Chapter 3 #2
Walking around town today, I’ve already compiled a long mental list of general questions for Holly about all the nonhuman species I’ve encountered.
Now that I’ve met Amazra, my list includes some much more personal questions, none of which I’m going to ask a brand-new friend of less than twenty-four hours, even if it does feel as if I’ve known her forever.
Besides, it’s probably for the best that my attraction to Amazra is unreturned.
Even if our species are compatible and he were interested in me in an intimate way, I’m still sorting out exactly who this new version of me is, and I should be comfortable in my own skin before someone else touches it.
Reclaiming my self-confidence isn’t a snap-my-fingers-and-it’s-a-done-deal thing.
If only it were that easy. I have to climb out of the pit I’ve existed in before I can take steps in any direction.
The bell chimes the bakery door’s opening exactly as Amazra places the closed pink box on the counter in front of me. Three people enter, their voices replacing the silence and pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind.
“Hey, sorry that call took so long,” Holly says, as she joins me at the counter. “I see you’ve met our neighborhood baker.”
“I have.” Warmth rises in my cheeks while I blink up at Amazra, unable to prevent my eyelids from fluttering like a schoolgirl flirting with her crush.
He doesn’t return the smile I give him. Just silently stares while I fiddle with the flap of the box, my pulse hammering so hard I can barely swallow.
Maybe I’m attracted to him because he’s detached. Conditioning from my relationship with Bart. Except, my gut says Amazra’s aloofness isn’t because he’s an asshole. Or maybe that’s not my gut talking, it’s my heart hoping, pointless and inopportune as that might be.
The scone-dropping employee disappears into the kitchen while the woman accompanying him joins Amazra behind the bakery counter.
Tall like a runway model and just as stunning with flawless skin and flowing hair, her smile grows as her gaze flits from Amazra to me a few times before settling on my face.
“You must be the newcomer everyone’s buzzing about in the coffee shop.
I’m Dauphine. I work for Amazra in the shop part of the bakery.
” She gently squeezes my hand when I accept the one she offers over the countertop.
“And the guy who didn’t say hello is William.
He works in the kitchen, and I don’t think he was intentionally rude, just anxious about learning his way around the bakery and in town.
He’s new here, too. He’s been in Fate’s Falls just over a week. ”
“Oh?”
“Another human newcomer,” Holly adds. “Well, mostly human.”
“Mostly?” Focusing on the conversation intended for my benefit takes effort with Amazra staring at me.
“William is a somewhat-distant family member of mine,” Dauphine says.
“He’s not fully elven—human and elven physiologies are alike in most ways, but not all.
William wasn’t aware of his elven heritage or the existence of any sentient nonhumans before I brought him to live in Fate’s Falls after…
an incident. Amazra very kindly hired William so I can help him adjust to life here. ”
Elven. That explains her pointed ears, porcelain-fair skin and hair. She’s breathtakingly beautiful. Yet, Amazra’s eyes haven’t strayed from me for even a second. As if I’m the mesmerizing one, not the stunning blonde at his side.
Dauphine’s eyes sparkle like pale-blue crystals. “I’d guess William is around your age. He’s twenty-five.”
“Close. I’m twenty-seven.”
“Lovely! You have a long life ahead of you.” She glances at Amazra as she says it, subtly shrugging when he doesn’t acknowledge or join the conversation. “If you’re interested, Lilah, I can introduce you and William after hours sometime.”
I open my mouth to answer, closing it before a single syllable passes through my lips.
Because now Amazra’s attention shifts to his elven employee. His steady, serious expression doesn’t change, but his red eyes glow brighter.
Dauphine doesn’t seem bothered. Her friendly smile transforms into a mischievous smirk as she directly meets his glare.
Beside me, Holly covers a laugh with a small cough. “No rush, Lilah, but whenever you’re finished here, we can head over to the clinic and see if you’re compatible with Dr. Daemon.”
Amazra’s head turns sharply in our direction as he levels his attention at my host. Then his gaze meets mine again. Serious and narrowed beneath his thick brow, but minus the glare. “You desire compatibility with him?”
“Ideally, yes. I’d really like to continue working as a veterinary technician, and he’s more likely to hire me if our personalities jibe.”
“I do not know this word ‘jibe,’” Amazra says.
“He’ll hire you because he needs a good assistant, and because I’m going to tell him he has to,” Holly says with a laugh, ignoring Amazra. “And of course, Daemon will like you. It’s basically a question of whether you want to work with him. He can be a bit…well, forward.”
“Forward how?” Needing a reason to move so I’m not fidgeting, I shimmy my small card wallet out of the secret pocket in the back of my leggings’ waistband.
“Basically, he lacks a filter,” Holly says. “Just says whatever’s on his mind, appropriate or not.”
The seams of Amazra’s snug-fitting t-shirt are further put to the test when he crosses his arms over his chest. “He is a hell demon who cares only about his pleasure.”
“That’s not entirely accurate.” Pink blooms across Dauphine’s high cheekbones. “It’s true he’s very focused on pleasure, but not just his.”
This time, when I say, “Oh?” it’s with personal interest. If the veterinarian is a hell demon and Dauphine has been physically intimate with him, maybe there could be something between me and Amazra in the future. If he ever wants to do more than stare at me, that is.
“Daemon will want to fornicate with you.”
I nearly choke on my tongue at Amazra’s deadpan comment.
Dauphine and Holly, on the other hand, simply nod their agreement.
“Well, I’m not interested in”—I clear my throat—“that kind of relationship.” With the veterinarian, are the words I don’t say.
Holly pulls me in for the kind of side-hug that long-time friends share. “You will be one day, when you’re ready and it’s the right person, which will never be Daemon.”
This would be a good spot for a funny comeback if I could think about anything other than the demon staring at me from across the counter.
I already know I want Amazra to be my right person one day, unlikely as that reality might be.
“How much do I owe you for the scones? You put quite a few in the box.”
“Nothing. They are a gift.”
“Thank you. I know I’m going to enjoy them.”
His gaze follows the pink box as I slide it off the counter to hold it against my chest. Against my breasts. When his eyes rise and meet mine, they’re glowing again. A different kind of brightness this time. One that sends tingling warmth to all the right places.
“Return tomorrow. I will bake cinnamon scones in the morning and set some aside for you.”
“What’s a good time to come?”
“Anytime you wish to come, Lilah, I will be here.” His words are about my presence in his bakery, not an offer of sexual satisfaction.
My body responds anyway. Desperate for even a hint of relief, I squeeze my thighs together, clutching the bakery box tight to hide my hard nipples from view. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He doesn’t answer, just gives a single nod, but his eyes flicker like firelight. They’re still bright red and trained on me when I reach the door and turn back for one more look.