“Are you ready to tell the truth now? Or shall I explain what our little handshake deal means for your eternal soul … and how I could quite easily snap this pitifully spindly little neck of yours and send you down where I come from immediately?”

I moved my hand from his mouth to cage his throat.

“I … oh God!” he panted, and the acrid smell of urine filled the room.

“Oh for badness’ sake, did you just piss yourself?”

“You’re the … the Devil!” was his gasped reply.

I shook my head. “Close, but not quite. I’m his son. But for the purposes of this conversation, I’m your worst fucking nightmare.”

“Are you … are you here to take me to Hell?”

I rolled my eyes. “Not unless you fail to cooperate.” When his face slackened with relief, I squeezed his neck just enough to make it difficult for him to breathe. “The name. Now.” I released my grip to let him speak.

“Greg … Gregory Proctor,” he wheezed.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I asked, my voice deceptively soothing. Chad nodded frantically, blinking back tears. I smiled indulgently down at him. “But we’re not finished yet.”

Gripping the back of his neck, I dragged him to his feet. “We’re going to pay a little visit to Professor Gregory Proctor, and you’re going to tell him the truth.”

“Can I at least change my pants?” Chad whined, but one cold look from me silenced him.

* * *

The taxi-mobile driver was more than happy to offload his passengers at the university. I could not entirely blame him—one of us was exuding waves of malevolence and barely held rage … the other reeked of piss.

“You know, you can’t just barge into a professor’s office,” Chad rambled, stumbling along beside me. “They have office hours when they’re⁠—”

“Will you stop your prattle?” I rumbled, striding across an immaculate courtyard framed by soaring trees. This place needed some vibrance. It needed Jemma Bliss. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Devils don’t cry. Devils don’t cry …

“I’m just saying, he won’t⁠—”

I rounded on him. “He will!” I let just a hint of the devil in me show on my face.

Chad blanched. “Wha-what are you going to do?”

“Yeah, Boss!” Beezle squeaked by my ear. “What are you gonna do?’

I wasn’t entirely sure. This plan was not a plan at all, just a driving urge to make something right for her amidst all the wrongs that she’d been dealt her entire life.

“You are going to convince Professor Proctor to reinstate Jemma, to let her complete her study, and earn her qualification.”

Chad’s ratty little face went slack. “You … I can’t do that!”