Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Islept a lot over the next few days, but when the Grand Sorcerer came in with an older red-haired guy, both of them in doctor’s coats, I considered if I was well enough to leap out the window. Since I was on one of the top floors, probably not.
Anna grinned at me while she examined her clipboard, flipping papers then handing it to the man. “So, you’re here. At my mercy.”
“As if the Grand Sorcerer has such a thing as mercy.” I tried to smile sweetly and failed.
Was I cranky? Yes. I needed to be in the bakery a week ago.
Just because I’d been skewered by a blood sword didn’t mean…
I mean, it did mean that I needed to rest and recover, but it wasn’t fair.
All because some rabbit had taken a liking to my cake box.
She laughed like I was hilarious then the smile vanished and she leaned forward to frown at me. “Tell me about the creature that attacked you. Corporeal or incorporeal? Your file says a blood infection and corruption, but you seem fine other than the huge hole in your belly.”
I sighed heavily. It didn’t hurt as much as it had, and I felt better with my rabbit snuggled up beside me. “What will you give me for the information?”
She squinted at me. “Always with the bartering. You’d think you were a devil. I can heal you more quickly. It’ll hurt like the devil, but you’d rather get out of that bed than not have a little pinch of pain.”
The man grunted and shook his head. It would be more than a pinch of pain, but she was right about my priorities.
“She’s called the Lady of the Wild Woods.
She hangs out in parks or woods or whatever, making it darker than usual, and takes out transients and other weak creatures until she’s stronger.
The goblins arranged her release in exchange for my debts.
So that’s on me. The rabbit ate her, but not until after she got annoying. ”
She looked at the rabbit in all his pulsing ephemeral perfection. “Describe what annoying looks like.”
“Blood swords, but I broke the first one with a teapot, and that got blood everywhere when the sword exploded. So gross. The second one didn’t explode until it was inside my stomach.” I made a face. “Not hygienic.”
Her brows were high up on her scarred face as she stared at me. “And she was corporeal or incorporeal?”
“Both. She was made of shadows then got solid after I threw a pot of tea on her.”
“What kind of tea?”
“Peppermint. It’s my favorite. Boring, I know.”
She patted my head like I was a pet rabbit. “Knowing what you like is a gift. Also surviving that kind of encounter. A big gift. The rabbit ate it?” She squinted at Divinity.
“I’m not really sure. At that point everything had a hazy glow. I guess I summoned Philius, and he kept me from dying. I don’t know how.”
She nodded. “Thank you for explaining what you think happened.”
“You don’t think that’s what happened? What do you think happened?”
She shrugged. “It’s all peculiar, starting with you.”
I frowned. “Rude. I’m not that weird.”
“You’re impossible. Fairy-goblin shouldn’t work. And then your bond with the rabbit? It’s weird. Also weird is his amazing transformation. I can see the way your souls coalesce. Like soulmates. Are the two of you romantic?”
I blinked at her. “I don’t date rabbits.”
She rolled her eyes. “The devil. Are you and the devil romantic?”
I chewed on my bottom lip then leaned closer. “Can I ask you a question that you won’t tell the Grand Sorcerer?”
She hesitated, pursing her lips, then finally shrugged. “All right. The Grand Sorcerer is out for the evening. What have you got?”
“Would you ever split your soul in half and give it to a rabbit?”
She stared at me then at the rabbit. “That’s not half a soul. How could someone survive with only half a soul unless they were performing dark magic that no one wants to talk about? That rabbit doesn’t have dark magic. Does it? It is magic, it doesn’t have magic. If that makes sense. Does it?”
I sighed. “Nothing makes sense. Much less why the goblins would want to release a psycho killer.”
“More than a psycho killer. That creature could devour the entire city. Why would they want that kind of chaos? They’re probably against the goblin king or something.”
“Something. It’s still weird.”
“Well, you can go to the station and ask them all about it. I’m sure they’ll give you answers they won’t give anyone else.” She rubbed her hands together then pressed her palm to my forehead. “When you wake up, you’ll be all better. Other than the pain, but who minds a little ache?”
I stiffened as she shot a bolt of electricity through me, and then everything went dark.
I woke up to pain. Like, seriously, did anything not hurt? But when I sat up, I actually sat up, and there was no bandage over my pale stomach. I ran my hand over the new muscles and grinned at the white rabbit, who was giving me the most judgmental look.
“Now I can get back to work! I’ll bake you something delicious.” I picked him up and spun around, kissed his head, then went to the door, ignoring the pain.
My dad was there to scowl at me, but he had pajamas for me to put on so I wouldn’t be leaving in the hospital gown. He insisted on wheeling me out in a chair, which was fine, because leaving was the main thing.
In the drive was the devil’s curly snail shell car with Rawley at the back door waiting for me. It was like they knew I was leaving.
I got out of the chair, ignoring the pain, and gave her a quick hug before she could pull away. “Thanks for the ride. You’re the best!”
I ducked inside then pulled up when I saw the other person in the back of the car with me. I waited for my dad to join us, but he climbed into the front with glass between us so I could stare at the Devil of Wonderland. So handsome. Was he more handsome than the last time I’d seen him?
“You spoke to the Grand Sorcerer,” he said in a cool voice that was more delicious than ice cream on a hot day.
“Did I? Did she talk to you too?”
He flashed a smile sweeter than sin while his eyes danced with mischief. “She told me that when you woke up, you’d be ready to leave so I should have a car for you. Something with a smooth ride, not the spider-mech.”
I leaned closer to him, searching for signs of damage. If he’d actually confronted the Grand Sorcerer, he’d at least be singed, wouldn’t he? He only looked back at me, his eyes drifting to my mouth before returning to my eyes.
A flush of warmth had me pulling back. Better him singed than me. “She has my thanks. Seriously, I don’t know how you can handle riding that monster, and I have a goblin stomach.”
“Your goblin stomach helped you survive the blood poisoning. When we get to the shop, will you allow me to make you dinner?”
I stared at him while my heart did something weird and Divinity nosed my arm. “You’ll really cook?”
He gave me a devilish smile. “Of course. I’m very talented.”
“Because you traded it for immortality. Someone else’s, not yours.” Did I sound breathless? Was he really going to cook for me? Even if it was awful, it would be wonderful.
He raised a brow and murmured, “Because I like cooking.”
“You do? Why?” This felt like courtship, the kind of flirting that led to forever. It was the ultimate dream. He’d make dinner, I’d make dessert, and together we’d be perfectly devoured. That was probably the goblin talking. Definitely the goblin, but all of me was intrigued by the prospect.
He tilted his head as he considered. “I like the adventure of it. No two dishes ever turn out exactly the same, but there’s a wide variety of different kinds of excellence. And I like feeding people. It feels useful, like it’s making up for some of the damage I do.”
“So the sum-positive curse?”
He shrugged an elegant shoulder. “Perhaps. Or perhaps it’s boring to always be on the same side of every deal.”
I leaned against the buttery leather and closed my eyes. I couldn’t keep talking to him or I’d lean over and bite him. Also, I was still coming back from basically dead. “Thank you for saving me.”
He cleared his throat. “It was the rabbit, and it was entirely selfish.”
I smiled with my eyes still closed. Was I going to talk about the kiss? I shouldn’t. “Nope. Saving someone else’s life doesn’t get to be entirely selfish. Sorry. Also the kiss. It was absolutely delicious in spite of everything. Do you give lessons?”
He was silent for a long moment before he inhaled a deep drag that made my stomach tighten. “You’d like lessons?”
“Not me. If I ever decide to date someone, they should kiss that well.”
“Ah. In that case, no. I do not give lessons.”
I snickered and took a quick look at him. He was leaning back, face relaxed with an almost smile as he studied me. Predatory eyes. Knowing, dangerous, vicious, but so sweet and beautiful.
I grabbed his hand on impulse and held it while his soul curled at my side. “Yes. You can make me dinner, but it has to be delicious.”
His eyes literally glowed. “Of course.”
An hour later, I sat in the overstuffed, moss-green chair that was now in my bakery, my feet on a purple footstool with a fluffy blanket wrapped around me while he cooked.
When he was finished, he wheeled a beautiful tea cart over then placed a plate on my lap filled with an assortment of delicacies that were all absolutely out of this world.
I took a bite of the prettiest mushroom noodles I’d ever tasted. And there were flowers in the salad.
It was so pretty, and so delicious. But most of all, it felt like his love. Not that a devil without a heart and only half a soul could love, but if he could, it would taste just like that.
“You should sleep then start fresh in the morning,” he said, words careful like he expected me to refuse.
Instead, I nodded slowly. “Okay. Will you carry me up the stairs to bed?”
Bad idea. Stop it, goblin. You don’t get to bite him. You nibbled his salad, you don’t get him.