Page 31 of Wicked Flavors

“Okay, whatever. What does the position ofwarlockentail?”

“Oh, good, straight to business. I do love that,” Ambrosius said as he knelt in front of the wooden cabinet.

Gwendolyn watched from over his shoulder as he unlocked the latch and pulled the cabinet door open. He reached inside of a dark interior before producing something long and cylindrical. Ambrosius stood with the help of his cane—something Gwendolyn filed away for later—and when he turned, Gwendolyn could see the object held in his hand. It was small, no bigger than a spyglass, if she had to guess.

“Is that a scroll?” Gwendolyn asked, incredulously.

“Technically, this is a scroll case,” Ambrosius offered it to her. “Everything you need to know about being a warlock is in here.”

Her hand extended, finger tips millimeters away when she wavered.

“Why are you hesitating?” he asked, not mad, but something else.

There were a million reasons. The biggest one was staring at her face with two very deceptively human eyes. A catalyst with a silver tongue and a head for fashion that Gwendolyn envied. It seemed cruel to create something so uniquely tempting to her. It was the only reason Gwendolyn could explain why she hadn’t stormed out of the antique store yet. Why she thought it better to stay andask questions than to cut and run like she had originally planned.

She might have initially denied the supernatural elements she had experienced the last few days, but Gwendolyn wasn’t a fool. She knew that it was rare for anyone to cheat or outwit a devil. This wasn’t the same playbook as losing a guy following her in a mall. Frankly, Gwendolyn wasn’t sure what this evenwas.She needed more information, all of which Ambrosius had. But the thought ofsubmittingto this fucker boiled something awful inside her belly. No, if she wanted out of this, Gwendolyn needed to play it smart.

“Just worried that if I touch this thing, more weird stuff will happen to me,” she admitted.

A partial truth was easier to sell than a lie. Gwendolyn really didn’t want any other part of her to become pink, if she could avoid it.

“Oh, that’s unavoidable,” Ambrosius replied. “Once a human is exposed to the world of evil, it’s impossible to put it back.”

Don’t fucking try to Pandora’s Box this situation, you asshat!

“Give me the fucking scroll case,” Gwendolyn grumbled instead.

When her fingers closed around it, she was surprised at how much bigger it appeared in her hand. It was smooth, brassy, with jagged filigree carved into it. In some ways, it reminded Gwendolyn of a rocket, with its large, ornate top and wick-like bottom. A chain connected each end together, delicate and thin.

I guess that’s how I open it?

Gwendolyn gently pulled on the chain and watched as the ends of a scroll appeared. The parchment was old—so much, in fact, Gwendolyn worried it would tear as shecontinued to pull. And as the words appeared, Gwendolyn’s confusion and worry only grew.

“‘Dear Gwendolyn A. Gooch’—” Gwendolyn glared at the parchment, then at Ambrosius. “How do you know my name? I never gave it to you.”

“Oh, but you did,” Ambrosius replied with a grin. “You offered it up when youkissedme.”

Fuck this guy.

“You can just tell someone’s name from kissing?” Gwendolyn questioned with a hint of skepticism.

“Yes,” he hummed.

“And you’re not going to explain why, naturally,” Gwendolyn sighed, before returning her attention to the scroll. She skimmed the welcome paragraph, including the introduction of the letter. “‘We are pleased to welcome you. Your title, moving forward is Warlock, and you will report to Ambrosius, Demon & Patron. This is a full-time position. As a Warlock, you will be responsible for the following—”

Gwendolyn pulled on the scroll, waiting to see the list in its entirety. She suspected it would be a lot of legal jargon that she was woefully uneducated on. Perhaps some arbitrary expectations, like dress code, as that felt very much like something the infuriating demon would do. What she hadn’t anticipated was that the list wasn’t ending. Gwendolyn proceeded to pull more, her eyes widening as the list continued further and further, no matter how much she pulled. Before she knew it, the scroll had unfurled onto the floor and Gwendolyn wasstillpulling.

“Wha—”

“I like to be very clear on what I expect out of an employee.” Ambrosius’ grin had turned wicked. “You understand, don’t you? Being a warlock is not for the faint of heart!”

“Being a warlock was never my choice!” Gwendolyn exclaimed as she let go of the parchment. “You tricked me!”

It was with great dismay that she watched as the paper coiled back into the case like a paper yo-yo. The chain snapping against her finger as if to scold her like she was an unruly student.

“Wasn’t it? You came tomyAntiquarium looking for that—” Ambrosius pointed toward the paper bag. “—doll. That same doll that you wanted more thananything.In fact, if I remember correctly, it was something along the lines of, ‘It doesn’t matter, it’s a means to an end. I want that doll and I’m not leaving without her’. Or something to that effect.”

Her blood went cold. Without meaning to, Gwendolyn took a step back.

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