“Scent never lies,” he says.
I pull my shoulders back and tip my chin up. “Neither do my lips.”
Holly’s head whips in my direction. “You tell him, hon. You’re going to fit right in here.” Smiling wide, she gives me a wink before facing the veterinarian again. “Don’t you agree, Daemon?”
His single deep nod gives me a different view of his curved black horns. The points look dangerously sharp. “Your skills and spirit are a welcome addition, Lilah.”
If this were a normal interview in any way, I’d have blown it with my snippy attitude. Then again, in my old life, I never would have spoken that way to a prospective employer. Or to anyone.
Day one of the new me and I like her so far.
Five
AMAZRA
“She’s coming thiswa-ay.” Dauphine sings the last word while leaning into the kitchen through the archway.
Deceit is not in my nature. Nor would Dauphine believe me if I attempted to deny knowledge of her reference. I have thought of little else but Lilah since meeting her yesterday.
“Maz.”Dauphine huffs out the shortened, single-syllable version of my name that only she uses. One of many gestures of familiarity and friendship. “The next batch of muffins can wait. You probably have sixty seconds to get out here before she’s at the door.”
“A box of scones is set aside, as I promised, and you are here. My presence is not required.” Though not meeting her gaze directly, the shift in her facial features is unmistakable.
Her eyebrows rise, and her mouth forms a compact smile. “You’re nervous to be around Lilah.”
“I was forged in the hell realm and have experienced things you cannot even imagine, all without a moment of the emotion you describe.”
“So…you’d be totally fine to have Lilah standing in front of you again, her cheeks turning all rosy while she blinks her pretty brown eyes at you?”
“Physical traits are of no consequence when I serve customers.”
“In that case, I’m sure you won’t mind taking over while I use the restroom.” Without hesitation, she removes her apron and hangs it from a nearby hook, smiling wider as she passes. “Say hi to Lilah for me.”
Across the kitchen, my helper laughs under his breath. The sound reaches its strangled death when I stare at him. Silently, he lowers his head and focuses on prepping hand pies.
Out front, the bell above the door chimes. Even if Dauphine had not alerted me, I would know the customer is Lilah. Breathing is unnecessary, yet her presence compels me to inhale. I permit myself only a brief, partial sample of her scent. Anything more would reveal private details. Physical condition. Physiological responses.
Such information is beneficial when demons are in service to their liege in hell.
Exercising restraint does not stop me from wanting to know everything about her. A desire I have never experienced until she walked into my bakery.
The restroom door remains firmly closed, even when Lilah’s soft “Hello?” drifts in from the front of the bakery.
Dauphine is not going torescue me, as she described it yesterday when she intervened with my kitchen helper. Today she has done the opposite.
Wiping my hands on a towel, I step through the archway. I have always believed that as a demon in this realm, I am solid yet empty. Shallow, superficial. A soulless immortal creature existing among the living.
The sensations I first experienced when Lilah crossed the boundary, which have grown steadily since—awareness, depth, possibility—ripple through me when I meet her gaze. As described, her brown eyes open wide, and pale pink rises to the surface of her lovely face.
One deep breath would tell me the reason for her instinctive reaction to my presence. Fear, uncertainty, curiosity, shyness, embarrassment… Whatever the reason, it will remain unknown to me unless she chooses to share it. I will not use my nature to take advantage of her.
“Hi. You told me to come, so I came.” The color in her cheeks deepens after the last word leaves her full lips. “Not that I expected you to be waiting for me. Or to remember I was going to stop in to check if you had any of the cinnamon scones available. But I see that you do,” she says, lightly tapping on the display case glass. “I’ll take one, please. Oh, and thank you again for the treats yesterday. They were wonderful. I probably shouldn’t have eaten them all last night, but I couldn’t resist. Good thing I’ll be staying at Holly’s cabin for the foreseeable future; walking to and from the veterinary clinic will burn some of the calories. Unfortunately, it’ll probably take a lot more exercise than that to compensate for my addiction to baked goods.”
My gaze follows her hand downward as she pats below her waist. The same gesture as yesterday, when she made a similar remark. I do not understand many of the nuances that humans and other emotionally driven species engage in during conversation. Nor do I comprehend their preference for this method of communication when directly stated facts are more efficient. Guessing, or caring to, is not in my nature. Yet I find myself doing so with every word Lilah speaks. It is…frustrating. Another new sensation.
Keeping my eyes locked with hers, I reach under the counter for the box of cinnamon scones I set aside. “The word ‘unfortunately’ suggests you do not enjoy exercising.”
“Honestly, I hate it. Not walking and other outdoorsy, leisurely activities—I like those. But the hardcore kind of intense exercise necessary to slim down? Hate it. Obviously.”
