Chapter 2 – The Universe Sends an Upgrade
1062 Words
By the time the smoke cleared, my bedroom looked like the aftermath of a supernatural crime scene.
Candles flickering dangerously. Glitter all over the carpet. My sticky note completely incinerated.
And right in the middle of my salt circle stood… him.
Six-foot-something of pure trouble.
Leather pants. No shirt. A smirk that felt like it could break hearts and laws in equal measure.
“You rang, darling?” he purred, voice deep enough to vibrate through my ribcage.
My brain completely short-circuited.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Correct on the ‘hell’ part,” he said, stepping forward. My salt circle did nothing. Like, not even a spark. “I’m Kael. Prince of Mischief. Also—” he gestured casually between us “—apparently your eternal soul partner.”
I laughed. Not because it was funny, but because my nervous system was in full panic mode.
“I’m sorry, your what now?”
“You performed a Bond Summoning,” he explained like he was talking to a very slow child. “I’m tied to your soul until death or… well, easier to just date me.”
“Date you? I wasn’t summoning you! I was manifesting my crush!”
Kael looked around my room, eyes landing on the candles, glitter, and doodle-covered sticky notes. His smirk deepened, which I was learning was both attractive and infuriating.
“Adorable. You wanted a boyfriend, the universe just decided to give you an upgrade.”
Upgrade?
Excuse me, sir. Luke Henderson might not have abs carved from sin and chaos, but at least he wasn’t a literal demon.
I scrambled backward, tripping over my laundry pile. My phone buzzed with a “low battery” warning. Yeah, same.
By morning, my room smelled faintly of smoke, burnt vanilla, and regret.
Kael, meanwhile, was sprawled across my bed like he was auditioning for the role of World’s Laziest Roommate.
“I need to get groceries,” I muttered, grabbing my tote bag.
He sat up instantly. “Where you go, I go. Soul bond, remember?”
And that’s how I ended up walking to the store with a demon who looked like he belonged in a heavy metal music video.
The automatic doors whooshed open, and Kael leapt backward like they’d tried to attack him.
“It’s a portal!”
“It’s a door,” I said. “It senses you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Suspicious.”
In the aisles, he inspected everything like it was an ancient relic.
Holding up a bottle of foaming hand soap: “Why does it bubble before water touches it? Is it enchanted?”
“No. Just… foaming hand soap. Please put it back before someone calls security.”
Pointing at a bag of marshmallows: “Are these clouds? Edible clouds?”
“That’s… not the worst description, actually.”
At one point, he picked up a box of instant noodles and frowned like it had personally insulted him.
“They’re stiff. Why would you eat these?”
“They soften in boiling water.”
He repeated it slowly, as though translating black magic. “Boiling… water.”
We passed a shelf of stuffed animals, and Kael froze. He picked up a floppy plush bunny, squishing it between his hands.
“This… is soft. I want it.”
“You want it?”
“Darling,” he said smoothly, “you’re not saying no.”
Guess who walked out of the store carrying the bunny like it was his firstborn child.
While we waited in line, a little girl with pigtails tugged my sleeve.
“Miss? Your boyfriend’s really handsome. You look cute together.”
I turned into a tomato. Kael, of course, beamed like she’d just knighted him.
“Thank you, little one,” he said warmly. “She’s even prettier up close.”
I nearly dropped my bread. The girl giggled and ran back to her mom. Kael leaned down, his voice all smooth and smug.
“See? Even the tiny mortals ship us.”
Halfway home, we passed a new boba shop.
“Ever had boba?” I asked.
“Is that a weapon?”
I dragged him inside anyway. Ten minutes later, he stared suspiciously at the sealed drink cup.
“Why is it imprisoned? Is this a containment spell?”
“Just poke the straw through.”
One sip later, his eyes went wide.
“This is… magical. Sweet. Cold. And these…”—he slurped up a tapioca pearl—“…these are… mushy? In my mouth?” He looked genuinely awed. “It’s heaven.”
We sat outside while he stole sips from mine and made dramatic blissed-out faces like he was in a dessert commercial. I laughed so hard I snorted, and he stared at me like that sound was his new favorite thing.
On the way home, Kael “protected” me from:
A pigeon (“It’s stalking you. Look at its beady eyes!”)
A crosswalk signal (“The glowing hand means danger, obviously.”)
The self-checkout machine in the store (“It scans your soul. You’re welcome for intervening.”)
By the time we got back to my apartment, I felt like I’d aged five years.
Sarah was sitting cross-legged on my bed, scrolling her phone. She froze when she saw Kael.
“Uh… why is there a shirtless man with horns in your room?”
Kael smirked. “Hi. I’m your roommate’s eternal soul partner.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped. “WHAT? Oh my god—teach me how to do that. I want one too.”
“Sarah!” I protested. “You don’t just order a demon boyfriend like Uber Eats!”
Kael grinned. “My brother’s single.”
Sarah’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas. “Where’s the spell?”
Five minutes later, Sarah was in the living room with candles, a salt circle, and a pink sticky note that read Mr. Demon Husband Please.
The smoke swirled, and out stepped another man—dark hair, lazy smirk, black shirt unbuttoned just enough to be illegal.
“Zayn,” Kael drawled.
“Brother,” Zayn replied smoothly before turning to Sarah. “Hello, gorgeous.”
Sarah screamed—not in fear, but pure joy.
“THANK YOU, ALAYNAAAAAAAAAA!”
- Writer
