Blind Speed Dating #34 (YA)

Title: The Good Demon

Genre: YA Paranormal

Word Count: 87,000

Query:

High school can be hell, even for a demon whose combination of good looks, taste in clothing and general malaise toward all things sweet is unparalleled.

Six years ago, Bartholomew was sentenced to the seventh circle of hell because of a failed coup. When Lucifer suspends his punishment to find the Shard of Gabriel, a powerful relic that gives one the knowledge to rule the world, he sees his chance for escape. Of course, the demon could fail and be busted to the torturous ninth circle of hell, but Bartholomew is focusing on the positive.

Bartholomew’s confidence is tested when he’s forced to partner with an angel. There’s nothing like a heavenly chaperone to drain the fun out of being a demon.

Chased by a mysterious monster, the search for the Shard leads the unlikely duo to go undercover at high school, where a rumor can be the difference between popularity and death.

First 250:

The nerve.

One minute you’re in hell, minding your own business, getting your ass pummeled by every demonic being that fancied a go, and the next you’re shown the door and back on the ethereal plain without even the common decency of being escorted out by security. At least they could have warned me about the transfer first.

I opened my eyes. I was in a dark alley, completely naked. I coughed, emitting a small black cloud from my lungs. Every inch of my body felt like it’d been put through a meat grinder then nibbled on by a thousand cockroaches. My stomach was sick and heavy, much like it would’ve been the day after eating Tex-Mex. Even my bones vibrated like a tuning fork. What was I doing back on Earth? Obviously someone had sent me here—you don’t suddenly get excused from a sentence in hell, even for a short frolic in the mortal world to stretch your legs. And especially not with a sentence like mine. I’d tried to take down the big man and failed. It took everything I had to keep them from adding an endless Highway to Heaven marathon to my punishment.

No, someone had struck a deal to get me out. But who? And for what?

Not even the chalk message on the brick wall provided a clue:

Bartholomew. Take the bag and clothes. Go home. More details to come.

That’s it. No name, no date, nothing. I didn’t even know the year.