Chapter 18 Profits, Margins, and Custards #2
“He had a few suggestions, which I don’t disagree with, so we’ll be doing some polishing before we bring it to the full council.
And he was very concerned about the missing coin, but he’s got Mozke investigating so we can have more evidence against Tarzul…
and maybe his nephew who works for the guard?
The assistant? Mozke is not happy I gave them more work, and Elliran didn’t come in today, so I couldn’t ask her for assistance, but I think Mozke will forgive me since they got a bonus out of it. ”
“Still selling the greenhouse as your first order of business?”
“I met with Kiz yesterday to confirm,” she said proudly. But when her eyes shifted to Laz, the smile fell off. “Laz?”
Fuck, his sads were projecting, but he didn’t have to fake his smile for her. “I’m so proud of you, beautiful.”
That didn’t seem to reassure her. “Is everything okay?” Her gaze turned to Dav, brow pinching.
“His brother visited with Ember earlier,” Dav explained, oblivious to all of Lazerath’s confusing thoughts.
“Oh. Did things… not go well?”
“It was fine. He’s got a crush on Ember,” Laz said distractedly. He needed to think of other things. Happy things. Rosalind’s successful proposal, fresh baked bread, Dav’s going out braid—fuck.
Rosalind was on to him, stepping closer with her concerned frown. “That bothers you?”
“No,” Laz blurted, and then he made the mistake of looking over her shoulder. To the gray demon whose look of confusion had morphed into one of dread as his eyes focused downward.
Laz looked at his hand, at the claws that were flexing against the ledger, and decided.
“Where did the money come from, Dav?”
He could have heard a tail swish in the silence that fell, though neither demon moved.
Maybe it was wrong to bring it up now, to risk their friendship in front of the woman they were courting.
The one Laz loved and wanted to soulbond alongside his best friend.
But this was a secret, and Laz hated secrets, and despite being surrounded by cakes, he wasn’t sure something sweet could fix the growing chasm in his stomach.
Davarox swallowed, and it was terrifying that in this moment, his friend couldn’t look at him. “I can explain.”
“Because you’ve been caught?” Laz asked, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.
Dav flinched. “It’s not…”
“Not what?” Laz tried to flex his hands, tried to give them something to do when all he wanted was to curl up in a ball. Make himself as small as possible, like that might protect his heart.
“Please, Dav,” Laz whispered when his friend failed to speak. “If we didn’t have the money, we could have figured something out together. You didn’t have to lie to me.”
Davarox shifted on his feet. “It’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple!” That time, when Rose flinched, Laz managed to retract his claws.
He stepped back from the counter, not because he worried he would hurt them, but because he needed the distance.
Needed the space to breathe when the bakery felt so small.
“That’s no small change you’ve been putting into our books.
You spend all your time here and then act all secretive about tips I know I’m not missing. Where is it really coming from?”
Davarox raised his hands, a placating gesture that just made Laz more stressed. “This was your dream. You love every part of this—the recipes, the baking, the social interaction and joy of demons sharing food you made. I never wanted that stress to fall on you.”
“But it fell on you,” Laz said, shaking his head. “You took on all of it without me. And then, what? I mean, are you… in trouble? Is this some money you have to pay back? Oh my gods, are you part of some illegal baking cult?”
“Fuck, Laz, I work at Temptation!”
Of all the things Davarox could say to shut Lazerath up, that was it.
“Worked,” Dav corrected, voice lower. “Up until we met Rose, and then I picked different… activities where I wasn’t an active participant.”
Dav… worked at a sex club. Those nights Laz thought his friend was going home to clean or sleep or read alone, he was going to a sex club to earn money. All so he could turn around the next morning and hide it in Lovable Loaf’s ledger so the business wouldn’t fail.
So Laz’s dream wouldn’t fail.
“Say something,” Dav whispered, chest rising and falling quickly. His tail flicked in agitation, panic shimmering in his eyes.
Lazerath couldn’t find the words. His friend, best friend, had been lying all these years for him. Spending his nights with other demons—
With other demons.
Lazerath wasn’t unfamiliar with what happened the nights Dav had gone out with him and left with another. But suddenly, the idea of another demon touching Dav…
It felt wrong.
Were those demons respectful? Did they know who they were with behind the illusion required to get into the establishment? Did they go there specifically for him? Because he was gray?
But then another sickening thought crossed his mind.
“You didn’t… You weren’t forced? Or because there weren’t other options?”
“No, gods no, Laz.” Davarox started to reach forward, like he wanted to come closer, then held himself back.
“I… There are things I enjoy, that helped me feel more like myself. Things I couldn’t get in the rare chance someone wanted to take me home, and it’s safe.
But I swear, I never touched another demon the moment we met Rosalind. ”
Fuck, Rosalind.
She shifted, and when Laz turned with the intention of explaining everything, he read her body language.
“You know?”
It wasn’t an accusation. Something about Rose knowing didn’t spark jealousy or resentment. It was almost… reassuring. Because if she knew, Dav wasn’t alone, and if it had been something dangerous or harmful, Rose would have put a stop to it.
She gave a small nod, flicking her nervous gaze back to Dav. “A few days ago. It was an accident, but I followed him when I was out.”
“I’m sorry, Laz,” Dav said, this time stepping closer with devastation weighing his features. “Please, I made the choice on my own, but I never did it to hurt you. I just wanted… part of it was for me, but I wanted you to have your dream.”
Lazerath stumbled to the side and sank onto a stool, hands scrubbing through his hair and catching on his horns.
“Lazerath.” Dav’s voice caught, and then he was there, kneeling and squeezing his palms on Laz’s knees. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Laz swallowed past the burning in his throat. “No one—no one hurt you, right?”
Davarox choked out a rough sound. “No. Everything was consensual. Like I said, there were aspects I could explore—”
“Show me,” Laz blurted and then watched Dav’s eyes go wide. Laz glanced at Rose and realized his slip, then corrected, “Us.”
Davarox scraped his fangs over his lower lip. “Laz—”
“Please.” Laz tried to wipe the image of some other demon touching Dav, catering to him, giving him pleasure, from his mind.
All things he’d never cared about before, but now?
Now they had Rose. Now, they were them, and it was meant to be only them.
“If this is something you enjoy, if it fulfills something for you, it’s going to be us, okay?
No one else.” He looked at Rose. “Would that be okay with you, beautiful?”
She gave him a soft smile and nodded. “You both know I’ve been curious to try.”
Laz turned back to his friend. A demon who had become one of the most important demons in his life. His best friend with whom he’d entwined his world.
“Will you let us try?”
Dav swallowed, and that was hope and relief and something unidentifiable in his gaze before he pressed his forehead to Laz’s knees. “Yeah. We can… we can try.”
Laz smiled, shaking Dav’s shoulders to try to ease some of the tension. “All these years and it turns out I don’t know everything about you.”
You’d made them for me.
And maybe… there was something he didn’t know about himself.