Page 74 of Devils Don’t Deal

“But if the fairy king and the enchantress are defeated. What will you do once the deal is completed?”

I stared at him. “I’ll run my bakery. I don’t know. I asked the devil if he’d mind dating me for real, but then the enchantress stole him away and stuck him in a coma.”

“You would date the devil for real? Marry him? Love him forever?”

I stared into those terribly dark eyes. He was so angry. “If he’d let me. I don’t want him to feel awkward about it. And if he didn’t want to love me back, I’d try to find someone else who could. I want to be happy with someone. I’ve been kind of lonely for a long time, because I couldn’t let anyone know I was a fairy-goblin.”

He stared at me, claws running over my jaw in a way that made my skin prickle, but not terribly. “What is love?”

“It’s comfort and care.”

“Not passion and desire?”

I was pretty sure I was blushing. “I guess it can be that too, but it doesn’t have to be.”

“And which kind of love do you have for the devil?”

He said ‘the devil,’ not ‘me.’ I guess that’s what happens when you’re disconnected for so long.

I shrugged, which was awkward with the vines. “Both. You taste really good, like salted caramels. You’ve inspired a lot of my baking.”

“Baking is passion to you? Peculiar. And if he loved you back⁠—”

“You. You’re his heart. You’d have to love me.”

He studied me for a very long time. “Do you want me to love you?”

“Of course I do, but I don’t expect it.”

“And what would you do with my love?” His touch was slightly uncomfortable, and his eyes welled with rage.

“I’d reciprocate.”

He frowned. “Specifically…”

“Well, if you showed me love, I’d show you love. And I’d try to make you happy the way you make me happy.”

“I make you happy?”

“Yes. Even though you caged my father, and you don’t have a soul, and you’re pretty immoral, I still love you.”

“Immorality bothers you? Peculiar. You are an oddity.” He finally released me then licked his claws, which had my blood on it. “You really are a goblin-fairy.”

I sniffed. “I prefer fairy-goblin, but yes. I really am. And you’re a disembodied devil’s heart. What’s your point?”

He smiled slightly while his tail twitched. “I’m actually an embodied devil’s heart. And this is my point.” The next breath, his forked tail was aimed at my chest. “Shall I kill you?”

“No. I have to try to save you.”

He blinked at me. “Why do you care?”

“Because I love you.”

“You’re stupid. You can’t beat an enchantress and a fairy king.”

“I don’t want to beat them. I just want to save you.”

“It’s going to get you worse than killed. You’ve already been collared.”