Page 72 of Devil Bound
“Lily?I haven’t seen her here in a while.Is everything okay?”the herbalist, or more likely the herbalist’s assistant, asked.The kid looked barely out of her braces, but she had a good amount of power under those red curls.
Nelly instantly got defensive.“I can’t really say.”He was such a bad liar, and worse at hiding stuff.“Do you know if… Was anything happening in her life?”
The young herbalist cocked her head.“Like…boyfriends or family stuff?”
Nelly nodded.“Yeah, like that.”
The girl shrugged.“I sold her a rose and honey tincture, and we chatted.She said she was going on a second date, but she was a realist, and then she gave me some personal advice.Job advice.She’s such a good listener, you know?”
I decided I liked this herbalist, even if she was still a bit green behind her green thumb.I’d send Trony to hire the girl to do some work in the garden.I wanted more bees there, and butterflies.Nelly might need some herbs and roots and things down the line, assuming he used such means rather than blunt force magic for anything other than necromancy.
I took a closer look at some ginger root that was hanging from the ceiling and sprouting green while Nelly nodded.“I see.She didn’t mention a name or anything more than that?”
“No, sorry.”The girl shrugged.“She’s okay though, right?I mean, she’s Lily.She’s always okay.”
Poor thing.Soul had walked up to Nelly and was now barking up at the girl behind the counter.Nelly glanced at me before looking away.“Sorry, but I really can’t say.Like I said, I’m just a consultant, and this is ongoing.”
From her expression, the girl feared the worst.I didn’t know who Lily was, but knowing where Nelly worked and what he did, she wasn’t okay.Personally, I’d have told the apprentice.
The young herbalist just nodded and smiled at Soul.“I have carrot jerky.”
“Excuse me?”Nelly looked confused.
The girl pointed.“For your dog.She’s a cutie.You’re together?”She looked at me and her cheeks glowed.Understandable.I’d taken a lot of care with my hair this morning to please my stubborn prince.
“No.No-oh,” the aforementioned prince said.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I told the girl, making sure my voice was rumbly and warm.I walked up to Nelly, and before he could get away, I put my hand on his ass and squeezed.
From the sharp intake of breath and the way a muscle in his neck ticked, he’d enjoyed that.The girl, meanwhile, had gone around the counter and was holding out a strip of dried carrot to Soul, who sniffed it critically since it wasn’t the dried carrion meat of her enemies.The poodle decided that didn’t matter and bit into the dried vegetable with gusto.
I smiled at the herbalist.“May I ask your name?”Trony would get so pissed if I just gave her a physical description of the herbalist I wanted to hire instead of a name.This way, she’d be able to compliment me on my forethought instead, maybe even where Nelly could hear and be impressed by how others saw me.
“Mina Belamy.”The herbalist’s apprentice grinned at me, and that name—Mina, like from Dracula—was a sign if ever I’d seen one.
“Not your boyfriend,” Nelly mumbled as if he’d realized that he hadn’t complained about anything or been contrary in over ten minutes.He stepped away from me, but the way he’d blushed when I’d touched him—mmm.If he’d finally stop fighting so hard on every level, he’d be just the sweetest human, and maybe he’d even stop being so caustic to everyone and everything around him.
“Babe,” I said, speaking in a low voice and almost into his ear.
“W-we’re leaving.”Nelly was clearly fighting for composure, and Trony was getting flowers for buying me those butt plugs.
Young Mina ruffled Soul’s fur and held out another slice of carrot jerky for the poodle, which she took.Nelly walked past the jars of dried willow bark and mint leaves, heading for the door.
“Thank you for your kindness, Mina,” I told her.
“You bet.Always happy to help a magic user in law enforcement.”
Nelly mumbled his thanks too, though he seemed in a hurry to leave.
I followed him outside.Not surprisingly, my boyfriend had crossed the street yet again, and unless I was mistaken, he was hunching over, trying to vanish in the crowd.Soul caught up and stopped next to me.She gave a disapproving bark.
“I have no idea why he’s being this way either.Does he really think I wouldn’t be able to track him like pomegranate seeds on Trony’s floors?It’s silly, but if my lord swan prince wishes to play…”
I shrugged, and Soul and I followed Nelly across the street.After all, every holiday romance had a fun outing that ended in awkwardness for one of the two lovers, and I was the Devil.I didn’t do awkward.
39
Lucifer
