5.

  Joseph was originally going to go for a simple, cheap Sedan, but Xisira had always wanted to ride in a convertible. So Joseph splurged at the rental place and the two hit the road together. The wind blew through her violet hair as Joseph got on the freeway.

  “This is so amazing,” she said, letting the wind blow through her violet hair, the golden necklace around her neck shifting with the wind.

  “Tell me again, what’s the reason no one can see you’re a demon?” he asked.

  “It’s called a Glamor, when I made my plans to find a way out of the below, I had this made for me, I’ll just appear as a human woman to anyone who sees me and doesn’t know I’m a demon at least,” she said.

  “So, where do we need to go?” Joseph asked as he got on the highway.

  “We’re about to summon a demon, where else? the crossroads,” Xisira smiled.

  “You mean that place in the middle of nowhere where they say the rock stars go and damn their souls?” he asked, “I always wondered about that story, is there one in particular, or does any four-way intersection do the job?”

  “Crossroads have historically been hot spots of demonic activity, something about you humans having a choice which of which way you want to go creates a great place for us to find a way out, it’s kind of a lazy metaphor, granted, but damn if it doesn’t work wonders,” she said.

  “You know, when I was in Hunter Training, I was always warned about crossroads, warned about offers demons would make me,” he looked over to her.

  “Oh, where did you study? Are you a student of the East Coast Academy? That’s supposed to be the greatest university in the world for Demon Hunters,” she asked.

  “Didn’t study at an academy, I’m old school,” Joseph said, “Don’t have a graduation under my belt, I studied with an old hunter, Otto Longfellow, he was a tough as nails kind of guy, cut my teeth in the Colorado Rockies, real hunts, not that sissy controlled and monitored bullshit the universities think they’re getting kids training now ready with,” he said, “There was this one time, I was bleeding out, bad. I killed the demon, but I was left for dead. I had to use the demon's blood, the demon I had slain myself, used it for fire sorcery to seal the wound it gave me. You cannot imagine the sting healing one of your own wounds can give you,” he said, “But I lived, I may not have some stupid diploma or fancy stamp on my license, but I graduated that day,” he said, then turned back to the beautiful temptress who was likely stringing him along to his doom, “You say this war can be over? That we can be done with this?” he asked.

  “It can,” she said, then looked forward, “We’re still ways away aren’t we, should we take a rest? I was told Mortals need to rest almost every day,” she said.

  “Yeah, almost every day,” Joseph rolled his eyes, “Your dad isn’t going to care if we take our time getting to him? How is he going to know when we do the ritual?” he asked.

  “I have this,” Xisira said as she pulled a small vial from her pocket, “It’s a vial of his blood, this is our signal, we put some of this on the cross roads, and a sample of your blood mixed with it, he’ll hear the call and he’ll show up. We make the pact and he’ll be free in this world,” she said.

  “Woah, my blood? Make a pact? You didn’t tell me this was going to involve a pact,” he said, pulling off at an exit on the Kansas highway to find some cheap lodging for the night, “I’m not making a demonic pact, you got my help, you’re not going to get my soul,” he said.

  “I’m not damning your soul to hell,” Xisira rolled her eyes, “Do you know how much you have to ask a demon for it to merit taking a human soul?”

  “What do you mean?” Joseph asked, “I thought this was a binary kind of thing, you make a pact, and your soul goes to the below,” he said.

  “You have to get something for the trade,” she said, “The Above made it very clear after the Morning Star fell, that if he was going to be allowed to bring mortals to his side, he had to at least sweeten the pot for them. If you don’t ask for anything, the Demon has nothing to tempt you with,” she said, “No trade, no soul, that’s the above’s rule,” she said as Joseph pulled into the parking lot of a Motel 7 and Xisira put her glamor on.

  “So, what do you look like?” Joseph asked as they made their way from the parking lot to the motel.

  “I look like this,” Xisira said.

  “I mean with the glamor, I’ve seen you as a demon, so it doesn’t work on me, but what do you look like, to others?” he asked.

  “My knowledge of the Mortal world is a bit lacking, but I think I look like what you would call a prostitute,” she said, wondering herself what the image she was portraying in the mortal world was.

  “Great, so if we don’t get caught by another Hunter, a cop is going to bust me,” Joseph said, rubbing his temples and wondering what the hell he was doing.

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  “I would like to think I look like an expensive one, like one that has class and poise and dignity,” she said, holding her head high, “Not some tramp from a truck stop,” she said

  “Fitting,” Joseph laughed, shaking his head, still having no idea whether this demonic temptress was seducing him or not.

  The entered the motel and came to the clerk, “Hey, you got an open room?”

  The clerk, an effeminate man who had actually seen many couples resembling these two, gave them a once-over. “You do understand we don’t bill hourly sir,” he asked.

  “The whole night, and tomorrow,” Joseph said, “We’re but weary travelers wanting a break from the road,” he booked the room and got the key.

  The Hunter and the Demon got in the elevator and headed to their room on the fourth floor. Joseph opened the door, “One bed,” he said.

  “I don’t mind sharing,” Xisira said, wrapping her arms around Joseph’s.

  “You said you weren’t trying to seduce me,” he said, “If you’re not trying to seduce me, you’re doing a really bad job.”

  “I wasn’t implying anything improper, but we could cuddle, it might be cold, but it would be nice to feel warm on my first night in the Mortal world,” she said, nuzzling up to him.

  Joseph threw his bag on the chair by the cheap tubular TV, “The way I see it, you’re either seducing me, and I sleep with you tonight and probably have the most mind-blowing and amazing night of my life, and have my soul sealed stamped and delivered right to the below,” he turned to her, “Or like you say, we’ll just cuddle,” he said.

  “There’s nothing sinful about cuddling,” she smiled, even giggled a little,”

  Joseph got in bed with the demon and felt her wrap an arm around his shoulder and cuddle up to him, “I really do want to thank you,” she said.

  He tried to focus, tried to push whatever manipulations this demon may or may not have been worming into his brain out of his mind. Taking advantage of the motel's HBO service, the two settled in to relax after their big day and watch something wholesome.

  “I love Rom-Coms,” Xisira said.

  “You can see Rom-Coms below? You get HBO below?” Joseph asked.

  Xisira laughed, “Do you have any idea how many movie executives are in the place they are because of demonic pacts?” she said, curling up and resting her head on Joseph’s shoulder, “We get Rom-Coms, blockbusters, all the best music, I love the things your mortals make when you have one of us helping you,” she said, “Don’t even get me started on actors, any movie you’ve seen that turns a profit, you can bet every actor involved made a deal with a devil,” she said.

  “Of course they did, damn can’t even enjoy movies anymore,” he leaned into her cuddle and wrapped an arm around her. Her skin felt, odd. It wasn’t cold, but it didn’t have the warmth a mortal woman with who he had shared a bed would have. It was this neutral kind of feeling, and for some reason, it was actually quite pleasant.

  “This is my favorite,” she said, grabbing the remote and selecting a title, “Hue Grant makes a total ass out of himself, it’s hilarious,” she smiled.

  “What’s the plan for tomorrow, if we leave early, we can make it to Kansas by sundown, that’s when demons are supposed to do your deals right? Sundown, something about the twilight, the changing from the light to dark, that’s a time you’re active, isn’t it?” Joseph asked.

  “I mean, we could ride all day, but that would be so miserable. I’ve only been in the mortal world for less than two days, I would like a chance to enjoy it before I have to get back to my work,” she said.

  “What do you want to enjoy?” Joseph asked.

  Xisira turned over, and ran a hand up his chest, “Well, there’s this thing I heard about in the below, this certain pleasure that Mortals take, one so decedent, so disturbed, a pleasure so pure that not even the below judges people for taking it,” she grinned.

  “What would that be?” he asked.

  “I want, oh I’m embarrassed to say it, mortals are always embarrassed to say they want this, but that doesn’t stop them from indulging in it, I’ve met more than a few damned souls that say it’s the thing they miss most about life in the mortal world,” she said.

  “What are you talking about?” Joseph asked.

  “I want,” Xisira bit her lip, “I want to eat at a McDonalds,” she said, “I know, that’s probably so awful to say, so sinful. Here I am trying to prove I’m not a rambunctious demon only out for her own lusts and pleasure, but I want to eat at a Mcdonald's so bad. A McDonalds in a mall, and then go shopping,” she said. “There are few truly sinful pleasures that a Mortal can indulge without damning their souls, and a McDonald's in a mall is one of them,” she said.

  Joseph laughed, “Really? That’s a high sin? Eating at a McDonalds in a mall?” he smiled, ran his hand down her shoulder, “Yeah, we can do that, your dad can wait another day right? Let’s go out, let’s get some McDonalds I guess,” Joseph said.

  “Really?” Xisira lit up, “You think any less of me, for wanting to eat there, I’ve heard that men judge women who eat at Mcdonald's,” she said.

  “Well, the ones who eat there every day maybe,” he said.

  “Tell me about the sandwiches,” she said.

  “They’re not sandwiches, they’re just burgers,” he said.

  “Tell me, tell me all about these burgers,” she said, cuddling up closer.

  “Like the Big Mac? Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions on a sesame seed bun,” he said.

  “You know, we invented the special sauce, down there,” she said.

  “I thought the special sauce was just thousand islands,” Joseph said.

  “That’s just what they say, a major corporation isn’t going to say their secret ingredient literally came about by way of a pact with a demon,” Xisira laughed.

  “So, it’s not thousand islands?” He asked.

  “It’s similar to thousand islands,” Xisira said.

  “There’s the Quarter pounder,” he said, resting his head on hers, “That’s my favorite,” he said, smiling as Hue Grant was indeed making an ass of himself on screen.

  “A whole quarter of a pound, in one meal? Mortals really eat that?” she asked.

  “They have a double,” Joseph laughed.

  “Half a pound? Seriously? You mortals are so bad, no wonder so many of you end up down there,” she said.

  “They serve salads too, there are options,” Joseph said.

  Xisira moved up and looked at Joseph, “I didn’t claw my way out of hell just to eat a salad,” she said.

  Joseph laughed, “Okay, no salad.”

  “No salad,” she said, getting more comfortable, “You know, I’ve never actually seduced a mortal, I mean, it’s what I was born to do, but I’ve never actually done it,” she said.

  “I thought you said you weren’t seducing me,” Joseph said.

  “I’m not, to be honest, I’m not even sure I would know how to if I wanted,” she said, “Who wants to seduce a guy when you can just watch a Rom-Com and eat at McDonald's with him,” she turned to look at him, “Thank you, again,” she smiled. A sincere smile, one that was either showing Joseph her happiness and care for him was legitimate, or that she was the most masterful seductress to ever flee the bounds of the below.