New Urban Fantasy First-in-Series on KU! THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP by Amber Lynn Natusch ~ Includes an Excerpt!

“That’s a terrible habit you have there,” I said, gesturing to the smoke billowing from her puckered lips. 

“Takes the edge off being here…with people like you.”

Wiping my hands clean on my pants, I walked over to her and plucked the cigarette from her hand. “Well, in that case…” Annoyance flared in her eyes as she watched me take a drag before handing it back.

“The kitchen’s that way, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said, gesturing to the door behind me.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” When I didn’t move, she put the clove cigarette back to her lips and turned her head to look down the alley at the street beyond. The angle of her jaw had a red smear she’d missed, and I reached over to wipe it away. 

The second she realized I was about to touch her, she sidestepped me in a panic. “Do you have a death wish?”

“You have a little something on your face.”

“And you will too if you ever try to touch me again,” she countered, taking a final drag before flicking the butt toward the dumpster. “I’m not stupid; I know what you’re trying to do. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of experience with your type.”

“I bet you’ve had experience with many types working here.”

Her eyes went wide with fury. “Are you calling me a whore, trash boy? Because I know you have a death wish if you are—”

“I’m saying you have encounters with a variety of people in this business, and I’m sure you’ve learned a thing or two in order to survive.”

“Or maybe I’m just insane enough to keep them on edge and at bay.”

I quirked a brow in challenge. “And how’s that working out for you?”

Her arms folded under her chest, forcing her breasts to peek out the top of her shirt. “About as well as being loyal to the fae king worked out for you, I imagine.”

“And what landed you here, I wonder—horrible pun totally intended. Given how bitter you seem to be to every male in a five mile radius—Ravi excluded, of course—I’m guessing your heart must have been involved.”

Her scowl in response was a fearsome thing. “Looks like my break is over, fairy boy. Good talk.” 

She turned to leave, but my words stopped her short. “I also wonder what it would take to get you over that.”

Lightning fast, she stormed over to me and thrust her face in mine. “Let’s make something abundantly clear right now, asshole: me not falling at your feet because you deigned to speak to me and tossed me a lazy smile doesn’t make me bitter, it makes me smart. Too smart for you.”

“Which makes me curious as to what happened to help you wise up.”

“It doesn’t take a lot of trauma or brain power to see through your bullshit, Yael. Maybe the fae aren’t as clever as their reputation claims, or maybe they’re just easy to bed, but I think you’ll find the women of the Playground much harder to charm out of their pants—unless you pay them, of course. If you’re looking for a sure thing, I recommend the girls down on my corner.”

“But where’s the fun in that, little mermaid?”

Murder flashed in those endlessly blue eyes as her whole body went tense. “Call me that again and I’ll dunk you in the fryer. It’ll make these games you like to play a lot harder without that pretty-boy face of yours.”

“You’d better toss the rest of me in too while you’re at it, then,” I said, leaning in closer to her. “The pretty doesn’t end at my face.”

She took a step back and eyed me up. “You’re too big to fit—but a freshly sharpened meat cleaver could make quick work of that.”

“Always with the blades,” I replied, biting my lip. “Makes me wonder if that’s a fetish of yours or a coping mechanism to compensate for having no real power—nothing to wield, other than your equally sharp tongue, of course.”

“Oh, I have power,” she said with a smile that promised pain, “and you’d better pray I never decide to use it on you.” She leaned in so close I could smell the faint scent of the salty sea, and I forced myself not to inhale it deeper. “I would ruin you with it.”

“Sounds intriguing…tell me more.”

“I don’t tell anyone anything, ever. Especially not you.” She turned to walk away, but I caught her by the arm to stop her, because something about the way we went back and forth was intoxicating, and I wasn’t ready for it to end. But instead of more lively banter or a “fuck you” in response, I found myself pinned to the brick wall with a knife at my throat. “Touch me again and you won’t live long enough for me to ruin you. Got it?”

I raised my hands in slow surrender as a rush of blood surged through my veins at the thought of her unleashing all that fury on me. “Got it.”

Glaring at me for a moment longer to drive her point home, she tucked the blade away, then retreated to the door. 

Our boss appeared a moment later, eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. “Your break’s over, Myra.”

“I was just coming in,” she replied as she walked away, looking over her shoulder with murder in those piercing blue eyes. “We’re all done here.”