Page 87 of The Devil She Knows

“Damn skippy, you’re a demon; all you have is time.”

She arched a dark brow. “What makes you think I want to spend any of it talking to you?”

“I only have the one soul, and I already promised that to a different demon.”

“Looks like you’re shit out of luck, then.” Sidestepping Sam, she started to walk away for the third time.

“Wait!” Sam bit back a huff of irritation. “I’ll—I’ll pay for your bagel!”

The demon paused in the middle of the path and Sam held her breath.

“Two bagels,” she said after a moment of deliberation. “Extra cream cheese. And I want lox.”

“Done.”

“Andnocapers.”

“Fine.”

“Or red onions. And I don’t want the bagel toasted, I want it—”

“Oh my God!” Sam fished around inside her purse for a twenty-dollar bill and threw it at her. “Go buy your own damn bagels.”

The demon—and Sam really wished she had been forthcoming with her name, because thinking of her asthe demonfelt odd and a little rude, even all things considered—bent gracefully and snatched the money off the ground, tucking it inside her bra.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” the demon cautioned her. “Daphne’s not going to come. And on the off chance she does, you better tell her this was all your idea and that I didn’t touch a hair on your pretty little head, capisce?”

Sam bobbed her head. “Okay, okay.” She made an impatient hurry-up gesture with her hand. “Just—try.”

The demon closed her eyes then, a deep furrow forming between her dark, gently curved brows. A minute passed and it was mostly silent, with only the sound of rustling leaves and traffic in the distance and Sam’s heart pounding inside her head, ever faster.

“Sorry.” The demon opened her eyes. “I’m not getting anything. I reached out, but she didn’t answer.”

Her stomach hardened. “Try again.”

The demon pressed her fingertips to her temple like this was all too much for her. “I warned you. I told you not toget your hopes up, that if she doesn’t want to talk, I can’t make her.”

That wasn’t good enough. “You can’t or you won’t?”

“Look, hon.” The demon set her hands on her slender, leather-clad hips. “I keep my nose clean, and I do it by minding my own business. You want to talk to Daphne so badly? Go find someone else, a demon willing to face her wrath. Good luck finding one.”

ShewasSam’ssomeone else, and as loath as Sam was to admit it, the demon had made a good point. One that hadn’t even crossed her desperate mind when she’d made the short trek to the crossroads.

She had nothing of any value to offer a demon. Her soul was tied up in a different deal, and maybe offering to buy a demon breakfast had worked once, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t a second time.

But Sam hadn’t come this far to only come this far. Something had to give.

“Try. Again,” she repeated, injecting as much steel into her voice as she could muster.

The demon snickered quietly, like she found Sam’s anger amusing. Adorable, even. “Or what?”

“Orwhen I do get ahold of Daphne, and mark my words I will, I’ll tell her you tried to make a deal with me.”

With an indignant laugh, the demon crossed her arms and glowered, looking at Sam for the first time like she was sizing her up. “You’d lie?”

Sam couldn’t tell whether she sounded pissed or impressed.

“I’d do a lot of things to get what I want right now, but technically it’s not a lie. I gave you twenty dollars in exchange for a service. That’s a deal in my book.”