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MAGGIE'S POV

I can't believe I let my friends drag me out to another stupid party.

From temporarily being held captive in Hell, to later finding out I'm not entirely human, I probably shouldn't be partying right now. My priorities are all fucked up. And the longer that I sit here watching everyone around me drink and laugh and have the time of their lives, the more miserable I become.

"It's illegal to look this bored when you're out at a party." Krista tries to pass me her drink, but I politely decline. "Mags, we've been here for an hour and you've yet to move off this couch. You're clearly having a bad time and I want to know why."

I sigh, too mentally exhausted to try and come up with another lie.

"You know me. Sometimes I'm in the mood for this kind of stuff and sometimes I'm not. Tonight, I'm not."

"Then why'd you agree to come out with us? You totally could have said no and then kicked me and Johnny out of your house." Krista chugs her drink in three big gulps. I laugh when she belches loudly a few seconds later, having caught the attention of a cute boy. She crumbles the empty cup and tosses it at his feet. "What? Never heard a girl burp before? You should know we fart, too." Krista gives him a hard look that makes him turn back around to his friends. "Anyway, back to my question... er, what was it that I asked you?"

"You asked why I agreed to come out with you guys tonight when I didn't feel like it," I say while laughing. "And my answer is because I thought it'd be good for me to get out of the house after locking myself inside for a week. But now..."

Now I'm starting to think I should have just stayed my cursed ass at home. This is starting to feel like a wasted trip as I suddenly remember that I'm not actually here to kick back and relax. I'm here to do a job. I've been here for an hour and have had tons of people brush past me, a few boys even coming over to hit on me, and not once has the bracelet around my wrist glowed to signify that they're pure.

My shit luck has placed me in a house full of nothing but wicked people.

"Anyway, at least one of us is having a good time tonight." I change the subject while pointing at Johnny. He's dancing and making out with a pretty girl. "Must be nice," I mutter, unable to recall when I'd last gotten that close to a guy.

"Don't worry, Mags. You'll find your Prince Charming one day," Krista says, giving me a comforting smile. "And after you do, you can finally turn that damn v-card in."

"If I'm being honest, I'm not even looking for a prince charming. I'd happily settle for a Mr. Right Now," I say while scanning the crowd. I doubt I'd find him in here, though. "How much do you want to bet that there's not at least one uncorrupted soul throughout this entire house?"

Krista gives me a puzzled look. "An uncorrupted what?"

I shake my head and change the subject again. "In case you haven't noticed, homegirl with the blue crop top over in the corner has been not-so-subtly looking your way for the last five minutes. You should go talk to her. Seriously. You're not required to keep me company. Get up and go have fun."

Krista chews on her bottom lip, thinking it over. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

"Yes. Now go! I insist."

Krista looks over to the girl that I mentioned, giving her a coy smile and a wave. "Holy fuck she's hot! And also completely out of my league."

I laugh. "When has that ever stopped you from making the first move?"

"Point made." Krista entrusts me with her purse before getting up to make acquaintances with her beautiful blond admirer.

One thing that I love about Krista Childs is that she has always been confident in herself. She also has no filter. She says what she wants, goes after who she wants, and she doesn't apologize for shit. Unlike me, Krista and Johnny aren't moody virgins. They actually go out and have casual sex whenever they feel like it. Part of me envies how freely they move, and how effortless they make dating look. I want—

"You look exactly like how I feel."

I pause my mobile game and look up from my phone to see who's speaking to me.

I gasp after making eye contact with Samuel Carpenter—the boy that I was only ever able to date in my dreams. It's been a couple of years since we graduated high school and I'm embarrassed to admit that I still have a massive crush on him. With his dark brown skin, hazel eyes, and dimpled smile... I might forever have a crush on this boy.

Samuel awkwardly shifts on his feet while eyeing the empty seat next to me. I smile and tell him that he can sit. I don't think we've ever been this close before and it makes me giddy, his cologne wrapping around me like a warm blanket. He smells as good as he looks, and it makes my entire body tingle. I can't tell if it's just nerves or something else.

"And how is that?" I ask regarding his statement.

"Like you don't want to be here." Samuel chuckles, causing his dimples to appear. "I'm more of the stay-at-home type vs the party type. My friends forced me to come after I told them I had the night off from work, said I needed to get out of the house and live a little. Whatever that means."

"Your friends sound exactly like my friends." I smile, meeting his dreamy eyes. "They refuse to let us homebodies rest in peace. I say it's time we make some new friends." He laughs in agreement, then extends a hand to me. "What...?"

"Just trying to make a new friend," he says, pretending not to know me. "I'm Samuel. What's your name, gorgeous?"

"Maggie." I blush and decide to play along. I shake his hand, and then my fairytale immediately goes up in flames. My bracelet begins to glow, meaning only one thing... "Oh, no. Not you." As soon as the realization sets in, so does the panic and anger. I quickly pull my hand back and excuse myself, needing to step outside for some fresh air. "This isn't fair! Why does it have to be him?!"

Stomping through the backyard, I head straight for the vacant gazebo. I take a seat and try my best to calm down, grateful that there aren't many people hanging around out here.

I want to scream. I want to punch something. I want to wish myself onto another planet... if only I had the power to do so. Instead, I rest my head on the table, feeling hopeless and scummy as I contemplate turning Samuel over to Hell.

"What is the boy's name?"

My head rises so quickly that I get whiplash. "No! You can't have him."

"We made a deal, Maggie." Laudon moves to take the seat opposite of me. His steely black eyes punch a hole in my chest, his mere presence setting my nerves ablaze. "You've been back for a week and have made zero progress in finding me a replacement soul. Need I remind you of what's at stake if you are to fail your task?"

I slam my hands down on the table and stand from my seat. "Threatening me isn't going to make me work any faster. How about—" I lose my train of thought after taking in the purple and black bruises on his pale neck. My body reacts before I can stop it, my hand reaching out to touch. "What happened to you? And how does the other guy look?"

"Dead." Laudon grabs my wrist before my fingers can make contact with his skin. "The healing spell is still working its way throughout my body. You should worry less about me and more about the life of the drunk brunette stumbling our way."

On cue, I hear Krista calling out for me.

"Mags! I need my cell phone from out of my purse! Juliette wants my number, but I forgot what it is, so I need to look it up," Krista yells, her unstable walk now turning into an unstable jog. "Looked like you and Sam were getting pretty close until you got weird and ran off. What happened?"

"His first name is Sam? And what of his last name? An address?" Laudon smirks. "I'd like to hear more about him."

"His last name and address is none of your damn business." I pull away from Laudon, scowling hard.

"What's none of my business?" Krista asks after reaching me. "Were you talking to me, or...?"

"What? No! I... Y-you mean you can't see him?" I point at Laudon who then looks at Krista and waves. "He's literally sitting right there!"

"Mags, there's no one out here but you. The seat you're pointing at is empty." Krista steps forward and places a hand on my forehead. "Hmm. No fever..." She glances over to the seat again, then abruptly bursts out laughing. "Oh my God. Sam didn't offer you a weed brownie or anything, did he? Because if you ate more than one, you're probably on a killer fucking trip right now."

"Right. Yeah. M-Must be those weed brownies. I need to go back inside... Feeling a little thirsty."

I grab Krista by the hand and pull her back to the house. I pause at the door, turning around to see that the gazebo is completely empty.

. . .