Page 25 of Demon Queen
I shook my head as I scowled at the food. My stomach twisted, not hungry for that. I wanted to bite him again. Did that mean I was hungry for him? I stabbed my chicken linguine and took an enormous bite. I couldn’t afford to be hungry for a demon. The demon king. Even more dangerous was falling for the man who’d already ruined me.
I hated how delicious everything was. He’d always been so good with his hands. I was almost finished when someone knocked on the front door. I knew that rap pattern. Roberta was here?
I grabbed Dorian’s arm. “Quick! Put on your glamour. My general manager’s here. She can’t see you like this.”
He frowned at me. “Your general manager is here on a Sunday? That seems overzealous.”
“Maybe she forgot to leave the keys to something. She’s the most incredibly conscientious manager anyone could ever have. It’s a miracle she’s stayed as long as she has. Do I look normal?”
I stared at him while he frowned back at me, then he shrugged, melting into the less ominous terrifying demon, andinto his suave, sophisticated Dorian face. Handsome. He was too handsome to be normal. Why did he have such an attractive glamour?
“Can’t you look less…” I started.
He raised a brow. “Less what?”
“Pretty. I don’t want her thinking that you’re available.”
He flashed a smile that made my heart flip in spite of myself. “No matter how conscientious she is, I only have eyes for you.”
I blinked at him. “It’s not you I’m jealous of, it’s her. If she abandoned me because you freaked her out, my shop would suffer. So try to look normal.”
I went to the front door, doing my deep breathing exercises so I could look calm and in-control when I opened the door. The bell jangled and she came in with a rush of expensive perfume.
“Sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but I wanted to talk about the new automated ordering system.”
I stared at my manager, dewy caramel skin, perfectly symmetrical features, large eyes with dark lashes that made her stunning without makeup. She wore her hair down today, sweeping over her shoulder in a fall of satin exactly the right length for flipping if you were trying to get bigger tips.
Dancers. She would have made an excellent addition to Dorian’s collection of beautiful women. But she was mine. He didn’t get to have her.
“Candy?” she said, frowning at me.
What was she saying? Oh, right! Automating the ordering system. “It sounds great, but you know that I like to look over everything to make sure it’s right.”
She raised a brow. She’d been pushing this for a long time. “Your shop isn’t a tiny little sweet stop. It’s a destination. And after your duchess launch, I already have people asking for tickets to the Halloween launch. It’s going to sell out fiveminutes after you open. You should focus on what you’re really good at, creating magic, and leave the soulless numbers to me.”
“I guess.” That would be a great segue into expanding my Candy Kingdom into other cities, growing exponentially. Which I definitely never wanted to do, but since Dorian had already found me, or I’d found him, why shouldn’t I expand? I could pay him off that much faster.
She frowned and sniffed, really getting in my face while her nostrils flared and she almost looked unattractive. “I didn’t think that you liked cinnamon bears.”
I stared at her while her eyes darkened with something unapproving. “I’m working on the Halloween display with a new talent. You know, since the last collaboration worked so well. Dorian…”
I turned and gestured towards the back room. Dorian stepped out, like he was waiting for his cue. He shook his silky hair back, bedroom eyes sweeping over Roberta with a slightly pleased expression, but not an actual smile. He walked like he owned the world, but couldn’t care less. His muscularity, grace, and charisma made it impossible to look away even though his focus was on my general manager. When he looked at me, my heart stopped, my body came to life, and every shred of my humanity was beating for him. I would die for a touch. Kill for a taste. He was utterly irresistible.
Roberta gasped and moved in front of me, blocking Dorian from my line of sight as she gripped my arm. Her eyes were larger than usual, panicked, and her fingers squeezed my arm painfully. She gave me a bright smile, showing her gleaming teeth. “Candy, that’s so great that you’re working with another talented artisan. I have paperwork for him to fill out. Why don’t you go up to your office while I take care of him for you?”
She was already smitten by him? He hadn’t even smiled at her. Why couldn’t he have a normal guy glamour? He was going to turn my most valuable employee into a complete zombie.
“I don’t have time for paperwork right now,” Dorian replied smoothly, his voice twice as compelling as his looks. I actually shuddered as that sound travelled down my spine.
“Candy, go to the office,” Roberta repeated, her eyes burning into me. A wave of terror washed over me. I needed to climb under my desk while the world shook apart. I never should have left my shop, letting in all the monsters.
“Release her, or die,” Dorian said, his smooth voice growing shards of rage. His voice poked holes in the fear, and I looked over to see his glamour melt off, leaving him winged, spiked, with black markings spreading down his face, followed by lines of fire.
Terrifying. That’s what he looked like. Still weirdly attractive, though.
Roberta’s hand tightened agonizingly. I gasped and saw her fingers lengthen, sharpen, until her black nails turn into claws that sank into my skin.
The pain shocked me into motion. I screamed and then bit her hand. She tasted like too-sweet soda with a sharp aftertaste of arnica. A roar shook my shop, and then I was flying through the air.
