Sympathy for the Demons (Promised to the Demons #1) - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,42

Bernard had hurt her, and he was the person who should have been protective of her. But it wasn’t just Bernard. It was every witch and warlock who had forced us to serve them and stolen our freedom.

In the end, I vowed not only to sever all ties between familiars and wizards, but also to punish Bernard for what he’d done. It would be very satisfying to tell him that Jenny was mine, and that he would never have any power over her again, and kick his ass.

I would do it for her, and she could just have a good life and not worry about any of that.

“This cream looks so creamy!” she exclaimed, and then she laughed. “I mean…it is cream, but still. It’s so golden. You must have the happiest of all cows,” she said to the proud elfin girl selling the wares. “The butter is beautiful too.”

I added a roll of butter to the basket and paid the girl for both. I already had butter, but I had a feeling Jenny would go through it quickly.

“What else do you need?” I asked Jenny. “I have more money.”

“I would love whole vanilla beans, if such a thing exists here, but maybe they’re too expensive. Anyway, the vanilla extract you have will do.”

“Let’s check the spice merchant.”

“Oh, cardamom!” Her eyes lit up. “Mrs. Franch doesn’t like cardamom, so I don’t make my cardamom cookies, but I love it. It’s also good in a chai tea blend.”

“We’ll definitely get some, then. I’ve never met a spice I didn’t like. It’s not a bad spell ingredient either, but then, chai is sort of a little spell in itself.”

“It is? I do find it very healing when I drink it. Soothes my nerves even when it has black tea in it, even though caffeine usually hypes me up a little too much.”

“If you like to bake, I have baking gift bundles,” the spice seller said. She was an older woman with a gnomish appearance and very dark skin. “You get everything much cheaper and it has an assortment of baking spices and my homemade extracts and blends of natural dyes, and then you have some things for decorating…cocoa nibs, sprinkles, nuts…so people can bake with their younglings around yule time.”

“Dyes! I could make such beautiful things!” Jenny grabbed the huge basket with her eyes going wide. “What a wonderful idea! It’s like a baking playground!” Then she quickly put it back. “I’m sure it’s expensive, though.”

“I’ll get it,” I said, although it did clear out my last coin. But we could gather some more pine nuts and sell them at the market next time. I guessed I’d have to get more serious about earning money if I had her around. Familiars didn’t usually need to work a real job in Etherium.

Jenny took the basket and did a little jig with it. I’m not even sure she noticed how bouncy she was when she was happy, but toads were hopping creatures. “I can’t wait! I’ll make you a cake with rainbow layers! This must be what a real Christmas feels like.”

“It’s not even Christmas yet. I’ll have to think of something even better for you then.”

“Nothing could be better than this day,” she declared.

“You’re not one for feeling anything halfway,” I said. “But you will have better days than walking to the local market and buying cream.”

“Not better than my first kiss.”

“Kisses are also only the beginning.”

“Ohhohh.” She nodded.

I was starting to notice her mouth, in particular, and how just the sight of it made my body burn with an aggressive possession. It wasn’t an especially remarkable mouth, compared to other girls; nothing about her appearance stood out at first. But the personality inside was so animated, so excited and impressed by everything, that it was very hard not to imagine how animated and impressed she would be if I touched her in the right places, especially when paired with the amazing curves that her girlish dresses couldn’t hide.

I’d never felt like this before, but the feeling came to me so naturally that I wondered how I had lived this long without this need.

But then I had…the Variel problem.

I had this feeling that he wouldn’t like me getting too close to Jenny. I couldn’t get rid of him easily, since I was bound to him. The only thing keeping the balance of power was the fact that he’d been banished to my corner of the magical realm and he was all alone without