Davarox had always been protective, but somehow this felt different. Somehow, all the discrepancies and secrecy were starting to stretch beyond what he understood.
Lazerath sat there, unable to find the words for the first time in his life, so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the door until her beautiful voice broke the silence.
“He loved it!”
Rosalind squeaked as Davarox lifted her in a hug that was much more Laz’s style than his.
“Of course he loved it,” Dav said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “What’s next?”
“He had a few suggestions, which I don’t disagree with, so we’ll be doing some polishing before we bring it to the full council. And he was very concerned about the missing coin, but he’s got Mozke investigating so we can have more evidence against Tarzul… and maybe his nephew who works for the guard? The assistant? Mozke is not happy I gave them more work, and Elliran didn’t come in today, so I couldn’t ask her for assistance, but I think Mozke will forgive me since they got a bonus out of it.”
“Still selling the greenhouse as your first order of business?”
“I met with Kiz yesterday to confirm,” she said proudly. But when her eyes shifted to Laz, the smile fell off. “Laz?”
Fuck, his sads were projecting, but he didn’t have to fake his smile for her. “I’m so proud of you, beautiful.”
That didn’t seem to reassure her. “Is everything okay?” Her gaze turned to Dav, brow pinching.
“His brother visited with Ember earlier,” Dav explained, oblivious to all of Lazerath’s confusing thoughts.
“Oh. Did things… not go well?”
“It was fine. He’s got a crush on Ember,” Laz said distractedly. He needed to think of other things. Happy things. Rosalind’s successful proposal, fresh baked bread, Dav’s going out braid—fuck.
Rosalind was on to him, stepping closer with her concerned frown. “That bothers you?”
“No,” Laz blurted, and then he made the mistake of looking over her shoulder. To the gray demon whose look of confusion had morphed into one of dread as his eyes focused downward.
Laz looked at his hand, at the claws that were flexing against the ledger, and decided.
“Where did the money come from, Dav?”
He could have heard a tail swish in the silence that fell, though neither demon moved. Maybe it was wrong to bring it up now, to risk their friendship in front of the woman they were courting. The one Laz loved and wanted to soulbond alongside his best friend. But this was a secret, and Laz hated secrets, and despite being surrounded by cakes, he wasn’t sure something sweet could fix the growing chasm in his stomach.
Davarox swallowed, and it was terrifying that in this moment, his friend couldn’t look at him. “I can explain.”
“Because you’ve been caught?” Laz asked, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.
Dav flinched. “It’s not…”
“Not what?” Laz tried to flex his hands, tried to give them something to do when all he wanted was to curl up in a ball. Make himself as small as possible, like that might protect his heart.
“Please, Dav,” Laz whispered when his friend failed to speak. “If we didn’t have the money, we could have figured something out together. You didn’t have to lie to me.”
Davarox shifted on his feet. “It’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple!” That time, when Rose flinched, Laz managed to retract his claws. He stepped back from the counter, not because he worried he would hurt them, but because he needed the distance. Needed the space to breathe when the bakery felt so small. “That’s no small change you’ve been putting into our books. You spend all your time here and then act all secretive about tips I know I’m not missing. Where is it really coming from?”
Davarox raised his hands, a placating gesture that just made Laz more stressed. “This was your dream. You love every part of this—the recipes, the baking, the social interaction and joy of demons sharing food you made. I never wanted that stress to fall on you.”
“But it fell onyou,” Laz said, shaking his head. “You took on all of it without me. And then, what? I mean, are you… in trouble? Is this some money you have to pay back? Oh my gods, are you part of some illegal baking cult?”
“Fuck, Laz, I work at Temptation!”
Of all the things Davarox could say to shut Lazerath up, that was it.
“Worked,” Dav corrected, voice lower. “Up until we met Rose, and then I picked different… activities where I wasn’t an active participant.”
