Chapter Seven

Olivia woke up late at night, feeling restless and anxious. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she had made a terrible mistake by summoning Azazel, and now she was stuck in a deal with a demon prince. She sat up in bed, trying to calm her racing thoughts, but it was no use. She needed to do something, anything, to find a way out of this.

She quietly slipped out of bed and made her way to the living room, where Grace was sleeping soundly on the sofa. Olivia didn't want to wake her friend, so she sat down at the kitchen table and started searching for information about Azazel on her laptop. She found a wealth of information about the demon prince, his powers, and the deals he had made with humans throughout history.

As Olivia scrolled through the articles, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She realized that breaking the deal with Azazel would be nearly impossible, and that she was stuck with him until he fulfilled her desires and claimed her as the mother of his child. She couldn't bear the thought of carrying a demon prince's child, but she didn't see any way out of it.

Olivia sat at her desk, feeling guilty for keeping her friend Grace in the dark. She knew that she had to tell her everything that had happened, but she was afraid of how Grace would react. She had been keeping the truth from her since yesterday, and it was starting to weigh heavily on her conscience.

As she sat there, lost in thought, Olivia heard a soft groan from the living room. She turned around to see Grace stirring on the sofa, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Olivia quickly closed her laptop and walked over to her friend.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Grace yawned again and sat up, stretching her arms. "Yeah, I'm fine. What time is it?"

"It's late," Olivia replied evasively. She didn't want to worry Grace with her own problems.

Grace looked at her curiously. "Is everything okay? You look worried."

Olivia's mind was racing with thoughts, trying to figure out how to explain everything to Grace. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she also knew that she couldn't keep her friend in the dark any longer. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Grace, I have to tell you something," Olivia started. "Something that I've been keeping from you for a while now. And I'm afraid it's not going to be easy to believe."

Grace looked up at her friend, noticing the worry etched on her face. "What is it, Liv?" she asked, her voice soft and concerned.

Olivia took another deep breath and plunged ahead. "I... I summoned a demon, Grace. His name is Azazel, and he appeared in my room a few days ago."

Grace's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "A demon? Are you serious, Liv? That's... that's impossible."

Olivia’s heart sank. “You’re probably thinking that I’m crazy…”

“It’s not that I’m thinking that way. It’s just… I understand that your grandmother is into shit like this and you probably enjoyed stuff like this too but is this shit even real? Like, does it really exist?”

“It does… I know it does because I just experienced it.”

“You mean you summoned a demon?”

“Yes!” Olivia said loudly out of frustration. “There are books in my grandma’s house… And for some reason I got drawn to one of them. It was so weird, but i just can’t help it. I couldn’t stop myself from reading it, especially the incantations, and I ended up reading what I should not be reading… I ended up reading the incantation that summoned Azazel.”

Grace was struggling to process the information that Olivia had just shared with her. It all sounded so unbelievable and far-fetched, but she knew Olivia too well to think that she was making it up. There was a sincerity and conviction in her friend's voice that she couldn't ignore.

As Grace sat there in stunned silence, Olivia continued to explain how she had summoned Azazel and made a deal with him. She recounted the terror she had felt when he had appeared in her room, and the overwhelming sense of regret and fear that had consumed her ever since.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Grace couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion for her friend. She could see the guilt and shame written all over Olivia's face, and it pained her to see her best friend in such distress. She knew that Olivia needed her support now more than ever.

Once Olivia was done telling her story, tears started falling from her eyes. “Grace… Do you think I’m crazy?”

“Of course not! And I do believe you… As outrageous as your story is, I know you too well, Liv. I know if you’re lying or not.”

“Grace… I don’t know what I’ll do if you aren’t here…”

As Olivia spoke, her voice quivered with fear and uncertainty. She lifted up her shirt to reveal the black, twisting mark that Azazel had left on her body. Grace gasped, her eyes widening in shock and horror as she took in the sight.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the only sound in the room the soft rustling of fabric as Olivia let her shirt fall back down. Then, Grace spoke up, her voice low and serious.

"Olivia, I believe you. I don't know how or why, but I do. And we'll figure out a way to get you out of this. But you can't go through this alone."

Olivia nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized just how lucky she was to have a friend like Grace. For so long, she had felt isolated and alone, but now she knew that she had someone by her side who would always be there for her.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

Olivia then took a deep breath and continued. "He's given me until tomorrow to provide an answer. If I don't agree to the terms of our deal, I don't know what he'll do to me. I'm scared, Grace. I don't know what to do."

Grace squeezed Olivia's hand reassuringly. "We'll figure something out. We'll do it together."

As Grace held Olivia tightly, Olivia felt a sense of relief wash over her. She was grateful to have such a supportive friend by her side. But as she pulled away from the embrace, the weight of the situation returned to her mind. She only had one day left to come up with a response to Azazel, and she had no idea what to do. She couldn't bear the thought of being bound to him and having to carry his child. She needed to find a way out of this deal, and fast. Olivia spent the rest of the night researching and trying to come up with a plan. She was determined to find a way to break the deal with Azazel, no matter what it took.