Page 75 of Devils Don’t Deal

I smiled at him. “But if I’m killed before the deal is up, that will wake the devil. She has to play by his rules. And then he’ll be fine, so my death will be okay. You killing me would be much less useful.”

“So you don’t mind dying to save this devil you claim to love?”

“Of course I mind dying, but it’s less annoying.”

“Ah.” He flashed a smile with all his lovely white teeth. His canines were amazingly sharp. “And you want me to come with you then put me back in the devil’s chest? Suppose having a heart changes him in ways you dislike?”

I shrugged. “If it’s good for him, it doesn’t matter.”

“Self-sacrificing. It’s a dangerous character trait to have.”

I offered a shaky smile. “Does that mean you’ll come with me?”

The vines released me, and I fell to the long, unkempt grass.

“Or you could stay here with me.” His eyes were suddenly meltingly sweet and compelling.

I held up a hand to guard off his temptation. He was so ridiculously tempting. “Absolutely not. First, I can only hold my mini-fairy shape for so long, and I can’t hold time forever, and I need to get back to my bakery, and I need to save you so we can face reality together, not hide from it.”

“One kiss. If I like it, I’ll come with you.”

I stared at him while my skin heated and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Hold the rabbit. Yes. That’s what I’d do. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, just a brush, but it sent a wave of beating happiness through me.

The butterflies glowed brighter blue and everything became more real and potent. The grass smelled sweet and fresh, the colors gleamed, and he smelled like heaven and my bakery.

“That’s the kiss you chose to give me?” He stared at me for a long moment before he shrugged and held out his hand. “I did like it.”

I smiled as I grasped his hand then he frowned and brushed my throat. The collar fell off, dissolving to ashes as soon as it was off my skin.

He touched the rabbit, fingers careful, eyes thoughtful as he studied the creature. An embodied soul. “She told me she loved me. Begged me to love her. Swore with half her soul to love me forever.” He looked up into my eyes. So sweet. So beautiful. “If you have her soul, I suppose she broke her promise. What is your plan exactly?”

I took a deep breath then smiled at him because it felt so incredibly good not to have a collar around my throat like a real slave. “Come with me. Leave this place and come with me to the devil. He’s in a coma. If he had his heart back, he could love me. Not that that’s the priority. Obviously, he’d have to defeat the enchantress and the fairy king first. That’s far more important than the possibility of him loving me.” I smiled brightly while he shook his head.

“You are a terrible liar.”

“Thank you. That suggests that I don’t have a lot of practice with deception.”

“You’re always pretending to be happy when you aren’t.” He squeezed my hand then touched my cheek, but it was a caress that made my toes curl in delight. It was still him.

I cleared my throat. “Well, I actually am happy a lot. Sometimes I jumpstart real happiness with fake happiness, but what does that matter if I end up in the right place?”

He nodded slowly, eyes pulsing in time to my heartbeat. “You’ll have to put me in his heart. Like this.” He pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine.

He tasted more like ashes than caramel and felt like a promise of pain, but I didn’t care about anything when I was in his arms.

I kissed him back, threading my fingers through his silky hair while my whole heart and soul stretched out to him. It wasn’t just one moment that made me love him, it was an entire tapestry of connection and care, woven with love in every touch, every kind act. I loved him so completely. He was my home. I’d happily die to save him, devil or not. He was my devil, and he was beautiful.

With a click, he vanished, leaving me falling over into the wild grass, his kiss burning on my lips.

The rabbit stared at me, something dark and flickering in his eyes. I picked him up, noting that he was five times heavier, or I was five times weaker. Then I flew back the way I’d come, through the narrow arteries that were closing in while the walls cracked and flexed, almost like it didn’t want me to leave. Or like I was taking its core and life force with me.

I barely wriggled out of the top of the aorta then flew across the room, making it into Rawley’s grasp. I lost my mini fairy and exploded into normal size as I clicked the watch.

Time started again, with me holding the rabbit and Rawley grasping my arm. Did she notice her grip slipping?

The heart reached the enchantress’s hand while the macarons stopped rolling.

“What did you think? That you could beat me?” she asked, coming up in a rush of gorgeous wings and power while she pulled out her wand and pointed it at me.