Ting!
Maddox Rossini glanced at his phone on his desk.
You’ve received a message in the Love Bites Dating Agency app.
He harrumphed. Another one? Who was it this time? A vampiress? An elf? Hellfires, he hoped it wasn’t that dire banshee again; she’d nearly burst his eardrums with her screeching voice last night. Or worse, that mermaid with putrid green hair he’d dated last week who’d informed him he was her hundredth date, so apparently that meant he had to marry her. Lucky him. Not. He was beginning to wish he’d never signed up to the app in the first place. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t get any woman he wanted to leap into his bed with nothing more than a demonic smile from him, a so-called perk of being a demon, but, in truth, he’d been playing that game for so long it bored the hell out of him.
He wanted more.
There has to be more, right?
Maddox finished typing the email to his client. He didn’t usually do the mundane work, but his secretary was on holiday, and although the agency temp had tried, she was about as useful and practical as an ice sculpture in Hell.
He read the email again, which informed the vampire that their services had been successful. The vamp had foolishly lost control of his bloodlust in front of a human—fortunately, he hadn’t killed her—but it had been up to Rossini & Co to sort out the mess by ‘persuading’ the human woman she’d never even met the vampire, or that they existed at all.
Persuading, as in he utilised his supernatural abilities to influence her mind.
That was his demon family’s power.
Some liked to call it mind manipulation, but he preferred the term influencer—at least he did until those people on YouTube and Instagram started using it like they’d invented the word. His family had coined the word long before social media had even existed. Being a demonic influencer was an entirely different thing—although, come to think of it, some of the mindless bullshit those people rabbited on about on YouTube could drive a man insane enough to consider making a deal with Lucifer himself.
He glanced out of his office window, only now realising it was dark. London’s nightlife appeared to be in full swing, not that he could be bothered to participate tonight—work came first — the law firm. He used the term in the loosest possible way, since dealing with a range of supernaturals had a multitude of laws that were illegal in the human world, but business was booming, and highly profitable too.
Technically, he didn’t own the family business yet, but Father was retiring soon, and he hoped he would offer the CEO position to him because his only other options were to give it to one of his twin brothers, Malcolm, or Melvin. Or as he affectionately liked to refer to them, Tweedledumb, and Tweedledumber. Fortunately for him, neither showed any interest in the business, preferring to use their demonic influence to lure women to Hell. Angels were a favourite of theirs, particularly newbies before they’d earned their golden tips.
Ting!
Hellfires. His phone again.
He clicked send on the email to the vamp, then picked up his phone and opened the Love Bites Dating Agency app, intending to cancel his subscription.
There was no point in looking for love. Not when he’d found it once before and then lost it, having no idea what happened.
He had to face it; being a demon, while it had its advantages, made him incapable and unworthy of being loved.
Before looking for how to cancel his subscription, Maddox read his message. His jaw dropped.
No, it can’t be…
He read the message again.
No, he’d read it right. You have a message from Eden Hart.
His body reacted with a thrilling jolt.
Fiery heat surged through his veins.
She’d always had the ability to do that to him.
But it couldn’t be her. Eden was dead.
