Page 74 of Devil Bound
“Did you get what you needed, Nelly?”I asked him.
He was still looking at me as if I’d suddenly sprouted horns.“I…”
“From the smith, babe.”
“Oh… Oh, yes, right.Thank you, I did.”He turned on his heel and stormed out.Back in the showroom, Soul looked at me accusingly, then went after him.
“Umm…” The smith seemed confused about what he was doing in front of his computer.
I put a hand on his shoulder.“You have a beautiful store.Thank you for entertaining us today, but we won’t be needing your services after all.”
“Uh, sure.”
I left, following Nelly out the door.
He’d gone right, but this time around, he seemed to have accepted that there was no running from me.He stopped in front of a caster’s office and turned to look directly at me; an invitation I wasn’t going to reject.
I joined him and Soul.“Having fun?”
My boyfriend crossed his arms, and a cute little frown wrinkled his forehead.“You’re an asshole, Lucy.”
I shrugged.“Why?”
He waved a hand in the direction of the smith’s.“You enchanted that man.”
“I’m the Devil.It is my prerogative to enchant those who need enchanting.On the other hand, why didn’t you tell young Mina back at the herbalist’s store that her friend is dead?The one you were asking about.I assume she is dead if you’re involved.”
“It’s an ongoing investigation, and I can’t talk about it even though I’m no longer on the case.”Nelly’s frown line deepened.He was pissed.It wasn’t an infrequent occurrence with him, so I wasn’t exactly sure what the issue was.
“Why did you get pulled off the case?No more bodies?”It was a stab in the dark, but not too unlikely from what I knew about his work.
He narrowed his golden eyes at me.“If only.Do you… I mean, do you even give a fuck?About anything other than your own—” He took a calming breath, just like Trony when she had very strong opinions about something I had done.“Actually, forget that.You’re immortal.I don’t even know why I expect concern from you, so actually, I apologize, because this once, getting in your face was unreasonable.Why would you care about enchanting people?Why would you care that someone died or that I kept that from someone else who knew her to spare them some pain?You’re the Devil, after all.”
Well.My necromancer certainly had claws.“I didn’t see a Lily among the smith’s clients, but you saw something there.Won’t you tell me what you saw, Nelly?”
Nelly snorted and continued back down the street.“You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes.So observant.It’s almost like you have eyes for something other than my ass.”He turned and speed-walked down the street.
“You can’t blame me for appreciating something so exquisite,” I said to his back as I followed him, Soul at my side.
Nelly snorted.“Right.Whatever.”
He dashed into a bakery and approached the counter, barely slowing.The young woman behind it raised a brow at him.“What can I get you today?”
“Coffee, large, double shot espresso.”He went for his back pocket where he usually kept his wallet, and cursed when he realized Trony had removed it before she washed his clothes.
I dropped a twenty on the counter in front of him.“My treat.I think we can negotiate a…satisfying way for you to pay me back later.”
That got Nelly predictably angry all over again, and Furies help me, the way he looked at me, all passion, made me want to take him right next to the croissants and brioche.
But not quite yet.I had to content myself with knowing from experience how much me paying for his coffee would irk him.He was like hard candy when something irked him—lickable all over, with a taste that would linger in your mouth for a long while after.
At least that was my hope.As of yet, my Nelly had never been licked.
40
Lionel
Atleastthebakerywasn’t too crowded, and there was no line at the counter behind us, so no one was watching the Devil buying a drink for me.It wasn’t my fault.I had money that I’d worked to earn.I could buy coffee.
