Page 66 of Devils Don’t Deal

And then I was rushing for the garbage bin. I thew up, although there wasn’t much left since my body must’ve burned through the magic bread.

I shivered then put my batch of set macarons into the oven. I sat at the counter, idly reading the recipe books while my brain tried to sort and absorb all the information. It took a long time for my thoughts to settle.

The key was the heart.

However the enchantress had gotten the devil’s heart, I needed to undo it. If I shattered the heart, that would likely kill him. But if I brought it to life, I could put it back in the devil’s chest. Sure. No problem.

I took a deep breath then there was a knock on my front door. I went out of the kitchen, peering to the front. Lo, the pretty daffodil fairy, was knocking on the front door and managing to look like a cocky idiot. What a surprise.

I walked over to the glass then stared at him through it.

He blinked then stepped through the glass like it wasn’t there. “Weren’t you going to open the door for me?” He raised a yellow brow while his emerald eyes danced with malicious intent.

“What do you want?”

He smiled slightly. “You aren’t being nearly as polite as you were to my uncle. He said that you have an iron collar. Can I see it?”

I bared my teeth at him. “I don’t know. You tell me. What do you want?”

“My uncle asked me to fetch you to dinner. Apparently, that’s part of your deal. No idea why my uncle would agree to such a thing, but he’s involved with that enchantress.” His lip curled with disgust.

“You don’t like her? But she’s so beautiful. Isn’t that all you people care about?”

He flashed his sharp teeth at me. “You’re joking. We care about power. Beauty tends to give one power, but it’s empty in itself. Are you coming like that? You look ridiculous.”

I followed his derisive glance down to my fluffy skirt and silk bodice. I gave him a hard smile. “Yes. Shall we?” I unlocked the door and held it open for him to pass through.

He did with a slight sniff of disgust. “It’s what Uncle wants.”

“I like his scar.”

He jerked like I’d electrocuted him. “Don’t mention it.”

“No? You think he’ll kill me? That would be a relief.”

“He wouldn’t kill you. You think he doesn’t know how to keep things alive that wish they could die?”

“I beg your pardon. As far as I know, he wiped out all my relatives. That sounds like he enjoys a nice clean death. I don’t really know anything about him.”

“Your family were monsters, every last one of them. Your mother was the worst. She embedded herself in your heart like a tick and sucked all the life and happiness out of you!”

I stared at him. “Did you actually know her?” No way he did, because that gossip was just ridiculous.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, cheek twitching while he got it together. “Yes. I thought I knew her very well.”

“Wait, seriously? But you’re so young!”

He gave me a contemptuous glance. “I’m over a hundred. Your mother was twice my age when she…” His nostrils flared then he looked straight ahead, walked to the cab, climbed inside, and said nothing else the rest of the ride. He didn’t look at me, either.

He’d actually known my mother? Impossible. Had she not been raised by my great-uncle after all?

We finally pulled up at a house in the nice downtown neighborhood, ancient trees hanging over the street giving it a forest feel. The houses were grand, marble or Victorian with elaborate gables and gingerbread. The house we pulled up to was quiet looking, pale brick, austere landscaping of evergreens pruned into interesting shapes. A tall wall curved around the house, enclosing the rest of the yard so only the front was revealed.

I went up the walk, stepping over a pinecone while the daffodil fairy walked behind me. He was still angry, remembering my mother. So weird.

The door was large, simple, elegant without being ostentatious. This door did not belong to the daffodil fairy.

“Knock,” he ordered.