"I've solved your human pest problem," Arda said, appearing from the shadows in the alley cast by the tall buildings of downtown.

Marcus was camped out across the street from Mila's work with nowhere to go. Her apartment wasn't exactly the nicest place, even by hell standards, and his regular refuge was not an option because it was both Kat and Nex's day off. Nex made it clear to Marcus that he needed to vacate the premise because normally on their days off together, they would spend the entire time in bed. Marcus's presence had Kat too busy playing host and trying to cheer Marcus up, which meant no alone time. Nex wasn't having it anymore and so Marcus left early in the morning, the second he heard the first evidence of them waking up.

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the brick, alley wall, staring past the slow lunchtime traffic and instead at the building that from the outside, looked like it was only made out of windows, all the way up to the tenth floor where Mila was working.

"I mean, I've just finished my probationary period for killing a pure soul," Arda explained with a triumphant grin. "So I'll take her out for you and as soon as she's dead, you'll be released of any bond and able to go back to normal. You're welcome."

Marcus's eyes snapped to Arda, who looked quite pleased with herself for helping out her friend. His jaw clenched and he looked back at Mila's building. "No."

"No?" Arda frowned.

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Arda asked, throwing her hands up. "You've done nothing but bitch about this girl since you were summoned to the realm, why wouldn't you want her dead?"

"I'm not giving her what she wants, now it's personal."

The words were a lie he knew weren't true but was trying to convince himself were. He didn't want to admit that he didn't like the idea of Mila dying, or tell Arda that the last thing Mila's family needed right now was to experience more death. He didn't want to admit that there was a softening spot on the cold hard surface of his heart which was suspiciously close to the place Stella's head rested when she hugged him. All those things were ridiculous notions floating around his head that he locked in a box and attempted to cover up with the thought that giving Mila what she wanted would piss him off after all she'd put him through.

"That's stupid," Arda frowned. Marcus shrugged. "This is insane, you're going to hold a vendetta against a human for wanting to die? That's ridiculous and you know it is. So what if she gets what she wants? It won't matter and you know why? Because she'll be in heaven, and you'll be in hell, and you'll never have to see each other again."

Never have to see each other again. A muscle in Marcus's jaw ticked and he stared at the doors of Mila's office. "No."

"Fine," Arda sighed. "Then I don't want to hear another complaint about it."

"Fine," Marcus agreed.

"You're welcome anyway, you ungrateful ass," Arda muttered, stepping back into the shadows and disappearing just as quickly as she appeared.

Letting out a long sigh, Marcus continued watching the building. He had nothing else to do. That's what he tried to convince himself of until that lawyer Mila drooled over got out of a car and stepped through the rotating doors, a briefcase in one hand and a small paper bag in the other.

Marcus' eyes glowed red for a moment and he pushed off the wall, keeping himself hidden as he crossed the street with no regard for the oncoming traffic. It passed through him as if he wasn't there and his eyes were trained on one person. That lawyer he didn't bother remembering the name of but whose scent he couldn't forget, given it was almost all over Mila in the form of a borrowed shirt that was now ashes.

The amount of people greeting the man excitedly was annoying but Marcus ignored it as he passed through the building, his long strides bringing him closer to the lawyer, until they were on the elevator together and the doors closed.

"There is nothing extraordinary about you," Marcus said, narrowing his eyes at the human who couldn't see or hear him.

Marcus analyzed the human, waiting for the opportune moment when he set down his brief case and reached over to press the button for the top floor. Marcus held his hand in place as it was outstretched and the lawyer frowned in confusion, wondering why his arm suddenly wasn't listening anymore. "What the..."

Marcus crouched down and analyzed the man's palm, ignoring the way the man grew increasingly concerned about why his body wasn't listening to him. Every line was traced until he had a clear picture of the man's soul and he did not like what he saw.

Purity. It was a pure human, with pure intentions and a pure heart. There was nothing wrong with him and Marcus released his hand in disgust and paced away, annoyed he didn't find evil somewhere in there that he could warn Mila of.

The human remained oblivious, confused, and slightly worried as he rubbed his arm, wondering if he'd just experienced a muscle spasm of some kind. Marcus circled him and wondered what in the hell would be appealing about this human, anyway. Mila's infatuation with him was ridiculous, as was her friend's, as was... Well, pretty much everyone in the building it seemed like.

The elevator doors opened before they reached the top floor and another man stepped onto the elevator. The two greeted each other as friends and delved into the most boring small talk. Marcus wondered how the hell anyone could find the man interesting when his conversation skills were more boring than Marcus standing outside Mila's building with nothing to do except watch humans drive stupidly in the clogged traffic.

Their conversation was boring until it wasn't. Until Mila's name was mentioned and Marcus found himself listening a lot closer.

"That paralegal that works for Aliyah?" The stranger asked. "Yeah, I've seen her. She's a ten."

"She's beautiful, right?" The douchebag lawyer said with a smile that made Marcus want to punch out his straight, white teeth. "And a great sense of humor. I'm taking her out this weekend."

Marcus's eyes narrowed and glowed with flames.

"Oh yeah? You ask her out?"

"Not yet, I'm on my way to do that while I drop some files off," he said, holding up the brown paper bag. "People are simple, Lon, they just want to know you pay attention so I'm going to show her I do by bringing this."

"And what's that?"

"Chocolate muffin from her favorite bakery," the lawyer said with a grin. "She gets this cute smile every time she has one. It's a perfect transition into asking her to dinner."

"And dessert," the other guy added slyly.

Marcus slammed his hand against the door and it shook, scaring both the men.

"What the hell was that?"

The elevator screeched to a halt as Marcus's shadows delved into the electrical system and thoroughly fucked it over. The elevator wasn't going anywhere, and neither was the lawyer with his stupid plans.

The lights blinked on and off until they were off completely. The lawyer pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, frowning in confusion as he looked around. "Hey... Where'd that muffin go?"

Marcus didn't need an elevator to move up to the top floor. He got there on his own with the paper bag in his hands, making himself visible only to the human he was blood-bonded with as he made his way through the office. She was leaned over her desk, a concentrated frown on her face as she analyzed the documents in front of her. Marcus watched as her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth as her brows drew closer together and she murmured words off the screen before her eyes lit up in understanding. She sat up straighter and started typing again, still not noticing Marcus standing there or anyone else for that matter. When Mila was focused, she was oblivious to her surroundings.

A paper bag dropped down on Mila's keyboard, making her squeal. Several people looked over at her in confusion and she glanced up, a scowl forming when she saw Marcus there. She inclined her head to the office, raising an eyebrow as if to ask 'can anyone see you?'. Marcus shook his head and Mila narrowed her eyes, grabbing her notepad and a pen.

She scribbled on it furiously then subtly tapped her pen against the pad, focusing her eyes on the screen so people would stop staring. Marcus circled around and read the words off the notepad, snorting so hard he had to clear his throat. If you're trying to make me look crazy, remember everyone thinks I am anyway, at least be useful next time and get me time off work by flickering the lights or setting something on fire or some shit. Preferably set the pants on fire of the idiot sitting two desks away.

"I'm not supposed to do things like that," Marcus informed her. Mila shrugged.

It wasn't until Mila went to type again she remembered there was a paper bag on her keyboard, repeatedly pressing the same random combination of letters into her document. Quickly snatching the bag, Mila sent Marcus a dirty look and set it aside while she deleted all the random letters pushed in by that bag.

"You're not even going to look in it?" Marcus asked.

Mila shook her head defiantly but if she was being honest, she was way too curious not to look. Part of her was worried it was full of dog shit or something like that but she convinced herself she'd be able to smell it if that were the case. She tentatively opened the bag, her eyebrows raising in surprise when she saw her favorite chocolate muffin inside.

"Where-" she started then got curious glances again. Normally the office wasn't so full because everyone was running around, but it was almost lunch time and so everyone was staying at their desks, counting the seconds until they could rush to the elevator. The extra audience meant less privacy and Mila smiled sweetly. "Found some good stuff in here," she laughed awkwardly. People made faces but then returned to pretending to work while they really just watched the clock.

Mila sighed and grabbed the pen and pad again, scribbling on it and sliding it over to Marcus. He read the words and realized he couldn't answer her question. Where'd you get this?

"Your favorite bakery," he tried.

Mila frowned in confusion and took the pad again, writing down more words. How the hell do you know where my favorite bakery is and what I like?

"I pay attention," Marcus defended, crossing his arms.

Mila stared up at him blankly, unsure what to say. It still didn't make sense. She grabbed her pen and pad again, writing out another note that Marcus leaned over to read. I've literally never had this around you. Tell me the truth.

"Tell me a different name," Marcus countered. Mila sighed and discreetly flipped him off behind her monitor before going back to work.

"What, not even a thank you?" Marcus frowned. The lawyer was wrong. People weren't simple. Mila didn't seem to care he brought the muffin.

Mila snatched her pen and pad again, writing on it furiously before sliding it to Marcus, her fingers returning to her keyboard while he read the next note. It feels like a trick muffin. I don't know how you knew where to get it, or why you're being nice, but it's suspicious as fuck. I'll only eat it if its poisoned which I doubt you're gracious enough to do.

Marcus scowled and set the notepad on fire. Mila quickly went to put it out but it was already gone, a pile of ash sitting where the notepad was. She glared up at Marcus who shrugged and looked away. "You won't accept nice, so fine, I won't be nice."

"Are you sure you didn't actually sell your soul when you were seven instead of seventeen?" Mila whispered. "Because you have the emotional maturity of a child."

"Look who's talking," Marcus scoffed.

Mila ignored him and went back to work but the work was interrupted when it turned to lunchtime and everyone discovered the elevators weren't working. Whines and complaints erupted in the office but Mila was even more upset. "Shit, fuck," she muttered, gathering up her things and wondering if that sign on the door for the stairwell was true, that it was fires only and an alarm would sound if opened. She hoped not because she had to get out of there, fire alarm or not.

"Mila did you hear?" Lindsay asked, rushing over and resting her palms on Mila's desk. "Callum is stuck in the elevators."

"He's what?" Mila frowned.

"I know," Lindsay pouted, pushing off Mila's desk and starting towards the growing crowd around the elevator. "I hope maintenance gets here soon."

"Seriously, that's terrible," Mila said. "Poor thing."

"Oh come on," Marcus said, rolling his eyes. "Poor thing my ass. He's a terrible person."

"What on earth gives you that impression?" Mila asked, her brows furrowing.

"I'm a demon, Mila," he reminded her, gesturing to himself. "He's a bad guy. You should stay far away from him."

"Okay, look, I've met lots of bad people and I think you're lying," Mila said, narrowing her eyes. "Callum's a sweetheart through and through."

"You're only saying that because for whatever reason, you like the way he looks."

"No, I'm saying that because I've worked with for a while now and he's never been anything but a total softie and gentleman."

"Well, you're wrong," Marcus muttered. "He's bad news. It's really not safe for you to be around him."

"Oh, now it's not safe?" Mila asked doubtfully. "Why's that?"

Marcus hesitated a moment. He had nothing to tell her because there wasn't actually anything wrong with the guy, Marcus just hated him for reasons he couldn't explain.

"You know I can go invisible," Marcus finally said. "I saw things."

"What things?" Mila asked, tapping her pen against her desk.

"Things that aren't good."

"You're so full of shit," Mila said, rolling her eyes and dropping her pen on the desk, reaching for her phone and slipping it in her purse.

"No, I mean it," Marcus insisted.

"Okay, fine," Mila shrugged. "I want to see."

"See what?" Marcus frowned.

"These 'not good things' you've supposedly seen about Callum."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" Mila challenged. "You've made me invisible before, just do it again."

"I... No," Marcus said firmly. "It's dangerous."

"What's dangerous?"

"You know, you could... I'm a paranormal entity," he said, gesturing to himself. "Very few people know how to hurt me. When I make you invisible, that's all I'm doing. You could still get hurt."

"Sure but I'll be invisible and no one will see me so why does it matter?" Mila shrugged.

"It just does," Marcus clipped. "You could get caught in a crossfire."

"A crossfire?" Mila frowned. "What, there's guns now?"

"Maybe."

"Dude, are you high?" She said, lowering her voice to an even quieter whisper. "Is that what this is? You got the munchies, got some muffins, now you're talking nonsense. Seriously, are you high? Are there drugs in hell? Did you hit a joint on the way over?"

"What?" Marcus asked, his brows furrowed.

"You did, didn't you?" Mila said, nodding to herself. "Look, it's fine, no judgment," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. "I indulge in it occasionally when I need to relax a little. My only problem is if your ass is getting high, smoking a bowl and not sharing, that's messed up. You know how stressed I am, I could use a hit too."

"Mila, I'm not fucking high," Marcus snapped.

"Okay," Mila said doubtfully then muttered under her breath 'clearly coming off it now'.

Marcus sighed in annoyance, rolling his eyes as more people passed by Mila's desk, commenting that Callum was stuck in the elevator. Apparently, none of them seemed to care it wasn't just Callum in the elevator since his name was the only one mentioned. Mila stared after the elevator with a frown on her face. "Poor Callum," she muttered quietly.

"Oh for all that's unholy," Marcus groaned. "It's an elevator. It's not the end of the world, he's fine."

"Hey, being stuck anywhere is scary," Mila hissed, glad that everyone was distracted by the elevator fiasco so she was less likely to draw attention.

"If he's scared of that, he's a pussy," Marcus said simply.

"Oh, please, don't use 'pussy' as a synonym for weak, or coward or anything else," Mila said, sending him a dirty look as she slipped on her jacket. "I once had sex with three different guys in one night who really pounded into me like they were trying to rip me open. There is nothing weak about pussies."

Marcus's jaw dropped at her statement and he couldn't decide if the image that popped into his head was exciting or annoying. He didn't like the idea of anyone doing anything to her and she seemed a little too pleased with herself that she managed to shut him up.

Mila stood from her desk and Marcus spun her around and pushed her back until her ass hit the desk and she had nowhere to go while their bodies pressed together. "Nothing weak about pussies, huh?" She asked. Mila nodded, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'll believe it when I see it. You've never been fucked by a demon. If you're so sure you can take it, prove it."

Mila blinked a few times, surprised at how forward he was. She hated to admit the comment and the action of him pressing her back against the desk and trapped her had warmth pooling between her legs. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she reminded herself she had responsibilities so mustered up the courage to set her hands on his chest and push him back. "One, I have nothing to prove to you, two, I have way more important things to do than sit here with your mopey ass."

Pushing Marcus back and grabbing her purse, she made her way to the elevators where everyone else was standing around. She eyed the stairwell, chewing on her lip as she read the sign saying 'emergency exit only'. It was an emergency to her. Stella had a doctor appointment over her lunch break and Mila wondered if she could make an argument to her boss after setting off a fire alarm that 'emergency' had all kinds of different definitions.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked, appearing next to Mila and making her jump.

She sent him a glare and shook her head, speaking quietly so people wouldn't hear. "Stella has an appointment in twenty minutes and I'm worried they won't have the elevators running by then."

Marucs frowned and grabbed Mila's hand, taking her to a corner where people couldn't see before he made her invisible along with him.

"What are you doing?" Mila asked, trying to pull her hand back but Marcus then just grabbed her wrist and held on tighter, tugging her against him and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Demon, in case you've forgotten. We don't need elevators."

"Does that mean you could help Callum?" Mila asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Fuck no," Marcus growled, his hand tightening around her waist as he let out his wings. "I can only do it with a human I'm blood bonded too."

It was a lie, his second one of the day that he tried to not feel guilty over considering he was a demon and it's what demons did. That's what he told himself, shoving the jealousy deep down and deciding it wasn't jealousy at all. It definitely wasn't jealousy and he definitely didn't feel smug to be the one with Mila in his arms while the lawyer stayed where he was with no muffin to give.