“No, no! You’re good,” I try to assuage her worries. “I want to share, especially after all this work you’ve put in.”
“Are you sure? I can just go get us lobster rolls. Have you had one yet? They’re, like, the signature Maine food,” she says.
My mouth waters at the thought of what I’d smelled the other morning from the Clam Stand. I love congee for its versatility, but it’s been days straight of it for almost every meal. Even with all the accoutrements, it can get a little stale.
She grins. “You want lobster rolls. I can see it.”
“No. I mean, yes, but I don’t have any money, and I know lobster isn’t cheap,” I say, cringing at the way it sounds.
“That’s fine. And we’re the lobster capital of the world, so it’s not that much, I swear. Once you get this place going, you can hit me with some free lattes,” she says as she grabs her keys. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
She’s out the door before I can protest any further. I cross my arms with a huff and watch her bound off to her car.
She’s really nice.
Maybe too nice.
eleven
A Demon’s Secret
“Making friends?”
I jump and a little yelp comes out. I shouldn’t scream. I know who it is. But for some reason, my body is on edge. I whirl on the spot wielding a paint stick like a weapon. It is not a weapon, but I feel a little better holdingsomething.
Rhazan stands in the doorway leading to the pantry, taking the whole thing up with his massive frame. His bulging forearm is pressed into the jamb on the left side, making his bicep look plump and powerful. Now my mouth is watering for a different reason.
“Jade?” Rhaz asks, his face taking on a hint of concern.
“Hmm?”
He takes a step forward, his smoky wings fluttering behind him. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, uh-huh.”
He stops a few feet from me, close enough I can feel the heat radiating off him. “Was that your friend?”
“Lacey, right. I guess so,” I say. “I just met her a few days ago. She’s pretty cool.”
He hums. “Is she going to be pliant about me drawing demonic shapes around the room in your paint?”
“Like, right now?”
He seesaws his head. “I was considering it. It’s been a long time since another human has seen me.”
Something worms in my gut and screams, “No, he’s mine! No one else can see him!” It’s silly, and stupid, and I shouldn’t eventhink about—
“You don’t want that,” he says, a smirk tugging on his lips.
Do I have a neon sign on my forehead? Am I astral projecting my thoughts into people’s brains?
He takes another step closer, and another, until he’s towering over me. “I can feel your heartbeat, the surge of uncertainty dancing with my magic, the potential for conflict. It’s…” He lifts his hand to my face, tracing my lower lip with his talon.
I shudder, wanting to suck his finger into my mouth and taste it. “It’s what?”
His eyes smolder like hot coals. “Enticing.”
Fuck.
