Page 41 of Demon Queen
I picked up the toast and took a bite of it, but it wasn’t what my body craved. Seriously? Seriously. I wanted Regis. That probably meant that the White Rabbit wasn’t entirely lyingabout me being an angel, since they’re the only creatures who could handle eating demons. Who wanted to eat demons.
Creepy. Then again, if the White Rabbit was right, my baby was Mixl. I sat up and took a shaky breath. My baby was scrounging boots out of the trash to protect my delicate feet? My heart melted in a puddle while I smiled. I was his angel mother. My baby was alive, and for a demon, he was the sweetest. What did the White Rabbit say about him working for the Zombie Queen? Maybe I’d hallucinated that part. No, I could distinctly remember the conversation much better than rappelling down the cliff face.
Shudder. At least Tom had kept Wilkie out of that mess. Was my baby still in Tom’s movie room? I’d left my bag in the movie room. Dorian’s friends were downstairs, ‘helping,’ whatever that meant. I needed to figure out how to develop a relationship with my son, be friends with him until I could tell him I was his mother. Not until I was absolutely sure that the Zombie Queen didn’t have her claws into him. Even then, being an angel wasn’t something I wanted anyone to know. Maybe ever. Particularly Dorian. But I couldn’t just act like I didn’t care. I’d be his big sister. Sure.
And Dorian.
He was so tempting, but why did he have to hate angels? Not that it mattered after he’d shattered my heart. He hadn’t told me he was a demon, so I didn’t have to tell him I was an angel. Absolutely. The fact that keeping something from him made me feel guilty made me need to kick him somewhere delicate. Like there was anywhere delicate on a demon. But the way he kept coming to my rescue like he cared, well, that also made me want to kick him. Why wasn’t he here when I needed him?
I drained the liquid that was too nasty to be water and then inhaled the food anyway because the last time I’d skipped a meal hadn’t gone well, and then it was into my casualMarie Antoinette gear. I hurried with the makeup, the wig, the panniers, and rushed down the stairs to find a formal quadrille going on in the main room, led by Dorian, only it wasn’t his massive winged scariness, no, it was the devastatingly handsome human-looking illusion wearing tight pantaloons and a loose shirt with the front lacings open enough that you could see the fascinating contours of his chest. He was too handsome for a human, slightly exotic looking with his high cheekbones and golden eyes, but they didn’t flicker, not until he looked at me and my whole body was back in the fireplace, feeling absolutely good.
I blinked rapidly and then noticed his partner, Roberta. How was he dancing with my general manager?
I stood frozen on the side waiting, smiling politely at the customers who were watching the dance like it was amazing. It was. Every single one of the people he’d brought were very good dancers, and very good at helping a complete newbie feel at home in the elaborate dance.
“Candy!” Roberta said, the second the music stopped and hurried towards me. “How are you feeling?”
“I…” I looked from her to Dorian then took a step back, bumping into Toby. “I didn’t think you could come in today.” Or ever. Because Dorian ripped off her head and smashed it. Thoroughly.
She smiled extra wide and for a second her face flickered and I saw a different demon, a male demon with red lips and pale skin, but much healthier than the last time I’d seen him, you know, when I’d eaten him.
I stopped breathing, just stood there, fighting the faint that was coming on awfully strong. Speaking of strong, Dorian’s hand came around my waist and he pulled me against his side, as close as the panniers allowed while I stared at the Roberta/Regis demon smiling manically at me.
Dorian murmured, “My queen, Regis has asked to be of help any way he can. He said that the two of you have already been introduced, just like the other demons who work in your shop.”
“Other demons?” I whispered, turning my head to look up at him. So handsome. Eyes with heavy lids that made a candy store feel like a bedroom. Sultry.
His brow flicked while he looked at my lips, even more seductive. That’s right. He’d said that he was going to seduce me. Consider it done. “Indeed. I hope you don’t mind. If you’d rather retire Roberta, it can be arranged, but Regis is an extremely competent bodyguard.”
If he’s not threatening to kill you. “Ah…” Regis was still standing there in an elaborate gown, looking like Roberta, only Roberta never smiled quite that insanely. She was the steady influence necessary for growing my business. Also the fear. But he was pure chaos. He belonged in Wonderland, not my Candy Kingdom. But here he was. Not dead even though I’d eaten him. But he knew I’d eaten him. Didn’t he? Maybe he was so insane, he hadn’t noticed. It still felt like a virulent dream. Maybe it hadn’t happened. Except that the scent of cherry syrup wafted from his direction. Regis-wearing-Roberta’s-face looked up at the ceiling with a slight narrowing of her eyes.
That’s when I finally noticed the musicians where they were perched on the balcony high above. Two violinists were on the aerialist hoops hanging upside down. Hopefully, they had insurance. This was…definitely different. This was supposed to be an ordinary shop day, not an opening, but the musicians didn’t seem to know what ordinary meant. Or no one had told them. Should I? The magic level in the shop was much higher than usual with all the demon energy. We should keep it on the down low. Did it really matter, though? Wilkie was alive, and safe.
Callerie, a beautiful blonde woman came over to me, frowning. She had the shop across the street, a women’s office clothing store. “Candy, your new employees are taking up all the parking on the block. I put up with it when you do your seasonal launches, but on a Tuesday? Also, isn’t that a safety violation?” she asked, looking up at the violinist.
Right. Time to be a normal human on a Tuesday morning. “Ah, yes, well I’m having some trouble communicating with my general manager about expectations. We don’t need this many employees on a weekday.” I said it pointedly at Regis, but then I glanced at Dorian, scowling at him for a second before I turned a bright smile at Callerie. “I’m so sorry for the confusion. Can I give you something to take with you?”
She raised a brow, glancing at my outfit with more than a hint of disdain. “I don’t eat candy in the morning. Just take care of the parking issue and make sure you have liability insurance to cover your…” She looked up at the violinist, shaking her head. “Whatever they are.”
She turned and walked off, wearing a skirt and blouse that reminded me of my lady’s tea outfit, the one I’d drowned in Regis’s gore. Regis who wasn’t dead. No, now he was Roberta. I just couldn’t…
I took a shaky breath and followed after her. I needed to get away from demons, and I needed to smooth things over with my neighbor. I also needed a new lady’s tea outfit, something incredibly respectable.
“Where are you going?” Dorian murmured at my elbow.
I froze and looked up at him. “Insane. I’m going insane. Or maybe I’m already there. Why, are you bored and want to come along?”
His smile was slow and dangerous. “Where you go, I will follow. Don’t worry about your neighbor. I’ll send someone to smooth things over.”
I jabbed his chest. “How? By feeding on her righteous judgment? By replacing her?”
He blinked at me. “We can still retire Roberta if Regis makes you uncomfortable.”
“Wecan? This ismybusiness. I’m paying you back, not playing to your tune. I’m going to go smooth things over with Callerie like a normal person. I’m also buying a new outfit. A normal one.”
He raised a dark, sultry brow. “During store hours? I don’t actually know how you run your shop, never having actually been here while it’s open. Either you tell Regis what to do, or fire him and run the shop yourself while I avidly watch, as closely as possible, the more easily to absorb your wisdom and take her place myself.”
Oh. I’d have to hire a new general manager? But Roberta did all the hiring, all the firing, all the payroll, and in general managed everything. Panic. No. This wasn’t the time for me to deal with that kind of madness.
