Page 29 of Wicked Flavors

The question caught her off guard—as Ambrosius thought it would—and Gwendolyn naturally leaned away from him. Her unease was cute, but not what Ambrosius wanted at the moment. He placed his saucer on the ground next to his cane and turned his attention back to her. One of her hands was clutching the top of her baseball cap to her head. She had managed to put more distance between them, but there was no place in the world where she would be safe from him. Not if his suspicions were correct.

She cursed under her breath.

“Come now, Gwendolyn,” Ambrosius chided as he pinched the brim of her cap between thumb and finger. “An answer, please.”

“This isn’tfair,” she murmured.

“Life isn’t fair,” Ambrosius said as he pulled.

Gwendolyn pressed harder on the top of her hat, preventing him from lifting it further.

“You said tell you, not show—”

“Are you going to tell me what’s under here?”

Silence was his answer.

Ambrosiushatedsilence.

And he showed his displeasure as the room lost its warmth. His presence filled the space with sinister intent as the lights dimmed. Gwendolyn was shivering now, andAmbrosius knew it wasn’t because of the chill that had filled the room.

He was scaring her, and it felt sofucking good.

“If you won’t tell me, then show me,” Ambrosius hissed between lengthening teeth. “Show me or I’m afraid this littlegameends now.”

Her eyes shut as she dropped her hand, and Ambrosius slowly removed the baseball cap from her head. The dusty pink waves that fell to just below her jawline drained his unsettling presence. He settled back within his body, features smoothing over to appear more human as he stared with genuine surprise. Gwendolyn radiated warmth as she bowed her head, revealing pink eyebrows that had been hidden under the visor of her cap.

“Oh,Gwendolyn,” Ambrosius grinned, gathering a lock of her hair between his long fingers. “Why, you’rebeautiful.”

“Shut up, shut up,shut up,” she whined, hands pressing against her face.

“This is even better than I could have imagined,” Ambrosius laughed as he tossed the cap somewhere behind the love seat. “Oh, you’re much too interesting, far too much.”

Her hands flew away from her face, falling to the cushion beneath her. She leaned toward him, shooting him a scowl as she bared her teeth.

Cute.

“Whydo I have pink hair?!” she demanded.

“The Mark of the Demon,” Ambrosius explained. “It’s a sign you’ve recently come into contact with a terrible evil.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes slowly shut, forehead creasing in confusion. He watched her, felt the way her soul shook before her amber eyes were back on him. Her mouth opened then closed as she remembered the rules of their conversation. Unhappily, she let out a loud breath and settled back into her seat. She was learning.

Good girl,Ambrosius thought.

“Why do you want to return the doll?” he asked.

“Why?” Gwendolyn stared at the paper bag near her feet. “Because ever since I got this thing from you, my life hasn’t been normal. I kept seeing things that were there and then they weren’t. I-I’ve had strange dreams, felt strangethings.I’m more irritable than ever, and it’s messing with my routines. And it’s all because of this doll, and I have no idea what’s happening! Even when you give me an answer, I’m still so confused!”

That same delicious flavor was wafting off her again. The more she ranted, the more Ambrosius could feel his need to bite rise. His body would happily enjoy her rich flavor, relish in the destruction of her being. If he hadn’t had a need for her, he could swallow her whole. But the signs were pointing toward a more favorable fate for him, and for her as well. Eating her would be such a waste, regardless of how much he was tempted by it.

“Fuck it, I’m just gonna ask it,” Gwendolyn grumbled under her breath. “You said the doll was a physical representation of our contract … when you sold me the doll, what was I actually agreeing to?”

Ambrosius smiled, “When you took that doll, you initiated an agreement to be my warlock.”

Gwendolyn heard him, but he could tell she had no idea what to do with it. Ambrosius supposed his behaviorhad been a little heavy handed earlier when he scared her. And the Mark of the Demon was an excellent sign.

Why not give her one?

---