“I’m here to ask Carrow’s help.” His smile was small but genuine. Unexpected. “I’d like to hire her.”
It was true that I was trying to set up shop as a clairvoyant—or whatever I was, I still wasn’t sure—but I didn’t have a storefront yet. The plan was to get started by helping Eve on the side.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Mac stepped forward, looking like she was ready to throw down. “You are dangerous to her.”
His gaze snapped to Mac. “Macbeth O’Connell…aren’t you the mother hen.”
His eyes glinted, and I raised a hand. “Don’t even think of trying your mind thing on her.”
I’d already warned him off using it on my friends, and I was immune to it, thank God.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” His words were smooth as he turned to me. “As I said, I’d like to hire you.”
I leaned against Eve’s counter and raised a brow. “Oh?”
Mac shot me a glare.
I shrugged. I couldn’t help it—I was interested. Yes, I knew he was dangerous. But damned if I wasn’t a cat who was willing to risk one of her nine lives on him. “I just want to hear him out.”
Mac stifled a groan.
The Devil’s half smile grew the slightest bit, and he was so damned sexy that I hated it. Worry twisted through me.
I had a nice life here. Back in the human world, my home had sucked monkey balls. Clashing with the Devil of Darkvale could get me kicked out of Guild City.
I shouldn’t risk it.
“I have a man I’d like you to read,” he said.
“For what?” Not that I could control what I saw from people.
“Motivation. He was trying to break in through my personal gate.”
My brows rose, as did Eve’s and Mac’s. Guild City was hidden deep within London, a walled town formed in the medieval period—possibly by the immortal Devil of Darkvale himself—to hide the supernaturals in the city. The wall was punctuated by several gates, one the Devil’s own personal access point, an impressive symbol of his power.
The fact that someone might have tried to break in through it…
Interesting.
I frowned. “Where is this person now?”
“Detained.”
“You kidnapped him,” Mac said.
“He was trying to break into my club from the outside.”
I’d been to his base of operations a few times, but only briefly. It was well guarded. “That is an inefficient way to break into Guild City. Are you sure he wasn’t trying to break into your club or your office?”
“It’s also an inefficient way to break into my club.”
“They’re all inefficient.” Eve’s tone was dry. “Everyone knows the Shifters’ Guild guards that place like it contains the holy grail.”
“I like to do my part for the economy.”
Mac scoffed. “The shifters sell protection services to anyone, and they’ve got plenty of work coming in elsewhere.”
The Devil smiled. “Be that as it may”—his gaze turned to me—“Carrow, this may be a threat to the city as well as a threat to my empire. I could use your help. I’d pay you well.”
“Ah—”
“Can I speak to you, Carrow?” Mac’s voice was sharp.
“Um, yeah.” I watched the Devil warily as I followed her to the back room of Eve’s shop.
The Fae proprietor followed, turning back to point at the Devil. “I’m watching you. Don’t touch anything.”
The little room at the back was cluttered with Eve’s most valuable potions. Mac whirled around as soon as we entered. “You are not seriously thinking of doing this, are you?”
“Um—” I frowned. “He’s not so bad. He retrieved my books for me from my flat last week, remember?”
“That was nice, I’ll give him that,” Eve said. “I know how important those were to you.”
They’d come from my friend Beatrix, who’d been murdered last year. They were all I had of hers, and he’d left them for me in my new flat.
“The books aren’t the issue right now. You know what the Oracle said. Remember her?” Mac raised her brow. “That all-powerful seer who looks too legit to quit?”
I did remember the seer. She’d grabbed me at the Witches’ Masquerade, her ghostly form flickering from old to young, and told me that the Devil and I were Cursed Mates.
“Do you really believe it, though?” I asked. “This Cursed Mates thing seems…”
“Fated Mates are real, and while I don’t know anything about Cursed Mates, there’s no way it’s a good thing,” Mac said.
“It’s quite difficult to put a nice spin on the word cursed.” Eve shot me an apologetic look.
“You’re not wrong about that.” I sighed and leaned back against the wall.
Eve raised a hand. “Oh, careful there!”
I straightened. “Right, right. Valuable potions.”
“Dangerous potions.” She pointed to the left of my head. “See the blue ones? They’ll blow your head clean off.”
“Oookay, then.” I stepped away from the wall, vowing to be more careful from now on.
“Well?” Mac said. “You’re saying no, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m saying no.” I wasn’t sure I believed in the damned concept of Cursed Mates, even though it scared the hell out of me. But Mac and Eve were my Yodas in this new world, and I would listen to them. “Let’s go.”
I returned to the room to find the Devil standing still as a statue. It was eerie how he did that—almost as if he could turn to stone. Apparently, he really was immortal—at least in the sense that he wouldn’t age, though he could be killed by trauma—and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a coping technique meant to deal with the misery of being alive forever.
“I hope you’re going to say yes.” His voice was impossibly smooth, a caress across my skin.
“No. I’m sorry. I’m busy here.”
“You’re frightened.”
I bristled. “No, I’m smart. And I’m serious. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to have anything to do with some random man who broke into your club.” I shrugged. “I can’t control what I see anyway, so maybe I couldn't help you.”
“Practice would give you more control of your magic.”
If I did this, we’d have to spend time together. Probably be close to each other…
It was tempting.
And the Council of Guilds was going to come after me if I didn’t get a handle on my magic. Especially now that it seemed to be growing stronger in a way that I couldn’t explain.
But…
“No.” My words were firm. “But thank you.”
He nodded. His face was expressionless. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but you’ve made your wishes clear.”
“You’re going to come back and ask again, aren’t you?” Mac demanded.
“I might.”
Oh, he would. This wouldn’t be the last I’d see of him.
“Thank you for your time, ladies.” He turned and disappeared through the door, all grace and smoothness.