“Not quite,” she said, looking around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. She murmured, “Have you moved to Briarton permanently, then?”
“I am back for a few days, but I will leave at the end of the week.”
“Oh.”
“Unless you need me to stay?” he asked, his silver eyes piercing her.
He knew.
Somehow, he knew that she had been searching for him. She swallowed. She had forgotten how frightening his eyes were up close.
“Don’t be silly,” she said dismissively. She would be a fool to make a deal with a creature whose very presence made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She would resolutely deny it if he asked what had brought her to town today.
Silence stretched between them.
The demon raised his brows and said, “My carriage will leave here in seven days. There would be room for one more, if that interests you.”
She lifted her chin stubbornly. “And why would I want that?”
“Because I’m a demon, and I make deals with mortals.” He frowned down at her.
She tightened her grip around her new book, clutching it to her chest. “Could you tell me more about demons?” she whispered. “I only know what I’ve heard, and not much of it’s good.”
He smirked, a cruel twist of his lips. “What do you want to know?”
She hesitated. “Have you ever made a deal with a human?”
“Yes.”
“And,” she asked, cringing. “What did they ask for?”
“Power. They almost always ask me for power. And gold.” His eyes stared into her soul, a predator assessing its prey.
She looked away. “And? Were they happy with the result?”
“They became rich and powerful, but whether they were happy is up for discussion.”
Horror grew in her gut.
“Did you bless them in one way only to secretly curse them in another?” She had heard tales where demons made deals with mortals, and the deal would often have horrible, unforeseen consequences.
“Demons are not the monsters you think we are.” His voice was gravelly and sent a shiver down her spine. His evasion wasn’t convincing.
Elizabeth’s face fell.
She broke their eye contact, turning back to the shop window.
“In any case, it doesn't matter,” she muttered. “My mother and father will come around. They must,” she added, the words sounding hollow and ringing false, even to her own ears.
“As you wish.” He quirked an eyebrow and turned to leave.
He made it all of two steps before she caught up with him. “Do you—?”
He looked unsurprised. “Ask it.”
“Do you eat humans? I have—I have heard stories.”
“We need blood to survive. It is not dissimilar to you eating venison or chicken. We would not survive here, in your world, without it.”
