4. Lucien
LUCIEN
“I still can’t stop laughing at the face you made when the cat left with the girls,” Lars says. He wipes down the counter as we clean The Rot from last night’s Halloween bash.
“He was right,” I say.
Ryan, AKA DJ Vampers, puts his hands on his hips and pouts. “I wish I was there.”
Lars makes kissing noises. “You were too busy doing your job or getting fucked to notice. You kept disappearing last night.”
Ryan rolls his eyes. “Sue me. Coren has an amazing dick.”
Lars grabs his crotch. “Baby, I got a knot.” He blows Ryan a kiss, and the vampire pretends to catch it.
“One day you’re gonna finally fuck,” I say and straighten a few bottles of Fae alcohol on the shelf.
Ryan bats his lashes. “One day.” He sighs. “But not today. Wolfie wants monogamy, and I’m not at that point in my life.” He shrugs before spinning on a bar stool. “What’s the plan for the day?” He claps his hands and rubs them together.
Lars shakes his head and continues to wipe down the counter.
“My plan,” I say, “is to finally visit the bakery in Hex. I’ve been meaning to for years, anyway.”
Ryan and Lars laugh together as if on cue.
“Oh, sure,” Lars says. “It has nothing to do with trying to catch a glimpse of the cat, right?” He tosses his used rag into the sink and turns to face me.
“Of course I want to glimpse the cat. I spent half the night eavesdropping. He lives in Hex, and he goes to the bakery every morning with his friends. He’ll be surrounded. You’ll both come with me to show I’m not a threat. And...”
Lars holds up his hands.
Ryan just shakes his head. “What if we have plans? You didn’t even ask.”
I roll my eyes for the thousandth time this morning. “Do you want to come with me to watch me make a fool of myself in front of an entire bakery just to see a pretty kitty cat again?”
Lars can’t hold in his laugh. “When you put it that way, absolutely.” He looks over at Ryan.
He shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant, but his curiosity gets the best of him. “As long as we get a table someplace I won’t burn in the sun.”
“I won’t let you burn, my friend. We’ll enjoy a nice breakfast, then you can go on your merry way.” We won’t open again until Friday. Halloween was an exception. I couldn’t be closed for one of our biggest nights of the year.
“You buying?” Lars asks.
“My treat,” I say. “But I think the entertainment will be worth the trip.” What if Sparkle doesn’t show, though? I shake the thought from my head. There’s no reason for him to deviate from his usual routine.
“Can we take the truck?” Lars asks as I lift my hand, poised to snap.
Ryan rolls his eyes as he drags a hand down his body. “Vampire. Doesn’t do well in sunlight. Do you want me to die?”
“Ugh, I always get sick when he teleports us.” Lars glares at me and I shrug.
“Fastest way to get anywhere.”
“But I don’t get sick when other demons teleport me.” Lars crosses his arms.
I roll my eyes. “Sorry, I’ll be more gentle. Hold my hand.” It’s gentler to transport when touching, but I prefer the snap method. So much faster and much more impressive if you know anything about the mechanics of teleporting.
Lars huffs, but does what I asked. Ryan drops his hand on my shoulder and before Lars can say another word, the world folds. The smell of coffee and baked goods replaces the scent of cleaning supplies.
Lars immediately bends over and clutches his knees. “Ugh, didn’t help.”
I rub my hand down his back. “Sorry, Wolfie. Maybe you just can’t tolerate the magic of higher demons.”
He holds up a hand. “I’m fine. Just needed my head to stop spinning.”
Ryan races to a dark corner, and I stifle a laugh. “This is Hex, every building accommodates vampires.”
He peeks his head around and tiptoes out. “Never been to one of these sanctuary towns. Just never felt the need, you know?”
I do know. But right now I’m on a mission. We join the line and Ryan keeps eyeballing the windows as if I told him a lie. He finally relaxes when we get to the counter.
A pretty Fae with white hair pulled into a high ponytail to reveal an undercut greets us. “Welcome to Wick’s. What can I get started for you?” He grins wide.
Lars leans towards me to ask, “Are all Hex residents hot as fuck?” He spins slowly, taking in the room.
“Dunno, been a few decades since I’ve been here. This used to be a cobbler.” And what a fine cobbler he was.
The Fae grins. “Honestly, yeah. Should be called Hottie, Indiana, because everyone is good looking in their own way.” He leans over and crooks his finger to Lars.
“None of you would look out of place in Hex.” He winks, then throws his hand toward the menu on the wall behind him.
“There are tons to try. Let me know if you need a few minutes.”
I tap my bottom lip. “Anything you suggest?”
“All of it!” Someone coming through the door says. I don’t know how they heard me with the headphones on, but I suspect they are not as human as they appear.
A pink haired Fae snorts and pulls their friend close. “Beau won’t steer you wrong, but he loves everything here.”
I suck in a breath. Sparkle.
His eyes go wide when he sees me. “You!”
Everyone snaps their attention to me. “Me?” I press a hand to my chest and look around.
“Yes, you! You’re stalking me.”
The pretty white-haired Fae behind the counter stiffens and looks to me. His hand goes under the counter and there’s a tiny beep in a back room.
I hold up my hands. There’s a roar from the back room and before I know it, I’m on my back with a clawed hand wrapped around my throat. The griffin barely contains their shift.
“I believe there’s a misunderstanding,” I croak out.
Lars and Ryan can’t even stifle their laughs.
“Wait. Wait,” Lars starts between snorts. “He’s really not stalking you.”
Sparkle cocks out his hip and crosses his arms. “He claimed me as his last night. I rejected him and now he’s here. How else am I supposed to interpret this?” He flings his hand towards me.
“Uh, can someone get the griffin off me?” I ask.
“No. Why are you here?” The griffin pressing me to the floor says.
“To try out the pastries.”
“Bullshit!” Sparkle says.
“You were right last night. I shouldn’t have said you were mine without even trying to have a conversation. I saw something I wanted and my instincts took over. But you aren’t a thing to be possessed.”
Sparkle blinks a few times. He drops his arms and just stares at me. I can get away from the griffin with just a thought, but I don’t want Sparkle to think I’m a threat.
He taps the griffin on the shoulder. “Let him go, Talon.”
I suck in a good breath when the man releases me. Ryan and Lars help me to my feet, even though I don’t need the help. I brush the nonexistent dust from my jacket. That floor is immaculate. I can probably eat off it.
“What’s all the commotion about?” A lesser demon walks out from the back room. They throw a dishtowel over their shoulder and their eyes go wide. “Your highness! What can we do for you?”
“You’re royalty?” Sparkle whispers. His eyes dart from me to the demon behind the counter.
Ryan and Lars snicker again. It’s Lars that spills the beans, “Lucien’s a higher demon, but he’s sure as fuck not royalty.”
I wave my hand. “Please, I’m just here to enjoy some pastries and apologize to Sparkle.”
Sparkle seems to turn in on himself. “You’re just here to make fun of me.” He grabs one of his friends’s hands and the group follows him to a table in a back corner by a big window. The friend with the headphones pulls their sunglasses down and winks at me. Strange. Endearing, but strange.
“I didn’t mean to make a ruckus,” I say.
The demon shakes his head. “No need to apologize. I don’t know what happened last night, but I’ve never seen Sparkle act like that.”
The white-haired Fae shakes their head. “Never.”
“I’ll make it up to him. Which one of you is Wick?” I ask.
The demon raises his hand.
“Either of you ever been to Faerie Good Coffee in Evansville?”
Wick shakes his head. “I don’t venture out to the human realm all that much. My partner has to make me charms to hide my demon features.”
I turn to the Fae.
They shake their head. “Wren, and no. I stick to Hex. I don’t like glamouring away my wings.”
“Well, I’m excited to try your treats. I’ll take one of everything.”
They both blink back at me. “Everything?”
Wren looks around and nods. He rushes to the backroom and when he comes back, he has boxes and bags piled in his arms. “Might take a bit of time. Please have a seat, and we’ll let you know when everything’s ready.”
And wouldn’t you know it? The only table available is the one next to Sparkle and his friends.