Chapter One

Damien Gamble was sick and tired of it all. He meets her, they fall in love, and then she dies. It's the same every time. It seems stupid and overdone by almost all demons that fall in love with humans, but Damien couldn't resist. He met Roseanna during the California Gold Rush. She was the daughter of a rich innkeeper that took Damien under his wing. He was an amazing salesman, and an even better father. He spoiled his two kids rotten.

When Damien met Roseanna, she wouldn't even look him straight in the eye. Her long red hair had been twisted into a complicated braided bun by her sickly mother that the two lovers would know as "Missus Sickly". The first thing that his dear Roseanna said to Damien was. "I see that Father's tastes have been spoiled by this little floor-sweeper. This ain't right, Papa. He's a no good rascal." She had turned her nose up at the dark haired boy.

Damien Gamble had ebony hair that went to his shoulders, and amber eyes that 'pierced your soul" as many would say as the years went by. He was seventeen and a hideous demon. He didn't look hideous, of course, but he had no soul. It was taken from him. By that red haired beauty known as Roseanna Weston. Whenever Damien tried telling Roseanna of his and her true nature, she died. From a vengeful boyfriend, an evil king, a mage, an accident; it didn't matter… she always died. It sucked. It was Damien's life.

Now Damien sat at his new desk, at his new house near that old private school, the one he would have to go to meet his lover, again. He hated watching her die. His 'mother', Barb, was talking to the neighbors who, of course, were the Westons. He sighed. He might as well go talk to her.

"Damien, come meet Mister and Missus Weston, our new neighbors. They've got a girl your age. What's your name again, darlin'?" Mother's Southern drawl was slow and sweet as molasses.

"My name's Roseanna, Miss Gamble. It was a pleasure to meet you. And I'm sure your son is as polite and mannerly as you, but I'm afraid I have plans with friends." Damien's eyes widened. She always had stayed to meet him. "Wait, he's coming down the stairs. Damien, hurry up and come see our new neighbors!"

Damien rushed down and smiled at Roseanna. "Hi, my name's Damien." Roseanna smiled at him, but the disgust and snobbery was clear in her eyes. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Roseanna. Will you be attending Brennan's Academy? It's one of the most famous schools in California." Damien nodded, not knowing what to do. Should he just smile and nod, or should he take her upstairs and talk to her more? "Well, it's been nice meeting you all, but I've got to run, my friends are waiting." Roseanna smiled at Damien and his mother and walked out, almost rushing to get out of there. "Goodbye, Roseanna. It was nice to meet you folks, but I must excuse myself. I have some preparation for school and I would like to finish it before tomorrow." Damien almost ran upstairs.

He picked up his phone and dialed James's number. His good friend answered almost immediately. "Hey, Damien, what's up, man?"

"I-I may have a crush on someone, dude. She's like, super hot. But she so hates me."

"Dude, I feel you. Charli was like that… until I took the reins… if you get me." Damien could sense his best friend's smirk as he said the disgusting innuendo.

"James, that's sick. She's my sister." James and Damien's fifteen year old sister Charli had been going steady for three years now. It didn't matter to them that they were two years apart. Charli was a year younger than him and Roseanna. James was the only seventeen year old that Damien approved of… most of the time.

"Sorry, dude, it's just that she's got this great wail thing going, right?" "Dude, gross, I don't want to hear about that!" Damien gagged. "Right… sorry, man. So what's this girl's name, chico?"

"Roseanna Weston, she's my new neighbor. I guess I'm her new neighbor since she's the one who lived there all her life."

"Dude, why her? She's like, the evil queen. Her heart's made out of ice. It sucks. I tried asking her out in sixth grade."
"What happened?" Damien was actually curious to see what this 'evil queen' could do.

"I got beat up by that feisty ninja. She smacked me straight across my face and it hurt like hell for two weeks. No joke. That girl is crazy. But hot. I don't know. I don't care; I've got my dear, dear, dear Charli. I would just pick again, because that chick's nuts. See you around, man."

"Bye, James, have a great day!" Damien rolled his eyes as he said the sarcastic dismissal.

"You too, man, you too." James hung up. What was Damien supposed to do now? "Damien Faustus Gamble… my, you must work on your manners." The sulking boy could hear his mother scolding him through the door. "Sorry, Mom. I just have to prepare for Brennan's." That wasn't a lie. He still had to grab like, fifty binders and make sure his uniform fit. "I know, sweetheart, but did you have to be so impolite?" Damien rolled his eyes. "No… I guess I could have been nicer. Sorry." Barb chuckled and walked away. Shave and a haircut. Charli was knocking on the wall from her room. Two bits. That meant that she could come in and talk. That's how the two siblings communicated.

Charli was in one word, eccentric. She had long black hair like her brother's, but the ends were dyed green. "Hey, big brother, what's going on? I ran away from the neighbors; they've got that snobby rich person look." She sat down next to her brother, who looked about ready to take a chainsaw to Barb's head.

"I don't get it, Charli, why does she do that? I mean… she is so freaking annoying." Damien growled. He was in a really bad mood.

"I don't know… she seems to care about us. It's better than Mr. Wilson's house. Remember him?" Mr. Wilson was an evil man who took Charli and Damien in only to look liked he was good. He tormented the poor kids. "Yeah, he was evil. I can't wait to get the hell out of here, though. Miss Roseanna Weston hates me… again." Charli had been with Damien since 1872, when he decided he needed a partner. They became siblings. "Oh, that sucks. But you still will make her like you, right? She always ends up being in love with you. And then you tell her she's a soul-sucking demon, and she gets killed. It's always the same, big brother. There's nothing we can do about it. I hate to see you like this, but I don't know how to help."

Damien sighed, she was right. But Roseanna seemed different. She was refusing and had more character than before. "This time, she's different; she has character and she tried to refuse to see me. It's different, right? Or am I losing my mind?" Damien ran a pale hand through his hair. His Uncle Lucius had said that his situation had happened before, to one of his good friends, Daniel. He was a fallen angel who fell in love with a mortal, a girl named Lucinda. She had always died after she had kissed the poor angel. Damien was a wreck. He didn't know what to do. "Wait, she was different? That's great; maybe she won't die this time." Charli was ecstatic. "I don't know, sis, this could be bad, too. What if she never falls in love with me?" Damien sighed, he would have to call up Uncle Lucius.

"Damien, there's a phone call for you!" Barb called in her nasal yell. "Coming!" Damien called back, running down the stairs. "Who is it?" He inquired. "It's the new neighbor girl, Roseanna." Damien rolled his eyes and took the phone. "Hi, this is Damien."

"Hey Damien, I know who you really are." The one sentence made Damien drop the phone.