Page 29 of Bleed the Shadows

He reached for the door and waited for me to enter first, because even monsters could be gentlemen I guess.

Or my monsters could anyway.

No, they weren’t mine. I took that part back.

Before it could do any real damage.

22

MAEVE

I stepped into a small,plain space with white walls and a utilitarian steel counter. If the air hadn’t been laced with yeast and sugar, I would have thought the shop sold car parts or offered dry-cleaning services.

After the horrific night I’d had in the tunnels, the smell of freshly-baked dough was a comfort, like being in my dad’s kitchen when he cooked.

“This is a donut shop?” I looked around, searching for any sign of it other than the scent of fried dough.

Poe laughed. “Trust me.”

He rang a small bell next to a cash register on the steel counter.

A man grumbled from behind an open door that led to the back and a minute later a tattooed giant with a dark beard appeared. Ink crawled from under his T-shirt, down his arms and up his neck.

“Remy know you’re here?” he asked Poe.

“He will,” Poe said.

The bearded guy held up his fist and Poe bumped it with his own.

“You just missed the before-work crowd.” He looked at me. “Who do we have here?”

“Maeve.” I offered him my hand, but he looked at it like I was crazy. I hesitantly turned my open palm into a fist, hoping for the best, and was surprised when he grinned and bumped my fist with his own.

Ooookay, fist bump it was.

“Maeve’s a pastry chef,” Poe said.

“Oh, I don’t…” I shook my head, suddenly embarrassed. “I don’t work as one right now or anything.”

“Her desserts are amazing,” Poe insisted.

The bearded guy nodded. “Fancy.”

“Well, it’s what you do, right?” I asked.

“A pastry chef?” He shook his head. “I just make donuts. So, what do you like, Maeve?”

“Excuse me?”

“In your donuts? Are you a maple-bar or filled-donut kind of girl?”

It was one hundred percent because I was standing next to Poe that “filled-donut kind of girl” made me blush. I could only hope neither of the men noticed.

“Um… I’ve never had a maple bar. But I do like filled donuts.”

He pointed at me as he studied my face, like he’d just made a discovery. “I got you.” He looked at Poe. “The usual?”

Poe nodded and the guy disappeared into the back.