars, the body darker than the deepest black hole. A purple collar hung round its neck, a silver tag dangling. The cosmic feline roared again, leapt and sank it's carnivorous jaws into the pesky fiend and dragged it back into the depths of the green portal. Shrieking and gibbering it was carried off towards unimaginable horrors.

Like a zipper closing, the portal healed up with a CRRK! It was gone. A deafening silence filled the room broken only by laboured breath as normality settled once more. Anar rubbed sweat from his brow, his wings rustling with fatigue. She let go of the counter and looked at her dainty hands, red marks imprinted from where she had literally held on for her life. The students grumbled and groaned on the floor, stretching their now free limbs. Epsom had crashed to the floorboards in a heap.

"Did you..." she began shakily, "did you feed that thing to your cat?!"

Anar let out a small laugh, "yeah, that's Gyuen. Just like everyone else in my life, he's rather special."

The professor quickly stood up, adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat. "Well..."

A noise caught their attention. The demon warlock walked over to the bookcase where a certain person was trying to fit himself into a shelf. He grabbed the rogue student by the scruff of his neck, "so who's this idiot?" he asked, dumping him before the elvish teacher who was still dusting himself down, "he's not too bright, huh?"

The disgraced pupil lay sobbing gently.

Epsom eyed Anar carefully, "that was Ben-," he said.

Ben! Knew it began with a B!

"-Ben has unfortunately failed this class due to his carelessness."

"I passed though, right?" she urged.

Epsom exhaled loudly, "in all my time teaching here I've never seen anything like the antics of today. If I hadn't made a deal I'd be very upset you know. Yes, you've got a pass for your practical."

She sighed in relief. Whoo that had been close!

The professor looked at Anar again, "was that a portal to the astral plane?" he demanded.

The demon warlock gave her a pleading look, "errr...?"

"Oops, he's gotta go!" she apologised and clicked the pocket portal off swiftly.

Epsom shook his head, white bun wobbling, "I have so many questions. Break! Fifteen minutes then the rest of you can take your practicals." He touched her sleeve, "not you. You can help me deal with Ben. This-" he swept a hand to the miserable ex-pupil, "-is what happens when you mess with the wrong demon. I know," he held a hand aloft to halt her protests, "I know, your demon was helpful but believe me that's an exception and not the rule. This could easily have been you that's a gibbering wreck."

They carried Ben off to first aid where the nurse rolled her eyes and tutted like this was a normal everyday occurance.

"A little healing mana and he should be right as rain," the professor assured her as they walked back to the classroom, "a shame he won't be getting any further with his studies after this." He sighed deeply, "all this trouble and this is the basic class. Just you wait til fiend mastery young lady, that's when things get tricky."

She gulped. Tricky. Right.

The classroom was in an absolute state after all that excitement, papers and books strewn all over the place, stationary scattered on the floor and tables and chairs overturned. She tidied up as the remaining students completed their demon summoning exam, her thoughts turning to her demon warlock once more. So there had been an emergency meeting in Hell had there? That might explain his radio silence. She still needed to ask about that incantation though_. And how about that cat? What an amazingly beautiful magical creature_! Anar had actually used high magick right there in front of her to summon him from the interstellar space known as the astral plane_. When he'd mentioned having a cat I thought he meant a regular one_.

Class came to an end with the ringing of the bell. She gathered up her things and checked her phone; Anar had sent her an apology for not answering her and a promise for an explanation. Yup, definitely not very fiend-like. Professor Epsom tidied up his desk, collecting together his wandering paperwork, nodding at the exiting students, some of which would be moving up to fiend mastery with her. A thought struck like a lightning bolt - it wasn't just demons who could be tricky and capable of manipulation was it? He was a master of his craft, a seasoned field operative. Nothing phased him during the chaotic classes he conducted. She slung her backpack over a shoulder and approached, "professor?"

He peered over his spectacles, "Ember? You're ready for fiend mastery on Friday, room 17?"

"Yes, professor. I was just wondering -"

"You and me both! A demon who can wield magick? A demon with a familiar that resides in the astral plane? I'm doing more than wondering young lady. I've never seen the like in all my time here," he wagged a finger, "you're lucky you're not a smouldering pile of ash on the floor. I'm going to have to keep a watchful eye on my students in future, what with you and Ben going rogue on me."

"About that, sir," she asked, "you didn't really... get overpowered by that smoke demon, did you?"

The twinkle had returned to his eyes, "oh? I didn't?"

She frowned a little, "you're a demonology professor, I'm sure you didn't."

"You're quite right!" he grinned proudly, hands on hips, "I knew Ben was up to something, he'd been approaching the students trying to get them to read some ancient cosmic knowledge he'd been granted by a high level minion and I wanted to find out exactly what he was dealing with. Well, we soon found out, didn't we? He'd had his feeble mind well and truly melted. As for you, you're quite the clever clogs and I have to say I was very impressed with your quick thinking. A few moments longer and I'd have had to intervene. That portable pentagram you used was rather handy too." He stroked his chin, thoughtfully, "I've seen something very like it before in the pandemonium vault. I wonder if it's still there..." he let the sentence trail off but she got his drift. She'd wondered if Anar had half inched it from one of the HAS departments. "But anyway, I shall let you enjoy a few days to yourself before we start on energy transferals and psy links."

She practically ran home, her nimble feet carrying her at double speed. Ben had tried to sell their souls for a bit of power - the cheek of it! That was what the whole bit in the classroom had been about. So much for his ambitions of being a Fiend Forensic, he wouldn't be able to take a step into the college again. She'd managed to get away with her rule-breaking, for now at least. But Epsom wouldn't tolerate her using Anar for class again which was just as well as the demon warlock tried his utmost to avoid doing any actual work as it was. She thudded the door behind her and bound up the stairs, drawing the portable circle out from her pocket and clicking it on. The blue lines lit up around her. She turned it in her hands but the strange sigyl that had been burning on the back before wasn't visible now. More questions unanswered. Well the time had come to start demanding answers. She spoke her words, watched the black mist appear and the grey wings unfurl. He looked tired "that bloody kid had us up all bloody night with his stupid bloody shenanigans," he grumbled. "Us turned need a bit of sleep unlike the rest."

"What, Ben? Yeah, Epsom thought he was up to something."

"That idiotic demon of his had only gone and caused a power outage in pandemonium trying to charge up energy. You know how many generators we run to keep the heat up? Souls were going cold, we had the inner circle going fucking nuts over the thermostat, well once they get a bee in their bonnet it becomes everyone's problem. Management," he spat. "Once the maintenance imps got everything up and running again we were finally sent home. Then the cell service resumed and ping! I get a bollocking off you and a beg for help at the same time. I don't suppose you've got anything to drink?"

She had a feeling he didn't want coffee this time. "I'll get you something when you tell me why you took the roaming privileges," she folded her arms.

His ears drooped and he shuffled about in the digital circle awkwardly, "it's a long story..."

She nodded her head, "well give me the abridged version then."

"I thought I could use it on myself to get out of Hell."

Ok. Ok. Maybe I need a few more details than that, "stay there, I've got elven dew wine in the larder."

"Oh, and there I was planning on an excursion," he sniped.

She ignored the sarcasm and headed down into the kitchen, grabbing the dusty bottle and a goblet. When she returned he had made himself at home in her bed flicking through a magazine. His shirt discarded on the floor he'd pulled her knitted blanket over his winged shoulders like a granny. "What do you look like?' she laughed, placing the items down on the bedside table.

He looked up at her and frowned, "it's a nice blanket." He patted the space next to him invitingly.

She hopped on the bed and accepted his arm around her, allowing him to draw her in close and plant tiny kisses on her lips. "I brought you wine," she murmured.

"Maybe I'm thirsty for something else."

"I want you to tell me..." her words turned to soft sighs as he pushed her down into the pillows and nudged his tongue into her mouth, pressing himself into her body with purpose.

Of course I'm just going to let this happen, she thought, I've been wanting this since yesterday. My head tells me that he's avoiding my questions but my body craves his touch and doesn't care.

Large grey hands stripped her, laid her bare and traced themselves down to her core, his taloned fingers breaking through her slit. He's still in his demonic form, he hasn't left the circle. We're both in it together. I hope that's not going to be problematic! "Watch those claws!" she gasped, arching her back as a fingertip probed at her.

"I'll use something gentler," he broke from hungry kisses and ran his long tongue down her centre, making the journey from her breasts and ribcage to her pelvic area, dipping it into her slick heat and rolling its tactile surface over every sensitive inch.

She grabbed his smooth horns, bucking her hips into his snout, smearing her cream onto his face. He growled and quickened his licking, dipping his tip tantalisingly inside her ridged entrance. He shot out his wings sending the blanket fluttering across the floor, his tail whipping up in a frenzy, "you taste fucking amazing!"

She felt him push at her hood, sending goosebumps rippling across her skin, she couldn't keep quiet anymore, she had to vocalise her appreciation of his attention. A clatter made her start, he reassured her it was only his belt buckle hitting the floorboards. Drawing her knees up she rolled her backside on the bed, shoving herself into his face with urgency, loving every throb, every ache inside that he caused. He groaned a soft sigh and removed his tongue from action, rubbing his nostrils into her sopping sex, his pignose slipping and sliding. "I love your scent," he moaned.

She could see him reach for his privates, his shoulder twitching. He was getting off on her intimate aroma and touching himself. Dirty demon. She gave his horns a tug, coaxing him back to action. He darted his tongue out again, fulfilling her wish, lapping up her juices dutifully. His soft dark hair fell about his head, not so perfectly arranged anymore. Still gorgeous though. Her cries came louder, her body pulsing with pleasure.

He pulled his head back, away from her grasp, "I thought of your juicy fucking pussy every second I was stuck freezing in that bloody conference room!" he growled, "I'm gonna pound you into this fucking mattress." He heaved himself up on top of her, his thick demon dick finding it's target and hitting home with a slap. She was pinned, moaning and begging like a slut as he pummeled into her like a pneumatic drill. Christ! Someone's worked up! His breath hissed in her ear, words she couldn't quite comprehend and a strange fog clouded up her mind. She was aware of him mating with her but she could only feel a deep sadness, wait this wasn't right! She was happy. Sex always made her happy. She wasn't sad... he was. He was telling her something private in Infernal, the language of the dead.

The abyssal gate loomed, ancient and terrible, the link between planes looking for all the world like a border security check point as paperwork was handed over and stamped. She was aware of two large creatures either side of her, debating the existence of Pot Noodles in the underworld. The lizards! Her heart felt heavy, full of reluctance and dread. She didn't want to be going to Hell. This was all her parents doing; they hated her for being different and wanted her gone. She wanted to be with someone dear to her who lived in the middle of the countryside. They'd only been aquainted for just over a year but they were closer to her than anyone in the world. They lived in an amazing place full of happy memories and adventures. Somewhere she could truly be herself. Somewhere she would do anything to go back to and stay forever. An awful roar broke through the self pity and a huge beast swung into view. A nitemare; the noble black stallion was a good friend and had come to see her off. His sweeping bat wings rustled on his shoulders. The curved horn on his muzzle looked deadly as always. To ordinary eyes he was just a horse but the presence of magick brought his true form alive. She hugged his broad shoulders and strong neck, the rough wiry mane brushing her grey snout. "See you in ten years, mate". Wow. Ten years. A long time to be somewhere you don't want to be that's for sure. There was a hot stinging sensation at her eyes but she couldn't cry, not here, not in front of Rave. He'd rip the piss out of her something awful. They stepped through the gate.

They'd finished, though she hadn't quite been aware of it happening at the time. His snout was buried into her chest, hot breath heating up her ribcage. "I thought that might be easier than trying to use words," he whispered.

Easier for him maybe! Her head swam. "You can't just walk out of Hell," she said flatly.

"No, you're absolutely right about that."

"The roaming privileges aren't going to work."

"They don't. I tried," he sighed.

"How are you going to do it, then? Or have you given up and you've got to wait until your contract is up?"

His eyes burned, dark and dangerous, "my father extended it on my behalf," he rumbled.

"Ten years...?"

"Is now twenty. Minimum. Father is inner circle. Another reason I don't want to be anywhere near that level."

She tilted her head to brush his ears with her cheek, "but you're powerful."

"No amount of power gets you out. Only way of doing it is getting my signed document destroyed. I tried deleting my file off the database, turns out that doesn't work neither. Contracts are a different department. Handwritten, you see_."_ His chest heaved_._

"And the place in the countryside?" she asked, changing the tone of the conversation.

"Our ancestral home; Warlock Court back on second Earth. My uncle Mortimer looks after it. He's great, I miss him a lot. He didn't want me to be a demon neither. I'm meant to be a proper Warlock, the first in a thousand years after the council of Sorcerers took our magick away. I told you it's a long story," he sighed. "Anyway, I'm not quite a full Warlock, but I've got a bit of something even if I can't control it very well. It's made me rather lucky which is a small mercy. Not lucky enough, though."

Silence descended.

"You've still got your dew wine," she reminded him, "and I need a pee break." She eased off the bed, legs aching slightly from their previous activity. Padding to the bathroom with her head in a spin, she wondered if there was any way she could help the poor reluctant demon. She'd never been forced to do anything against her wishes in her life and it seemed a downright dirty deed to extend his contract without his consent and force more misery upon him. No wonder he liked his uncle more than his father! His father was a dick.

The bathroom door rattled violently, "I'm still in here," she yelped, surprised at the sudden intrusion. What is he playing at? "I'll be out in a minute!" She finished washing her hands and opened the door to let him take his turn.

Her room was a tip: books and paper scattered all over her floor. The pocket circle was closed, the connection lost, the room dark and empty. What? The? Fuck? The elf wine was spilled, the goblet still spinning in circles where it had landed. She stood part in shock, part in fear. Anar wouldn't have done this so who had? "Hello?" she called, afraid of receiving an answer. None came. She reached for her phone, maybe she could text him to find out just what the everloving fuck was going on? It was blank. Reset. Asking time, date and network. She dropped it as though it were radioactive. Her pulse raced and she felt sick to her stomach. Someone was messing with her in a big way. Right. Demons were dangerous and untrustworthy. They also meddled in the affairs of mortals sometimes. Panting, she grabbed for the pocket portal, activating it. It probably wasn't a good idea to call on him again but none of her actions thus far had been good ideas so why start now? She began the summoning. No black smoke. No grey wings. Just a horrendous metallic scraping noise that made her bones shake. Blurry text shimmered in the air, 'We're sorry, your connection cannot be processed at this time. Please close and try again.'

She blinked, feeling hollow. Was the portable circle broken? An idea struck her - she should summon Amaimon! That should work.

Mr. Spaghetti gurgled and wriggled infuriatingly in front of her, bathed in the blue light of the digital pentagram. "Avaunt!" she scowled. She was angry now. Furious even. This wasn't fair! She wanted her Anar, not noodle features. Why couldn't she summon him? Was he in a cooldown period or had someone interfered? She used her new demon wrangling skills to demand answers from the starter demon at her mercy, "where is the demon known as Anarchy Warlock?"

"In hell," the voice burbled.

Shit. Of course he was. That wasn't helpful. You had to be specific with fiends. Well he wasn't at his apartment or Amaimon would have said purgatory. "Exactly where in Hell is the demon known as Anarchy Warlock?"

"Hmmm," he rumbled, eyes spinning, "He's in Fiend Resources," there was a twist at what could be called his mouth, "he's been a very naughty minion."

Ember's heart was in her mouth, "why is the demon known as Anarchy Warlock in Fiend Resources?"

Amaimon laughed, "he's been caught skiving off by Crowley." An eye turned to make contact with her, it's gaze burning like a laser, "and something about a half elf mortal summoning him with stolen Pandemonium property. Tut tut young lady, I'd be careful using that again if I were you. Not that you'll have the chance to see your aardvark demon again, he's off the summoning list now. You'll have to come to Hell to pay him a visit!"

She clicked off the portable circle in a panic. The room was dark and oppressive once more. Still in a state too. Her heartbeat thudded like a bass drum. It was all over. A blink and you'll miss it whirlwind infatuation. Forbidden feelings that had been extinguished before they were fully burning. She'd seen and heard amazing things beyond her imagining and now she was back to her humdrum reality, alone and with questions unanswered. She'd never know more of Anar's story. Wouldn't know how it would end. Where he would end up next, if he ever indeed managed to escape his Hell contract. She hoped that he had been telling the truth when he'd said he was lucky and that his luck would come through for him one more time...