Chapter 8 #2
I hated those words. Sure. My safety was so important to him that he just had to throw me away.
“We’ll agree to disagree. From where I’m sitting, you’re just looking for an excuse to control me.
I am confused why you’d bother. If you’re really into feeding off violence I’m not the person.
” Although I did get violent with him earlier.
Let’s gloss over that part. I looked out my window, avoiding looking at him.
It was good to be back at the shop, but having Dorian there was not relaxing.
He wouldn’t let me cook my own dinner, no, he took the chicken out of my hands like I was incapable and then diced it in two seconds, making me feel incapable.
I backed off and got out my notebook, forcing myself to focus on my Halloween theme in spite of the gray monster of despair.
Even if I wanted to climb in bed, pull my covers over my head and cry my eyeballs out, I had things to do.
“What are you working on?” he asked, putting my blackened chicken linguine in front of me before he took a place next to me with his own plate.
“Nothing dangerous. That’s all you need to know. Also, it’s my kitchen. I don’t want you cooking for me anymore.”
He leaned over and the scent of cinnamon overwhelmed me. “But you could get food poisoning. I am compelled by my nature to protect you, which includes all kinds of dangers.”
I shook my head as I scowled at the food.
My stomach twisted, not hungry for that.
I wanted to bite him again. Did that mean I was hungry for him?
I stabbed my chicken linguine and took an enormous bite.
I couldn’t afford to be hungry for a demon.
The demon king. Even more dangerous was falling for the man who’d already ruined me.
I hated how delicious everything was. He’d always been so good with his hands. I was almost finished when someone knocked on the front door. I knew that rap pattern. Roberta was here?
I grabbed Dorian’s arm. “Quick! Put on your glamour. My general manager’s here. She can’t see you like this.”
He frowned at me. “Your general manager is here on a Sunday? That seems overzealous.”
“Maybe she forgot to leave the keys to something. She’s the most incredibly conscientious manager anyone could ever have. It’s a miracle she’s stayed as long as she has. Do I look normal?”
I stared at him while he frowned back at me, then he shrugged, melting into the less ominous terrifying demon, and into his suave, sophisticated Dorian face. Handsome. He was too handsome to be normal. Why did he have such an attractive glamour?
“Can’t you look less…” I started.
He raised a brow. “Less what?”
“Pretty. I don’t want her thinking that you’re available.”
He flashed a smile that made my heart flip in spite of myself. “No matter how conscientious she is, I only have eyes for you.”
I blinked at him. “It’s not you I’m jealous of, it’s her. If she abandoned me because you freaked her out, my shop would suffer. So try to look normal.”
I went to the front door, doing my deep breathing exercises so I could look calm and in-control when I opened the door. The bell jangled and she came in with a rush of expensive perfume.
“Sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but I wanted to talk about the new automated ordering system.”
I stared at my manager, dewy caramel skin, perfectly symmetrical features, large eyes with dark lashes that made her stunning without makeup. She wore her hair down today, sweeping over her shoulder in a fall of satin exactly the right length for flipping if you were trying to get bigger tips.
Dancers. She would have made an excellent addition to Dorian’s collection of beautiful women. But she was mine. He didn’t get to have her.
“Candy?” she said, frowning at me.
What was she saying? Oh, right! Automating the ordering system. “It sounds great, but you know that I like to look over everything to make sure it’s right.”
She raised a brow. She’d been pushing this for a long time.
“Your shop isn’t a tiny little sweet stop.
It’s a destination. And after your duchess launch, I already have people asking for tickets to the Halloween launch.
It’s going to sell out five minutes after you open.
You should focus on what you’re really good at, creating magic, and leave the soulless numbers to me. ”
“I guess.” That would be a great segue into expanding my Candy Kingdom into other cities, growing exponentially. Which I definitely never wanted to do, but since Dorian had already found me, or I’d found him, why shouldn’t I expand? I could pay him off that much faster.
She frowned and sniffed, really getting in my face while her nostrils flared and she almost looked unattractive. “I didn’t think that you liked cinnamon bears.”
I stared at her while her eyes darkened with something unapproving. “I’m working on the Halloween display with a new talent. You know, since the last collaboration worked so well. Dorian…”
I turned and gestured towards the back room.
Dorian stepped out, like he was waiting for his cue.
He shook his silky hair back, bedroom eyes sweeping over Roberta with a slightly pleased expression, but not an actual smile.
He walked like he owned the world, but couldn’t care less.
His muscularity, grace, and charisma made it impossible to look away even though his focus was on my general manager.
When he looked at me, my heart stopped, my body came to life, and every shred of my humanity was beating for him.
I would die for a touch. Kill for a taste. He was utterly irresistible.
Roberta gasped and moved in front of me, blocking Dorian from my line of sight as she gripped my arm.
Her eyes were larger than usual, panicked, and her fingers squeezed my arm painfully.
She gave me a bright smile, showing her gleaming teeth.
“Candy, that’s so great that you’re working with another talented artisan.
I have paperwork for him to fill out. Why don’t you go up to your office while I take care of him for you? ”
She was already smitten by him? He hadn’t even smiled at her. Why couldn’t he have a normal guy glamour? He was going to turn my most valuable employee into a complete zombie.
“I don’t have time for paperwork right now,” Dorian replied smoothly, his voice twice as compelling as his looks. I actually shuddered as that sound travelled down my spine.
“Candy, go to the office,” Roberta repeated, her eyes burning into me. A wave of terror washed over me. I needed to climb under my desk while the world shook apart. I never should have left my shop, letting in all the monsters.
“Release her, or die,” Dorian said, his smooth voice growing shards of rage. His voice poked holes in the fear, and I looked over to see his glamour melt off, leaving him winged, spiked, with black markings spreading down his face, followed by lines of fire.
Terrifying. That’s what he looked like. Still weirdly attractive, though.
Roberta’s hand tightened agonizingly. I gasped and saw her fingers lengthen, sharpen, until her black nails turn into claws that sank into my skin.
The pain shocked me into motion. I screamed and then bit her hand. She tasted like too-sweet soda with a sharp aftertaste of arnica. A roar shook my shop, and then I was flying through the air.
I narrowly missed the duchess statue, hitting the rack of candy jewelry instead.
Ow. It went down with me in a crash that left me feeling skewered by the metal bars.
I stayed like that for a second while the sight of demons battling in my candy shop paralyzed me with horror. They were going to wreck everything!
Roberta’s sensible suit was ripped, revealing muscular orange thighs with green markings all over the skin.
She was a demon. Huh. I guess I really did attract them like catnip.
She dove at Dorian, spinning so she slashed him with her barbed tail.
It wasn’t one nice, conservative barb, but like eight barbs of all different sizes, going all different directions.
Oh. She had more than one tail. That seemed unnecessary. All of them barbed.
She screamed this terrifying shriek like three octaves that had me covering my ears before she shoved her clawed hand deep into his chest. That had to hurt.
He smiled, grabbed her throat, and twisted off her head.
I guess that would hurt worse.
The body kept fighting while the head rolled towards me, glowing green eyes with a split pupil remarkably creepy as she kept looking around, keeping track of the fight while her body slashed, and Dorian’s chest bled.
“No. This isn’t going to work for the Halloween theme,” I said clearly as I struggled to sit up in the rattling tangle of candy jewelry.
“It’s too weird. No demons, not even the cute ones with the little horns.
Nope. It’s just not on brand with what I’m trying to do with Candy Kingdom.
I’m sure you understand. Roberta, you’re fired. ”
I scooped up the head by the hair and threw it towards Dorian. His burning eyes met mine and then his palm was on the head, hitting it like a volleyball, smashing it down, squishing it like…
I flinched and turned away, my whole body one tense knot of yuck. Was I going to throw up? Not in my candy shop. I scrambled to my feet and dashed to the kitchen. I made it to the garbage can, clinging to it while I heaved Dorian’s chicken linguine.
Thumps and crashes from the other room went on for a few more minutes. Demons apparently weren’t very easy to kill.
I shuddered and clung to the garbage can while my whole body ached. Roberta was a demon. Why? What was wrong with me? Why would I be cursed to meet more than one demon in my life? Probably because I gave birth to one. Although Dorian made it sound like they were a problem in his club too.
“Cherry?” Dorian murmured, brushing my back with his warm hand.
A rush of strength went through me, jerking me to my feet. I whirled around to stare at the demon. His chest was bleeding and a slash was cut through his left eye and down his cheek. His excellent cheekbone would be notched. His eyes searched mine, panic and intensity in his gaze.
“Did she hurt you?”
I cupped his face, staring at the mess she’d made of my second greatest heartbreak. “What kind of demon is she? Ink? Nasatch?” My voice shook, but not too much. His hair was still silky between the patches of sticky blood.
“Timor. She’s a fear demon.”
“A fear demon?” I carefully touched the skin around the gash. It was hot enough to burn my fingers, but I didn’t pull away. His eyes tracked me with glowing flickers that never blinked. “Why was she in my shop?”
His brows lowered and he cautiously touched my cheek like I’d touched him.
“She’s been feeding on your fear. You’ve been afraid to leave your shop since you met her.
No, you were probably afraid before she came, but then she would have increased your fear so she could feed on it.
I’m so sorry, Cherry. Candy. Sandra. I thought you’d be safe without me, away from my world.
Demons have always congregated around me, looking for someone to lead them.
I didn’t think you’d carry a trace of my energy without me.
I never would have let you go if I didn’t truly believe that it was better for you.
I was wrong. This is my fault. Years of fear, weakness, misery, all of that is my responsibility.
What will you have me suffer for my error? ”
He slowly sank to his knees until he was looking up at me. He had to crouch as well as lose half his legs to be lower than my head. “What punishment will you give me, my Queen?”
His eyes flickered with streaks of black while that slice in his left eye made my stomach turn.
I traced the cut on his cheek. “You’ve suffered enough.”
He glowered, shaking his head. “Never. I should be impaled on the top of your Candy Kingdom, left as a warning to other demons who would hurt you.”
I laughed, but it kind of sounded like a sob. “Pretty sure impaled demon would make me throw up again.” I straightened up. I’d thrown up, but he was a demon, and bleeding, and his skin was coming apart with magma underneath. “I have the perfect punishment.”
He nodded. “Make me suffer.”
Kissing him with vomit breath was definitely a greater punishment than anyone deserved. I brushed my nose over his and then closed my lips over his soft, bottom lip. He tasted like cinnamon bears and maple syrup. Also happiness.
He froze while I closed my eyes and inhaled his taste, trading his strength for my weakness. I sank against him, letting him hold up my head in his large hands until I sank my fingers into his hair and snapped my teeth against his softness.
I tasted his maple syrup blood, burning sweetness and then pulled away, blinking rapidly.
His lip now matched the rest of his face. What was wrong with me? My arm still hurt. And he was looking at me like we were in a bedroom, and he was going to wipe away every bad thing and replace it with happiness. Pleasure. Love.
I cleared my throat and took another step away from him, crossing my arms. “So…now you’ve been punished.”
I whirled around and marched back into my shop, because I had a mess to clean up. Demon gore could not be hygienic. I had a Kingdom to rule, even if it was only made out of candy. And demon gore.