Page 37 of The Angel's Kiss
“We can’t leave her,” Rai said, pointing to the girl.
“You must. she’s not strong enough for this journey. We won’t be long. Time works differently there, trust me.” I held my hand out to him.
He ignored my offered hand and stepped into the circle. Well, at least he trusted me enough to do that. I closed my eyes and opened the door with the words that demons used to reach the Magic Shop. When I opened my eyes, we were standing outside at the front door.
“Holy shit,” Rai gasped. He grabbed onto me, his legs wobbly. I held him up until he had control of his body. It didn’t take him long to get himself together. He looked around to see that we were surrounded by darkness, nothing was in the space except for the Magic Shop. “My God,” he gasped and his voice echoed into the abyss. “It’s so small,” he said, as he looked at the square-shaped, windowless building that looked to be no more than three-hundred square feet. “There’s nothing else around here.”
I nodded. “I did tell you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Still. It’s wild… creepy.”
“Are you ready to enter?” I asked.
He looked up at the bright red words over the doorway. “The Magic Shop,” he read out loud. “Not very creative for a place that exists in its own world.”
“Doesn’t need to be,” I said. “Come on.”
I opened the door and stepped inside and Rai followed me.
“What the fuck?” he gasped as he looked around at how huge the place was. Tall ceilings and walls with tons of books and ladders. Rows and rows of shelves with narrow aisles as well as a clothing section and other mystical paraphernalia.
“I know, it’s bigger on the inside than outside,” I said with a smirk. “Did the Guardians ever tell you about this place?”
“Yeah, but I had never been here before,” he said as he continued to look around. “What the hell?” he asked and I turned to see what had shocked him.
It was a minotaur browsing the shelves. He was one of the largest ones I’d seen, with impressive horns and reddish-brown skin. He had a cross necklace around his neck, a ring in his nose, and tattoos on his right arm and chest. Also, his nipples were pierced. No doubt that he was a beast in the bedroom. I bet his member was impressive as well. I smirked, but turned from him to explain the shop’s customers to Rai.
I chuckled. “All kinds of beings from other universes are welcome here,” I told Rai, then put my arm around him to move him forward.
“I can’t believe this place is actually real. I mean, I knew it was, but to be standing inside of it is another story,” he said in a hushed voice filled with wonderment. He looked so adorable right then.
I didn’t say anything, only allowed him to take it all in while I searched for The Owner. I found him in the Aromatherapy section speaking with a customer. I leaned over to Rai’s ear. “That’s The Owner.”
“Oh, and what’s his name?” Rai asked.
I winked. “The Owner.”
He tossed me an annoyed look but didn’t say anything else. The Owner was a tall man, six feet to be exact. Thin, short black hair, clean-shaven with a medium skin tone. For as long as I’d known him, he always wore a white shirt, black pants, bowtie, a top hat, vest, and coat with tails. And he always had a cane, but didn’t need it to walk. A fanciful fellow if ever there was one.
I walked over to him and bowed my head and I caught Rai looking at me, his expression was one of curiosity. He probably didn’t understand the level of esteem I gave this man, but he would. “We need your help,” I said.
He smiled, acknowledging my show of respect. “All who enter here need my help. Give me just a minute,” he said, then finished assisting the customer he’d been speaking to. His accent, like his features, was indistinguishable. I had no idea what race or ethnicity he truly was or if those even applied.
Rai leaned over. “Did he just check you?” he asked with a cocky smirk.
“Don’t get used to it,” I told him.
Two minutes later, we had his undivided attention. “Come with me,” he said, and Rai and I followed. He took us over to the section of the shop where the potions were and took one off the shelf then turned to us. “Give her this. It will rid her body of the demon’s blood.”
Rai’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”
“It’s important for a Shop Owner to understand the needs of their customers,” he said.
“Do you know what they want with her?” Rai asked.
The Owner gave us a sad smile and shook his head. “I only know what you need right now.” He handed the potion to Rai, who took it.
“Thank you,” Rai said. “So, once she drinks this, she’ll be healed?”
