Page 68 of Devils Don’t Deal

“I’m worried you’ll turn me into a zombie. But you don’t need an elixir for that, do you? You just have to speak and my will follows. What’s it like being a siren? Do you crave swimming? Is that why we’re near the water?”

His smile was sharper for a moment. “Music. I hear the music in everything. Particularly in screams. Sometimes, you can create an entire orchestration out of screaming bodies and souls. What’s it like to be a fairy-goblin?”

I shivered. “That sounds lovely. For me, it’s annoying. First, everyone’s always telling me that I’m impossible. And then I’m always getting sick, and my magic is basically useless. Also my wings. It’s not a very good genetic combo. Siren-fairy and fairy-enchantress are much better.”

He studied me like I was saying something fascinating instead of incredibly mundane. “Interesting. You have no ego.”

I blinked at him. “Excuse me? I’m very confident about my baking. It’s not a very glorious talent, but it makes me happy, and that’s what’s important.” I glanced over at the floating devil, unable to help myself. He also made me happy.

“Your mother didn’t raise you to destroy me?”

I stared at him. “Um. No, but she did teach me to pour tea properly. And dance. She also taught me how to make all the fairy delicacies.”

He started frowning. “Why didn’t she teach you war?”

“Oh. Well, when I was very young, she tried to teach me how to fence, but I tripped and stabbed myself with my foil and broke my leg. I was laid up for three months while it healed. I read a lot of cookbooks.”

“Three months to heal?” He looked horrified. His scar was wonderfully good at accenting his emotions.

I sighed. “I know. If you’re horrified, think how she felt. So after that, she tried to teach me to be safe from dangerous things like tripping over my feet and falling off ladders. I went through a very clumsy stage, but happily I grew into my feet.”

“What skills did your father teach you?”

I wasn’t going to mention the two-brains thing. “I know how to speak goblin.”

His lip curled. “You know a language. Lovely. Anything else?”

“Well, goblin magic doesn’t work for me. I did learn to make poison, but it made me sick, so he forbade me from doing any more. It’s too bad I’m so sensitive. I think he could make me gear that could block out the fumes, but he refused to try again.”

He stared at me. “You’re entirely helpless? How are you not dead yet?”

“I make a point of avoiding trouble. Until my mother died, I mostly succeeded. But then I punched a fairy, broke my hand, and⁠—”

He shook his head. “Stop. A goblin’s child broke her hand punching a fairy? You’re a fairy delicacy made out of spun glass.”

The way he said that hurt my feelings. “I haven’t had any accidents for ages,” I said then frowned and glanced over at the devil. It was like he’d been protecting me ever since I made the deal with him.

“You care for him a great deal,” he said, not mocking, just factual.

I stared at him then at the devil. “Well, my mother fell for a goblin. I come from a long line of fools in love.”

“Do you think she truly loved your father?”

I stared at him, bewildered. “Of course.”

“Why did she love him?” he asked, almost gently.

“He didn’t kill her when he had the chance. Instead, he saved her from the goblin dust.”

“A bit strange that a goblin would go from hunting her for vengeance to saving her. Almost like she’d cast a spell on him, wouldn’t you say?”

I stared at him. “Well…” I said slowly. “Maybe she did cast a spell on him, but it hit her too.”

“Or she played him, and then you happened.”

“She wanted to have me. She took a potion.”

“Do you think so?” He smiled at me. “It must be a lovely place.”