THE DEVIL'S HANDMAIDEN DARK REALM SERIES BOOK 1

Chapter 17. RENEGADE

"Sometimes you have to reach down deep inside yourself where all the darkness seems to hide, flip the switch and watch it shudder."
~Allesandra

Allesandra's first assignment is not off to a great start. She is off joyriding and going to amusement parks with Tyler and is clearly having second thoughts about claiming his soul.

Meanwhile, Sebastian, who's supposed to be chaperoning her, is instead entertaining his eclectic taste in elegant dining, Broadway shows and fine wines.

And last but not least, there's poor Nicole who couldn't even make it out of the parking lot and ended up getting herself killed by a man wearing a designer bra in a dark alley.

At the moment, Satan is oblivious as to what they're up to and is going to be none too pleased with his trio if they fail him. But he will ultimately have nobody to blame but himself since his own singed hands were the ones that chose them in the first place.

In their absence, he is enjoying some peace and quiet and is relaxing in a nice warm bubble bath when he's suddenly startled by a loud crash above him. It all happens so quickly that he only gets a glimpse of Nicole as she's falling head first and then plunges into the tub with him. After the water settles from the tidal wave her fall created, she looks up from between his legs and is instantly greeted by a raging scowl as he wipes a thick mask of bubbles from his eyes.

"Oh, hello sir." Nicole nervously rattles off an apology in her usual low, raspy voice. "So sorry to interrupt you during your bath." She then quickly climbs out of the tub and slips and falls immediately.

He shakes his head in disbelief at how clumsy she is and then watches as she tries to make her way across the room to grab a towel and falls yet again.

His eyes burn red with fury and his patience wears thin as the lights start to flicker. His guilt-ridden face and tightly clenched jaws reveal his deepest regret for choosing such an incompetent woman to do such an important job.

He's just about to explode but he knows he really needs her to keep an eye on Allesandra for him so instead he grumbles to himself, makes a subtle motion with his hand and in an instant, his annoying intruder is gone.

This time he is a bit kinder to her though, and he makes sure she lands in some soft bushes back in Central Park. A stray dog notices her fall and begins to bark at her. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she quietly orders him to stop and tosses an old beer can near him to scare him away.

As she continues lying there, he comes closer and then starts sniffing her. He playfully wags his tail, crouches down, and then jumps on her and starts licking her face. When he begins to hike his leg, she screams out, "No!" But it's too late. He has already peed all over her.

She is so frustrated by her series of misfortunate events that she buries her face in her hands and begins to cry. She then starts kicking her feet like a child having a temper tantrum. Between the impromptu bubble bath with Satan to the warm welcome from the stray dog, Nicole just can't seem to catch a break or keep herself dry lately.

After a few minutes of sulking, she finally settles down and decides to get up. She is a little disoriented at first and stumbles around, trying to maintain her balance. So she decides to rest a bit on a nearby bench and then sets out to find Allesandra and Sebastian and, hopefully, some dry clothes.

Meanwhile, Allesandra's screams can almost be heard a mile away as she clenches Tyler's arm and buries her face in his chest. "Why did I let you talk me into riding this damn thing?" Tyler laughs and mocks her. "I warned you that it had some really big drops, so don't blame me! I didn't drag you on here!"