7

"Who are you?"

"Demon to some. Angel to others"

Los Angeles, California- Present day

"Get in"

The car screeched to a halt right in front of her, the window rolled down and she glanced at the person; her face pulled into a frown and she walked away

Her pace increased by the second. The car pulled beside her again, "I said get in"

She ignored the command and fastened her steps, she was almost at a corner before the car pulled into a stop again, "Dixie" he was furious, "I said get in"

She broke into a run once she was a few steps away from the said corner. She had to get away from him, what she had witnessed the other day still couldn't sit well with her.

What was he?

She feared for her life, her feet barely touched the ground as she ran or so she thought, she didn't stop until she saw a shop few feets away from her and she rushed into it like she was running from a mad dog or in this case a mad demon

She panted like she was drained out of life support and left to die, sweat coveted her forehead and trickled down her cheeks and onto her shirt which was already soaked with the same thing. She regretted wearing her new lotion, it had made the perspiration worse.

When she noticed her surroundings she was ashamed to see that there were eyes on her, watching and scrutinizing trying to decipher if she was a launatic or not. They were judging her at first sight, there was disgust written all over their faces and after a while they turned back to what they were doing ignoring her and she was grateful for that.

She took a bottle of water from the fridge and dipped a hand in her side pocket and felt her purse then she brought it out and walked over to the counter. She uncapped the plastic bottle and took huge gulps of water stopping at rare intervals to breathe before taking some more. She placed the cash on the counter and it was taken and a change was given to her. She smiled at the woman who returned the smirk with a wariness that probably the girl was looking deadbeat.

She walked out of the shop, wiping her forehead, she felt better and her strength had returned to her.

She glanced at the front and behind her, when she didn't see anyone she smirked and began walking north towards her home.

Her feet hit a stone and she caught her footing but cursed, she needed to pay more attention to her surroundings

A demon might not be the end of her but her own clumsiness might be.

A car pulled up right in front of her and before she could finish piecing it up together a hand reached out and pulled her into the already opened car door and drove off

She still couldn't believe it, she looked around and her gaze rested on the one person she had been trying to avoid since the incident that happened and he was furious

"You didn't want to get in easily so I had to do it the hard way"

She breathed in and out in a slow pace, her mind was fogged as she tried to wrap around the fact that she was in his car

Her first conception was to try and run away from him

"Let me out"

He looked at her like she was crazy then arched an eyebrow and tilted his head. She knew he had understood her and was just messing around

"I said let me out" she spoke much sternly than she had done the first time

"And why do I have to do that"

"Because you are meant to, this is kidnapping and you are violating my human rights, I don't know what you are but I want you to stay away from me" she began pulling at the car handle to get herself out

"Incase you didn't notice genius, the car is locked"

She sighed low and drawn then she squeezed her lips and stared at him, anger pooling behind her eyes

"You are messing with me, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not.." He couldn't complete his sentence because she was already at his side of the door pulling at the car handle to unlock hers and they began to struggle making Timothee loose hold of the steering wheel

He might be a demon but he was in human form and therefore vulnerable, the car moved over leaving the road and into the forest before it began rolling. It had tumbled like five times before it stopped and both parties were in a bad shape.

While she bruised her forehead due to the glass and the fall Timothee was passed out with blood dripping from his neck, his condition looked quite serious but her safety mattered more. She needed to get away from him as fast as possible.

It was barely her luck that she had survived the fall probably this was God's way of letting her escape him.

She left through the window and rolled onto the dirt floor.

Her eyes scanning the place they had fallen and could only see trees and nothing more.

She looked up at where they had fallen from and found that it was quite a high steep but she was determined and so began ascending it.

She was weak, the glass had pierced her and with some movements she made like resting, the glass would shift too which made her groan.

She cried at a certain point, silent whimpers as her ascension continued, her dress was stained with dirt and she got some in her fingers, she looked back down and saw that Timothee was still in the car and hadn't even crawled out that alone gave her hope.

He had made no movement and that encouraged her to climb higher and faster which she began doing.

Her slow pace fastened by the need to get out from that path, she opted to call for help since her phone was in her pocket once she made it out. She touched her pocket and felt it there, she smirked and muffled the pain that came as her hand shifted and so did the glass in it.

She breathed in deeply, her eyes shut as she tried to take it all in, it was her dumb luck that she had met Timothee in the first place.

She got to the top of the steep and lay on the road, her hair was messy and there were dried tears on her cheeks.

No car seemed to pass by as the clock ticked and she wondered what was wrong and why no cars were moving. She reached for the phone inside her pocket and dialed the police, she placed the phone on her cheeks as she swallowed saliva, it was painful as it went down her throat.

The call was answered

"Hello"

"I need help, I don't know where I am, I got kidnapped and..."

"Ok we are tracing your location right now"

"There's someone back there who wants to take my life"

"Please find a safe place to hide, we have found your location and we are sending help your way"

"Thank you"

She closed her eyes and sleep took her

She woke up on something soft, her eyes fluttered open lightly then the memories from the accident began rushing into her head like an overflowed river.

She released a faint gasp as she turned her neck slowly; the pain in her neck was non existent.

Her eyes darted round the room trying to figure out where she was at the moment, she remembered Timothee and hoped he was safe before she brushed the thoughts aside.

She sat up on the bed, her elbows and hands didn't hurt her. She reached for the jug that was on a table beside her. Her hand stretched out towards it and she carried the handle tilting it, her grip was shaky as she held it and poured herself some water filling it to the brim.

She raised the cup to her lips drops of water splattered on the table, the bed and some fell on her dress wetting her.

She tilted the cup on her lips and it went down her throat as it soothed the dryness left behind by the pain, she filled the cup again and took another one and repeated the action one more time before her stomach felt full.

Her head felt heavy and she touched it only to find out that it was bandaged.

Her eyes shut as she tried to reminisce on how her life got to that point.

She was fine just last month

She regretted going for the interview,

If she had known her life would turn put to be messed up in just few days of  work, she would have drank a lot at the party, had that hangover and stay in bed all day with Rachel.

She thought of Rachel and how she would be doing, if she was worried about her

She looked around her, she was still confused about where she was. She came down from the bed and walked around, her feet felt wobbly with each step she took and she held the wall for support.

She opened the door and it revealed a hallway, she still walked with the wall as support.

She got to the end of the hallway and there was a door which looked victorian, she opened it and saw a room that looked very beautiful and filled with paintings.

This wasn't a hospital, the police never came

She knew where she was.

"I'm glad to see that you are awake"

She turned around slowly not able to make out any words, she had hoped in her heart that she had gotten away.

She wished that she was in a hospital.

How?

But he was down there

How long was she out?

She shook her head, her heart leaped in her throat "You"

"Sit, I would like us to talk" he gestured to the seat beside her and she side stepped it and shook her head refusing to follow his plea

He got closer to her and she leaned away and he took another step and she repeated the same action until  she was leaning on the wall and couldn't move back any further, he stood two steps in front of her.

He could feel her fear his hand reached out to soothe her cheeks and she turned away letting it fall.

She tried to move away from him but he placed his hand on the wall preventing her from escaping from his left, she moved to the right and he placed his other hand there holding her in place. She was infuriated, she thought about bending down and making a run for it

"Don't even think of it"

"Get off"

"I'm not on you"

"I will scream"

"Why?"

"I'm not on you" He leaned away from her and scoffed, his thumb brushed his jaw, he glanced at her and she was looking away, "Let's talk"

"I don't want to talk to you, I just want to leave" She began making her way to the door, she opened it only for it to close by itself, she was shocked and tried to open it again but it was futile becuse the door was locked. She turned and lokked at him, anger pooling in her eyes, her teeth clenched, "Open this fucking door now!"

"No cursing in my home"

"I don't give a fuck" her voice got higher on the 'fuck', "about what you want neither do I give a fuck about this house, so let me leave"

"We need to talk first before you leave"

"Talk? I rather get eaten by dinosaurs"

He smirked, "They are extinct, sorry to disappoint you"

Her eyes darted round the room, seeking for an escape out of the place, he knew her intentions.

"There is no other way out, that is unless you want to use the window and I can guarantee you that it is a long way down which you would be waking up at the other side"

Their gazes met and she could see the truth in his eyes, she would die if she used the window but was death less gruesome than standing with something that she doesn't know?

"What are you?"

He looked away from her towards the opposite direction, her eyes followed him and she gazed at the grandfather clock that stood magnificently on the wall amidst the obsolete look of the wall, it gave the wall a sense of pride and a little beauty, her gaze went round the room and she noticed that the walls were old.

"You wanted to talk, didn't you?"

He nodded, his eyes still faced away from her and still fixed on the wall.

"What are you?"

"I have been called many names over time and around the world, Some called me Demonio, Dæmon and many others. I'm more than that. I'm not like the average Dæmon"

"Are you saying that you.." Her eyes widened in shock

"Yes, I am a Demon"

She gasped and fell on her butt, her body sought refuge as she scrambled to the wall, she held her knees to her chest, her breathing was erratic.

She couldn't believe her ears, she closed her eyes tight praying for everything to just be a bad dream.

"I'm not just any demon"

Her eyes which were still shut became tighter, she shook her head, her mind refused to come to terms with the fact that a secret has been revealed.

One that she has been trying to figure out for quite a while.

It all made sense, the noise that she had heard when she came for the interview even the time at his office when he told her welcome to hell.

It all made sense but it was hard to believe.

"You are not real" she moved herself to and fro like a rocking bed, her eyes were still shut, adrenaline surged through her, "You are not real" she repeated again before she began chanting it like a mantra. Maybe it would work if she chanted it even though deep down inside her she knew it wouldn't, she was in a big mess.

"You are one of the few who have seen me and is fine, many had a complication or the other"

His voice snapped her out of her reverie plunging her back to where she wished wasn't real at that time.

She had wished for him not to be real, that it was all just a bad dream that she would wake up from.

"Please don't hurt me"

"I'm not just any demon Dixie, I'm the devil's assistant, they call me the son of hell"

She opened her eyes at that moment, it was as though his last words had cut a deep part of her. She looked up and found his eyes on hers

"Why me?"

"I can't tell you that"

"Fine then" she stood up and tried opening the door but it was still locked so she fumbled with it

"It will open when I want it to"

"Damn you, just do it already" she shot back at him, her eyes snapped to his, she was angry.

He could see that but he wasn't moved

"We are not done talking" He snapped his fingers and she was on a seat immediately. She was astonished at what just happened to her.

"Oh my God, leave me alone"

"I will, once we are done talking"

She nodded, "ok"

"So can we talk now?"

She nodded again

"If you tell anyone about what you saw I will kill you"

'Is that all that you wanted to say? You are damn right that I won't "

"I'm serious"

"You know what you fucking need?"

"What?"

"A fucking exorcist"

He choked her and she gagged when he released her she gasped for breath.  Her breathing was hurried and he bent low to her ear level and whispered, "Do I look like I'm joking now?"

"What do you want from me?"

"The only way I could make sure that you do as I tell you is to keep you around me"

"Like hell I will" his face was stern as she set her eyes on it, he wasn't playing with her that she knew but she still felt like provoking him. It was her way of life after all, sarcasm and annoying the hell out of people but he didn't seem to be a fan of it.

"I have to jeep you around me to avoid you from telling people"

"And what makes you think that I wouldn't tell people even after you keep me around you? Heck I could tell the mail man"

"I would have to keep a close rye on you to make sure that you do none of that"

"You seem so sure if yourself, I'm to burst your load of confidence but I don't think I would love to hang around you, carry your bag around as you go for your business, watch you while you take or shit or piss yourself and sing you a lullaby as you fall asleep, I'm not signing up to be your nanny"

"I like the lullaby part" he smirked, "I would love to hear you sing one sometime

"In your fucking dreams"

"Language" he raised an eyebrow, "Rest assured, you are not going to be my nanny, I don't want one, I can take care if myself but I have to keep a close eye on you"

"I promise, I would not tell anyone, you can take my word for it"

He looked at her keenly, trying to decipher if she was lying or not, when he saw she was serious it had him nodding lightly, "I can take your word for it but I still want it to be on my terms"

"You selfish bastard"

"I could kill you for all the insults that you have spewed just in this short period of time,  I'm not much of a talker Dixie, you know that and incase you don't know I'm also not a patient man. You are testing me.."

"What are you going to do, hit me? I bet you would have the balls that is if you have one"

He laughed, "I do have one actually they are two, he stood up and walked to the table that had artifacts on it, "And by the way, I don't hit women"

"It's well understood, so please can you let me go? I just want to leave"

He turned and faced her, his eyes squinted at her, "Didn't you understand what I have been saying for few minutes now?"

"The only thing I understand is that you don't hit women but yet you almost strangled me, how's that for some hypocrisy, huh?"

He smirked and clicked his tongue, "So much energy, I would hate for it to waste in the captivity of an old friend"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Dixie, ever been infiltrated by a foreign energy before?"

"I don't understand what you mean" her forehead creased

"Ever been possessed?"

She got frightened

"That's right, that's the reaction I want from you so in case you don't want something like that, I suggest you choose your words while speaking to me, in case you have forgotten, I am impatient"

"Please I just want to go" she stood up and began walking towards the door.

"That's not what you said to me back at the club"

Her steps halted, she turned slowly and faced him, he wore a huge smirk on his face

"You wanted your job back"

"Not anymore, I just want to leave"

She made her way to the door and turned the handle, it was still locked

"Please open the door, I want to leave" her plea was slow and quiet.

"I would but we are yet to get to a rendezvous"

"I don't want the job anymore, why do you even want me? I won't tell anyone please, I just want to go"

"Become my assistant and I will let you live"

"No, please don't" she shook her head vigorously, "I don't want to"

"But you  were begging me to take you back, I remember very well I wanted you to get another job but you insisted.."

"I didn't know" she interrupted him, his eyes narrowed at her but she didn't know why, "please just let me go"

"There you go, interrupting me like you always do.." His index finger pointed at her and he chuckled

"I'm sorry" she shook her head

"You have just done it again" he smirked

"I'm so sorry" she bent her head

"I accept your apologies" he stalked closer to her, stopping ten steps away from her, "Don't you want your job back?"

She looked away, shame rose in her. If she had known earlier enough what he was she would never had begged for her job back, she would have gone looking for another one but no her stubbornness had led her into something she couldn't escape from

"I won't hurt you if you become my assistant again"

She sobbed

"Think carefully before you answer"

"I don't have a choice"

"Yes you don't" his smirk grew wider, "But you get to pay off your house rent"

She thought about the rent, it was almost due, the thought of accepting crossed her mind but she knew what she would be getting herself into

A deal with the devil

"You get to live if you become my assistant"

She glanced up at him, his smirk had faded and he looked really serious.

She had no choice, he would really kill her. It was better she accepted and then found a way to free herself from him, she was determined to do it even if it would cost her everything.

She nodded

Then he turned away from her and walked towards the table, "It is done then"

She turned around, her eyes still glossed with tears and a new determination in her, she clenched her fists tight and upon releasing it, the door opened.