Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
The nap was solid, snuggling Divinity while I rested. I woke up craving caramels. I opened the door, and instead of a closet, it was Divinity’s old mistress’s bedroom. I’d wanted the door to go to Wonderland, but when had it ever given me what I wanted? Never, except for now.
I hummed as I went to the closet and searched until I found something dark red that would be more dramatic than my usual.
Clubs should be dramatic, right? I’d never gone to a club, but in the department store, I knew exactly where to direct customers who were looking for that kind of thing.
I ripped the long skirt off jaggedly, along with the sleeves, and then I pulled it on.
Eye makeup? Absolutely. I did a smoky eye I’d practiced a million times when I’d worked in the makeup department with Deborah.
It had been so much fun to work with her before she was fired for failing the weight check.
When the devil knocked on the door, I picked up the rabbit and hurried to open it. He wore a dark suit, tailored to highlight his broad shoulders and narrow hips. He took one look at me and frowned.
“No,” he growled.
I beamed back at him. “No kidding. I look amazing!”
His eyes glimmered as he took me in then he shook his head. “You, my dear, are temptation incarnate.”
“Naturally, since I’m advertising for The Rabbit Hole. Also, after dinner, I’m going to your club. I hear it’s phenomenal. Will you come with me?”
He blinked and hesitated, unsure what he was supposed to say. “The club in Wonderland isn’t the most respectable place,” he said delicately.
I patted his arm. “Oh. If you think it’ll be too wild for you, I’ll go on my own.”
He covered my hand with his. “Miss Charles, you’re still recovering.”
“I took a nap. And I’m going to make out with you.” I frowned. “We were supposed to drive to the restaurant before we went to the club, but it’s silly to go to two places instead of just here. Oh! We could make out in the magical garden. It’s pretty isolated, right?”
He stared at me. “Make out?” he finally said.
“Like kissing only also with a slow flow of energy and life-force. You’ll need to be focused on me so you don’t accidentally electrocute me again. Heart attacks aren’t on the agenda.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room and toward the stairs.
“How did you get here?” he asked as we went.
“I wanted to go to the dead mistress’s closet, and the door actually listened to me. Maybe it’s because your soul likes me so much.”
“Or because I fed you my life and magic. You may become more of a devil than you’d like.” There was something about the way he said that that made me pause.
I looked up at him and touched his cheek.
He frowned at me, focused by that contact with an intensity that made my stomach twist. Those eyes were so soft, melting like dark chocolate, only he tasted like melted caramels.
“It’s not that bad to be like you. I mean, you rescued my dad from the obnoxious goblins who kidnapped him.
Oh, I meant to tell you that I talked to them.
Someone hired them to ask for the Lady of the Wild Woods to be released.
They think she was supposed to target the rabbit, and therefore you, because apparently everyone thinks the rabbit is your weakness, and if it dies, you die.
They don’t know that she targeted me and ignored the rabbit entirely. ”
He slipped a hand over my lower back. “That is worrisome.”
“Tomorrow, I want to go shake down my great-uncle Draskri. Will you come there, too?”
“Shake him down for what?”
“I can’t think of anyone else who’d like it if I were dead. I don’t have a ton of enemies. I’m actually pretty likable.”
“I see. Yes, I can accompany you to shake down a fairy. Or I could invite him here.”
“He’d refuse.”
“Not many refuse an invitation from me.”
“He would. He’d also have his ogre bodyguards spit on you. His spit is too precious to waste on just anyone.”
“He never spat on you, did he?” His eyes were fierce, almost terrifying.
I smiled at him. “He wouldn’t ever spit on me.”
“Just murder you?”
“I don’t know. But it’s weird that he told the fairy boy about me.”
“The fairy boy?”
“Yeah. I’m meeting him at the club.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re meeting a fairy at my club after we make out?”
“No, after we get dinner. We’re making out first.”
He squinted at me. “So glad I know the schedule.”
“I know. I’m really organized. It’s the goblin in me. You know, counting the minutes down to—”
He pulled me through a door then we were out in the mystical woods, blue fluttering butterflies and golden fireflies bobbing around while the glowing pond was directly behind him. There was no sign of the door we’d come through.
I stared at him while he led me to the bench. Were we actually going to kiss slowly, or was he going to electrocute me again?
He sat on the bench and stared at me while I stood in front of him feeling stupid.
“Hi,” I said, giving him a bright smile.
“This will be unpleasant.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “For me or you?”
“Both.”
“I intend to have a marvelous time. You taste amazing, you know.”
His eyes flickered like orange-red sparks. “I’m going to focus on the energy while you perform all physical contact.”
Perform all physical contact? He made it sound so clinical. I leaned forward and stared into his eyes while our noses brushed. “That’s asking for trouble. I might climb into your lap and use tongue.”
Again with the sparks. “As I said, unpleasant for both of us.”
I rolled my eyes then closed them and leaned closer, resting my hands on his chest until I made first contact. His lips were unyielding beneath mine. No melting. I guess managing energy took a lot of concentration.
I sat on his knee, looped my arms around his shoulders, and traced his bottom lip with mine.
So soft, even when he was being hard. Like the rabbit.
So soft. So sweet. And caramel. His inner lip was lined with the most delicious forbidden nectar, and I might’ve accidentally used my teeth on him.
And tongue. My hands slid through his hair, tangling while I tasted him.
Did he say this was supposed to be unpleasant?
No idea why because… A sliver of his strength and energy flowed into me, but instead of a shock like electricity, it was maple syrup and waffles. So delicious. So incredibly perfect.
I sighed against his mouth until the energy cut off, leaving me more languid, less buzzing, like I’d just had an incredibly satisfying nap. Which I had, but he was better.
His hand came around the back of my head, cupping my skull then he tilted my head and sealed our breaths together.
And then his tongue was burning against mine.
Spicy caramel, cinnamon and sugar, almost too much, but at the same time, absolutely perfect.
All it needed was a swirl of chocolate for it to be the best thing I’d never made.
But I would. Tomorrow, first thing, I was making cinnamon caramels rolls so I could eat them and taste him.
Because that sounded healthy, but who cared when…
His teeth scraped my lip and then it was war. Vicious teeth, and tongues, and hands, and claws, until with a thud, I landed on top of him, off the back of the bench. I stared down at him, dizzy with pleasure and life and other delicious things while he stared up at me.
“You shouldn’t bite me,” I gasped, breathless, heart beating faster than that time he’d electrocuted me, but that wasn’t what this was from.
His eyes flickered with those dark orange-red sparks, and he smiled, showing the teeth he’d used on my bottom lip. “I shouldn’t? You started it.”
“Super unpleasant, like you said. Like, wow, such unpleasantness should be illegal. Seriously, though, you shouldn’t have kissed me after you stopped feeding me your energy.”
“And you shouldn’t have realized I was doing that. You’re too connected to me, to the rabbit, to my world.” His frown was troubled.
And now I wanted to kiss his frown. I had him pinned to the ground. I could take advantage of him. It would be incredibly stupid but…
I rolled off him and brushed off my very short dress. “How do I look? Can we go to dinner with me looking like this or do I need to do some makeup?”
He got to his feet and studied me, eyes on my mouth. “Your fairy skin is tougher than it seems. There’s no trace that you ever kissed a devil.”
“Good. Because I’m meeting a fairy boy in a club later.”
“That’s what you said. Are you going to make out with him, too?”
“None of your business.”
“It’s literally my club, ergo my business.”
He had me there. Also, I wanted him to help me scare the fairy into paying for the stuff he’d eaten today. I mean, I’d made vegan sweetbreads for him, and then he’d just bailed without paying.
“No. I want you to be my backup. He stole from me.”
He raised a brow while a slow, dangerous smile spread over his lips. “Excellent.”
I squinted at him. “Now you look like trouble.”
“I always look like trouble. It’s the forked tail. Do you know that I can stab a person with it then drag them around like a fish on a hook?”
I leaned away from him. “Like the blood sword chick. Sounds pretty unhygienic. Also, don’t do that to the fairy boy. I want his money, not his blood. If you gave the impression that we were dating so he didn’t hit on me again, that would be a bonus.”
His smile was glimmering danger and deadliness. “That can be arranged. Also evisceration. After he’s paid you, of course.”
“So bloodthirsty. Don’t you like to keep your club tidy?”
“No.”
“Never mind. I’ll take care of it myself.”
He smiled dangerously. “I was only joking. I would never eviscerate someone in my own club. That would be bad for business. I only care about business, you know.”
I nodded. “Good. Business is clean and simple.”
“Or filthy and complex, but you wouldn’t know about that.” He smiled at me, almost sweetly.
“I’m not sweet and simple. I’m impossible. Everyone says so.”