Sinfully Delicious

Management

"No one can make these like you, Ferya." Gavin grinned to her happily, his green eyes dancing as they met hers. "I wouldn't touch another one if it wasn't made by you. So you... got hired by Lucifer?"

Ferya blushed, glancing around the shop as a way to avoid eye contact with him, her words a soft murmur. "He hired me to manage this place... I... get to run it. It's not much, but I get to decide the menu, how many things I'll make, my hours, you name it. No more running out of things on purpose."

"I always knew our fearless liege was as smart as he was beautiful." Gavin chuckled softly, offering a shrug as he picked up his coffee and the plate the second half of the tart was on. "I'll have to spread the word that I found you. No one knew where you went."

Baltha was suddenly beside him, though she hadn't noticed the demon move from the far corner and the demon's presence was enough to make Gavin duck his head ever so slightly. The shifter took a step back as he turned his attention to the fire demon.

Baltha bared his teeth at the shifter, before turning to look at her. "Can I have another donut? Please?"

He may have been attempting to smile sweetly at her, but it just ended up as a flash of sharp teeth and a tendril of smoke escaping from his nostrils.

Ferya knew there was a hierarchy amongst their kind, she knew that it was a power play that was only natural, and she fell so far below either of them she didn't even count. Still, she felt a tendril of anger over Gavin's sudden sullenness. She had never seen the man close up like he was or look so submissive in anyone's presence and felt her heart go out to him. Ferya also knew how hard it was for her to be bullied on a daily basis and how little she wanted someone else to experience that feeling ever again.

Before she knew what she was doing, the ager took control and Ferya frowned as she levelled her eyes on the demon. "No."

Baltha blinked in surprise, straightening to his full height in shock. "Excuse me?"

Gavin gave her a look of surprise before casting a careful glance toward Baltha, though he remained silent.

"You've been glaring at Gavin since he walked in. He's a friend. You're being inconsiderate. That does not deserve a donut." She crossed her arms over her chest, forcing herself to hold the demon's gaze, fighting the spike of fear. She didn't know what was possessing her, she didn't know this part of herself that was speaking, and she wanted to throw up at the thought of how reckless she was being.

Gavin looked about as stunned as Baltha did but before he could open his mouth to say anything, the fire demon merely smirked and glanced at him in amusement. "I merely wanted to ensure he wasn't someone trying to harass you, Ferya. I know his pack has ties to Vialen's coven."

Gavin snorted, giving the demon a glare. "I'm not a lupine. I don't have a pack. I have a family and my cousin has done some work for Vialen, but I do not have any personal ties to the coven. There are just... others who frequented the shop for Ferya's baking who would be happy to know they could still find it somewhere else."

"Day kin?" Baltha asked with a casual sort of sweetness that made Gavin bare his teeth.

"There were plenty of them that frequented the shop. But there were a lot of us who had to change our schedules to get what we wanted, during the day." Gavin offered a shrug, and despite his stubborn expression he relaxed a little more as he watched the demon.

The tension of the situation seemed to be winding down as the two men shifted into some silent understanding that went beyond the words that were being spoken.

Ferya had come to the conclusion that they had forgotten that she was even in the room, taking a step back away from them only herself suddenly under both of their gazes. Freezing out of instinct, she realized she had just drawn the attention of two predators through her movement. There was still the matter of her talking back to the demon that she expected to be addressed.

Baltha smirked again, moving to put a casual arm around Gavin's shoulders. "See, we're friends. I'll be nice. I just need to ask him some questions."

Ferya glanced at Gavin, who gave her a lopsided smile and a nod of his head, before he was led back towards the corner by Baltha. Ferya paused for a moment, before sighing and turning to make the demon a chai latte, which she carried to the table shared with Gavin, along with a chocolate donut.

"Thanks." Baltha grinned widely to her, the flames in his eyes shimmering in the darkness as he watched her.

She merely nodded and returned to her place behind the counter before the demon could change his mind about allowing her to mouth him off unscathed. She still didn't know why he hadn't reacted to it, why he had actually respected her refusal as if he couldn't snap her neck and take what he wanted with zero effort, but she wasn't going to push her luck.

Ferya continued with her tasks of cleaning, restocking and preparing the next batch of treats she was going to make for the next day. There was a lone witch on the side of the shop opposite to where Baltha sat, who was reading over her tea and Gavin's conversation with the demon was quiet enough that it didn't reach her ears at all.

As she was returning from the kitchen, wiping her hands, she looked up to see Murchadh walk through the door from the street, followed closely by his partner, Cingetorix. Murchadh stopped in his tracks as those beautiful teal eyes of his stilled on her form, forcing Cingetorix to shift around him to avoid running straight into his back. The woman frowned at Murchadh and appeared to be about to open her mouth to say something, when she happened to see Ferya and likewise stopped in surprise.

The two of them watched her for a long moment, before they turned as one, each taking a different direction and scanning the shop. They were in their uniforms of leather and metal armour, the silver rings on their ears glinting in the light as they moved.

Light and dark, as a team they were beautiful and dangerous in ways that she couldn't explain, though she had to catch herself from staring too long at Murchadh, as she often did. Turning instead to grab a couple cups off the counter, filling them from the coffee press that she used for her own coffee, which had turned out to be their preferred way to enjoy coffee as well. She never knew when to expect them, but she was always prepared, if only for the briefest of small smiles that would flutter over Murchadh's features as a result.

Ferya shivered then, hearing Baltha let out a low barking noise, which brought her back to herself and the rule that Lucifer had set down that first night. His voice echoed in her mind and seized her heart with the brutality of its requirement. Ferya told herself that she had no choice and to have faith in the man who had done so much kindness to her. Surely he wasn't about to attack or hurt Murchadh and Torix, surely he just wanted to know.

Lucifer had seemed to acknowledge that these two Guardians weren't her enemies when she had mentioned them. Ferya had to trust that they wouldn't be in danger, but she felt a sinking in her chest as she tapped three times on her bracelet as directed. She felt as if she were betraying the two of them, and it broke her heart and caused bile to rise in her chest as a result of the anxiety she experienced.

Anyone would tell her not to trust the devil. Why had she?