Page 35 of Devils Don’t Deal

Her brows were high up on her scarred face as she stared at me. “And she was corporeal or incorporeal?”

“Both. She was made of shadows then got solid after I threw a pot of tea on her.”

“What kind of tea?”

“Peppermint. It’s my favorite. Boring, I know.”

She patted my head like I was a pet rabbit. “Knowing what you like is a gift. Also surviving that kind of encounter. A big gift. The rabbit ate it?” She squinted at Divinity.

“I’m not really sure. At that point everything had a hazy glow. I guess I summoned Philius, and he kept me from dying. I don’t know how.”

She nodded. “Thank you for explaining what you think happened.”

“You don’t think that’s what happened? What do you think happened?”

She shrugged. “It’s all peculiar, starting with you.”

I frowned. “Rude. I’m not that weird.”

“You’re impossible. Fairy-goblin shouldn’t work. And then your bond with the rabbit? It’s weird. Also weird is his amazing transformation. I can see the way your souls coalesce. Like soulmates. Are the two of you romantic?”

I blinked at her. “I don’t date rabbits.”

She rolled her eyes. “The devil. Are you and the devil romantic?”

I chewed on my bottom lip then leaned closer. “Can I ask you a question that you won’t tell the Grand Sorcerer?”

She hesitated, pursing her lips, then finally shrugged. “All right. The Grand Sorcerer is out for the evening. What have you got?”

“Would you ever split your soul in half and give it to a rabbit?”

She stared at me then at the rabbit. “That’s not half a soul. How could someone survive with only half a soul unless they were performing dark magic that no one wants to talk about? That rabbit doesn’t have dark magic. Does it? It is magic, it doesn’t have magic. If that makes sense. Does it?”

I sighed. “Nothing makes sense. Much less why the goblins would want to release a psycho killer.”

“More than a psycho killer. That creature could devour the entire city. Why would they want that kind of chaos? They’re probably against the goblin king or something.”

“Something. It’s still weird.”

“Well, you can go to the station and ask them all about it. I’m sure they’ll give you answers they won’t give anyone else.” She rubbed her hands together then pressed her palm to my forehead. “When you wake up, you’ll be all better. Other than the pain, but who minds a little ache?”

I stiffened as she shot a bolt of electricity through me, and then everything went dark.

I woke up to pain. Like, seriously, did anything not hurt? But when I sat up, I actually sat up, and there was no bandage over my pale stomach. I ran my hand over the new muscles and grinned at the white rabbit, who was giving me the most judgmental look.

“Now I can get back to work! I’ll bake you something delicious.” I picked him up and spun around, kissed his head, then went to the door, ignoring the pain.

My dad was there to scowl at me, but he had pajamas for me to put on so I wouldn’t be leaving in the hospital gown. He insisted on wheeling me out in a chair, which was fine, because leaving was the main thing.

In the drive was the devil’s curly snail shell car with Rawley at the back door waiting for me. It was like they knew I was leaving.

I got out of the chair, ignoring the pain, and gave her a quick hug before she could pull away. “Thanks for the ride. You’re the best!”

I ducked inside then pulled up when I saw the other person in the back of the car with me. I waited for my dad to join us, but he climbed into the front with glass between us so I could stare at the Devil of Wonderland. So handsome. Was he more handsome than the last time I’d seen him?

“You spoke to the Grand Sorcerer,” he said in a cool voice that was more delicious than ice cream on a hot day.

“Did I? Did she talk to you too?”