I glanced out the window for the tenth time in as many minutes. He said he would be here before nightfall, and now the bruised sky threatened to fade to black. Perhaps if I said the blessing over the love charm he left me it would hasten his return as he promised it would.

I tore through my hope chest before locating the wooden pillar he carved for me. It was soft and smooth, fitting neatly in the palm of my hand. I ran my finger absently over the flower etched into one side - painted red, he’d told me, for the color of my lips.

I closed my eyes, tasting his memory. He would be back in my arms soon; this blessing would assure it. My mind shifted begrudgingly away from his lips and to the words he had bid me recite until they were etched in my mind like the flower on the pillar.

“I call upon the one I love.

I summon your heart to my heart.

From Hell below to Earth above,

No distance shall keep us apart.

The day is done.

The time is now.

At setting sun,

Do keep your vow.”

I opened my eyes and saw the room as it had been. Nothing changed. Out the window, though, the sky had made good on its threat. A sliver of moon reflected in the dark pond at the end of the path, the only light in the infinite blackness.

I realized suddenly how heavy my eyelids were. With a defeated sigh, I padded heavily to my dresser to brush my hair before bed. As I reached for my brush, a movement in the mirror caught my eye.

He’s here!

But the face that looked back in the mirror wasn’t his. A horned beast stood behind me, it’s eyes glowing yellow. I screamed, and it lifted a hand, silencing me instantly.

“Why so frightened, darling? You summoned me.”

I knew that voice intimately. It was the voice that whispered in my ear after we’d made love. It was the voice that told me how beautiful I was before leaving the room. Why was his voice coming out of this vile creature?!

He must have read my thoughts because his next words answered my silent question. “Turn around and you’ll understand.”

I swallowed, afraid to move, afraid of what might happen if I looked at the creature face to face instead of just in the mirror. With painfully slow movements, I finally turned to face him, shocked once more at what I saw.

It was him, the him I recognized, standing before me in the same clothes he wore when he left. His dark hair was disheveled from his journey, but his eyes were smiling.

I flung myself into his arms, the smell of dust and smoke clinging to his clothes. With the solidness of his embrace around me, I realized I had been shaking from what I’d seen in the mirror.

“Oh, my darling, you’re back! I thought...well, it’s silly now.”

“What?” His breath burned on my neck.

“I thought I saw the most horrible creature when I looked in the mirror, but it must have been my imagination.” The heat of him slithered beneath my nightdress, scorching my skin. My God, how I wanted him!

“It wasn’t your imagination.”

My heart beat faster at his words. I stayed silent with my head still against his chest, waiting for a further explanation. After an eternity, he obliged.

“You mustn’t be frightened. I’m still the same man you fell in love with. You’ve just seen me now in my true demonic form.”

Demonic?! I tried to push my way out of his arms, but he held me tighter, trapping me in his crushing embrace.

“You wound me, my sweet. Every other time I return from the Underworld, you can’t keep your hands from me.” He ran his hands down my back as he spoke, and the prickling of desire came to life in my belly. His lips were dangerously close to my ear. “Come to bed, my love,” he whispered, nibbling at my earlobe.

With all the force I had, I shoved him in the direction of the bed, my head spinning. I could be scared tomorrow. In fact, I probably would be after the proper amount of processing. But tonight? The devil would take me.