He cocked his head, brow furrowing. “Why would you want to suffer through something on your own if you could ask for help?”
I cringed internally at the point he made. Eager to change the subject, I pointed to the pot he was stirring. “How’s the cherry mixture coming along?”
Kameron shrugged, flowing into the new topic without a hitch. “Not sure how well we’ll be able to keep up with these. Black Forest cupcakes aren’t exactly easy to make.”
“As long as we keep them seasonal, I think we’ll be okay,” I said, “but I haven’t worked through a Christmas here yet. There’s no telling what kind of demand we’re looking at.”
“There’s an easy solution, Ms. Sutton.” The new voice at my shoulder startled me, but I somehow managed not to react beyond a slight flinch. Loki’s green eyes sparkled with amusement as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “Plan for a set number each day, and when you sell out, you’re out.”
I frowned and shook my head. “What about the customers who can’t make it here early enough to get one?”
He wiggled his fingers at me and Kameron. “You have magic. Maybe you should use it. Zoomy seems to have no issue in that regard.”
Kameron glanced between us, eyes widening, then snorted quietly. While we didn’t make our magic a secret from each other, it was easy to forget he was the only one not in the demons-and-demigods loop. “She’s run me over at least twice since we started, and she slipped in the cooler once and took out a whole shelf.”
“Yeah, Zoomy probably isn’t the best example,” I agreed, though a smile pulled at my lips. “Besides, I want the food to be amazing in its own right. After Lu—er, um, Sam pointed out that my magic might’ve been contributing to the addictiveness, I’ve been trying to avoid using it here unless we get behind.”
Loki nodded to Kameron. “Which is why you finally hired help?”
“Exactly.” I raised an eyebrow at him as it finally dawned on me what he was wearing. “Are you here to help out?”
The double-breasted chef coat he sported was similar enough to the suit he wore sometimes that I’d initially overlooked it. Green buttons stood out against the black fabric, and the sensible non-slip shoes on his feet proved he meant business. This didn’t bode well for me.
My dad grinned and turned away, grabbing bowls and ingredients as if he already knew the kitchen. I opened my mouth, but there was nothing I could say that would convince him to leave. With a heavy sigh, I walked over to Kameron’s station.
“I’ll take over here. Why don’t you take a break for a bit?”
His eyebrows lifted, eyes darting over my shoulder where Loki was humming an old song from my childhood. “Are you sure?” he whispered.
Gods, I wanted to adopt him.
“I’m safe here,” I reassured him. “Chloe is right up front, and you’ll still be close by, but he’s… someone you can trust.”
Kameron hesitated a second longer, then nodded and slipped out the back door, keeping his eyes on Loki the whole way. Affection for the sweet, protective witch boy swelled in my chest. If I had my way, he would never get involved in the war that was brewing around us. The bakery was a great magical support system for him, something he never had growing up in foster care, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him getting caught up in this.
“He cares for you a great deal.” Loki peeked over his shoulder with a warm smile that took me back to my childhood, reminding me of the questions I’d been dying to ask since Nathan first told me about their non-interference rule. “Not romantic, of course. He looks to you like a sibling.”
I paused, watching him as he whisked dry ingredients together even though I hadn’t told him what to make. Was now really the right time to ask? Something about him seemed… well, I’d never call my dad fragile, but it was close. Like he was skirting around something sensitive, but I supposed my actual siblings were sort of a sensitive subject for him. I swallowed my original question back and decided on a different route for now.
“How much do you know about Lilith?”
His expression changed, morphing into a scowl before he chuckled humorlessly. “Curiosity?”
“Vested interest,” I replied. “I need to know what the deal is and I’m afraid Lucifer’s side might be a little biased.”
“And who’s to say mine won’t be?”
I approached and laid my hand on his arm and he stilled. “Because, despite the things you hide from me and Mom, you’ve never been afraid to tell me how things really are.”
Loki nodded reluctantly. “Mind your stove, Red.”
Rolling my eyes, I decided not to call him out on Sophie’s nickname for me. This was important information and I needed him to not get derailed by an errant comment. I moved back to my station and stirred the thickening cherry mixture.
“Lilith is… something of a blind spot for Lucifer,” he began, his voice accompanied by the cracking of eggs. “They were lovers once, as I’m sure you already guessed, but that was long ago. I don’t think she took the break-up as well as Lucifer believes, but she continued to visit and he indulged her attention occasionally.”
I was wrong; I didn’t want to hear this after all.
“He’s always seen her as something of a friend, or at the very least, an ally. But she’s as skilled in the art of manipulation as the Unseelie queen herself.” His jaw worked as he turned away from me, pulling a cupcake tray over. “I’ve never trusted her, but I could never catch her in anything big enough to turn Lucifer’s favor against her. Even now, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’s up to something, but Lucifer insists she hasn’t uttered a single falsehood.”
