Okay, that’s it.  I am tired of this nonsense.  Everything I do to this woman turns out—well, right for her, but not for me.  I’m supposed to be screwing her life up, not making it better!  Somehow, that presentation I bombed made them all talk about how creative she was.  Making her trip over her own two feet just endeared her to her new boss—who apparently is her Mr. Right. 

What kind of demon can’t even destroy the life of the person she’s actively possessing, anyway? 

I’ve had enough.  This woman is going down the best way I know how.   That’s right, we’re going to shake the rafters tonight, and then when oh-so-perfect Mr. Right comes home, he’s going to realize what she’s done and hate her forever.

That’s right.  No more Mrs. Nice Demon.  Do you hear me, Blondie? 

“Hi, handsome.  Want to come back to my place?”  I wrap my arms around his neck, smile seductively, and exercise just a little bit of demon power, and he’s hooked.  Excellent. 

Once the act is done, we lie there, breathing hard.  It wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.  Honestly, either the guy is really bad in bed, or Mr. Right is pretty much wonderful.

She’s smug in the back of my head, laughing a little, like she knows she’s got me on this one.  She was right:  it was a bad idea.  Didn’t really satisfy either of us.  But the real satisfaction is—

“Lex?  Lexie, are you there?”  He’s coming through the door.  I can hear him.  My lips curve upward in a smile as I drape myself seductively over the man in bed with me.  He’s not going to be able to ignore this one.  No self-respecting man would—

Is that a cross in his hand? 

I hear the familiar words of banishment before I can get my head wrapped around what’s happening.  All the while, even while I make her body buck and thrash on the bed and beg him not to do it, I can feel her joy.

What happened?  Where did I go wrong?  And how on earth does Mr. Right know how to banish—

“Thank God.  I knew something wasn’t right, but when I saw you go home with that guy—“  She’s in his arms, and I’m hovering over the ceiling, listening, trying to get better tips for next time.  I’m not sure it’s working.  “I knew.  I knew that what you’d tried to tell me—“

“I thought you didn’t believe me,” she sobs.  “I thought I was going to be stuck with her forever, but you—you cast her out!” 

Banishment.  And he’s skilled enough to seal it, to make it so I can’t get back in.

I guess that means I know where I’m headed.  I’m not looking forward to it.  I take more time than I really should returning.  Because demons who fail?  Yeah, the punishment isn’t pretty.