Page 16 of Devils Don’t Deal

So handsome. Wait, what? I frowned down at Pavlova. “Did he? Oh, that’s right, when I was putting on the ointment. Don’t you think he looks a little better?” I looked up at him hopefully. Maybe Pavlova wouldn’t be a good name for a male rabbit. But Pavlov? That would be kind of hilarious. You look at him and your mouth starts watering, like looking at the devil made my mouth water.

He stared at me, not the rabbit, like he was gauging my health and magic levels. “Indeed. He looks better than you do. Be careful that you don’t pour too much of your life force into him. What guards and precautions do you have to protect your life and soul?”

I blinked at him. “You mean magical? Fairies and goblins don’t need that kind of thing.”

“But you do. Happiness and beauty spill out of you without reserve. Perhaps I can find a charm to help you contain it.”

I beamed at him while my heart fluttered. He thought happiness and beauty spilled out of me? That was a compliment, right? Except that he didn’t like it. But that didn’t make it less of a compliment. Unless it did. I hadn’t dated much, not when I had to keep the fairy-goblin a secret, and I never knew what to say to men, but carrying someone to bed seemed closer to the realm of dating than business.

I struggled not to blush and raised my chin instead. “That won’t be necessary. I like the deal we have. I’m going to do my best, and that means getting back to work. Is there a door that leads back to the shop?”

“Not without my magic to open it.” He went to the closet and opened the door, and there was one of the two sad little rooms upstairs, much less charming and magical than Pavlov’s last mistress’s bedroom. She hadn’t been the devil’s mistress, had she?

Now I was really blushing. None of my business. My business was my bakery, and I’d get right back there as soon as possible. I had no intention of having any kind of romance with the devil. That would be beyond stupid. No way could he actually be interested in a stumpy fairy who couldn’t control any magic other than baking.

The devil closed the door and turned, blocking my escape. I blinked up at him, almost close enough to brush against his chest.

He looked down at me, that brow furrow so terribly attractive. “You will have dinner with me before you return to the shop. It’s in the contract. Dress in something from the closet if you would be so kind. I’ll be back shortly to escort you down to the restaurant where we will eat publicly in front of my most gossipy patrons.”

He left out the other door, leaving me and the rabbit alone.

Chapter

Six

Iopened the closet, hoping to find that it led, once more, back to the upstairs of my shop, but instead it was an actual walk-in half the size of my entire apartment and filled with a large assortment of clothing, all in shades of blue, pink, and periwinkle. How wonderful; as in, it matched Wonderland’s color scheme. The elaborate white molding carved with roses, vines, and other things that would’ve looked perfect on teacups framed each dress section. The owner of this closet clearly had way too much shopping cash.

Should I protest the dinner and insist that I needed to get back to work? What good would protesting do when I’d signed his contract? I could wear my torn and grimy sensible navy skirt suit instead of one of the shimmery ballgowns. I frowned down at my outfit. This was the first time I’d officially be representing The Rabbit Hole, so I needed to look magical and delicious. Like something someone wanted to buy. I wrinkled my nose as I struggled with myself. I’d always hated being on display like one of the mannequins in House Beur, but this was my business, and I needed every possible advantage. I needed to look like a beautiful novelty that could produce goods people were excited to consume. I had to be very careful to only add a touch of the dangerous goblin to the effervescent fairy if I wanted to have the kind of business that could pay off my debt in five years.

Hesitating, I reached up and pulled off my tooth caps and ran my tongue over my sharp mouth-daggers.

Weird.

I faced the dresses, all long and ridiculously formal. This had all belonged to Pavlov’s dead mistress.

Creepy.

Still, I could cope with creepy if it helped my business. I could cope with anything.

I pulled down a dress with a blue bodice and a long skirt and only hesitated for a second before I tore off the bottom half of the skirt with my teeth, leaving it short enough to show off my legs. I was the advertisement for my bakery, so instead of trying to blend into the woodwork, like I usually did, I needed to stand out. I needed to scream magical Wonderland bakery. I needed to attract with as much sparkle as possible.

I ripped off some of the dress’s sequins and stuck them to my cheeks. A bit odd, more than a bit, but definitely eye-catching. I ripped the sleeves with my sharp teeth so they were tattered, chewed on the skirt a bit more to give it good texture then pulled the thing on. It shaped itself to my contours like it was magical. How convenient. I wouldn’t think about how much money the magical dress had cost and how I’d just chewed it up.

I picked up Pavlov and stared into his eyes. “What do you think, darling? Will we make a strong enough advertisement? We’ll do better in the future when we make our own wardrobe after the bakery’s up and running, but this dress will do for now. Yes, I agree.” I kissed his forehead and extended my wings, floating to the door like I was a real fairy, sparkles and magic dust trailing behind me in delicate swirls.

When the magical dust ran out, I dropped to the floor and walked like a normal person. Too bad my magical-fairy-dust look only lasted about as long as my shrinking ability.

I opened the door, and there was the devil in a sleek tuxedo, looking bored and sophisticated, but the languid dripped away the longer he stared at me.

His voice was a low growl as he narrowed his eyes. “Beg your pardon. I wasn’t aware that Miss Prudence kept such short confections in her closet.”

“I ripped it with my teeth.” I flashed my bared teeth at him, sharp, pointed goblin teeth that I’d kept capped my entire life. Would he recoil in horror?

He only nodded and held out his arm to me. “I did mention using yourself as a lure to draw in customers, but I’m having second thoughts about the wisdom of putting yourself on such blatant display.”

“You’ll protect me from all the savage monsters. That’s the point of these dinners, right? So that people see us together and know that you own me. Who would touch one of your belongings?”

His eyes flickered with anger, but he quickly banked it and only offered me a mocking smile. “Indeed, we will see who dares.” He raised my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.