"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel!" My teacher chastised as I knocked over a bottle of screaming contents. Hissing Latin curses under his breath he tipped the bottle right side up quickly and it disappeared in a golden wash of ever after.

"I've never used a flesh replacing curse in my whole life, Al.." It was still my fault, no questions there, but I was getting damned frustrated. I'd been at it for several hours now, to no avail.

The Cookie-Maker had better be grateful, too. I thought to myself.

Trenton Kalamack, my long time rival, drug pedaling political cover boy and Elf-in–semi-hiding was missing a few fingers. All thanks to my demon, I might add, and I was I trying I to twist a curse to give them back to him.

"If you had just fucked your Elf and gotten your curiosities sated and over with," He was towering over me now, red goat-slitted eyes ablaze and nostrils flaring. "he would still have his precious digits. But nooo," He rolled his eyes and threw his hands into the air. "You've got to play with your nasty little men before you bed them! I do wish you'd just play with me, Rachel Mariana Morgan…" He grasped my hips and yanked them against his own. "I am, after all, a much better choice…"

I shoved him. "Get the hell off of me! Gods… Can't you teach me anything without trying to get into my pants?" He grinned at me and rounded his new library table I'd asked him to get, straitening his already crisp crushed velvet coat. I liked the library best of all his rooms I'd seen and he put up no fuss the night I asked about moving our weekly lessons there entirely. It was warmest in here, cozy almost. It had cost me an extra lesson that week, but it was a small price to pay.

Al continued with the lesson and it went on for about two hours more before I finally got it right. "Splendid!" He gushed, clapping his hands together once in a familiar show of praise.

I smiled back at him thinking that our relationship had evolved so much since that night with Nick in the Universities underground library. There had been a time when those eyes of his shocked me to my core and the rank stench of burnt amber had spelled danger, possibly death. Now he was just Al. Still a demonic force to be reckoned with and a man with a damned hot temper, sure… but for the most part I was okay with him and think that in his own way, he was okay with me too.

"Tell him to take it before bed and to make sure he doesn't have any place to be the next day."

I paled at his devilishly pleased expression. "Why no place to be the next day?" I asked, worried that what I'd just created might really hurt Trent too.

"Because growing new fingers can get… messy." My eyes widened at that and he raised a brow at me. I envied that he could do it. No matter how much time I spent in front of a mirror, I could never achieve that particular brand of badassery. "Why do you care so much?"

"Why would I have begged for you to teach me how to make this," I snatched the little green vile from his grasp and shook it. "If I didn't care even a little bit?" He pursed his lips at me and I shrugged. "I want to be able to warn him of any… side effects. He might not be to happy about downing a curse in the first place and that's if he accepts it at all…"

"He doesn't know that you made this for him?" He was smug, as if he'd just uncovered a little secret.

"Well, no…" I stammered and he grinned wide enough to show me his big blocky teeth.

Suddenly a wash of ever after cascaded over him and I baulked when it cleared away to reveal a gorgeous Elven man. "Miss Morgan." Al said in Trent's voice and I backed up a step." How thoughtful of you to do such a thing." He had him pegged from Trenton's silky baby-soft hair to his confident rich boy stance. "How can I ever repay you…"

He lunged for me, red demon eyes glittering where Trent's should have been. "Al! Knock it off!" I roared, catching an intoxicating whiff of cinnamon and wine. He didn't stop though, in fact he kept up with the charade, chasing me down and pinning me to one of his great fire-side chairs.

And to think I was just deciding that he was an alright guy…

"Get the hell off me!" I screamed up into his perfect face.

"Aw, What's wrong Miss Morgan?" He wedged a knee between my knees and shimmied in between my legs where he rolled his body slow and suggestively, grinding his crotch against mine… and sweet mother of Tink did it look good on Trent.. "Don't you like me?" I felt my face grow hot and he threw his head back to laugh at me before disappearing from the chair and back to the table, leaving me out of breath and pissed as hell.

"Not funny, you randy bastard!" I shouted, leaping from the chair and starting towards the table to collect my things.

"Oh hush." He laughed. "You're infatuated with him, Rachel. So much so that you enjoyed my little game as much as I did."

"Would you just shut up and jump me back home?" I growled, shoving that last of my books and utensils into my bag and slipping Trenton's vial into my stupid girl-pants-sized front pocket. I tell yuh, the pockets on a pair of ladies jeans are fucking useless unless you only carry chapstick around… or demon curses… hell…

Without a word Al reached for me and was jumping me back home. Didn't even say goodbye, just left me out in the garden. But it wasn't like I wanted to say goodbye…

See if I ever bring him marshmellows again I thought.

There wasn't any sign of Ivy or Jenks and his kids in the house when I got in and it was only 8:30 pm. I went to put my things away and wondered if should deliver the little vial to Trent now or tomorrow…

I sighed as I plucked the curse from my pocket and set it on my dresser. What to do, What to do…