I accidentally summoned.., p.1
I Accidentally Summoned a Demon, page 1
I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
Jaide Harley
Exquisitely Chaotic Publishing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, or events are entirely coincidental.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™
I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
Copyright © 2022 by Jaide Harley
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
www.jaideharley.com
Edited by Voss Editing
Proofread by On The Same Page Editing
Cover Design by Jaqueline Kropmanns
ISBN 979-8-9869360-0-0 (ebook)
ISBN 979-8-9869360-1-7 (paperback)
ISBN 979-8-9869360-2-4 (hardback)
For all my patrons who inspired and supported me to follow through on my publishing dream.
Soundtrack
You Are So Beautiful— Tommee Profitt, brooke
I Feel Like I'm Drowning— Two Feet
Even If It Hurts— Sam Tinnesz
Can't Help Falling In Love- Dark— Tommee Profitt, brooke
Wicked Game— Ursine Vulpine, Annaca
Man or a Monster— Sam Tinnesz, Zayde Wolf
Creep— Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, Haley Reinhart
Devil's Backbone— The Civil Wars
Work Song— Hozier
Carry You— Ruelle, Fleurie
Heaven— Julia Michaels
I Walk The Line- Halsey
Take Me to Church— Hozier
Angel By The Wings— Sia
Access the Spotify playlist here!
If you prefer to go in blind, carry on and don’t read below. If you are in need of content warnings, find them below and in more detail here: https://www.jaideharley.com/content-warning-for-iasad/
DISCLAIMER:
This book contains a school shooting that may be triggering. There is discussion of characters’ opinions and references to the Bible, religion, angels, demons, heaven, and hell. The content of the book is not a reflection of my personal beliefs, or intended to be taken seriously as an interpretation or statement of the Bible’s depiction of any of these themes; rather, this is a work of fiction with no ill intent meant toward any religious organization, implied or mentioned.
Contents
1. Unexpected Guest
2. An Accident
3. Kitten
4. Loopholes
5. Church
6. Boyfriend
7. Letting Loose
8. Confusing Feelings
9. No More Playing Nice
10. Dressed by a Demon
11. Never Been Kissed
12. First Date
13. Affinity for Dark Things
14. Demon House Party
15. True Form
16. Nerves
17. The Fear of Hell
18. Auditions
19. Flying
20. More
21. A Church Friend
22. Point of No Return
23. Redo
24. Whole
25. Close
26. Hers
27. Haunted
28. Death
29. Vows
30. Perfect
31. The Strongest Force in the World
32. Misfits
33. Villanelle
34. Not Crazy
35. Exception
36. Red Scarf
37. An Angel to Visit
38. Unforgivable
39. Vulnerable
40. Love Always Perseveres
41. Find a Way
42. The Praeteritus
43. Faith
44. Love Always Hopes
45. Grow Old
Epilogue: Personal Heaven
Thank you for reading!
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Unexpected Guest
Katherine clutched the script to her chest, covering it with her cream-colored cardigan as she rushed through the rain. Racing down the uneven sidewalk, she avoided puddles and sprays from cars driving through overflowing gutters. The sun hovered above the horizon, but stormy clouds gave the illusion of night.
By the time she got home, rain soaked her cardigan, wetting several script pages. She grimaced and set the papers on the kitchen table before removing the cardigan and hanging it on the back of a chair. She kicked out of her boots and peeled off her socks, dropping them with a slop.
Auburn hair stuck to her freckled skin as she pulled the strands out of her face. After grabbing the wet papers, she spread them on the wooden floor. A circle made the most sense; she could sit in the middle and read while the pages dried, never having to get up. Pages laid out, she went to her bedroom.
Water made everything stick. It complicated getting undressed, especially when wearing leggings. Clothes off, Katherine was tempted to leave them in a pile on the bathroom floor. She scrunched up her face, knowing she’d be mad at herself later if she left them.
She hung the wet clothes and got in the shower, shivering. Though the hot water took away the edge, echoes of the chill remained. Closing her eyes, she tried to rid herself of the annoyances from the day. Running home in the rain was the least bothersome thing that happened.
Acting was something she’d always wanted to do, but she was shy. She longed for the confidence to go on stage and had worked up the nerve to audition for something last semester. She only had a small part in the play, but it was enough to encourage her to try for something bigger. Auditions were the next day, and while others got together for practice, her awkwardness left her out of the group running lines and going for pizza. In fact, Ashley made a point to say Katherine wasn’t invited.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, her year-and-a-half crush on Jason Macker was going strong, and now Ashley had her eye on him. Katherine felt invisible most of the time, more so when Ashley entered the room.
There was also the minor fact Ashley was going for the same part as Katherine.
Katherine let the heat from the shower calm her nerves, desperate to do well tomorrow. She’d worked hard and wouldn’t give up because of a bad day. A portion of the play included songs, and while she loved to sing, doing so alone was intimidating. That meant the rest of her audition had to shine enough it didn’t matter.
Once showered, she applied vanilla and pear leave-in conditioner to tame her curls before putting on dry leggings, an oversized cable-knit sweater, and wool socks. The chill lingered, so she stayed bundled and decided to make a hot drink.
The old floor creaked as she passed the circle of papers to the kitchen. Aside from the bedrooms and bathrooms, the house had an open floor plan. She started the tea kettle and grabbed her favorite oversized mug with the Oscar Wilde quote, “With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?”
She opened the cupboard, fully aware she should have herbal tea to help her relax and sleep before auditions, but there was also hot chocolate. Sugar would probably keep her awake.
But, chocolate . . .
Self-control could wait a day. She snatched a pack of hot chocolate, made the drink, piled on tiny marshmallows, and sat in the middle of her script circle. Leaning forward, she skimmed the first page and sipped her cocoa. Halfway down the page, thunder cracked so loud the house shook.
Then the power went out.
It seemed perfectly quiet before, but as everything shut off in waves, the background hum she’d filtered out was gone. Now it was truly quiet. Almost unsettlingly so. Was the universe telling her to give up on this ridiculous idea of becoming a stage actress?
After a few moments of dwelling on the existential crisis, she maneuvered toward a kitchen drawer where she kept matches and flashlights, stubbing her toe on the way. Whimpering, she hopped on one foot, almost falling before sucking it up and lowering her foot.
She bit her lip and ignored the pain as she hobbled to the drawer, fumbling around until she found the flashlight. Turning it on, she found the matches and the bag she brought home from choir. The bag contained white, scentless candles used during a Harvest Festival celebration at church. No one else wanted them. If for nothing else, she could use them for crafts.
She lined the candles around the outside of the script circle, but that didn’t illuminate it enough, so she added ones along the inside as well. Once they were lit, she could read the script again. She sat in the circle, but her tummy rumbled.
“I just sat down,” she muttered. Frowning, she rubbed her stomach, glanced to the kitchen, and did a mental recap of the contents.
Today was Friday, payday, but she was busy and didn’t get groceries before the rain. Leaving when she was all warm and bundled sounded terrible. Saturdays were always hectic at the stores, but she’d have to brave one. She checked the date on her phone—the thirteenth. Tomorrow was the day she’d prepared for over the last several weeks.
“You’d think my stomach would be too full of nerves to be hungry.” Kat stepped over her circle and shuffled to the kitchen cupboards. Tea and baking ingredients—nothing easy to fix.
Except a microwavable brownie
If she got the part, she couldn’t tell anyone from church. The play was a dark comedy about a woman who discovers her husband cheating, so she summons a demon to kill him. She summons the wrong kind, and hilarity ensues. Kat was going after the part of the betrayed wife, Constance, who follows the demon around and tries to discover how to send it back to hell.
Kat skimmed lines that weren’t hers and enunciated her own aloud. As she read the scene where the demon is summoned, the room grew brighter. Outside, the full moon shone through a break in the clouds, into her living room window, right on her. She smiled and took a bite of brownie, taking it as a sign to keep practicing. The pages were almost dry but brittle. She read the Latin words used to summon Constance’s demon in her head before speaking them. Pronunciation was her focus. Ashley’s pronunciation was off, so Kat hoped getting it right would impress the director.
“Fasciculus hic—ow!”
Running her finger down the edge of the paper caused a paper cut. Blood pooled and dripped onto one of the candles while she examined the wound. Kat stuck her finger in her mouth and waited until the bleeding slowed before she tried again.
“Fasciculus hic nugarum vage et male translatus est, sed scire non debes.” She was supposed to yell it. She considered moving on, but it was important to get it right, so she said it again louder. Thunder crackled toward the end of the phrase, and she shuddered. She shook her head at allowing the sound to scare her. It’s only thunder. She repeated the phrase a third time. “Fasciculus hic nugarum vage et male translatus est, sed scire non debes!”
The thunder boomed. The reverberation wobbled her shelves, causing books and pictures to fall off. A gust sent papers flying, blowing out the candles. Moon now covered with clouds, she was left in darkness.
Kat shivered, glancing around. “That was weird.” She looked for the open window that sent everything flying. The chill she’d almost gotten rid of returned with a vengeance when she saw a figure by the window. Inside her house.
She clambered away and knocked into the blown-out candles, spilling wax on the floor. “Who are you?” She fumbled for the flashlight.
The figure moved from the window with abrupt, inhuman movements. The dark’s playing tricks on me. She looked around, but it wasn’t light enough to see much. Creaking from the left made her attention snap that way.
“Stay away!” She found the flashlight and shone it toward the person. They moved, leaving a trail of dark mist. “Who are you?” She backed away, searching for the stranger.
“I am that which you called for. The spirit you summoned with your blood.” He appeared in several places at once, leaving Kat jolting the flashlight. “Death-bringer, shadow of violence, blood fiend, slayer, and torturer of souls. The name you call me does not matter. The only question I have for you is . . . ” He paused in front of her, finally in the light.
He had pale skin, teeth that were a little too sharp, eyes red as blood, hair so black it blended into the shadows. His clothes were from another time—a doublet colored black and red. Kat froze as he leaned in close.
“Who is it you want killed?”
She stared, wide-eyed. He waited for an answer. Reaching behind her, Kat grabbed the first thing she found.
Then she hit him on the head with a polka-dot umbrella.
Chapter 2
An Accident
Kat slammed the umbrella on the intruder’s head, but all it did was shock him. He didn’t move, just narrowed his unnatural eyes at her.
“Get out!” She shoved him back and smacked him with the umbrella again. “Out! This is a seriously messed-up Friday the thirteenth prank! What’s wrong with you? Who is your mother?” Her frantic tone increased in pitch with every blow she landed. “You have five seconds to get out of my house before I call the police!”
The stranger moved back more out of confusion than anything. He regarded her with a raised eyebrow. Tiring of the hits, he snatched the umbrella. The candles relit, and Kat gasped. He was more terrifying in the light. She hesitated, then lunged for the umbrella. The intruder scowled, and the umbrella crumbled to ashes in his hands.
“What are you doing?” he asked, catching her hand when she swung to hit him.
“What are you doing? How did you break my umbrella? Get out of my house!”
She tried to hit him with her other hand, but he caught that as well, pinning both behind her back. The action pressed their bodies together.
“That’s enough.” He glared, stilling her. “I’m here because you summoned me, human. Now, tell me who you want killed so I can leave this pathetic realm.”
“Killed? I don’t want anyone killed. This prank has gone too far. Get out!”
He was about to growl, but her knee smashed between his legs, leaving him wheezing and cupping himself. Kat slapped him across the face, ran to her room, and locked the door. She dialed 911 and leaned against the door, listening for movement.
“Nine one one, what’s your emergency?”
“Someone broke into my house,” Kat answered with a quivering voice. “A man. A man broke into my house, and he won’t leave, and he’s talking about killing people.”
It was quiet on the other side of the door. The house was old and creaky; if he headed her way, she’d hear it. She gave the authorities her address and was about to answer another question, but the stranger appeared in front of her, eyes glowing red.
He snatched the phone and crushed it in his hand. Spinning her around, he pinned her wrists behind her back. “That wasn’t nice.” He pressed her into the door with his body. “What’s your problem, human? You’re the one who summoned me. You think I wanted to be torn away from my hounds for this shit? Stop playing games, and tell me who you want dead.”
Kat squirmed under his hold. “How—how did you get in here?”
“I’m a demon. A locked door doesn’t mean shit to me. What the fuck is your deal? I haven’t been summoned in decades, and this is the shit I get,” he muttered.
“Please, leave me alone.” Tears filled her eyes while she struggled to break free. “I don’t know who you are, but please don’t hurt me. Take whatever you want, but let me go.”
Balls still aching, he was ready for her next attack. When she braced on the door, he let her push back. Instead of slamming into him, he moved, and she flailed back towards the floor. She expected pain, but he caught her before she hit the ground, then pushed her against it, straddling her and constricting her hands above her head.
“I’m not here to hurt you.” His brows furrowed. “You called me. Not the other way around. Why are you crying?”
“Because you’re scaring me. Let me go!”
“So you can smack me with whatever other stupid human contraption you have and knee me in the balls? I don’t think so. Tell me who you want dead, and we’ll never have to see each other again.”
“I don’t want anyone dead. Are you crazy? Get off me!”
The demon huffed. “Why the fuck did you summon me if you don’t want anyone dead?”
“I didn’t summon anything.”
Each wiggle tightened his hold until she couldn’t move. Sirens bellowed and grew closer.
“You’re in for it now.” She lifted her chin. “I’m definitely pressing charges, you psychopath.”
“You called the authorities on me, and you think they’re going to do something?” he asked, amused. “They won’t be able to see me.”
“You’re a person.” Kat grunted as she tried to get leverage to push him off. “Of course they’ll be able to see you.”
“I’m not human.” He seethed. “I’m a demon you summoned. My only way back is to accomplish what I’ve been summoned for, so for the love of all that’s unholy, give me a fucking name.”
“You’re not a demon. You’re insane. I don’t want anyone dead. Let me go!”
A knock echoed from the front door, and Kat screamed to get the police inside. Moving off her, the demon covered his ears and cursed.
