Page 26 of Wicked Flavors

“—Are …fascinating? Clever?” he offered as he studied her face. His grin turned sly, “Handsome?”

“Irritating!” Gwendolyn snapped. “Arrogant! Fuckingconceited!”

Her anger amplified when he appeared pleased by her insults. His smile widened, revealing sharp canines, and hiseyes narrowed with something Gwendolyn couldn’t place. She nearly slapped him when he started chuckling.

“So many insults, and before noon!” Ambrosius twirled his cane as he stepped away from her. “Why, I’d think you were smitten with me, if you weren’t so angry!”

Gwendolyn’s jaw dropped, wholly unprepared for his audacity. A rebuttal was building in her chest, but the moment she darted to follow him, the paper bag brushed her leg.

That’s right! I’m not here to entertain him!

“Okay, enough. Whatever the fuck your weirdness is—” Gwendolyn shoved the paper bag into his chest for him to take. “Here. I definitely don’t want thisthinganymore.”

Ambrosius didn’t acknowledge the paper bag, entirely focused on her face. His smile was amused before, but now there was something else hiding in it. Something dark that would have shaken Gwendolyn, if she wasn’t being overpowered by her intense dislike for him.

“Oh,Gwendolyn,” he said with a look of cruel disappointment. “You were soeagerfor this doll when you came to my shop. In fact, you wanted it more than anything …Whatevercould have changed your mind?”

There was something more than the intentional provocation in his voice. His question all but drained the anger from her frame, leaving her shaky for an entirely different reason. Ambrosius’ gaze was heavy, as if he had pinned her down like a moth and was eager to pull her apart. Gwendolyn couldn’t explain it, but there was a level of authority to his tone that left her feeling horriblyexposed.

“You said I could have that doll on a trial basis. Well, I tried it, and it’s not for me,” Gwendolyn said simply.

Ambrosius shook his head. He appeared displeased with her answer, though Gwendolyn couldn’t fathom why. Or why she even cared, for that matter.

“It’s too early. A simple hair change and a couple of new clothes aren’t enough. Why, you've barely eventouchedit,” he explained, as if he had seen what she had done to it. “How are you going tofully experiencewhat you can do, if you don’t give it time?”

Slowly, she lowered the paper bag, letting it hang loosely from her fingers. Gwendolyn had the urge to argue, but something in his words caught her off guard. It was one thing to guess that she had changed some part of the doll, but another to know exactly what she had done to it. More importantly, they were both dancing around questions Gwendolyn had, but was too scared to ask. Questions Gwendolyn had been doing her damnedest to avoid, but it seemed foolish to ignore them any longer.

“What is it?” she whispered, then more solidly. “The doll … what did youreallygive me?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer her, and Gwendolyn could hear blood rushing in her ears. Would he answer her, or would it be more of his annoying aloofness? Gwendolyn could admit she avoided wanting the answer until then. She avoided most things she found inconvenient or uncomfortable for most of her life. And depending on his answer, would Gwendolyn evenwantto hear?

No, I need to know. I deserve to fucking know.

As Ambrosius leaned in, the floor creaked under his cane’s weight. When he was near enough that Gwendolyn could see the deep brown of his iris, her body demanded she run. It wasn’t safe to be near him, but not for the reasons she was used to. As his eyes dilated, Gwendolyn knew this felt … different. Like looking into the darkness of aforest and knowing something she couldn’t see was staringback.

“I gave you something that I told you would change your life,” Ambrosius murmured, all candied words. “Your life has changed … has it not?”

“It did,” Gwendolyn replied, lip trembling.

His head inched forward, eyes trained on her mouth. His smile was back as his free hand reached up to gently pull at the bottom of her lip. She felt a subtle shock, then heat spread rapidly, lighting up every nerve of her face and neck. Her breathing had gone shallow, as if her chest was being restricted.

“Are you not happy with it?” Ambrosius asked as he tenderly traced the tiny heart shaped scab with his thumb.

“I—” Gwendolyn pushed away from him with a shake of her head.

Wasn’t she supposed to be angry at him? Where had all her anger gone? No, it was still there, she realized. Buried beneath her confusion and curiosity. It was like coming out of a fog. She eyed him, mindful of his hand as he slowly dropped it to his side.

“Look, I really don’t like you, but I don’t speak in innuendo. Whatever this dollis—whatever I agreed to—just fucking tell me,” Gwendolyn demanded firmly. “Or, I swear I will slapthe shitout of you.”

It wasn’t just a threat, but a promise. One Gwendolyn intended to follow through with as Ambrosiuschortled. His eyes were still dark, but there was something wild about them now as he leaned against his cane. His free hand came up to cover his face as his laughter continued, and for the first time, Gwendolyn saw the ink on his hand clearly. On the back of his hand, jagged pointed legs extended out from a round body. Webbing linked each of the legs and descended below the cuff of his suit jacket.

Aspider.

“Oh,Gwendolyn,” he singsonged beneath the palm of his hand. His voice lacked all of its beguiling sweetness. Now, only a strange distorted tone echoed between his dying laughter. “My poor, bittersweet girl…”

Ambrosius’ middle and ring fingers separated with a quick flick, revealing his right eye. A staggered gasp escaped Gwendolyn. Gone was the dark eye that kept her captive, and in its place were not one, but two eyeballs wedged within a single enlarged eye socket. The two eyes rolled before zooming in on her, mouth splitting into a Cheshire-like grin.

“I can’t even begin to tell you what I am.”

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