Page 72 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
“Humans like them because they’re the most expensive of the gems. And clear stones go with everything. Human women like to color coordinate, and colored gems in a ring they’re supposed to wear for the rest of their life would limit their clothing choices.”
Huh. I guess the demon was listening after all.
“Is there another choice that isn’t so…bland?” I asked Sizzle.
He shrugged, his hands never pausing as he replaced the blades on our skates. “Emeralds. It’s not easy to find a sizable stone without inclusions, or one that has a truly vivid color. Plus, they look best with not as many facets. The flatter cuts emphasize the color, but that means you’ve got a stone that sparkles less than what is currently in style.”
I searched my phone and eyed the pictures of green stones. They were pretty but didn’t feel right.
“Her eyes are like the waters during a storm. Are there stones like that?” I asked.
Sizzle nodded. “Yeah, but smokey topaz are cheap as shit, and you don’t want to propose with some budget-ass stone. How about a ruby? Humans consider red the color of love and passion. And demons like them since they look like blood. Vampires too. And probably shifters. Can’t go wrong with red.”
I looked that gem up on my phone and recognized several of the ornate ring designs I’d seen at the second shop I’d visited.
“I like the color but hate the…fussy style.” I’d had to consult my translation app to come up with the word “fussy.”
Sizzle glanced up at the image I was showing him on my phone and winced. “Yeah. That is damned ugly. How about a solitaire?”
“I want something different. Something special. Something that not only shows how I feel but also says that I am an orc. This…” I pointed at the picture on my phone. “This looks like something a fae noble would give the woman his parents had contracted for him to marry.”
That brought forth a snort from Sizzle. “Yeah. It’s very fae, isn’t it?”
“No one has gems set in iron or hammered metal,” I complained. “No one has rings that don’t look like a thousand identical ones were produced and shipped to stores across the human world.”
“More like a million,” Sizzle agreed. “Cookie-cutter fuckers. Your woman deserves better.”
“Yes, she does,” I agreed.
The demon tossed aside the pair of skates he was working on and stood, brushing his hands on his pants. “I know a place. I’ll take you there, but you can’t tell anyone I was the one who showed you this jewelry store. I’ve got a reputation to maintain, you know?”
I had no idea how a demon’s reputation would be damaged by knowing of a jeweler but nodded in agreement. Before I knew it, I was stuffed into Sizzle’s tiny electric car and enduring an uncomfortable ride out of the city. After a short stint on a congested highway, the demon took an exit heading toward a place called Reisterstown. He parked next to a battered sedan in a strip mall. The jewelry shop was wedged between a dining establishment called Hunan Gourmet, and a store that sold vape and tobacco products. It was a narrow store with thick metal bars on the entrance. The door squawked loudly as the demon opened it.
I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. There was a row of hip-high glass cabinetry that held a variety of jewelry, but the majority of the square footage was taken up by workbenches, magnifying apparatus, and tools.
“Sizzle!”
A small woman with frizzy red hair vaulted the counter and ran toward the demon. I eyed her, inhaling as the two embraced. She smelled a bit human, a bit demon, and a bit like the werewolf I’d met while at the deli last week.
Sizzle disengaged himself from the woman and turned to me. “Pru, this is Ozar. He’s?—”
“One of your hockey orcs.” Pru reached out to grab my hand, shaking it with a firm grip. “It’s nice to meet you. What are you looking for today? I’ve got a gorgeous chain-link collar with a leash ring that would look amazing on you.”
Sizzle turned an interesting shade of red. “No, Pru. He’s not…that’s not…he’s not…”
“I want to propose to my forever mate tomorrow night, and I want a suitable ring. I’m thinking of a ruby gem, but a setting that says ‘orc’ and not ‘fussy fae.’”
Pru gasped, placing both hands on her upper chest. “Who is the lucky individual? Guy? Girl? Non-binary? Demon? Orc?”
“Jordan is a female…er, woman and a dentist. She has her own company and is a strong independent human who lives with a fierce hunter-cat. She might lack furs on her bed, but her home is warm and welcoming with comfort and space in the design. Her hair is the color of sunshine on tree bark, and her eyes are like storm-tossed waters. She is kind with a generous spirit and a curious mind.”
Pru sighed, still clutching her chest. “God, that’s themost romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Sizzy, why can’t you say stuff like that?”
“Your hair is like a burning shrub, and your eyes are the color of mud,” Sizzle declared.
I eyed the two of them, expecting an argument. But Pru smiled, twirling a frizzy lock around one finger. “Burning shrub, huh?”
“Yeah.” The demon’s smile was downright sappy.
